That's correct. We have a plan to phase out equalization over 20 years. Next year, some provinces would still get $19 billion.
One of the key concerns.... I'm from Calgary. That's where I have lived over the last few years. It's just so unfair. I mean, really, how many more Albertans need to lose their jobs before Ottawa understands that a $650 bill per person for Albertans is just too much through equalization? But it's not just Albertans that it's harming; it's also harming the residents of Newfoundland and Labrador.
This is how absurd the program is. Under equalization, Newfoundland and Labrador is considered to be a “have province”, but then you still have the federal government doing backdoor bailouts with that province. We do think that equalization does need to be phased out over 20 years.