Gappers angry with feds

[blueblood]

CTV

I guess we know where the 1.5 billion going to quebec is coming from

[Who's Doing What?]

I couldn't help but notice how reserved the Alberta Premier's response was. Good for him, wanting direct conformation from the PMO.

My biggest question is, has Harper forsaken the West in order to appease Quebec?

Which leads to the following question:

Even if Harper does alienate the West, Alberta in particular, does it even matter?

[jdobbin]

It's a bit early to comment on this. No matter what the decision is, it is bound to be not liked by some provinces. It is a no win situation for the feds. Harper can't really blame anyone else on this. He has supported the idea of a "fiscal imbalance" and now he will have to decide winners and losers.

[HoratioCaine]

I couldn't help but notice how reserved the Alberta Premier's response was. Good for him, wanting direct conformation from the PMO.

My biggest question is, has Harper forsaken the West in order to appease Quebec?

Which leads to the following question:

Even if Harper does alienate the West, Alberta in particular, does it even matter?

I doubt it, the West knows Harper is only trying to get a majority so he can do what they really want him to do. They'll be paitent. Besides who else would they vote for? Definatly not the Liberals, the NDP aren't getting many votes in Alberta and the Greens? They wouldn't want to waste their votes when things are so close.

[gc1765]

The French-language network of the CBC reported Monday that a proposal in the upcoming federal budget would exempt half a province's revenues from non-renewable natural resources, such as oil and gas, from the formula used to calculate federal equalization payments to the provinces.

If this is true, it looks like another broken promise:

In a letter dated Jan. 16, 2006, the soon-to-be prime minister wrote that "a new equalization formula should exclude non-renewable resource revenues for all provinces.''

I'm guessing "the west" won't be too happy about this...

[Ricki Bobbi]

I couldn't help but notice how reserved the Alberta Premier's response was. Good for him, wanting direct conformation from the PMO.

Stelmach is a very different cat from Ralphie boy. We'll have to see if his approach ends up being better for my fellow Albertans.

My bigger question, wtf is a gapper?

[Saturn]

I couldn't help but notice how reserved the Alberta Premier's response was. Good for him, wanting direct conformation from the PMO.

My biggest question is, has Harper forsaken the West in order to appease Quebec?

Which leads to the following question:

Even if Harper does alienate the West, Alberta in particular, does it even matter?

Given that Quebec has about as many seats as all the western provinces and that Alberta and Saskatchewan will vote conservative anyway, no, it doesn't matter. Harper needs more seats and he'll do what he can to get them.

[Canuck E Stan]

My bigger question, wtf is a gapper?

What is a Gapper?

Well the story is: Saskatchewan is considered by all who do not reside there to be the "Gap" between Manitoba and Alberta, it's residents have been dubbed "Gappers".

[blueblood]

A few gapper seats went Liberal, and they've had NDP gov'ts there, I wouldn't be surprised if some gap seats went orange. Danny Williams has a sky high approval rating in Nfld. pissing him off might not be a good idea for the tories. This is going to be like the American election, every seat matters, even more so for the tories. a couple seats here and there adds up. The gappers and Newfies just got their oil online, to lose a large chunk due to equalization hurts them, those provinces need some work done on them.

[geoffrey]

Even if Harper does alienate the West, Alberta in particular, does it even matter?

Sure. Mulroney asked that same question, he thought it wouldn't matter.

Next election his party had two seats, none west of Quebec.

Harper must be aware. These are high times for Alberta and no one is going to take a dime more of our money without dire consequences. It won't always be this way for us, we need the money now.

[blueblood]

Even if Harper does alienate the West, Alberta in particular, does it even matter?

Sure. Mulroney asked that same question, he thought it wouldn't matter.

Next election his party had two seats, none west of Quebec.

Harper must be aware. These are high times for Alberta and no one is going to take a dime more of our money without dire consequences. It won't always be this way for us, we need the money now.

Exactly, these were "have not" provinces before, the oil is like a lottery ticket. These provinces would like to invest their money into improving their economies and infrastructures so that they will be "have" provinces when the oil industry goes bust and not have to rely on Central Canada again.

