Federalism works!
This is just so brazen it's almost charming. Years of crying poor over the alleged "fiscal imbalance," how they couldn't afford to provide essential public services and it was all la faute du fédérale, how "the feds have the money but the provinces have the needs," and what do they do? They use the money to cut taxes!...
Marvellous. Taxpayers in the rest of Canada pay higher taxes, so that Quebec's can pay lower. Companies in Ottawa get to subsidize their competitors in Hull.
Of course, if the PQ gets in, they'll use the same money to pay for a referendum, so...
3/20/2007
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I agree. It's SO brazen that I think it's great! It will show everyone in Canada, coast to coast, just what a huge crock this whole "fiscal imbalance" idea was, what an idiot Harper/Martin were for playing these games with the Premiers, and what a genious Chretien was for telling the premiers to go to hell. Secondly, regarding your referendum point, I think it'd be a good thing if the PQ wins. Let 2007 be the lesson that is never forgotten by Canadian finance ministers and Prime Ministers, you CANNOT appease Quebec, so don't play their little "give me what I want or I'm taking my marbles and going home" games.
I think you're getting it wrong. What Mr. Charest did today was just the logical outcome of correcting the fiscal imbalance, through through micro-equalization payments to individual citizens. This allows individual citizens to allocate resources to the programs that best meet their needs.
Andrew, Andrew. You're playing checkers. Harper's playing chess!
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The purpose of the federal budget was to ridicule Gilles Duceppe, André Boisclair, the PQ, the BQ and the likes of commentators such as Claude Charron.
It cost several billion but the mission was apparently accomplished, for all to see.
And the problem is???
Harper gets the glory on this one...
not any Quebec politicians