Jim Stanford: Let’s drop the phoney Alberta versus Canada nonsense. The province has met the enemy — and it is them
www.thestar.com
Alberta produces more GDP per worker than any other, and oil profits have never been higher. But the average Albertan’s standard of living is lower than a decade ago.

Their economy produces more GDP per worker than any other. The economic pie they bake is bigger than ever. But the average Albertan’s standard of living is lower than a decade ago.

It wasn’t Ottawa that laid them off, cut their pay, froze the minimum wage, drove up electricity and insurance costs, and put their health care at risk. It was the enemy within.

Alberta’s oligarchs aren’t speaking for the province, they are speaking for themselves.

And the sooner the rest of the population can get past the phoney Alberta versus Canada narrative, the sooner they’ll start toward a genuine solution to their woes: namely, winning a fairer share of the abundant wealth they already produce.

  • BublboiEnglish
    352·
    9 days ago

    So don’t point to Trudeau, or wave flags in the west, The real issue’s local — and that truth is the test. The bosses, the moguls, they hoard and they spin, While the everyday Albertan can barely win.

    So rise up and ask, “Where’s our fair share?” It’s time to reclaim what’s already there. Forget east versus west — that tale’s getting old, There’s power in people, if they’re brave and bold.

  • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
    22·
    8 days ago

    Reminder that Norway created it’s oil fund by being inspired by Alberta’s, Norway has close to 2T$ in theirs, Alberta has about 20B$ in theirs.

    • CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org
      9·
      8 days ago

      Norway’s is literally the single largest investor in the world now, and makes most of it’s money from it’s money. Alberta also has almost as many people.

      The rest of Canada likes to scapegoat us as inbred racists, but the concentration of that is vastly exaggerated. The affliction we do struggle with is more like a kind of self-righteous entitlement. Dipping into our savings to fund whatever political goodies is one example.

      • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
        10·
        8 days ago

        If Alberta had kept a sales tax and a normal level of income taxation instead of relying on what it gets from the oil industry it would be self funded and its whole population could be unemployed and living off the interests on the government’s fund.

        Surprisingly, that would have been the financially Conservative thing to do so you can be 100% sure that the Conservatives that were in power for 44 fucking years in a row wouldn’t have done that!