If budgets identify the real priorities of governments, what does Alberta’s say? In March, the Parkland Institute released its pre-budget report on the state of Alberta’s finances entitled “A Time to Reap: Re-investing in Alberta’s Public Services”. Parkland Research Director Trevor Harrison will share highlights of that report and comment on the recent provincial budget announcement.
The report examines the province’s current revenue structure and recent expenditures with special concentration given to the areas of health, education, and social services.
“The debt is gone, and we are seeing surplus after surplus,” says Harrison, “but instead of passing those benefits on to Albertans, the government seems more interested in offering them to the corporate sector through Public Private Partnerships and low taxes.”
Speaker: Dr. Trevor Harrison is an Associate Professor and co-chair of the Sociology Department at the University of Lethbridge, and the Research Director of the Parkland Institute. He is well-known for his studies of populist politics in Canada and the political culture of Alberta and the Canadian west in particular. He is the author of numerous books, book chapters and research papers on a variety of topics, including the rise of the Reform Party of Canada, the Klein revolution in Alberta, educational public policy and the leadership travails of Stockwell Day. His primary teaching interests include Canadian Society and Political Sociology.