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As mentioned, it is also the case that Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario, the top three provincial economies last year, all had female premiers for at least half the year. All three provinces’ names end in vowels. And if we add Quebec in at fourth spot, we also have the four largest provinces by land mass and population. Does any of this determine GDP growth rates? Not a chance.

There’s more to understanding the complex effects of taxation on an economy than a simple list. Consider just a few of the underlying factors. Alberta’s nation-leading performance, for example, is due to its slow but steady recovery from the oil-price crash that began in 2015. And keep in mind, the resurgent oilsands stand in direct conflict with the aims of any national carbon-dioxide emissions tax — as well as the policies of the Pembina Institute, an advocacy group hostile to carbon-based energy, and therefore, Alberta’s well-being.

Will the Alberta economy suddenly stall out if it no longer taxes carbon?

B.C. and Ontario are the beneficiaries of strong labour and export markets. Quebec is finally seeing a payoff from its fiscal austerity measures and has actually lowered taxes on a net basis. Plus, the biggest risk in the coming year to all provincial economies is that U.S. President Donald Trump will make good on his threat to pull the plug on NAFTA. External shocks like this inevitably overwhelm domestic policies in Canada. Regardless, we know all forms of taxes discourage work effort, pervert consumer and business choices and transfer productive resources from the private sector to government.