Tag: Equalization

Zombie Federalism Two: Following the money to the usual places

Zombie Federalism Two: Following the money to the usual places

Posted by | May 13, 2021 | |

My recent post on the controversial history surrounding the regional impacts of federal government taxing and spending promised to address claims by the National Post that the Trudeau Liberals are courting votes in Atlantic Canada with “Cadillac handouts.” The accusation stemmed from a single piece of data – that in 2019 federal spending in Atlantic Canada exceeded revenue collected by the equivalent of $6,400 per capita. The simple answer to whether that factoid proves the Liberals are spending big in this region to shore up electoral support is “no.” In fact, the dataset from which the 64-hundred-dollar exposé was...

Read More
Revenue windfalls produce Nova Scotia budgetary crumbs

Revenue windfalls produce Nova Scotia budgetary crumbs

Posted by | Mar 10, 2020 | |

While their criticisms of the Nova Scotia  budget have had some things in common, the two opposition parties in the legislature have also stressed different, but equally important, shortcomings. The NDP has questioned the unfair distribution of the budget’s rewards, with leader Gary Burrill describing the $70 million tax cut for big business to “a banquet feast laid on the table of the corporate sector of the province compared to crumbs cast on the floor for everybody else.” Some of those crumbs – for affordable housing, income assistance, disability supports –  were discussed last week. For its part, the...

Read More
Kenney’s “equalization rebate” grabs the spotlight

Kenney’s “equalization rebate” grabs the spotlight

Posted by | Dec 20, 2019 | |

It was Alberta time again in Ottawa with the province’s demands for a re-jigging of the previously obscure Fiscal Stabilization Program (FSP) dominating coverage of this week’s annual meeting of Canada’s finance ministers. Other longstanding issues – such as increased health transfers – were shoved into the background as attention was focused on Alberta’s appeal for $2.4 billion from the feds. Also known the “equalization rebate,” the potential payout is being framed as a peace offering to the demons of western alienation, an opportunity for the Trudeau government to connect its money with its post-election soothing words. The FSP,...

Read More
Post-election Reflection #2: The alienated west

Post-election Reflection #2: The alienated west

Posted by | Oct 29, 2019 | , |

Trying to sum up the federal election results and reactions in Alberta and Saskatchewan moves one to aphorism and metaphor. “Cutting off the nose to spite the face” comes to mind as an apt description of the vengeful dispatching of every Liberal candidate between the Manitoba and British Columbia borders, leaving the two provinces without representation in the cabinet or government caucus. And the one about the guy who, convicted of murdering his parents, begs the judge for clemency because he’s an orphan, captures the reaction to the realization that the ballot box tantrum could well leave the two...

Read More
The equalization history that Jason Kenney likes to forget

The equalization history that Jason Kenney likes to forget

Posted by | Dec 18, 2018 | |

There was a predictable skirmish over the federal equalization program last week after Finance Canada announced the details of transfer payments to the provinces for 2019-20. The fact that Quebec received a $1.4 billion increase in equalization may have been enough in normal times to attract some negative comment from politicians whose provinces do not receive equalization. But these are not normal times and even though Parliament renewed equalization to 2024 earlier this year, the program is not likely to disappear as an issue. Alberta is facing an election in the coming months amid angst over low oil prices...

Read More
  • 1
  • 2

Richard Starr, The man behind the Point

About Richard

RICHARD STARR has had careers as a journalist, public servant, broadcaster, political staffer and freelance policy adviser. He is author of numerous newspaper and magazine articles, a former radio and TV producer and weekly newspaper editor, and the author of three non-fiction books. Starr has lived in Dartmouth for more than 30 years.

Subscribe to Starr’s Point

Support Provided by