Albertans are being asked to vote on more than candidates for council and school board when they mark their ballots in the Municipal Election.  

The province announced today (July 15) that Albertans would get the opportunity to have their say on equalization and daylight saving time and elect nominees to the Senate when they vote on October 18th.  

In the past 25 years, the province says Albertans have contributed more than $400 billion more to the nation in tax dollars than we have received in federal spending.  They say the current equalization program has many issues, including a formula that requires it to grow automatically with Canada's economy, even if contributing provinces like Alberta are experiencing economic challenges.  Alberta hasn't received an equalization payment since the 1964-65 fiscal year.  

The referendum on equalization was an election promise in 2019 as well as a recommendation of the Fair Deal Panel, which studied how Alberta could exert more independence.

The question will ask "Should the principle of making equalization payments be removed from the Constitution?"  Legal and economic experts say there is almost no chance that Alberta's referendum on equalization will result in changes to the Canadian Constitution.

As for the question about if the province should end the practice of changing its clocks twice a year, the government says across Canada and the United States, more governments are bringing forward legislation to move to permanent daylight saving time or "summer hours."  In 2019, Service Alberta asked Albertans if they thought we should make a similar shift and more than 141,000 Albertans responded with 91 percent saying they were in favour of year-round summer hours.

Along with the municipal elections and the two referendum questions this fall, Albertans will elect three Senate nominees – one for each of the two current vacancies and one in case of early retirement.  The province says Senate nominee elections enhance democracy by allowing Albertans to choose the individuals who will best represent them in Parliament. Having representatives elected by Albertans would increase senators’ accountability to Alberta voters to defend the province’s interests.

Earlier it was thought the topics of creating an Alberta Police Service and Alberta Pension Plan would also be voted on but the province says further analysis is underway before the next steps in the process are determined.

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