With talks about the possibility of an Alberta Pension Plan (APP) ramping up, Airdrie East Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Angela Pitt talked about what she thinks when it comes to the pension plan.

The most recent news about the plan was back in December when the provincial government announced how many people participated in town halls and surveys. Up next, is a panel report that is due in May of 2024. According to the government, the province held five phone town halls across the province in November, over 76,000 Albertans attended the panels, and over 94,000 of them completed the online survey.

On Monday, Leger released a survey about the APP and how Albertans feel about it. According to the survey, 52 per cent that were polled believe we should stick with the Canada pension plan, 22 per cent believe Alberta should create their plan while 26 per cent are undecided.

"I am excited for the potential of an Alberta pension plan. I think there's lots of really great benefits for Albertans, but when it comes down to it, there isn't enough information for anybody to make a good educated decision on something so important like this at this time."

According to the provincial government, an APP would save Alberta workers up to $1,425 every year while maintaining the same level of benefits for seniors. An APP could also reduce the premiums businesses pay by up to $1,425 per worker, per year.

"This would be a significant driver to Alberta's economy, I think that there would be major corporations around the world that would find it hard not to base head offices and put employees here in this great province."

Pitt stated it's nice to see such a large number of Albertans who are open to seeing what an APP looks like before slamming the door.

"We just need to continue moving down this path, in terms of education, and factfinding. Then we can start to have a thoughtful conversation on the future benefits for all Albertans."

The federal finance minister has committed to asking the chief actuary of Canada to provide an opinion on Alberta’s share of the CPP assets. 

Throughout this entire process, Alberta’s government committed to ensuring the most up-to-date information is provided to Albertans.

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