Admaston-Bromley Mayor Raye-Anne Briscoe says Ontario really has become a have-not province, as far as federal equalization payments are concerned, but there’s precious little media coverage about it.
Equalization
Why not let Quebec manage its own EI?
PQ Leader Pauline Marois says that if she becomes the next premier of Quebec she will demand that Ottawa transfer jurisdictions to Quebec, starting with employment insurance. In her mind, she wins either way. Ottawa’s agreement makes the “Quebec state” more powerful and readier for independence; Ottawa’s refusal proves that Quebec can never fulfill its legitimate aspirations within Canada.
Equalization Only Promotes Lazy Spending Habits
Equalization doesn’t just reward failure. It encourages it. Seven Canadian provinces were chronic recipients of the program from the very beginning and all have been economic and financial underperformers that bleed ambitious young people to more dynamic parts of the country.
Why Germany Shuns Canada’s Debt Model
The federal government sends transfers to poorer provincial governments, which spend the money on social programs that would otherwise be beyond their means. Some of those programs – such as Quebec’s daycare and tuition subsidies – are more generous than programs in provinces that don’t qualify for transfers. This is exactly what German taxpayers are warning Ms. Merkel they won’t put up with.
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Why University?
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During the whole of recorded history, the empire has been the most constant and common form of political organization. A basic, self-evident feature of all empire-building has been the successful occupation of the lands of the local, Indigenous inhabitants by outside...
Media Release – Punishing Productivity: Comparing equalization programs in Australia and Canada
A new Frontier study finds that unlike in Canada, equalization in Australia at least takes into account the cost of delivering services in each jurisdiction.
How The Provinces Broke Their Confederation Deal: Eternal dependency wasn’t supposed to happen
Equalization should be replaced with a transfer of tax room to the provinces.
End Coming For Robin Hood-Type Transfers: Alberta Finance Minister Ted Morton has put Ottawa on notice that the unequal distribution of transfer payments to provinces must stop.
“So lucrative has the transfer of wealth become that, according to an excellent new analysis by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, the less-fortunate provinces now outperform almighty Alberta in delivering almost all services, including health care and the cost of post-secondary education.”
Why ‘Have’ Provinces are the New Have-Nots
“Alberta people and companies send about $40 billion a year to Ottawa in taxes and other payments. The feds return just $19 billion. Annual net loss to Albertans: $21 billion.”
Economic fallout upsets Canadian status quo, norms
“As the economic crisis hit, Canada may have been the best prepared among developed nations when it came to the strength of its banking sector and government finances, but it seems ill-prepared to handle the global fallout.”
Inequalities of Equalization Leave Ontarians Worse Off: Have-nots end up with better services than provinces that are paying the bills
In a Toronto Star column, the Chair of the Ontario Institute for Public Policy points out equalization harms Ontario.
How Equalization Hammers Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia: Have provinces suffer because of transfer programs
Equalization is a disaster for Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia as it funds richer services in have-not provinces compared to “have” provinces.
Ontario Loses Out in Canada’s Wealth-Sharing Plan
“Canada’s wealth-sharing program is so out of whack that Ontario residents are helping to fund better government services in so-called poor provinces than they enjoy at home, says a new study.”
Reform Unprincipled Equalization System: Equalization harms all of Canada
Equalization is a problem because it is one of the principal pillars of Canadian federalism—but unprincipled in its design and impact.