Harper Screws Saskatchewan and BREAKS HIS COMMITTMENT
I called it here , the Harper Conservatives in this province are going to screw us royally.
In the election the 12 Conservative MP's and Harper made promises to the people of Saskatchewan
Now it turns out that the new plan is as follows:
"The plan would mean more money for every province -- with the exception of Newfoundland and Labrador. Quebec would be the biggest winner, likely receiving an extra $1.1-billion a year. Ontario would also benefit, gaining about $900-million through increased transfers for social programs."
hmmm. Looks like Eastern Canada gets a pretty good deal there eh? I'm sure Saskatchewan does just as well. Right?
Woops. I guess not.
"Saskatchewan would receive an extra $156-million, less than the nearly $1-billion it would get if resource revenues were excluded from the calculation."
Some more from the article:
That's right, Harper made a commitment in the platform, something he emphasised last time he was here in the province, here is what Harper said about equalization:
Resource-rich provinces such as Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan and Alberta had hotly opposed including their oil and gas wealth in the calculation. They insisted non-renewable resources be excluded -- a position also taken by the Conservatives in their 2006 election platform.
Which was quickly pounced on by reporters here in the province:
"I'm certainly aware we made some commitments in that regard. As you know, this government prides itself on fulfilling these commitments."
The media have also been critical of the lapdogs, I mean, MP's of Prime Minister Steve. (PMS)
And then there was my personal favourite: "I've told the province that during these discussions that I'm going to try and not say things that will prejudice the final outcome because we are listening to a range of provincial concerns on these issues."
You don't want to prejudice the final outcome? Of course, you do, sir. You're the prime minister of Canada. It's actually your job to prejudice the outcome, because you're the one that made the blunt, unequivocal promise in a Jan. 12 letter to "exclude non-renewable resources" from the equalization formula and move to a 10-province standard.
And now, with this latest outrage, the media is quick to point out the obvious.
"Saskatchewan Conservative MPs and candidates were crystal clear during the 2006 election campaign when they promised that a Conservative government would exempt Saskatchewan's non-renewable resources from equalization....Seeing that, one can't help but wonder if the federal Conservatives only recently decided to flip-flop on their promise to Saskatchewan? Is that because they believe we can be taken for granted? Or did the Conservatives always plan to break their promise to a province with just 14 seats so they could keep their promise to a province with 75 seats?"
When Prime Minister Harper goes on and on about how he and his government keep their commitments, call them on the bullshit. They are breaking a commitment they made so that they can screw the 14 seats in Saskatchewan to pick up seats in Ontario/Quebec.
Saskatchewan is about to become the country's biggest equalization loser.In its most simplified form, the report states the Harper government is considering implementing an equalization plan that penalizes Saskatchewan more than any other province.
So much for the "West Want's In" eh, PMS?