[Wilber]

Every region has it's own particular lottery ticket, whether it is resources or location. Some are bigger than others at different times. Right now oil and gas is a biggie so the west is benefiting but so are Quebec's hydro resources which are renewable. Ontario's mineral wealth and location next to the US northeast has been its lottery ticket for decades. For years the Maritimes was an economic powerhouse because of its proximity to Europe.

Every decade there is something for Canadians to bitch about when it comes to other regions. The only thing that changes is the bitchers.

[Who's Doing What?]

I doubt it, the West knows Harper is only trying to get a majority so he can do what they really want him to do. They'll be paitent. Besides who else would they vote for? Definatly not the Liberals, the NDP aren't getting many votes in Alberta and the Greens? They wouldn't want to waste their votes when things are so close.

I have to ask. Are you suggesting a "hidden agenda"?

[guyser]

Every region has it's own particular lottery ticket,

Yes, it is called Ontario....or Toronto specifically.

[madmax]

I guess we know where the 1.5 billion going to quebec is coming from

I have no Idea, why Harper has decided to give Quebec another handout. There are alot of Provinces, including Sask. which could have their fiscal imbalance rectified.

There is money there, but Harper seems to want to give it all to Quebec.

[Who's Doing What?]

Sure. Mulroney asked that same question, he thought it wouldn't matter.

Next election his party had two seats, none west of Quebec.

Harper must be aware. These are high times for Alberta and no one is going to take a dime more of our money without dire consequences. It won't always be this way for us, we need the money now.

True enough, but at that time there was the Reform party. Without any other right/center-right choice, doesn't Harper basically have a free reign to do what he wants without serious consequences?

[August1991]

There is money there, but Harper seems to want to give it all to Quebec.

That's how it is being presented in the English-Canada media. In Quebec, the media explains more accurately that Ontario will also get a nice chunk. Saskatchewan will get alot, but not as much as it had expected to get. And to be honest, all of this is conjecture based on one "leak" (more likely a plant) to Radio-Canada.

The fact is that the federal government is rolling in dough. Alot of that money is from tax receipts collected in Alberta. Harper has alot of money to spend and rather than cut taxes, he's going to hand much of it to all the provincial governments according to a new formula that no one knows yet exactly.

IOW, Harper will be walking into the early February First Ministers conference with all the best cards. The premiers will at most be able to complain that "the other guy got more".

Unfortunately, the provincial governments will just blow the money and we'll still be far away from reducing the size of "government" in Canada.

I hate to say this but giving money to the Quebec government is like giving morphine to a drug addict. It's not going to solve the problem.

[Canuck E Stan]

I hate to say this but giving money to the Quebec government is like giving morphine to a drug addict. It's not going to solve the problem.

But you can't give a drug addict too much at one time or else he'll O.D.

This will buy time and maybe the dependancy will win an election with a majority.

Then you could cut it, cold turkey style.

[blueblood]

I hate to say this but giving money to the Quebec government is like giving morphine to a drug addict. It's not going to solve the problem.

But you can't give a drug addict too much at one time or else he'll O.D.

This will buy time and maybe the dependancy will win an election with a majority.

Then you could cut it, cold turkey style.

So the money is more like nicorette gum then

[hiti]

This is another of Steve's stupid politics. He would do anything to get Quebec votes, even screwing over western Canada.

Keep it up fat boy.

[geoffrey]

The fact is that the federal government is rolling in dough. Alot of that money is from tax receipts collected in Alberta. Harper has alot of money to spend and rather than cut taxes, he's going to hand much of it to all the provincial governments according to a new formula that no one knows yet exactly.

Switching to a 10 province standard with 50% of resource revenues included will have a major negative effect on both Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Ontario and Quebec will be huge winners...

[Wilber]

Every region has it's own particular lottery ticket,

Yes, it is called Ontario....or Toronto specifically.

I can't speak for every region but out west these days, the US and the rest of the Pacific Rim are more of an economic concern than what goes on in Ontario or Toronto.

[guyser]

I can't speak for every region but out west these days, the US and the rest of the Pacific Rim are more of an economic concern than what goes on in Ontario or Toronto.

Yes it is a concern , but the engine is still running and it is situated in Ont and TO specifically.