Alberta could end equalization on its own.
Claimed by: Raised during Alberta equalization debates
False: False as written according to the settled evidence. How we rate.
Summary
Alberta cannot end equalization by itself. The commitment to equalization is written into the Constitution at section 36(2), which commits Parliament to making payments so provinces can deliver reasonably comparable public services. Changing or removing it would require a constitutional amendment, which needs broad federal and provincial agreement, not a single province's decision. A province can press for reform of the formula, which Ottawa sets and periodically renews, but the 2021 Alberta referendum on the topic was symbolic and did not give the province power to scrap the program.
Evidence
Section 36(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982 commits Parliament to the principle of equalization payments to provinces.
The equalization program and its formula are set in federal legislation and renewed periodically, not set or removed by any one province.