Ontario's outrageous federal dependency
Still whining, even after billions and billions has been earmarked (via corporate welfare) for the auto industry over the past two decades;
The lead editorial in Today's Halifax Chronicle Herald provides fodder for the argument that the Ontario Premier really is the small man of confederation that he has been accused of.Any more whining for federal handouts (not to mention excessive spending) and McGuinty's province may very well become the "new" New Brunswick. Although I'm sure the press will pick up on it there.
McGuinty is whining that Ottawa should give Ontario more cash. Of course, he does this the same day the the Toronto Star runs a front page story about how the feds are committing $7.8 billion for Ontario infrastructure. So much for his timing.
Ontario is flirting with a recession and Mr. McGuinty has spent the provincial cupboards bare, so there is no cash for him to provide the tax relief necessary to help fix things. Why is that? Because he has spent like a drunken sailor - more than twice the combined rate of inflation and population growth for five straight years. He has created almost as many government jobs as private sectors jobs. In fact, more government jobs than Mike Harris, Ernie Eves and Bob Rae combined!
If the feds want to help out Ontario they could scrap equalization altogether and reduce taxes by the same amount. It is better that Ontario taxpayers and businesses get the cash without the Premier getting his mitts on it because he has proven already that he can't be trusted to manage it responsibly.
To fly banana or not to fly banana? That is the $55,000 question
People who read this blog know I'm a huge critic of wasteful subsidies earmarked for ridiculous pet projects. However, this one most definitely takes the cake for the most outrageous proposed project funded by taxpayers ("proposed" because it didn't get off the ground...no pun intended). Anyway, if you don't believe me, take a look for yourself. I have to tell ya, that's a lot of banana cream pie.
10 Comments:
If McGuinty wants to kick start his economy then he should sign a deal with Ottawa to get a whole whack of infrastructure dough that is waiting for Ontario under the Building Canada plan. I think it's something like $7 billion which could get a lot of shovels in the ground for projects that have policy approval and are awaiting funding (Toronto transit anyone?). McGuinty doesn't want people to know about this; all he wants is no strings attached permenent federal funding so he can keep on giving his buddies, the doctors, nurses, teachers and bureaucrats outsized pay raises.
Things move so fast...the dollar grows in strength.....and the Liberals solution a few months back was to use the federal treasury to subsidize new auto plants, and now GM and Ford don't even want subsidies..........they just want out........
McGuinty's government needs to think a little a head..........kinda like your government's lack of ideas after the pulp industry faltered.
Newfoundland is always willing to pitch in a couple bucks to help poor, down-on-their-luck, Ontario.
I really don't know why my province donates such a large share of our Offshore Oil and Gas revenues to Ontario spendthrift government anyways...
Lower your damn taxes and put your CBC out to pasture.
What's good for Ontario is good for Canada. From 1867 until recently, Ontario's Premier's have always reflected that. Ontario has been willing to do what it takes to keep the country viable.
But not McGuinty (or Bob Rae for that matter). He moans and groans as though he represented a smaller, more petty province.
Truly the small man of Confederation.
I agree with bill. Nova Scotia had 50% of the capital on the entire country when we entered into this arrangement called Confederation... Since then, we have had about 140 years of nothing but hard luck...
Ontario has had a few hard months and because of this, you want your Province to separate from Confederation...
OK, but we won't be sending you our oil and gas royalties from Atlantic Canada anymore... Nor our Federal taxes to subsidize your manufacturing and corporate welfare...
"Because he has spent like a drunken sailor.."
Unfair comparison. At least drunken sailor spends his own money.
Ontario has the Government and the leadership it wanted and it deserves.
LOL! kit, that reminds me of the John McCain line: "Congress spends money like a drunken sailor, but I never met a sailor with the imagination of Congress."
Thou8ght I'd plug McCain since he needs all the help he can get this week. Is it me or is McCain a terrible summer campaigner? Strategy perhaps?
Ireland lowered it's corporate taxes and pulled itself out of decades of economic drought.
McGuinty will not even consider this.
McGuinty needs a strong tax base (read: high taxes) in order to fund his socially progressive social programs.
McGuinty wants his cake and he wants to eat it, too.
McGuinty wants corporate welfare.
And he wants the West to pay for it.
BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan all have provinces.
All right wing (with low taxes and controlled spending).
Ontario, a have-not province.
Statist and left wing.
We see right through your socialist eyes, Dalton.
Rob above makes a great point. It begs the question, would Ontario have grown to such a behemoth of an economy had it not been privileged to the raw natural resources of provinces such as Newfoundland and Labrador? Resources which kept smelters and manufacturing plants percolating for years there. All the while Ontario thrived economically, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador languished. Everything was kept hushed.
The politicians of Newfoundland and Labrador were complacent in allowing such backwardness to go on for 60 years. Those politicians not only stifled the growth of their province, but their constituents as well.
Ontario would not have grown economically without those resources, which allowed it to become a 'have' province while the province of Newfoundland and Labrador had to receive equalization dollars in lieu of the processing and manufacturing of its natural resources being done elsewhere. What a crazy way to run a country!
Funny, for the first time since confederation the shoe may be on the other foot for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. A situation that makes Upper Canadians very, very uncomfortable. And McGuinty very, very petty.
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