Doug Ford has thrown in his lot with the prairie premiers -- particularly Jason Kenney. And he rails about national unity. Martin Regg Cohn writes:
Suddenly, our populist premier has heard the clarion call of prairie populism. He likes what he hears, which is why he’s giving voice to it here at home.
Consumed by his own grudge against the federal government, Ford has jumped onto Jason Kenney’s anti-Ottawa bandwagon. Today, as Alberta’s premier circles the wagons with Saskatchewan’s Scott Moe, Ford is riding to their rescue.
“I’ve never seen the country so divided,” Ford declared Monday in a bizarre fundraising appeal to Progressive Conservative donors. “And I can see why.”
Rather than make a coherent case for Ontarians, Ford has fallen in lockstep with his fellow Tories in Alberta and Saskatchewan as they stamp their feet and kick Ottawa in the shins. No need for Kenney and Moe to make the case, Ford will do it for them.
“You’ve got Alberta putting $20 billion more into the federal government than they get back in services,” Ford lamented in his letter to donors. “They’re paying into a government that takes more than it gives back.”
Ford claims that Alberta's piggy bank is being robbed by Ottawa. But that's not how federalism works:
Never mind that Ottawa doesn’t “take” that money for keeps, but transfers it from Albertans to other Canadians whose governments lack the fiscal and geographical resources to fund public services at comparable levels. Never mind that Ontarians also pay more than they get back from Ottawa — a fact that Ford forgets — and that we pay the full HST, while Albertans still get a holiday from any provincial sales tax.
No matter, it’s not about the money. It’s about scoring political points and delegitimizing a federal government by parroting the Prairie opposition to a carbon levy.
Ford continues to fight the carbon tax -- despite recent court rulings that have gone against him.
But, then, Ford has never been very bright.
Image: Macleans
20 comments:
Good grief, a provincial Premier who doesn't understand how transfer payments work: “You’ve got Alberta putting $20 billion more into the federal government than they get back in services." Wrong, Dougie!
Alberta doesn't send any money to the federal government and receives no services through transfer payments. Transfer payments flow one way - from the feds to the provincial governments, and all provincial governments receive them. It would be correct to say that Ottawa collects more tax in Alberta than it pays the provincial government in transfer payments, but so what? That's the whole point of the system. You don't see Ontarians complaining about it despite having shouldered more of the burden than Alberta. It's a stupid and selfish argument to make. You don't see Torontonians complaining about paying more in provincial taxes than the city gets back from Queens Park. That's the price we pay for making a livable province or country.
Cap
It's the difference between seeing the Big Picture and tunnel vision, Cap. And, if there's one thing Ford suffers from, it's tunnel vision.
When your head is firmly up your ass, you get colon vision.
And you are engulfed in darkness, Mac.
Were we not already given the handle of "have not province" under McDinky's reign? I seem to recall that was how we inherited the Harmonious ,pardon me, the Harmonized Sales Tax. I could be mistaken so I accept my education on reality.
That was recent history, zoombats. But Doug isn't a student of history -- even recent history.
.. We must face the reality.. that people get elected who have no business 'gaining power'.. hell, they should not even get to the nomination stage. I make the point endlessly re 'smartest guy in the room' syndrome or excellence at the 'art of being glib' or the 'political animal' route to success .. neither of which does bodes well for Democracy or the Citizenry.. I will vote only for a native resident.. ie lives in my riding, stops at stop signs mebbe even is employed nearby.. a teacher, nurse, carpenter, plumber, roofer, trucker.. and that some of my neighbors have a comfortable feeling about.. and so do I.
