Alberta pays into the federation but gets nothing back from Ottawa.
Claimed by: Commonly stated by Alberta independence advocates
False: False as written according to the settled evidence. How we rate.
Summary
It is true that Alberta is a large net contributor and does not qualify for equalization. But getting nothing back is wrong. Alberta still receives major federal transfers paid on an equal per-person basis: for 2025-26 that is about $6.6 billion through the Canada Health Transfer and $2.1 billion through the Canada Social Transfer, roughly $8.6 billion in total, alongside federal spending on pensions, employment insurance, defence, and services in the province. The fair criticism is that Alberta pays in far more than it receives, not that it receives nothing.
Evidence
Finance Canada estimates Alberta's 2025-26 major transfers at about $8.6 billion, including $6.6 billion in Canada Health Transfer and $2.1 billion in Canada Social Transfer, with no equalization.
The Canada Health Transfer and Canada Social Transfer are paid to all provinces on an equal per capita cash basis.