The easiest answer to that is that the previous government established an expert panel to look at the equalization program, with particular emphasis on the treatment of natural resources, because that has always been an extremely difficult issue in measuring fiscal capacity. That panel reported, and its recommendation was that 50% of non-renewable resources be included in the new formula.
At the same time, it recommended moving to a 10-province standard and other simplification factors. The government accepted the recommendations of that panel almost exclusively.