PO Podcast 105 – A “Fair Deal” for Alberta?

Earlier in June, the Fair Deal Panel made public its final report to the Alberta government. The stated goal of the panel was to find ways to get Alberta a better deal in the federation, and promote the province’s economic interests along the way. In the recommendations, some of the items are now standard fare for Alberta politics, including the referendum on equalization promised by Premier Jason Kenney. Others, like establishing a provincial police force and withdrawing from the Canada Pension Plan, not so much. This week on the podcast, we take a deep dive into the policy and politics of the Fair Deal Panel, and what they tell us about Alberta today, with Trevor Tombe and Melanee Thomas. Trevor Tombe is an associate professor of economics and a research fellow at the University of Calgary School of Public Policy. He’s also the author of the IRPP paper, "An (Overdue) Review of Canada’s Fiscal Stabilization Program," which we discussed on an earlier podcast. Melanee Thomas is an associate professor of political science at the University of Calgary. She’s written several pieces for Policy Options, including one about separatist anger in Alberta and another about Jason Kenney’s focus on Quebec. What’s the deal with fiscal stabilization?: https://options-po.li/2uXBzNk An (Overdue) Review of Canada’s Fiscal Stabilization Program: https://on-irpp.org/38OBr1q Jason Kenney’s case of Quebec envy: https://options-po.li/2KOTiLE As Alberta’s anger deepens, it gets harder to turn off: https://options-po.li/311g0GG