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There is no shortage of so-called “firewall” ideas out there — ways in which Alberta could be more independent, à la Quebec. Many of these, though, are also pointless.

There have been calls, for example, for the creation of an Alberta provincial police force. Never mind that we have a policing contract with the RCMP until 2032 and never mind that a report done for the Alberta government found that it would be too expensive. How would this advance any of Alberta’s interests?

The same holds true for the idea of collecting our own taxes. Yes, Quebec does this, but that doesn’t make it a good idea. Quebec taxpayers have to fill out two forms (federal and provincial) and Quebec is stuck with the extra cost of having its own tax-collecting bureaucracy. Thanks, but no thanks.

But there is one “firewall” idea that Alberta should consider. In fact, were we to adopt this idea, it would definitely get Ottawa’s attention and it would serve as a helpful reminder to the rest of the country of Alberta’s immense value to Confederation. Not only that, but it would be totally up to Alberta. We wouldn’t need to try to force the feds to the negotiating table. If anything, they might be the ones asking us.

So, instead of a pointless vote on equalization, why not ask Albertans if they are in favour of opting out of the Canada Pension Plan and establishing our own provincial plan?

This is a program that Alberta contributes disproportionately to and Alberta would be well-positioned to set up its own plan. Moreover, Alberta leaving the CPP would ultimately have to mean higher contribution rates in other provinces.