Alberta pension panel chair Jim Dinning says he won't prejudge work as Poilievre, others weigh in

Just days before he leads up the second telephone town hall on Tuesday about whether Alberta should quit the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), Jim Dinning says his panel is in "serious listening mode" — and they're not "pompom wearing cheerleaders" — when it comes to a possible provincial pension.

"All of the drama … I encourage people to phone the political masters, because I'm going to leave the politics to the politicians," Dinning told host Kathleen Petty on the CBC's West of Centre podcast this week.

LISTEN | Hear the full interview on the CBC's West of Centre podcast as Jim Dinning, chair of the Alberta pension panel, discusses the ongoing consultation and its various detractors. Then, an interview with Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan on the federal side of the debate:

The drama, as Dinning put it, included Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sending an open letter to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on Wednesday, writing that the harm such a move would cause "is undeniable." Further drama included the board of the Canada Pension Plan writing on Tuesday to Dinning that Alberta's pension exit consultations were biased.

But the Dinning interview took place Thursday, before Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre stepped into the fray on Friday, advising Albertans to stay in the CPP.

In responding to Poilievre, Smith wrote in a statement that Albertans would ultimately decide whether or not to pursue the opportunity further after "broad consultation and discussion" are complete.

That consultation is scheduled to continue via telephone town hall on Tuesday, the second of five, 90-minute discussions held across various regions of the province over six weeks.

In the interview with West of Centre, Dinning acknowledged that holding those consultations via phone-in forum has drawn criticism. Last week, Opposition NDP finance critic Shannon Phillips said not engaging in face-to-face dialogue represented an act of "pure cowardice."

Dinning said the panel will likely do face-to-face meetings in the future, though it has yet to nail down dates or places.

The plan is to do them in Calgary and Edmonton in December, Dinning said, and then see what comes next for further meetings, whether that's face-to-face or via telephone town hall.

When the Alberta government released its report almost a month ago on the possibility of going it alone, it claimed the province was entitled to a $334-billion asset transfer from the CPP in 2027, which would represent more than half of the fund.

Since then, various other calculations have drawn attention. A 2019 briefing note for Travis Toews, then Alberta's finance minister, estimated the province's share of CPP assets was less than 12 per cent.

Trevor Tombe, an associate professor of economics at the University of Calgary, has suggested Alberta would be entitled to 20 to 25 per cent of CPP assets.

Dinning said he had a "very high regard" for Tombe.