Premier Dwight Ball has talked about it. CBC’s Peter Cowan tweeted about it Sunday night. If only we were like all those lucky provinces that get Equalization, we’d be right as rain. We can allow that Peter may not understand federal-provincial finances at all, even if he does cover the
Continue readingTag: equalization
The Sir Robert Bond Papers: Population density and just dense #nlpoli
The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is in financial trouble. It will spend this year about $3.0 billion more than it will take in. In fact, this year, as last year, banks and other sources of borrowing will be the largest single source of income for the provincial government. Newfoundland
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: General Ignorance: Economic Version #nlpoli
Of all the people in Canada who know something about the Equalization system,. none of them sit in the House of Assembly. Item: Kevin Hutchings, a former cabinet minister, asked the finance minister why the provincial government had not gone to war with Ottawa to get some Equalization. Hutchings had
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The inexplicable persistence of nonsense #nlpoli
“There was a very good job done … of boxing this province out [of the Equalization program] a few years ago,”That was Premier Dwight Ball talking to reporters on Tuesday after the Throne Speech that set the agenda for his new administration. He w…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Uncle Ottawa’s cash #nlpoli
The federal government would run a deficit this year three times larger next year than the one the Liberals expected during the election campaign. The deficit this year is running slightly north of $18 billion and while the Liberals expected…
Continue readingdaveberta.ca – Alberta Politics: Thank goodness we didn’t build that Firewall!
Fifteen years ago, in Jan. 2001, six prominent Conservative lobbyists and university professors, including future Prime Minister Stephen Harper and provincial cabinet minister Ted Morton, penned the Firewall Manifesto. Prime Minister Jean ChretienR…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Pressure #nlpoli
A curious thing happens in societies where a huge amount of the collective income derives from outside the local economy and the local tax base.They do not see a connection between the money they receive and the action of earning it. The money th…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.- In reviewing Gabriel Zucman’s new book, Cass Sunstein discusses the need to rein in tax havens and ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share of the price of a functional society:(W)hatever your politi…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Equalization… again #nlpoli
Equalization is a really simple idea.In order to ensure that Canadians across the country have access to comparable services regardless of where they live, the federal government sends money to provinces that don’t make enough on their own.The …
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, expanding on this post about Brad Wall’s sad attempt to beg Justin Trudeau for federal money to make up for his own mismanagement. For further reading…- Once again, Wall’s call for a bailout was here. And his previous decision to drop any attem…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On selective equalization
So apparently some unspecified event in federal politics this fall has caused Brad Wall to start demanding money from Ottawa which he’d never have considered seeking before. Now if only he hadn’t trashed Saskatchewan’s bargaining position by dropping t…
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: The uncivil Civil War #nlpoli
At the heart of the ongoing civil war between Danny Williams’ provincial Conservatives and Stephen Harper’s federal Conservatives is the claim by Williams that Harper broke his 2006 election promise on Equalization. Williams wrote to each of the federal party leaders and asked the leaders to state their party’s position
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – CJ Werleman writes that the U.S.’ inequality nightmare is getting worse even as the public gains a greater recognition of the issue. Nick Kristof recognizes that radically different levels of wealth result in a serious lack of opportunity for anybody who doesn’t win
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Linda McQuaig discusses how a renewed push for austerity runs directly contrary to the actual values of Canadians, who want to see their governments accomplish more rather than forcing the public to settle for less: Their formula for achieving small, disabled government is
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
This and that for your weekend reading. – Michael McBane highlights one of the less-discussed changes in the Cons’ 2014 budget – as it officially eliminates the federal distribution of health care funding based on provincial need in favour of handing extra money to Alberta: The Harper government is eliminating
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Edging #nlpoli
Over at cbc.ca/nl, John Gushue has an excellent column on the recent prosperity, in particular the apparent contradiction between a supposedly booming economy and the government cuts or the sense some people have that they aren’t part of the boom. Take some time and go read John’s observations, if you
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellanous material for your Monday reading. – Will Hutton recognizes that an unregulated market can lead to disastrous results for everybody concerned – and that conversely, effective regulation can help to ensure the success of businesses which best meet the long-term needs of their workers and customers: What the Paterson
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: Equalization Changes and Hydro-Electricity #nlpoli
The federal government is considering changes to the Equalization program and the way it assess revenue from hydro-electricity, according to documents obtained by PostMedia News under the federal access to information system. The changes would apparently take into account revenue from hydro-electric corporations in provinces like Manitoba, Quebec and Newfoundland
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On cooperative efforts
The reports on fiscal arrangements and health care developed in the lead up to this weekend’s meeting of Canada’s premiers have both received some coverage. But there are a couple of points worth noting which seem to have been largely neglected so far. On the fiscal arrangement side, we now
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, expanding on this post as to the importance of a functioning federal system as a means of counterbalancing regional declines – and the forces working to limit anything of the sort in Canada. For further reading…– Frances Russell also laments the Harper firewall model based on the need for
Continue reading