A new third-party study claims Alberta would be entitled to a $334-billion asset transfer from the Canada Pension Plan in 2027 if the province opted to establish its own independent retirement fund. The CPP’s net assets totalled $570 billion at the end of its fiscal 2023. (The Logic)

Talking point: Alberta’s political leaders have long floated the idea of an Alberta pension plan (APP) as a way to gain financial autonomy and reduce Ottawa’s sway in the province. Thursday’s report—carried out by LifeWorks, now a unit of Telus Health—said that contribution rates under the CPP are 9.9 per cent, compared with a hypothetical low-end cost of 5.9 per cent under an APP. Startup costs for an APP vary wildly, anywhere from $100 million to $1 billion, LifeWorks said. It’s far from clear whether federal leaders would accept the study’s claim that the CCP ought to hand over $334-billion in assets. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, for her part, said “it will be up to Albertans to decide” through an eventual referendum on whether to break away.