From 'critical' to 'sideshow,' Calgarians give fair deal panel wide range of feedback

Nearly 500 people showed up to have their say in front of the UCP's "fair deal" panel in northeast Calgary on Tuesday night, with most supporting the Alberta government's call for more power while others called the panel a sideshow that distracted from provincial budget cuts.

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney created the panel in the fall to come up with recommendations on how to best advance the province's economic interests within Confederation, considering nearly a dozen proposals including the creation of an Alberta pension plan, a provincial police force, a tax collection agency, a chief firearms officer and a formalized provincial constitution.

The panel — which is chaired by Oryssia Lennie, the former deputy minister of Western Economic Diversification Canada, and includes former Reform Party leader Preston Manning — is travelling the province for two months holding public forums.

In Calgary Tuesday, there were calls for Alberta to separate and to withhold transfer payments to the federal government.

A few of the 40 speakers who lined up at the microphone said it's time to consider separating from the rest of Canada — or at least use the threat of separation as leverage to get more pipelines built to move Alberta bitumen.

"I'm a dismayed Canadian," said Ken Schultz. "The truth is, I have never, ever thought that I was separatist, but for the first time, I'm willing to listen with an almost open mind."

Some speakers, who didn't give their full names, suggested a new deal for Alberta must include a fairer equalization program, arguing that Alberta pays too much and doesn't get enough in return.

"The Alberta government must secure an equitable new deal for Alberta within confederation and simultaneously prepare the province to form a new nation in the event that Ottawa refuses to agree to that new deal," said Rob Anderson.

Panel just a 'sideshow'

Some critics said the proposals being considered by the panel would cost too much to administer and would likely never be implemented, in any case.

One woman suggested the panel was created to distract Albertans from what the government is doing.

"I find the number of trial balloons that this government has put forth very troubling," said the woman, who introduced herself as Ellen.

Another woman said she's concerned about the prospect of Alberta opting out of the Canada Pension Plan.

""This is a crisis in the making which will drive away skilled people, reduce retirement security and it will keep investment and business out of Alberta," she said.

Another woman, who introduced herself as Liz, said she's wondering where the fair deal is for her children since the recent provincial budget cut education funding.

"I doubt the legitimacy of this panel," she said.

"I see it as a method of the government to sow division in our province," she said.

"Public sector versus private sector and nurses versus oil and gas employees and that sort of thing,"

One of the panellists said it's too early to say what the final recommendations will look like because they are in the middle of gathering input. But after stops in Edmonton and Red Deer, she says it's been an emotional process so far.

"Some people are angry. I would say more people seem to be frustrated. They know there is a sense of unfairness," said Donna Kennedy-Glans, a former Progressive Conservative MLA who spent 28 years in the energy sector and currently writes the blog Beyond Polarity.

"We're kind of figuring out where to put the next step."

The fair deal panel will be in Lethbridge on Wednesday and Grande Prairie next week. More hearings are planned in January.

The panel will put together a series of recommendations for the government to consider March 31.

Alberta's Fair Deal Panel will hold its fourth open town hall meeting in Lethbridge on Dec. 11 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Exhibition Park Heritage Pavilion. The government says the venue's capacity is limited so participants should register to attend.

Bryan Labby is an enterprise reporter with CBC Calgary. If you have a good story idea or tip, you can reach him at bryan.labby@cbc.ca or on Twitter at @CBCBryan.