‘Cut It’: Taxpayer Advocate, Experts Weigh In on Equalization Changes

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney speaks to the media during a press conference after a meeting of the Council of the Federation, which comprises all 13 provincial and territorial leaders, in Mississauga, Ont., on Dec. 2, 2019. The Canadian Press/Nathan Denette

A day after a taxpayer advocacy group called for provincial equalization to be phased out, Conservative leadership candidate Jean Charest pledged reforms to the program to satisfy Alberta.

As politicians converged in Calgary for the annual Stampede festival, which kicked off on July 7, Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Franco Terrazzano said Ottawa should wind down its long-standing program that gives tax dollars to underperforming provinces.