Don’t you dare touch my pension.

It’s the one message that is resounding loud and clear as Premier Jason Kenney seeks to make Alberta more independent of the federal government.

As Neil Rudiger told a public meeting in Edmonton: “Keep your hands off my CPP. I wouldn’t trust the UCP government with the proceeds from a bingo let alone my retirement.”

Like Rudiger, most Albertans are not interested in giving up CPP in favour of taking their chances with a provincial pension plan, one of Kenney’s suggestions for getting a better deal for Alberta.

They especially don’t want anyone fiddling with their pension when Alberta’s economy is as rocky as it is now.

In order to bolster his case for such Alberta breakaways Kenney established the Fair Deal Panel whose nine members include former Reform leader Preston Manning, three UCP MLAs and one former PC MLA. Only three of the nine are women.

The panel has been conducting public hearings across the province since early December. The agenda has been carefully crafted to include only discussion points designated by the government. Any discussion of the recent budget, which has upset many because of cuts to health, education and social services, is verboten.

Creating an Alberta pension plan is one of the discussion points. Others include a provincial revenue agency that would collect provincial and federal taxes; a provincial police force instead of the RCMP; opting out of federal cost-sharing programs with full compensation; and Alberta representation at international treaty negotiations.

It was anticipated that the hearings would become a platform for Albertans so frustrated by the results of the federal election, which saw the Liberals returned to power, that they want Alberta to go it alone.

And those Albertans have certainly been out in full force.

“We don’t need to subsidize pensions of other Canadians,” a man in Calgary told the crowd of about 350. “We need to turn off the taps until Elizabeth May gets a job as a pipeline layer.”

In Fort McMurray, the centre of oil sands operations, Martin Pallard told about 100 people: “Do we control our own destiny in Alberta or are we controlled by someone else? I believe we don’t fundamentally control our own destiny and Canada is likely just too flawed.”

Even though the equalization formula is not on the agenda, some have called for an immediate referendum that would sort out, and possibly restrict, Alberta’s contributions to the rest of the country.

But despite the open anger and frustration on the part of many – mostly older men – there is considerable pushback from people alarmed at the thought of Alberta building a firewall around itself and weakening ties with the rest of the country.

In Lethbridge, retired teacher Greg Hales said he was surprised at the variety of views expressed given that “southern Alberta is a kind of hotbed for conservatism.”

Hales also made it clear the idea of Alberta creating its own pension plan should be taken off the table. “It makes no sense financially, it would cost us a fortune compared to what we would get out of it,” he said.

In Edmonton, about half the speakers were concerned about the “combative nature” of the panel.

“I think we are on the wrong track,” said one speaker who noted that other provinces that had fallen on hard times have not reacted so dramatically. Several people cheered.

In Calgary, by my count, about two-thirds of the speakers supported one or more of the points put forward for discussion by the government.

As for that idea about Alberta creating its own pension plan: A recent Nanos poll found that in the Prairie provinces where Conservatives swamped Liberal candidates – Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba – 55.2 per cent opposed such a move.

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Jason Kenney might have to rethink that one.

Exploiting people’s anger and frustration over the economic troubles that have beset Alberta may score political points.

But threatening to fiddle with hard-earned pension funds on which so many people depend is a risk most people aren’t prepared to take, especially during hard economic times.

GS Gillian Steward is a Calgary-based writer and freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Twitter: @GillianSteward is a Calgary-based writer and freelance contributing columnist for the Star. Twitter: @GillianSteward

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