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Kenney’s workaround emulates Quebec’s near-sovereignty autonomy as well as is aimed at getting out from under the equalization transfer system and other fed policies that are rigged to bribe Quebec with Alberta money.

“Quebec announced a $4 billion surplus after getting $13 billion in equalization transfer payments from Alberta,” said the agitated premier in a speech Saturday at the Manning Conference I attended in Red Deer.

For example, he said, Ottawa has overcharged Alberta $1.7 billion in transfer overpayments since 2015 — created after Ottawa made an unfair adjustment to benefit Quebec. He wants an immediate rebate and, frankly, if not paid within 30 days, then I believe Alberta should sue Ottawa, plus penalties and interest.

This is policy malpractice on a grand scale. Attacking Alberta’s oil industry — the fourth-largest in the world — harms the province, its industry, its people, and Canada. In the past five years, Alberta’s economy has shrunk, unemployment soared and incomes declined.

“Some say Alberta’s downturn is strictly about low oil prices, but during this past five years, there has been an unprecedented boom in North Dakota, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma in terms of oil drilling and production. Tens of billions in capital has flowed there and people, expertise and equipment has gone there,” said the premier. “It’s not about prices. It’s about policy.”

He also pointed out, to those who claim that the world must wean itself from oil, that this is irrational. “The International Energy Agency says global demand for oil will increase from 100 million barrels per day to 110 million barrels a day by 2040. The same agency says that, even if there is full compliance with the Paris Treaty on climate, the demand by 2040 will be 80 million barrels per day,” he said. “And natural gas demand globally will double”.