Apples to Peanuts - Equalization Share (Canada - Let's build it on the Backs of the Little Guys with no representation!)
My household and I are shocked and completely disappointed by Mr. Harper's betrayal and manipulation of his word regarding equalisation and the Atlantic Accord. Note also that I was born and raised in Ontario and at least I have been able to educate my friends and family regarding the unfairness to which NL is continuously subjected. I would hope that our representatives, as few as they are, could do the same in the House of Commons. I have lived around the world and in many provinces in Canada, including 4.5 yrs in Quebec. Strangely enough, Quebec is the province with which NL has the closest cultural comparison but they have 75 MP's to our seven, so we neither get listened to nor do we get our fair share from the federation.
Bullying! 58 years of bullying! The problem: the Big Guys (Ontario, Quebec & now too Alberta) stomping the Little Guys (Atlantic Provinces, Saskatchewan and the 3 Territories) is happening in our country. The Little Guy provinces all put together cannot receive fair representation from Canada. Even if we could convince Manitoba, BC, Alberta and for that matter all of the Maritime provinces to join NL, we still couldn't match Ontario's domination and control of the federation in a purely mathematical formula of MP's! The "population" based powers and their "national" newspapers, supported by their 10's of millions of voters, wonder why the tiny hamlets (aka little provinces) are in an uproar about the broken promises and unfair measuring of everything per capita. Of course it is unfair! The new formula even removes offsets designed for years to take this factor into consideration. We need practically, just as many miles of highways and maintenance. This is just one reason why it isn't fair...
Ontario with it's nearly $6k per capita times its population base of about 10 million people surely maintains a nicer more functional infrastructure than that of NL at approx $7k per capita times its population of 500 thousand. I mean come on, compare apples to apples, or even apples to oranges but not apples to peanuts. The resource and agricultural industries are consistently stripped for their value from tiny unrepresented provinces with 4-14 MP's and are keeping central (and the rest of) Canada in very good shape as they process and "add value" to our provinces' resources' at the expense of those of us who are considered underpopulated "complainers".
Alberta (as I understand it) has received 20 plus years of benefit their non-renewable resources, yet now that NL and NS are finally in a place to receive similar fair treatment, the rules are changed. Funny, the Prime Minister comes from Alberta. Are the sands nearly tapped? Is AB running at the end of its non-renewable resource? Is that why they seem willing to step gracefully away from the trough into an equalisation formula designed especially for them!? All this just as NL finally gets a chance to earn a fair income from a different resource to make up for years of direct federally supported over-fishing, forestry, and the ongoing unfair pillaging of NL's Lower Churchill power facility by Quebec. How vile.
Mr. Manning, nay, Mr. Harper, when does it stop? Moreover, when do you keep your word and when does Canada keep her word to Newfoundland & Labrador, and for that matter the other under-represented provinces of the federation? Remember also, the Marine Atlantic ferry is our Trans Canada Highway, it is written in law. The price for a trip across the channel should match the equivalent in kilometres/litre of regular unleaded gasoline, not the cost of a round trip airplane ticket to Toronto! Our resources, geography, commitment to freedom and fairness are the primary reasons why Newfoundland was seduced by Canada. Stop sharing our peanuts with everybody, if you're not willing to pay fairly for them...
Perhaps we need to re-strike the Fair Deal for Newfoundland website, so I have also cc'd Kevin McCann and many NL MHA's. Maybe this time around the NL Government will hire and pay him for his communication talents.
Finally, we "get it", so tell Flaherty to stop being so incredulous and condescending. Every time he talks he insults the Little Guys like the self-absorbed, self-indulgent writers and editors of the Globe & Mail. National news me arse...
My thoughts for now,
Fred Harris CBS, NL
Bullying! 58 years of bullying! The problem: the Big Guys (Ontario, Quebec & now too Alberta) stomping the Little Guys (Atlantic Provinces, Saskatchewan and the 3 Territories) is happening in our country. The Little Guy provinces all put together cannot receive fair representation from Canada. Even if we could convince Manitoba, BC, Alberta and for that matter all of the Maritime provinces to join NL, we still couldn't match Ontario's domination and control of the federation in a purely mathematical formula of MP's! The "population" based powers and their "national" newspapers, supported by their 10's of millions of voters, wonder why the tiny hamlets (aka little provinces) are in an uproar about the broken promises and unfair measuring of everything per capita. Of course it is unfair! The new formula even removes offsets designed for years to take this factor into consideration. We need practically, just as many miles of highways and maintenance. This is just one reason why it isn't fair...
Ontario with it's nearly $6k per capita times its population base of about 10 million people surely maintains a nicer more functional infrastructure than that of NL at approx $7k per capita times its population of 500 thousand. I mean come on, compare apples to apples, or even apples to oranges but not apples to peanuts. The resource and agricultural industries are consistently stripped for their value from tiny unrepresented provinces with 4-14 MP's and are keeping central (and the rest of) Canada in very good shape as they process and "add value" to our provinces' resources' at the expense of those of us who are considered underpopulated "complainers".
Alberta (as I understand it) has received 20 plus years of benefit their non-renewable resources, yet now that NL and NS are finally in a place to receive similar fair treatment, the rules are changed. Funny, the Prime Minister comes from Alberta. Are the sands nearly tapped? Is AB running at the end of its non-renewable resource? Is that why they seem willing to step gracefully away from the trough into an equalisation formula designed especially for them!? All this just as NL finally gets a chance to earn a fair income from a different resource to make up for years of direct federally supported over-fishing, forestry, and the ongoing unfair pillaging of NL's Lower Churchill power facility by Quebec. How vile.
Mr. Manning, nay, Mr. Harper, when does it stop? Moreover, when do you keep your word and when does Canada keep her word to Newfoundland & Labrador, and for that matter the other under-represented provinces of the federation? Remember also, the Marine Atlantic ferry is our Trans Canada Highway, it is written in law. The price for a trip across the channel should match the equivalent in kilometres/litre of regular unleaded gasoline, not the cost of a round trip airplane ticket to Toronto! Our resources, geography, commitment to freedom and fairness are the primary reasons why Newfoundland was seduced by Canada. Stop sharing our peanuts with everybody, if you're not willing to pay fairly for them...
Perhaps we need to re-strike the Fair Deal for Newfoundland website, so I have also cc'd Kevin McCann and many NL MHA's. Maybe this time around the NL Government will hire and pay him for his communication talents.
Finally, we "get it", so tell Flaherty to stop being so incredulous and condescending. Every time he talks he insults the Little Guys like the self-absorbed, self-indulgent writers and editors of the Globe & Mail. National news me arse...
My thoughts for now,
Fred Harris CBS, NL
posted by Fred Harris | 1:34 AM
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