federal

IT COULD COST YOU YOUR TEETH

Western alienation has been a theme present in the political landscape of Alberta since before the province was established in 1905.

In fact, quarrels with the federal government were the staple ingredients of long political careers for two of the most prominent figures in the history of Alberta - Senator James Alexander Lougheed and Prime Minister R.B. Bennett.

Even then, the concept that Alberta was a colony of the federal government - a province not considered on equal footing to the more senior members of confederation in Ontario, Quebec or the maritimes - was common amongst frontier settlers.

Not much has changed since then.

So, to say that Alberta has a tenuous relationship with the federal government is an understatement.

We have been mistreated by Ottawa for generations.

The breakdown in federal-provincial relations often stems from fiscal imbalances littered throughout federal-provincial agreements that - in almost every case - take more money from Alberta taxpayers to fund said program than are actually spent on the program in the province.

Not only that, the programs are often bureaucratic nightmares.

In Alberta, hearing the phrase “we’re from Ottawa and we’re here to help” evokes memories of nightmarish federal programs - like equalization - that just take from Alberta and leave us with nothing - sometimes even flat broke.

Take childcare.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the federal Liberal-NDP alliance decided that Ottawa was in the best position to provide childcare services for the entire country at $10 per day.

In order to reach the $10 per day price tag, the federal government - according to Trudeau and his minions - had to nationalize the program.

That has turned out to be a disaster - both for the woes of a failing government and for those in need of childcare services.

Families are being turned away.

Operators are frustrated with the lack of information coming from government sources.

They are speaking out.

“It’s heartbreaking to turn families away, ” said New Brighton Child Care operator Fiona Pursell.

“If we think we can do it for $10 a day when you can’t get a coffee and a muffin for $10 a day, we’re delusional,” said Krystal Churcher, chair of a child-care providers group.

The Alberta government has been forced to step in, offering an additional grant to childcare operators - up to $6,000 per space.

Yes - in spite of the fact that the federal government is taxing us for nationalized childcare, the provincial government is having to fill in funding gaps.

Now, Ottawa has decided the next area of provincial jurisdiction they want to wander into is dental care.

Ottawa is coming for our teeth now.

This one is just as ambitious as the child care plan, so buckle in if you want to get your teeth whitened anytime soon.

The Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), introduced earlier this year, is another expensive federal initiative aiming to provide dental care subsidies to Canadians without dental benefits - with an adjusted household income of less than $90,000 annually.

Nationalized dental care is a key component of the Liberal-NDP supply-and-confidence agreement which keeps Trudeau in power.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who has been aggressively blocking federal intrusions into provincial jurisdiction, wrote a letter to Trudeau seeking to negotiate an unconditional agreement for Alberta’s share of federal dental funding.

She aims to use this funding to expand coverage to a greater number of low-income Albertans.

She pointed out - rightly - that health care is provincial jurisdiction and Ottawa - once again - is infringing on that jurisdiction.

She also pointed out that the program was not developed in collaboration with the provincial and territorial governments.

She says the province will opt out of nationalized dental care.

Meanwhile, newly installed Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi seems keen on signing up to any and all federal agreements that come along:

“I will very happily make a deal with anybody if that deal helps Albertans,” said the former Mayor.

“I will make deals on clean electricity regulations that make sense for Alberta. I’ll make deals on federal transfers and on social programs.”

Whether the deal “makes sense for Alberta” would presumably be determined by Trudeau and Nenshi though, rather than by Albertans themselves.

Instead of distancing himself from the extremely unpopular Justin Trudeau, Nenshi appears to be prepared to embrace him.

Nenshi’s close relationship with Trudeau was a common theme in his Mayoralty - even earning him the moniker “Trudeau’s Mayor.”

But, Trudeau’s unpopularity is far higher now than it was when Nenshi was Mayor.

Last Monday’s by-election loss in Toronto-St. Paul’s, in the heart of “Fortress Toronto,” a long-time Liberal seat fell to a Conservative challenger.

It is entirely possible that in sixteen months there will be a change in government.

It’s even starting to look possible that Trudeau won’t even last that long, as the Liberal patronage machine begins to panic.

That means that the Alberta government needs to be prepared to negotiate with a federal government that may be more respectful of provincial jurisdiction than the current government.

All federal-provincial agreements will need to be looked at with a fine tooth comb - especially when it comes to finances.

That also presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally negotiate our way to fairness.

We might never get this chance again, before it’s too late to fix it.

We have questions.

How much are Albertans paying in taxes for each national program?

How much is that national program spending in Alberta?

How much is the Alberta government paying to cover shortfalls in federal funding in those programs?

The Alberta government can’t be blindly walking into unbalanced funding agreements that violate provincial jurisdiction - even if Nenshi says we should.

We must be prepared to stand our ground.

We must be prepared to defend our provinces’ interests.