The Fair Deal Panel commissioned by Kenney said Alberta made a net contribution of nearly $240 billion to the rest of Canada between 2007 and 2018, while net payments since 1961 amounted to $661 billion. Panellists heard “an overwhelmingly negative reaction to equalization” and recommended the referendum to spur Ottawa and the provinces to discuss changes.

Marco Navarro-Génie, president and CEO of the Haultain Research Institute, told The Epoch Times that it’s important for Albertans to show “solidarity with the spirit of what is being tried here.”