The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that the Canada Pension Plan has been getting a lot of attention because of the Alberta government's proposal to opt out and set up a parallel provincial plan. Globe columnist Gordon Pape writes that based on a report by Telus's LifeWorks that was commissioned by the province, Alberta would take 53 per cent of CPP assets with it on departure, a figure that has dumbfounded just about everyone. That will not happen. Even if Alberta were to leave, a more realistic estimate would be 20 per cent. In short, the Telus numbers are not going to fly. It seems to be a case of Premier Danielle Smith trying to mess with Justin Trudeau's brain. What is real is the launch of CPP2 in January. Most people are unaware that is the date when a plan to raise coverage levels kicks in. We will be paying the usual increased contribution, plus a surtax for higher-income workers. In June, 2016, federal and provincial finance ministers agreed to increase benefits to cover 33 per cent of pensionable earnings, rather than the current 25 per cent, and that cannot happen without raising the contribution level. The finance ministers of the day decided to wait eight years before implementing the plan.