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Ontario is becoming a "have-not" province
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| Jayx1 |
You can thank your Liberal government for ignoring us. They know they have our vote so why should they care? Funny to see mcguinty gloating because his policies are exasserbating the problem
| quote: | TORONTO (CP) - A new report warns that Ontario, long considered one of the wealthiest areas in the country, is in jeopardy of becoming a have-not province within five years.
The report for the Ontario Chamber of Commerce blames a funding shortfall from the federal government, a favourite topic of Premier Dalton McGuinty.
McGuinty has long complained about what he calls the "fiscal gap" between what Ontarians pay in taxes to the federal government and what it gets back in programs and services.
He says the gap has reached $23 billion.
The report backs up McGuinty's complaints.
It concludes the principle of fairness has been taken out of Confederation, and the cost is becoming increasingly apparent in Ontario, and will ultimately hurt Canada.
"Ontario has never shirked its responsibilities to the federation - neither has it questioned the principles behind equalization programs," said Len Crispino, president of the chamber.
"However, the current formula doesn't work for Ontario - and it doesn't work for Canada."
Also troubling is the inability of governments to measure the results of the federal transfer system, the report concludes.
Release of the report - Fairness in Confederation Fiscal Imbalance: Driving Ontario to "Have Not" Status - comes as there is growing unease in Ontario over the money Alberta is receiving from soaring gas prices.
While the increase in energy prices has helped Alberta it has been hurting the economy in Ontario. |
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| Fir3start3r |
| Gee...and to almost think I was beginning to miss all the provincal-early-distant-warning posts... :nervous: |
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| MarkT |
so who's full of ? Ontario? provinces out east? Central? West?
since pretty much every province seems to think either that they aren't getting their fair share or they aren't getting what they need.
If the economy is fukked out east, we're going to have to pay out to them more than what they are paying in...doesn't that go without saying? Or should we say "fuk you" to the less wealthy provinces? |
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| DigiNut |
| quote: | Originally posted by MarkT
If the economy is fukked out east, we're going to have to pay out to them more than what they are paying in...doesn't that go without saying? Or should we say "fuk you" to the less wealthy provinces? |
The answer to that would depend on the reason for their economy being in such bad shape.
If it's in bad shape due to failed investments, business going under, etc., then that's understandable... if it's in bad shape due to the fact that the residents like being on welfare for 8 months of the year and not having to work, then yes, we should say "fuk you".
There are several possible business models that can work and ARE working in the rural and other "seasonal" areas, like call centres. The problem is, these people simply don't want to work or get trained, which is partly because they know they don't HAVE to!
I'm not completely against welfare, but what happens in Canada's east coast goes far beyond welfare. They are actually subsidizing unemployment, and when you subsidize something you get more of it. The tax/benefit gap exists in Ontario because:
1) Welfare is the biggest piece of the pie in federal tax spending;
2) Ontario pays more taxes than any other province (with the possible exception of Alberta); and
3) Unemployment rates are fairly low in most parts of Ontario.
Ergo, Ontario is getting ass-raped by the system. There are better ways of handling this situation than the standard reaction of hugging the status quo. Other provinces may "think they aren't getting their fair share" as you say, but forget the emotive arguments and look at the numbers - Ontario and Alberta pay something like 40% more in tax revenues than they receive in federal spending.
The answer to this is quite simple, really: limit the amount of time these people are allowed to be on welfare to a couple of months. That way, they can survive just long enough to train for a real job and eventually stop sucking on the collective teat. |
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| mushyflowa |
| next monday pitt bull ban takes effect.. damn.. this goes again freedom of speech and freedom of choosing whatever breed of animal u might want.. |
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| ShadoWolf |
| It's time to get rid of the equalization system once and for all. |
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| Jayx1 |
| quote: | Originally posted by mushyflowa
next monday pitt bull ban takes effect.. damn.. this goes again freedom of speech and freedom of choosing whatever breed of animal u might want.. |
they ban pitbulls but what are they doing about real crime?
Absolutely nothing. |
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| Tordan |
^^ Well, they need to do all this bull legislation to show the public that they're actually doing something useful with our tax dollars.
People hurt from gun violence > People hurt by pittbulls
ok... so lets ban the pittbulls and that'll solve our problems. :rolleyes: |
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| Jayx1 |
Exactly why Mcguinty never has and never will get my vote.
The Liberal ideology = Do nothing, appear to be doing something, and everyone be happy... |
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| mercure |
| The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is hardly a credible, objective source of information. Roughly equivalent in position, I'd say, to the Ontario Federation of Labour... |
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| dEsidEL |
| quote: |
PM urges Canadians not to be jealous of Alberta
FROM CANADIAN PRESS
REGINA — Prime Minister Paul Martin says he doesn't want Canadians outside of Alberta to be envious of the province's enormous oil wealth.
"This country was not built on jealousy," Martin said today as the federal Liberals wrapped up their caucus meetings in Regina.
"This country was built on working together and that's the message that has got to be given."
Regional disparity was a hot topic in the hallways outside the meetings. A report out of Ontario earlier this week warned that it could become a "have-not" province. Meanwhile, Alberta has forecast a surplus, potentially in the neighbourhood of $5 billion this year, thanks to gushing oil revenues.
Martin and his ministers found themselves dismissing suggestions there is a need for a mechanism, like the disastrous National Energy Program of the early 1980s, to spread the wealth.
Earlier this week in Calgary, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein was asked whether he would use any of the province's surplus to give Alberta residents a break on gasoline costs. He shrugged off the suggestion, saying it might create a rift among other provinces.
And Martin was asked Thursday whether he was concerned about Alberta envy developing among less-wealthy provinces, and acknowledged that it's a "very, very important issue to raise."
But he said Alberta is not to blame for high oil prices and other provinces are reaping the benefits of alternative energy sources such as hydroelectric and wind-power generation.
"One of our great advantages is in the fact we have . . . huge sources of energy," Martin said.
"What's really incumbent on us as a country, given that phenomenal base, is to take advantage of it and that is something that the entire nation can do, not just one province."
Finance Minister Ralph Goodale, one of only a handful of Liberal MPs from west of Ontario, echoed Martin's sentiments, saying that any sort of Alberta envy on the part of other provinces would not be ``helpful to the national fibre of the country."
"It is counterproductive and it is divisive and frankly it misses the entire point," Goodale said.
"I think we've got to avoid that. It doesn't solve any problems."
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http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...id=968332188492
i'm growing jealous of Quebec because of their women ..
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| Jayx1 |
When alberta was a dustbowl of , ontario was there. Now that the tides of turned they are hoarding the wealth.
National Energy Policy the Sequal sounds pretty good to me :) |
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