Time change, equalization on ballot
But civic elections won't include questions on pension plan, police
Albertans will be able to weigh in on daylight time and federal equalization, but not on the long-debated creation of a provincial pension plan and police force in the fall.
On Oct. 18, Albertans will vote on the two referendum questions and Senate nominees when they elect school board trustees and municipal governments.
Service Alberta Minister Nate Glubish noted a government survey conducted in 2019 that showed overwhelming support for ending the practice of changing clocks twice a year and moving to summer hours.
“It is clear that Albertans are passionate about this, and a change on this matter should not be taken lightly. How Albertans calculate time affects literally everyone in this province, as well as others beyond our borders,” said Glubish, adding that changing the way the province observes time could negatively affect aviation and tourism industries, as well as broadcast sports.
He said the government is acting on the file now because it needed to prioritize its COVID -19 pandemic response last year.
In March 2020, Yukon stopped changing its clocks, British Columbia and Ontario have passed similar legislation but not enacted it, while Saskatchewan does not change its clocks from Central Standard Time.
On equalization payments, Premier Jason Kenney said it's important for voters to voice their opinion to maximize Alberta's leverage with the federal government.
“Our government was elected on a commitment to let Albertans say yes to a fair deal,” said Kenney.
The referendum will be nonbinding, since equalization payments are set by Ottawa.
Making changes would require approval from the House of Commons, the Senate, at least twothirds of the provincial legislative assemblies and would come with legal and political consequences, the province's Fair Deal panel reported.
The results of the senate vote are similarly non-binding, with Alberta providing its top two senate candidates to the prime minister to consider.
While a referendum question on equalization fulfils a UCP campaign promise, the future of two other Fair Deal panel recommendations remains unclear.
Kenney said creating an Alberta pension plan and police force are complex issues that need more analysis. He said third-party reports on both would be released at the “appropriate time.”
His office did not respond to questions about whether the two issues would be put to a referendum before the next provincial election.
Finance Minister Travis Toews said Albertans would have the final say if the province were to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan and create a provincial plan, noting it's important Albertans are well informed. When it comes to a provincial police force, Kenney said the government needs to do more consultation with First Nations and with municipalities that would be affected.
Justice Minister Kaycee Madu said the issue of a provincial police force is not being ignored, but the province would not rush into implementation.
“We are taking a serious look at this, although this is a unique opportunity to improve our provincial policing,” said Madu.
Kenney suggested the province could limit a referendum on the issue to those who live in communities policed by the RCMP, although no final decision has been made.
NDP Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said excluding residents in places like Edmonton would be undemocratic.
“Moving to a provincial police force will cost all Albertans more, so all Albertans should have the opportunity to vote on it,” said Notley at an unrelated news conference Thursday.
She said she supports a daylight time change and gave credit to Kenney for moving forward on an issue Albertans care about, but argued Kenney should be focused on diversification and creating jobs instead of an equalization vote.
“We are going to be spending tens of millions of dollars on asking Albertans to vote on something where nobody in Ottawa is actually interested in the answer to that question,” said Notley.
Despite both the pension plan and police force being recommended by the Fair Deal Panel, the majority of people surveyed as part of the panel's report don't support the ideas.
Notley called them “silly” and said the government should have dismissed them both.
“Instead, they're keeping them alive, so Albertans should be concerned,” she said.
The official results of the referendums and senate elections are slated to be announced Oct. 26.