With the Alberta government now committing to holding a referendum on equalization during Alberta's next municipal election cycle (fall of 2021) I thought it would be appropriate to consider just how much Alberta contributes to the rest of Canada and how Alberta would likely fare as an independent country. The Obvious Benefits It is common knowledge that Alberta (and more specifically Albertans) contribute more to confederation than any other province in Canada. However, I don't believe that most people fully understand how this occurs (it's not really 'equalization') and how much it is (I'll make this really clear later). How Much? The easiest and cleanest way to determine 'how much' is to look at 'net federal fiscal transfers' which is basically how much money is taken out of Alberta via taxes and how much comes back via federal transfers to the province or federal programs in the province. When viewed this way the numbers are stag