Saskatchewan’s Finance Minister says she is disappointed with her federal counterpart after federal and provincial finance ministers met today to discuss Alberta’s proposal to withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Donna Harpauer says there was recognition from provinces across Canada of the need for fairness for all Canadians when it comes to the Canada Pension Plan.

But she also says that is why she is extremely disappointed with what Harpauer calls the complete disregard from Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to speak about the carbon tax crisis created by the federal government last week. The Liberal government is exempting some Canadians in Atlantic Canada who use home heating oil, from paying the carbon tax.

Harpauer did say there was strong support from finance ministers across the country for the CPP but also suggests that the federal government is attempting to distract Canadians with the topic of Alberta leaving CPP in order to create a false sense of urgency around the topic, which could take a decade or more to conclude.

Harpauer says the meeting of the finance ministers culminated in the federal government acknowledging that, due to the complexity of CPP, it would be a number of years before this discussion will conclude. And that the Minister from Alberta reiterated Alberta’s plan going forward, which will also take a number of years to reach the referendum stage before they officially signal to the federal government that Alberta intends to leave the CPP.