Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty in a Liberal fund raising speech this week in Ottawa said in reference to the Atlantic Accord, "The point I'm making to Prime Minister Harper is don't enter into any kind of new arrangement that somehow gives people living in equalization-receiving provinces a greater fiscal capacity than ours. That is not fair".
McGuinty warned Prime Minister Stephen Harper to stand his ground on the Accord dispute between Ottawa and Nova Scotia and Newfoundland because to give into their demands would allow those provinces a greater financial capability than Ontario. He waxed poetic on the generous altruism Ontario displays toward poorer provinces in Atlantic Canada so that Atlantic Canadians can enjoy "comparable programs at comparable taxation levels" but the people of Ontario have their limits. McGuinty, speaking on behalf of the people he represents in Ontario warned the Atlantic provinces, "don't take advantage of us".
What, we wondered are some of the "comparable programs" that we in Atlantic Canada are allowed to enjoy and emulate, funded in part with alms from Ontario. How about our transit system? Subways for example. We don't have subways in Atlantic Canada. We have buses. Most metro transit authorities service only in the larger cities and directly outside the city limits. Rural regions do not have the luxury of city buses.
Toronto on the other hand does have an extensive subway system. So that could be an example of the Atlantic region being granted "comparable programs" to those in Ontario. They have and no doubt require a subway system and we have the comparable city bus which is more suitable for our station in life. The Halifax Regional Municipality could certainly use a more efficient system of public transit but alas according to McGuinty, we just don't deserve it because that would make it appear that Atlantic Canada is equal to Ontario and that wouldn't be fair to Ontario the avaricious.
But look what was just announced for the southern Ontario region - a $17.5 billion GO Transit service expansion which is projected to create 175,000 new jobs. The Ontario government promises to chip in two-thirds of the cost and will ask Ottawa....I mean, the Canadian taxpayers for the rest to the tune of $5.8 billion.
Now we're sure that Toronto deserves this $17.5 billion project. But about that $5.8 billion that they will be asking the Canadian taxpayer to fork over...not so sure we want to be contributing to that Mr. McGuinty. At least not the taxpayers of Atlantic Canada who would love to construct and improve upon our own transit system but won't be financially capable because you and others of your ilk are afraid that we'll go all uppity Canadian in your caboose.
Is that the ozone we're smelling in the rain-laden air or is it just McGuinty & Company spewing a whole lot of sanctimonious smog-polluted rhetoric?
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