Unity & Equalization??

taxslave

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Nov 25, 2008
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Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
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Regina, Saskatchewan
Quebec Premier François Legault has set the ambitious long-term goal of increasing his province’s economic growth to the point that it no longer needs or receives equalization payments.

The province’s fiscal update last week showed that Mr. Legault is making some progress on that goal, with Quebec upgrading its growth forecasts as it rebounds quickly from the effects of the coronavirus contraction.
And several pages earlier in that same document, the Finance Ministry mentioned that equalization payments to the province would jump to $13.474-billion next year, $355-million more than was forecast in the spring budget.

What’s more, Quebec’s share of equalization payments through to fiscal 2025-26, while declining, will also be higher than forecast in the budget. The province now says it will receive 54.2 per cent of federal equalization payments in 2025-26, up from the earlier projection of 53.1 per cent.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
23,082
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Regina, Saskatchewan
Maybe it’s just simple financial forecasting.

Quebec has to plan for the day the teats will run dry. 60 consecutive years has been a good run on Equilization gig but eventually the piggy bank makes louder & louder rattles as the coins get fewer & fewer.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
23,082
7,973
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Maybe it’s just simple financial forecasting.
Quebec has to plan for the day the teats will run dry. 60 consecutive years has been a good run on Equilization gig but eventually the piggy bank makes louder & louder rattles as the coins get fewer & fewer.
 

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
109,234
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Low Earth Orbit
Maybe it’s just simple financial forecasting.
Quebec has to plan for the day the teats will run dry. 60 consecutive years has been a good run on Equilization gig but eventually the piggy bank makes louder & louder rattles as the coins get fewer & fewer.
Trudeau's tree planting undoubtedly includes maple plantations to employ Haitians.
 
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Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
23,082
7,973
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Regina, Saskatchewan
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today that while he is "deeply" opposed to Bill 21, his government won't step into the legal challenge taking place in Quebec in order to avoid triggering a fight with the province over jurisdiction.

"I think that it's important, in the first stages of the work that's being done right now, to not give the excuse of a fight between Ottawa and Quebec," Trudeau said.

The prime minister said that by staying out of the fight right now, he can "ensure that it is Quebeckers themselves" making the case to the Quebec government that the law is discriminatory, without giving an "excuse to the Quebec government that this is federal interference."

The law — which bars a range of public servants in roles of authority, including teachers, from wearing visible religious symbols — made headlines again this week when an Muslim elementary teacher in western Quebec was removed from her classroom for wearing a hijab.


Trudeau said that while he plans to stay out of the fight for now, his government has not closed the door on the possibility of "intervening ... at some point in time." This comment reminds me of the decisive decision on the ChiCom Telecom by our Federal Liberal Leaders that a decision might someday be made eventually probably maybe.
 

pgs

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 29, 2008
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said today that while he is "deeply" opposed to Bill 21, his government won't step into the legal challenge taking place in Quebec in order to avoid triggering a fight with the province over jurisdiction.

"I think that it's important, in the first stages of the work that's being done right now, to not give the excuse of a fight between Ottawa and Quebec," Trudeau said.

The prime minister said that by staying out of the fight right now, he can "ensure that it is Quebeckers themselves" making the case to the Quebec government that the law is discriminatory, without giving an "excuse to the Quebec government that this is federal interference."

The law — which bars a range of public servants in roles of authority, including teachers, from wearing visible religious symbols — made headlines again this week when an Muslim elementary teacher in western Quebec was removed from her classroom for wearing a hijab.


Trudeau said that while he plans to stay out of the fight for now, his government has not closed the door on the possibility of "intervening ... at some point in time." This comment reminds me of the decisive decision on the ChiCom Telecom by our Federal Liberal Leaders that a decision might someday be made eventually probably maybe.
Or the possibility of intervening for SNC Lavalin .
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
23,082
7,973
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Quebecers’ opinions on energy issues seem to have evolved, though. No fewer than 50 per cent of Quebecers now want the province to develop its own oil resources, an increase of five percentage points over last year. Alas, that’s not currently happening. Earlier this year the developer of the Old Harry oil and gas field in the Gulf of St. Lawrence abandoned the project, the only one of its kind in Quebec.

Quebecers’ preference for Western Canadian oil has also increased over the past year. Now, 71 per cent of survey respondents prefer to import oil from the West, while just eight per cent favour American oil. As for the best way to transport it, 49 per cent of Canadians think pipelines are the safest method, followed by 13 per cent for rail transport. Tanker truck and ship account for another 14 per cent of responses. In Quebec, 41 per cent prefer pipelines.


The picture that emerges from this poll is fascinating: there is clearly a disconnect between public opinion and the Quebec government’s actions on energy issues. Whereas Quebecers want to develop their oil resources, no provincial politician wants to even think about it. For that matter, it would be a rare private entrepreneur who would be audacious enough to make such a proposal given that it likely would be doomed from the start.

Of course, politics aside, very few oil and gas development projects would be viable in current market conditions. Yet this is no reason to stonewall potential projects of this kind. After all, developing our oil resources would create very high-quality jobs in rural regions. If the premier wants to create jobs with salaries above $50,000, he should take a look at how much workers in Western Canada’s oil sector can make. It’s hardly surprising that when the Alberta industry is hiring, many Quebecers go there to find work.

Yeah….yeah. The rest of the story at the above link…In the same vein, it seems increasingly absurd to maintain that no new pipeline should be built on Quebec land. Quebec has a significant petrochemical industry, and, when they’re asked, the province’s consumers say they prefer Western Canadian oil to any other. And why not? Oil transported by pipeline is the safest form of oil. It is simply pathetic that Canadian companies have to send Western oil to New Brunswick via the Panama Canal. What would we say in Quebec if another province decided to block our exports in this way?

One thing is certain: Canadians are well aware that our regulatory framework is complex and hostile to oil transport projects. Indeed, 63 per cent of Canadians realize that it is more difficult to build a pipeline in Canada than in other countries, while only 13 per cent think the opposite is true. It’s not too late to change course, however. Considering the economic recovery that will be needed following COVID-19, it would be foolish to deprive ourselves of these important wealth-creating resources.