|
After 55 years as part of Canada is Newfoundland ready to seperate?
|
View this Thread in Original format
| Jayx1 |
| quote: | .Nfld. premier orders Canadian flags removed
Ottawa fails to reach offshore revenue deal
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams speaks during a brief press conference at the Airport Radisson Hotel in Winnipeg on Wednesday. (CP/Marianne Helm)
ST. JOHN'S (CP) - Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams has ordered the immediate removal of Canadian flags from all provincial government buildings in protest of failed talks with Ottawa over offshore revenue sharing.
"They're slapping us in the face. I'm not willing to fly that flag anymore in the province," an angry Williams told at a news conference Thursday in St. John's.
Williams continued his fiery attack on the federal government Thursday, a day after he broke off talks with Ottawa on reaching an offshore revenue deal.
The premier accused federal Finance Minister Ralph Goodale of negotiating in bad faith at Wednesday's meeting in Winnipeg.
"It's also quite apparent to me that we were dragged to Manitoba in order to punish us, quite frankly, to try to embarrass us, to bring us out there to get no deal and send us back with our tail between our legs," said Williams.
Williams had said he would not continue negotiations past Christmas.
It was the latest session between Williams, Nova Scotia's Premier John Hamm, and Goodale, aimed at reworking the way offshore oil revenues are shared between the two levels of government.
Federal officials said Ottawa was prepared to end its practice of clawing back about 70 cents of every dollar of oil and gas revenues through reduced equalization payments. It also offered to double the length of the agreement to 16 years.
But Williams said the attached conditions were unacceptable.
He said the offer could see Newfoundland lose at least $1 billion in projected offshore revenue over the first eight years. Ottawa also would require the impoverished province to eliminate a $700 million deficit before renewing for a second eight-year term.
Williams said refusing the deal was in Newfoundland and Labrador's best interests.
"What we have done here is restored your pride, we've stood up, we could have with a cheque, we could have come home with a big cheque, but we were not prepared to . . . to leave money on the table that was rightfully ours," he said.
After the talks failed Wednesday, Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm said he supports his Atlantic colleague, but plans to continue negotiating an eight-year resource-sharing deal with Ottawa that could be extended for an additional eight years.
The premier has said that a deal would have been "nice" before Christmas, but he's optimistic of wrapping up the details in 2005.
Federal officials estimated the deal proposed by Ottawa would create between $2.5 billion and $3 billion in additional revenues for Newfoundland and about $640 million into Nova Scotia over the next eight years.
Stephen Tomblin, a professor of political science at Memorial University in St. John's, said Williams' political popularity has soared thanks to his negotiating tactics.
"I suspect locally, as was the case in the past, he'll be very popular as a result of this kind of debate," he said.
"There's a very strong sense of alienation which is historical . . . It's comparable to Quebec nationalism and separatism."
Newfoundland and Nova Scotia have long pressed Ottawa to revamp the way offshore oil and gas revenues affect equalization payments.
The two provinces want to exclude royalty revenues from the equalization calculation, saying the clawback has prevented both provinces from shedding their 'have-not' status.
|
I say let them go. It will save us lots of money not to pay welfare to all those fishermen. |
|
|
| VERTiG0 |
| Yeah we don't need all that fishing-industry tax revenue! Who cares about that eh! |
|
|
| Jayx1 |
| its small potatoes compared to what we send to them. Trust me. |
|
|
| DigiNut |
| quote: | Originally posted by Jayx1
I say let them go. It will save us lots of money not to pay welfare to all those fishermen. |
ing right. Good riddance. Maybe they wouldn't mind taking PEI with them too.
P.S.:
How do you confuse a Newfie?
You put his welfare check in his boot. |
|
|
| DancingQueen169 |
They will never leave....it's like the whole Quebec thing
Canada is too fantastic to leave :p |
|
|
| Jayx1 |
Yeah i find it quite funny that the province that relies on the rest of Canada the most is biting the hand that feeds it.
Id say boycott products from newfoundland...but NOTHING comes from there! LOL |
|
|
| Jayx1 |
| the newfies are taking their cues from quebec. All Quebec seperation has ever been about is scaring the rest of canada into letting them have their own way. The thing about Newfoundland is that there is no leg to stand on with them because im willing to bet that if we took them out of canada our GDP would go up 30% and unemployment down a few percentage points. |
|
|
| Swamper |
Jayx1 you're pretty ignorant with that fisherman/welfare comment - A lot of those ppl are in tough situations due to moratoriums on certain kinds of fish - and have to constantly battle with ppl from overseas coming within the protected areas cuz there aren't enough Canadian naval ships to patrol the region.
Don't knock on a group of ppl simply because their profession doesn't live up to your standards. |
|
|
| RobbyG. |
| quote: | Originally posted by DigiNut
ing right. Good riddance. Maybe they wouldn't mind taking PEI with them too.
P.S.:
How do you confuse a Newfie?
You put his welfare check in his boot. |
Noooooo....I don't want them to go....I like the jokes that come out of that province:crazy: |
|
|
| dallastar |
| this can NOT happen! |
|
|
| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Swamper
Jayx1 you're pretty ignorant with that fisherman/welfare comment - A lot of those ppl are in tough situations due to moratoriums on certain kinds of fish - and have to constantly battle with ppl from overseas coming within the protected areas cuz there aren't enough Canadian naval ships to patrol the region.
Don't knock on a group of ppl simply because their profession doesn't live up to your standards. |
Im not knocking a profession. All im saying is that if they want to take down canadian flags and threaten to seperate, then let them and we will save a lot of money.
I have nothing against common newfoundlanders, just their ignorant government and those who are supporting this move. I know a lot of good folks from the rock. |
|
|
| ShadoWolf |
WAY TO GO DANNY!!!!!!
 |
|
|
|
|
