Albertans have right to consider own pension plan, provincial finance minister says

Finance Minister Nate Horner says Albertans have the right to consider an Alberta pension plan, just as citizens in any other province would if their province wanted to do the same.

Horner made the comments Friday as he addressed the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, where the minister also discussed the province's financial outlook for the coming year.

Details ofa provincial pension were released in September in a report, which outlined possible benefits, risks and costs of separating from the Canada Pension Plan.

Since then, the proposed planhas receivedconflicting feedbackfrom Albertans. It's also faced pushback in others provincesandfrom the federal government.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievrehas also urgedAlbertans to stay in the CPP, though he blamed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for sparking conflict with "unfair wealth transfers."

On Friday, Hornersaid it's an important, if difficult, discussionfor Albertans to have.

"This is Alberta's right to consider, just like it's any province's right to consider," he said.

Heacknowledged "this is a controversial conversation that's happening in the province" but added strong migrationto Albertaalso "speaks to the strength of the province going forward and the potential to have its own pension plan."

In the last 12 months, 184,000 people have moved to Alberta.

"More people coming is a good thing, more people paying into a plan at a lower rate," he said.

Horner says his task is to have a conversation with all Albertans about the potential plan.

He says the public engagement sessions were originally set to end in Maybut notes that may change. It dependson what a provincially appointed panel says after the telephone town halls wrap up and what the federal government's chief actuary estimates Albertas' portion of the CPP could be, Hornerexplains.

Opposition finance critic Samir Kayande says the NDP is offering a survey to gather its own feedback on an Alberta pension plan.The Calgary-Elbow MLA said he'sconfused as to why the UCP government is proposing such a strategy.

"We have a sample size of well over 30,000 people who have responded to our survey, and 90 per cent of them are opposed to leaving," Kayandesaid. "Nobody has told me that they want the CPP to be taken away."