Equalization is a good constitutional bargain. Albertans should not vote to scrap it

This column is an opinion from Ken Boessenkool, a professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University and a research fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, and Jared Wesley, an associate professor of political science at the University of Alberta. For more information about CBC's Opinion section, please see the FAQ.

This month, Albertans are being asked whether "Canada's commitment to the principle of making equalization payments" should be removed from the constitution.

Whether you favour (as one of us does) or are skeptical (as one of us is) of Alberta's push for more autonomy, you should vote No. 

The strongest arguments for a Yes vote come from Fairness Alberta, a group led by a former UCP policy guru and endorsed by the government. Their referendum website says vote Yes because equalization is "unfair, unaffordable, unnecessary," and therefore "unacceptable." We disagree on all four counts.

The equalization referendum is the first major salvo in the government's "fight back" strategy to secure a "Fair Deal" for Alberta in Confederation. In federations like Canada, fairness is negotiated. We must evaluate the Jason Kenney government's strategy from that standpoint: will it make Canada fairer for Albertans?

The vote itself is not meant to secure constitutional change. Premier Kenney is clear on this point: "I've always said that a yes vote on the principle of equalization does not automatically change equalization, it doesn't remove it from the Constitution. We cannot do that unilaterally. What it does is to elevate Alberta's fight for fairness to the top of the national agenda."

This push for fairness isn't new. Two decades ago, one of us helped pen a letter on the subject. The "firewall letter" outlined ways that Alberta could gain more autonomy unilaterally, without getting the consent of other provinces or the federal government. Kenney's fair deal agenda contains some firewall policy prescriptions — an Alberta police force and pension plan.