MP Stubbs agrees Alberta should take more control

Lakeland MP Shannon Stubbs believes Alberta assume more jurisdictional control over issues like policing or pensions.

In an interview with Lakeland Connect 10 days ago, Stubbs was asked about ways that western Canada’s voice can be strengthened, as calls for Wexit grow from western alienation.

She thinks Alberta needs a fairer shake in Confederation.

“First of all, I’ll say this, I hear the exact same thing. There are volunteers and supporters of mine, members on my EDA, who have raised this issue of Wexit with me frequently. Constituents have raised it with me. I think that you’ve gotten out what the issue is, it’s about expanding the power and the autonomy of Alberta and Western Canadians in general,” said Stubbs.

“I do think that it would be a positive thing for the provincial government to take over as much of its jurisdiction as possible and to do it sooner than later.

“I get the sense from most people in my constituency that across Lakeland they want the provincial government to go as far as they possibly can. And there are other provinces that exercise–Quebec is an example. They exercise control over things like immigration into their province. I think it would be a beneficial thing for the provincial government to exercise its full capacity.”

In November 2019, the Fair Deal Panel was created to look at if Alberta is treated differently or the same than other provinces while also getting feedback from Albertans on how individuals are treated.

The panel’s top recommendation was a referendum on the equalization formula while having the federal government live up to the responsibility of free trade within Canada.

Another recommendation was a constitutional amendment for a Triple-E-Senate, which would see Senators elected instead of appointed.

That would require seven provinces with over half of the country’s population to achieve.

“First of all, that we can’t have a legislative body in the country where those individuals have exactly the same legislative power and authority except for the ability to initiate money bills as in the House of Commons, and then also are disproportionately out of whack from provincial representation,” said Stubbs.

“I think there’s an opportunity too with seven conservative premiers and an acknowledgement of the dire straits of the Canadian economy, and how important in fact western economies and the sectors in the west are going to be for Canada’s economic recovery overall.”