Equalization: do you really need?

CTV

Michel Hébert

Thursday, December 14, 2017 10:48

UPDATE
On Thursday 14 December 2017 11:21

Look at this article

In the land of comedians, one does not laugh with the equalization. Because it’s embarrassing, it raises passions in Alberta and it frees up the federalist premises of their inhibitions.

And then, isn’t it embarrassing to admit his poverty? And before all the world, from one ocean to the other. We do not jump for joy shouting: “long Live the BS! What a joy not to be rich!

There are only full-time employees of the lobby poverty to find some nobility to this sad fate. Notice they are not the only ones trying to make us believe that others are responsible for their situation…

We therefore prefer not to talk about it. This is not easy because the sums involved have become so large that we cannot reasonably ignore. Especially with the approach of Christmas.

Photo courtesy Editions Fleurus

The equalization, what is it? This is big-big grant applied to the provinces. The benefit of the State and its people under the pretext of “comparable services”. It is a program of sharing the wealth that is so important for the pauvresses of the federation that it was constitutionnalisé. And does one have to believe that it is not in Moldova…

A day will come where we will celebrate the equalization. We will have to bow down, to bend a head, we will gather, pray and say thank you, silently… As the Day of remembrance. Should explain to the children: the assistance is the basis of canadian unity…

– Daddy, why are you on leave today?

– This is the Day of the equalization. Stabilization Day…

– Cool…

– Yes pis Not…

It is a relatively simple equalization. It is the wealth of the few for the benefit of the others : Ottawa siphons off all the world and redistributes billions to those less fortunate. It is the solidarity of the use of the provinces. In the Quebec budget, it is at line Transfers from the federal government…

And it is so essential, (to balance the budget of the province in particular) that we can’t even ask the question, Pierre-Yves McSween : do you really need?

Quebec is less wealthy but more populous than the other poor provinces, it receives necessarily a lot, a lot, and more than that still. In 2018, the province will get $ 11.7 billion on a total budget of 18.9 billion. Will shout when we have finished counting the Day of the year: Five, four, three, two, one! Equalization!

It is one thing to explain the numbers in all ways, to justify and lessen the shame, the total rest space.

We will say straight away that the provinces are rich in oil are naturally advantaged; of course they are, but Quebec refuses to exploit his. It is less messy to reach out to those who pump…

The total federal transfers to Quebec this year will 23.7 billion. We understand that it is not doing the cuff in Quebec : we prefer to ignore the magnitude of the dependence on federal funds…

Without this sum, one wonders at what level it would be necessary to increase the taxes, duties, fees, the price of the wine, and the parking rates at the hosto…

It is not surprising that Ottawa is simmering a reform of the method of calculation. Especially now that Quebec no longer represents any threat.

Photo Fotolia

At a certain time, at the time of the round of constitutional negotiations, it was said in Ottawa that Quebec was a whore who gave himself to the highest bidder.

And the bitch has become accustomed to the equalization. It was alleged in the refinement, we set the price. She was playing progressive with its many social programs, support for each other, its State is hungry, pudgy to perfection, unique in its kind in Canada, she has put the price too…

Some believe that Quebec would be richer in leaving Canada. Even if the public Accounts published by the Institut de la statistique du Québec indicated, in 2015 a deficit of $ 15.7 billion for Ottawa…

Maybe Quebec could get out of it. But would it be more rich? To this question, the separatists have always had difficulty responding.

After fifty years of debates, the nationalist, that is suspicious.

The budget of a sovereign Québec published in 2005 by a certain François Legault had been made at a prosperous time while Ottawa was accumulating budget surpluses…

Now that Canada is floundering in the red, the budget of a sovereign Québec would ensure the maintenance of the level of life and of our faux-socialism?

Even if it seems to have become useless, the sovereignists, we have a budget update of the Year… if not, we will all believe that you can’t really get equalization; and this, no doubt, explained the ambient silence…