Jason Nixon (and many others) are trying to make the case that Albertans receive good value from Ottawa for all the money we send there. This year alone, Alberta taxpayers (citizens and businesses will send the following money to Ottawa: Income Tax: $30 billion Corporate Tax: $12 billion GST: $9 billion CPP & EI: $10 billion Misc. fees: $8 billion. That's a whopping $69 billion..... which by the way, is equivalent to 80% of our provincial budget. We get back the following in transfers and direct services: Health transfers: $13.3 billion Equalization: $0 CPP & EI: $7.5 billion OAS: $3.5 billion For a measly total of $24.3 billion. The difference is $44.7 billion. Are you happy with the "services" you're getting from Ottawa for that $44.7 billion (military, coast guard, embassies, border security, museums)? I'm convinced we could do better on our own. For context, most western governments run on budgets equivalent to 30-40% of their county's GDP. Alberta's GDP was $360 billion in 2025, so as a independent country, it would be quite normal for our government to spend $105-$144 billion per year. Alberta's spending last fiscal years was $81 billion. That means that as a country, we need to replace $24-$63 billion. It's 100% doable. Would we save a lot of money in the near-term? No. But that's not the driver. An independent Alberta will unleash it's prosperity, and preserve its culture.
