I was quite surprised at our Premier’s announcement on 21 Feb that a priority starting now will be to focus on growing the Heritage Fund in a very big way. I have some thoughts.
Disclaimer: I am a fan of saving money for a rainy day. We practice this in our home, so I appreciate the sentiment.
I have never spoken to anyone in Alberta and heard them mention that our rainy day fund needs some serious attention. At least, not in the last few years. So I don’t understand why it has suddenly become a priority for our government. Can I use an analogy to explain my position?
Imagine the province is a family. We’re earning decent money right now, but that hasn’t always been the case, and it isn’t guaranteed going forward. The house is in serious need of some repair and some appliances need replacing. Imagine if one of us suggests that maybe we should forego the repairs and purchases and sock a bunch of money into the TFSA. Not just today. For the next 25 years. I’m pretty sure that idea would not fly.
Yet that is exactly what the government of Alberta is suggesting we need to do. All the while, people are concerned about the cost of housing, groceries, utility bills, gas prices, the lack of doctors, surgery wait lists, unsustainable growth, our inability to adequately fight forest fires, and so much more.
I’m starting to wonder if the fund talk is a precursor to justifying why they need to hijack the CPP. But for now, it is one more example of their priorities being in the wrong place, in my humble opinion.
No comments:
Post a Comment