Harper's Conservatives SCREW Saskatchewan - Brad Wall Tries To Spin This As 'Lovemaking'
Stephen Harper and his Conservatives made a specific promise to the Province of Saskatchewan concerning the inclusion of one time only non-renewable resource revenues into the formula that is used to calculate equalization.In 2004, the Conservatives promised:
“The Conservative Party of Canada will alter the equalization program to remove all non-renewable resources from the formula, as well as move the program to a ten-province standard.”
Conservative Party Platform 2004 ('Demanding Better')
And again in 2006, Saskatchewan received the following promise:
“A Conservative government will also revisit the equalization formula. We will move towards a ten-province standard that excludes non-renewable resource revenues from the equalization formula, and do so in a manner that ensures no provinces receiving equalization will receive less money during the transition to the new formula than the current formula provides.”
Conservative Party Platform 2006 ('Standing Up For Canada')
So ... was there anything remotely related to this promise in the 2008 Federal Conservative Budget? NO!
HARPER AND THE CONSERVATIVES HAVE CONSCIOUSLY DECIDED TO BREAK THIS PROMISE TO SASKATCHEWAN.
SINCE MANITOBA AND QUEBEC DO NOT INCLUDE THEIR NON-RENEWABLE RESOURCES IN THE FORMULA, AN INEQUITY EXISTS IN CONFEDERATION!
Under the former New Democratic government of Saskatchewan, Ottawa was being challenged in the courts to repair this inequity. However, with the recent change of provincial government, the right wing Saskatchewan Party administration dropped the court challenge and have placed their lips in close proximity to Harper's butt. There is no other way of looking at it.
-Budget leaves Wall in a no-win situation
-Background on Saskatchewan's 'Equalization Battle' with the Federal Conservatives
This news (of the budget and of Wall's decision not to pursue legal action against the government) is truly disheartening.
However, there is no political incentive for Harper to make a deal with Wall, and Wall has no political incentive to go after Harper.
If equalization was a key point in the last Sask. election, then the NDP would have won that battle. But, the way that Sask. voted Wall doesn't need anti-federal government votes to win.
Furthermore, unlike in Nova Scotia, there are very few seats for the CPC to pick up from the opposition in a federal election - two in Sask as opposed to eight in NS.
The larger issue here is that the prairie provinces, even when "our own" are elected into the government, are chopped liver compared to vote-rich Ontario & Quebec, and the potential to make inroads in Liberal ridings in the Maritimes.
What the prairies needs is electoral reform to give our issues equal weight on our nation's political table.
Posted by
Right of Center Ice |
6:46 pm, February 27, 2008
Electoral reform is not going to happen in anyone's lifetime.
Separation and subsequent declaration of a Republic (Alta & Sask) is the only path to equitable treatment of all citizens.
Anything less, you're grandchildren will still be cutting cheques to central Canada a 100 years from now.
Posted by
Unknown |
11:26 am, June 23, 2008
i live on welfare in b.c..i used to live on 2 and one half acres where i raised ducks and geese,and nursery stock.when the govt;changed hands i was FORCED to leave my farm of 20 yaers and move into a socialised housing unit in the city of white rock.i hate their guts my e mail is ed666.westphal@gmail.com.please help me fight them.i hate all fashists especially russ heibert. ed666.westphal@gmail.com
Posted by
Unknown |
12:46 am, November 20, 2009