Freeland won't say how long it could take to determine what Alberta would get from CPP

Citing the "complicated" nature of pensions and need for all provinces and territories to weigh in, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland would not provide a specific timeline for determining how much Alberta would be entitled to if it leaves the Canada Pension Plan.

Speaking after a meeting with her provincial and territorial counterparts, Freeland said officials reported back to the group Friday about the work involved in arriving at a number, which she requested from the chief actuary in November.

Those officials suggested they needed to meet again in January to discuss progress, "and we all agreed that was a good idea," she said.

The ministers held a special meeting last month to discuss Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's push to quit the Canada Pension Plan for an Alberta-only version.

Smith began her push to exit CPP in September, when she released a Lifeworks report estimating Alberta is entitled to $334 billion, or 53 per cent, of the Canada Pension Plan's assets if it starts its own pension program.

Other economists, including those with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, believe Alberta's share is closer to its percentage of the CPP membership — about 15 per cent.

To settle the debate, Freeland is seeking a number from the chief actuary. But when pressed Friday about whether it could take months or even until summer to arrive at that figure, she offered no timeline.

"I learned during the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations never to answer hypothetical questions. It's not a good idea for an elected political leader," she said.

"What I think was very clear in the conversation today, when we heard back from officials, was how technical this work is ... we agreed that we're going to do the work and define the tasking very carefully, very deliberately and crucially, really transparently."

Freeland said some ministers were "emotional" talking about the pension issue because many people are anxious about it and the certainty of receiving a pension is a "huge comfort" to Canadians.

Asked about the pension portions of the meeting, Alberta Finance Minister Nate Horner said, "I am pleased Minister Freeland agreed that the chief actuary should rely on their own legal analysis and not what the federal government says."

"The decision to move forward with an Alberta pension plan is up to Albertans," he wrote in a media statement.

Freeland said in her remarks that any province or territory can leave the federal pension plan.

"There's no debate about that," she said.