McNeil and his counterparts will meet next
week in Toronto under a cloud of western discontent, with concerns
emanating from Alberta and Saskatchewan about the level of support they’re receiving from the federal government
at a particularly challenging economic time for the two
provinces, whose economies are so directly tied to natural resource
development.

Those worries have fuelled talk amongst some people
about the idea of provinces being better off if they were on their own,
rather than a part of the federation. McNeil said he doesn’t have much
time for that kind of talk, despite whatever challenges people might be
facing.