NDP Initiates Dynamic Survey in Response to Proposed Alberta Pension Plan

The Opposition NDP has launched a survey of its own about the UCP’s idea for the province to pull out of the Canada Pension Plan and create an Alberta Pension Plan instead.

It comes after the Government of Alberta issued an online survey about the idea, following the release of a third-party report into the potential and feasibility of Alberta leaving the CPP.

NDP finance critic Shannon Phillips told reporters that the government’s survey misses one key question.

“This so-called consultation, using government resources, does not even ask if Albertans want to exit the Canada Pension Plan,” Phillips said Monday.

The government’s survey instead asks Albertans for feedback on how an Alberta Pension Plan should be structured; using highlights from the commissioned report that show a provincial pension plan would deliver higher benefits payouts and savings through lower contributions.

Phillips said the province’s survey assumes support to pull out of the CPP and administer its own pension plan.

“Instead, every question is about how Albertans want to design an Alberta Pension Plan,” she said. “In other words, it’s just asking Albertans what colour of unicorn they would like; and the fact there will be unicorns is taken as a given by this government.”

The report, commissioned by the government, says Alberta would be entitled to $334 billion, or more than half, of the CPP fund if it were to pull out of the national plan in 2027.

The report states that, based on that share, Alberta would save $5 billion annually in lower contributions if it went on its own.