Premier Daniel Smith’s government has rejected a proposal to force Alberta to honor the results of a referendum on whether to leave the Canada Pension Plan.
The United Conservative Party government used its majority in the House of Commons on Wednesday to reject an opposition NDP amendment to Bill 2 (Alberta Pension Protection Act) that would have forced the government to comply with the referendum result.
Finance Minister Nate Horner said the purpose of Bill 2 was to provide a referendum process without tying the hands of future governments.
Horner on Wednesday dismissed the NDP amendments as “vague, confusing and repetitive.”
“Our government will respect any choice Albertans make in their referendum, whether it’s yes or no,” he told the House of Commons.
“I know some Albertans have concerns about Alberta’s pension system, and I want to assure them that their pension is completely secure. I am.”
The referendum requirement is the centerpiece of a bill Horner introduced last month.
But while the bill would force a referendum to take place, it also says the government has the option of calling a referendum and then deciding whether it has a legal obligation to accept and act on the result.
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NDP finance critic Shannon Phillip introduced the amendment, saying Albertans need confirmation in writing that their referendum wishes will be respected.
“We’re going to make sure that even if Albertans say no to this terrible idea (in a referendum), the government can’t just flip around and do it anyway,” Phillips said.
The bill also states that all funds transferred from the CPP must be invested in the Alberta Pension Plan.
But the bill does not say what will happen to the revenue generated by the Alberta plan once it is launched.
The NDP proposed another amendment that would require future revenues from the Alberta Pension Plan to be contributed to the plan to avoid the risk of that money being wasted on political pet projects.
NDP House of Commons Leader Christina Gray said the amendment would close a “loophole” that could put pension funds at risk, but Horner told the House that would not happen. Ta.
“I am clear that the assets and future employer and employee contributions transferred from the CPP to the Alberta Pension Plan will be used solely for the establishment and operation of the provincial pension plan,” Horner said. Stated.
This amendment was also rejected by the majority.
The vote took place during a debate stage known as the Committee of the Whole. This is the final stage before the bill is debated and voted on in third and final reading.
The NDP had said it intended to vote against the bill regardless of its final form, but it has tabled an amendment that attempts to, in Phillips’ words, “make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.” are doing.
The NDP had threatened to filibuster Wednesday’s debate. The debate will draw attention to the bill’s shortcomings, with dozens of lawmakers working around the clock to speak for hours about the proposed amendments and blocking its passage.
Government House Leader Joseph Shaw introduced and passed a motion to disrupt the filibuster and place a one-hour time limit on any further debate on the amendment before it began on Wednesday afternoon.
The NDP had previously tried and failed to block the bill.
An amendment to suspend the bill because it would not protect Albertans’ pensions was rejected by a United Conservative majority on second reading.
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On Tuesday, the NDP proposed an amendment clarifying the rules, discussion and voting questions for the referendum, which was also rejected by the UCP majority.
The pension debate continues after a government-commissioned report concluded that Alberta deserves to pay 53 per cent of the total CPP fund, and that splitting it up could lower the cost of contributions and result in larger benefits. The issue has been the subject of more than two months of uproar since Mr Smith called for consultations in September. It turns off automatically.
Critics say the 53 per cent calculation is so exaggerated that even if accurate, it wouldn’t encourage other federal provinces to grant Alberta succession.
The federal government has warned that the stability of the CPP is threatened if Alberta leaves. Canada’s chief actuary has been tasked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to calculate Alberta’s debt.
Previous parliamentary debates on the bill have been punctuated by insults and humanitarian attacks.
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On November 29, Prime Minister Phillips dismissed the pension opt-out as a “fever dream” concocted by “a group of self-serving charlatans who surround and advise the Prime Minister.”
UCP backbencher Jason Stephens on Nov. 23 called the bill “over the top” and the NDP “weak and hypocritical” and said it’s time for Alberta to stop being a federation’s sucker. .
“Albertans see a pattern of abuse and hostility in the jokes of a premier who has shown that he hates Alberta and will not hesitate to exploit unfair terms of affiliation for his own selfish political gain. ” Stephen said.
The NDP says the majority of Albertans have made their desire to remain with the CPP clear through thousands of caucus submissions and hundreds of in-person NDP city council meetings on the topic. ing.
The Smith government held five telephone town halls to hear from Albertans. He promised to hold an in-person town hall in December, but that promise has not been fulfilled and he did not say why.
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