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As 2020 nears, there’s no sign that Premier Jason Kenney will change his tough stance on finances and spending cuts, or his “fair deal” strategy for Alberta’s role in the nation.

In a year-end interview, the premier insisted he’s not fomenting Wexit, just channeling frustration in a positive direction.

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And he insisted his cuts do not hurt the overall economy or lower provincial GDP.

Kenney argued that UCP restraint “amounts to one-third of a per cent of GDP, spread over four years . . .

“That’s out of a $340-billion provincial GDP. That’s out of a $55-billion provincial budget. So it is a fraction of a per cent of GDP.

“If we don’t start with fiscal responsibility now when there is a global economic downturn — as there will be for some time — we will be completely incapable of coping with it.”

He said past governments have told themselves: ‘It’s not the right time now. There’s an election coming up. The unions are giving us a hard time. Things aren’t going super well in the economy. There’s a price downturn.’