Greed Amongst Our Richest
So, Alberta is set to reap a $10 billion surplus. In light of Alberta's fiscal situation, it makes absolutely no sense to me why the province would have overwelmingly voted in support of a party that promised tax relief. Money for programs has to come from somewhere. If the feds cut taxes further, revenues will decline, programs will be cut and the provinces will be forced to make up the difference by increasing taxes. If this happens, just watch those billions melt away.Bottom line: Alberta wants to pay less and hoarde more.
Then there is Ontario, another have province, which, regardless of its multi-billion deficit, continues to vote in support of parties who say they will not increase taxes. Ontario says it pays $23 billion more than it gets back from the feds -- the so-called fiscal gap.
Bottom line: Ontario says it pays enough and wants more back.
While these two provinces may say there are irreconcilable ideological differences between their aims, they share one thing: They are rich, but feel they are not rich enough. Our federalism is floundering folks. The very essence of the structure of our state is at risk of being rent asunder, in the name of greed and political aspiration. We've gotten where we are today as a nation by earnestly trying to reach judicious decisions that were regionally-sensitive -- not an easy job, but one well worth doing. The deepening divide between have and have not provinces is becoming an insurmountable chasm. Those at the top of the heap need to take the lead in re-strengthening our confederation, instead of fighting like hyenas over its carcass. The casualty of not doing so could be Canada itself.
posted by K-Dough at 6:56 AM
3 Comments:
My review of your post:
Predominantly rich. Oily, with slight Sarnia aftertaste. As for your thesis, I your point is well taken. I would be in "agreeance," if that were the word that many folks I know (coincidentally, many of them Albertan) think it is. Also, "insurmountable chasm" sounds kinda dirty. A good, solid effort -- much better than your last work, "Dear Penthouse, I never thought I'd write one of these letters..."
I agree that federalism is on thin ice under the Conservative government.
However, as a recovering Albertan, I can say with confidence that their vote for a government hell-bent on cutting federal taxes was not misguided, at least, not from their perspective.
They really don't need the federal funding. The private sector in Alberta already provides citizens with many of the benefits of social programs that the federal government can no longer afford. For example, the best homeless shelter in Canada is in Calgary, and it was funded solely by the private sector. They call it the 'Homeless Hilton' - it's a state of the art building with plenty of rooms and progressive social programs for getting people back on their feet. Companies provide their own daycare, and if Klein gets his way, Alberta health care (now on par with third world countries) will get a big injection of private dough and become the envy of the nation.
To some degree, Alberta is geographically lucky to be sitting on those oil sands, but without the hard work of some adventurous entrepreneurs who risked everything, and worked their asses off to develop the technology to make extraction of that black gold affordable, it would still be nothing but sand. Albertans feel like they've earned
their piece of the pie. The notion of making sure your own house is in order before relying on others, is part of the fabric of the Albertan way of life.
I'm playing devil's advocate here... hope this provides some insight into the psyche of those who voted for Harper out in the wild west. AB
AB- I wonder if there are any former Liberal candidates staying in the homeless Hilton right now. Poor souls.
Whatever you think about whether they need federal funding or not, apart from appealing to the electorate through morally divisive issues, fiscal policy was probably the most important plank in the CPC's rise.
My point is less about Alberta and more about have provinces accepting that they are part of a country that needs their help. As an Ontarian, I understand that my tax dollars help support less fortunate provinces in our country, and I think that has historically been an accepted sacrifice we've made. I would hope Albertans, as Canadians first, would see that kind of altruism as a good thing. But I'm not sure they do. Moreover, I'm not sure Ontarians do anymore.
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