blog | Oct 02, 2024
The way out of oil revenue dependency is clear: increase royalties and replace oil and gas dollars with tax dollars. The numbers add up, and the impact on the long-term well-being, economic stability, and viability of Alberta would be huge. The only thing missing is a government with the courage and political will to make it happen.
blog | Feb 27, 2024
Premier Smith’s pre-budget address announced the dawn of an era of permanent austerity and chronic underfunding for the province. Maybe someone should’ve explained to the UCP that the goal of ending the fiscal roller coaster was always to land at the middle, rather than getting stuck at a permanent bottom. This blog analyses why Smith decided to run this particular play — and why now.
blog | Sep 22, 2023
When launching its report on an Alberta Pension Plan (APP), the government asked Albertans to “look at the facts” and engage in the discussion. But “facts” are sorely missing in the report—and the invitation to discuss the APP excludes the most important question: do Albertans really want out of the CPP?
blog | May 23, 2023
One of the key promises made during this election by both the NDP and the UCP has been to get Alberta off the resource revenue roller coaster, reduce volatility, and bring fiscal stability to the province. In essence, what the parties are promising is that, under their watch, adequate funding for the services and infrastructure Albertans rely upon will no longer depend on the global price of oil and gas. This is an important and laudable goal. The question is whether the suite of policy planks being put forward by either of the two contenders will actually help achieve the promised stability.
blog | Apr 21, 2023
On March 30, via an Order in Council, the provincial government made an important policy change in the area of post-secondary funding: for the first time anywhere in Canada, the UCP has made it possible for a private for-profit educational institution to receive public dollars. This decision — made with no public discussion and no debate in the Alberta legislature — hurts affordability, damages accessibility, and is a direct subsidy of private profiteering.
research | Apr 16, 2023
Anger and Angst: Jason Kenney’s Legacy and Alberta’s Right analyzes the UCP’s governance of Alberta, the driving forces behind their agenda, and the personalities behind them. Co-edited by Ricardo Acuña (Parkland Institute’s executive director) and Trevor Harrison (former director of Parkland Institute), the book critically examines the extraordinary years of the UCP's time in office up until 2023, a period that is arguably the most chaotic in Alberta’s political history.
blog | Dec 07, 2022
Recently Parkland Institute had the opportunity to work with our friends at the Alberta Federation of Labour, Public Interest Alberta, and Friends of Medicare on a campaign called Better Way Alberta. We have produced five short research reports that included clear, implementable, and evidence-based policy recommendations on areas of public policy that are of critical importance today.
blog | Apr 05, 2019
The “path to balance” has become a major platform plank for all parties in this election. Parkland Institute Executive Director Ricardo Acuña looks at the key differences and potential impacts of the path to balance proposals, and assesses their credibility and feasibility.
blog | Apr 01, 2019
United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney has presented his plans for dealing with wait times for surgery in Alberta, including allowing private clinics to bid for publicly-funded procedures. Ricardo Acuña looks at the evidence and history to show that we've already been there and done that.
blog | Dec 06, 2018
Parkland Institute executive director Ricardo Acuña asks seven questions about the Alberta government's plan to mandate production cuts in response to the oil price differential.
