Government needs to patch holes in revenue system, not cut public services: Better Way Alberta

Alberta Premier Jim Prentice has proposed devastating cuts to the province’s public services, but there is a “Better Way.”

Over the next few weeks, voters will be hearing from the Better Way Alberta Campaign, showing them that there are sensible, moderate measures to help ensure the long-term financial stability of the province.

“Premier Jim Prentice has said that Alberta’s budget is sinking, but if that’s true, it’s because his party has spent decades blowing holes in the revenue system that’s supposed to pay for the services on which Albertans rely,” Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan said.

“Instead of dealing with the problem, the premier has proposed a reckless 9-per-cent budget cut across the board,” he said. “That will cause pain to everyday Albertans, put people out of work, and possibly deepen the economic turmoil the province is facing. There is a better way.”

Better Way Alberta will give Albertans an opportunity to learn about the ways the provincial government’s fiscal policies have given away billions of dollars to big corporations and to wealthy individuals. Animated videos promoted on social media and paid online advertising will drive traffic to the site, McGowan said.

“The premier is trying to blame the looming deficit on nurses, teachers, janitors, secretaries, the people who work for the citizens of the province.” He said. “The truth is Alberta is in the middle of the pack when it comes to how much it spends on public services. We spend a little more per person than Nova Scotia … and a little less than New Brunswick.”

Canvassers will go door-to-door in key areas of the province during the campaign, asking Albertans to sign a petition urging for the government to fix the province’s tax and royalty system. There will also be direct mail informing Albertans about the petition and urging them to make revenue and public services the key issue in the upcoming provincial election.

“Poll after poll has shown Albertans are willing to have an adult conversation about revenues,” McGowan said. “But successive premiers have done nothing but cut.

“Prentice has said he’s willing to ‘talk,’ but so far that talk is just him ruling out one source of revenue after another. He’s said ‘no’ to fair royalties, he’s said ‘no’ to corporate taxes.”

According to the government’s own numbers, Alberta could increase the amount it gets from taxes by $11 billion a year and still have the lowest taxes in Canada. Most of that $11 billion is left in the pockets of Alberta’s richest individuals and profitable corporations by a tax code designed to help the wealthy.

Asked McGowan: “If we’re all in this together, as Premier Prentice says, why should corporations and the wealthy get a free pass?”

If the Prentice Government imposes the 9-per-cent cut, Alberta will end up spending less on public services than much poorer provinces, even as its population continues to boom. Albertans will have to deal with larger class sizes, more over-crowding in hospitals and longer waits for new infrastructure.  Economists also agree that government cuts could tip the economy into recession.