This aint Maple Leafs vs Les Habitants or the Penguins.. hockey is a game.. my forbearers played hockey in the 1800's .. some were women. My son played. The Boss started alt saint louis blues as a tortured Leaf fan fer gawd's sake.. via command line interface.. Internut ? What internut ? I will attend The Vanier Cup at Varsity Stadium if it aint pouring rain.. and if Guelph is in it I will if its a blizzard ice storm. Canadian Main Media cares not.. Go Argos.. (can you name a single player ?) .. But we know who is the starting free safety for Denver, or the line coach of the Patriots.. !! We gots 'fantasy football' .. and fantasy politics.. damn.. I had to tackle large fast boys, catch footballs, 'complete the process'.. as its said.. not fake it in a suit and tie in front of a podium with a slogan.. that was bumph.. BTW.. those damn goalposts never moved either.. we won, we lost.. but at least we competed.. talk talk was trash talking.. note the word trash
We 'are spirits in the material world' .. (The Police).. Again this is McLuhanism.. where artists are warriors manning the outposts of technology.. buffering, softening the technology.. Politics has embraced the technology only, the media too.. and somehow lost the prime directive.. uh.. its supposed to be about the prople.. Public Service.. and have reverted to glib, to my previous premise.. and even worse bad behaviour.. all on our dime.. the taxpayers. We end up with a failure as city councillor, a career political animal, a welfare evangelical queen or fake 'christian'..
Pin the tail on one or all of our current provincial or federal donkeys or whipped partisan mules.. (apologies to all mules or donkeys of the natural world) As a strangely fortunate Canadian I am mortified.. indeed horrified. I would not let these losers walk my dog, hell, the dog would balk.. babysit a child, fill in as a receptionist at my doctors office, give them a driver's licence or insure a vehicle.. pay them one single dime, much less 25c with our boreal caribou stamped on it.. that they are trying so hard to exterminate
Was it a dumb idea to call them transfers?
On the unity national issue, doesn't it burn the ass just a little to see these CRAP Party maggots trying to cash in on it when they seem to be ones promoting disunity?
When it comes to electing true public servants, sal, we have a pretty dismal record. And we should know better.
It seems to me, John, that the con is clear and unambiguous.
Can you imagine Alberta's credit rating were it to separate? They have a record going back to Klein of fiscal profligacy. When they do get a boom time and again they just "piss it all away." Sort of like the guy who spends the rent money on pull tabs.
The last few years have seen a tide change in world markets as investors become cognizant of potential "stranded assets" and see bitumen as a high-risk,doubtful proposition. New York's Tar Sands law suit could drive a huge spike into Athabasca's future.
Encana left because investment is drying up. Kenney predictably blames Trudeau even though the Dauphin has done vastly more to build the TMX than Harper ever did. It' the now shopworn Alberta scam. When they fu@k up, blame it all on Ottawa.
Were they to separate, they would soon discover that the knife they're wielding is at their own throats. Kenney is a punk and a bully. Moe is hid dim-witted next door neighbour. Ford, well, you guys elected him. What were you thinking?
Forget Justin, what would Pierre do? I think he would tell the Three Stooges to go pound salt. Let them play the separatist game and see how what investment money remains flees the jurisdiction. Alberta keeps insisting on saddling that dead horse.
The economic illiteracy of these three stooges is gob smacking, Mound.
It's not just Ottawa that Alberta blames, Mound. They can't shut up about Quebec either.
Mr perfect
.. the world is your oyster..
That is what is deserved.. for the person or persons, on using De Bono's 'lateral thinking' solves the problem of the Alberta tar sands tailings ponds, visible from the moon.. One thing for sure.. the buffalo aint gonna roam there.. or the buffalo solve it for US.. us is the Canadian public and taxpayers. Expanding the production drawn from open pit.. but primarily 'in situ' extraction is going to mean even more and even larger 'ponds' visible from the moon.. to be 'vented' into our great river systems.. punted to Canada's arctic deltas.. so basically trading our fresh waters, given away for free, plus massive subsidies and tax credits for toxic waste waters.. Is that like increasing emmisions to reduce emissions ? Or buying your own job.. for more money than the job will pay you.. even before taxation ?
I call that the 'bewilderness' .. a new frontier
It puts Peter Kent and Harper to shame as violators of Canada's Environment & species without permission.. ah.. 'the greater good' 'Nation Building' 'Growing The Economy' 'For The People' 'More Money In Your Pocket' 'Notwithstanding & Prorogation For The Nation'.. its a sickening slogan scamming of the electorate..and now we get dosed with evangelical pro-life old white men trying to control women's biology.. that takes the cake.. Jason Kenney.. expert on women's womb control.. and hey ho ! Here cometh gentlemen John Baird to guide Scheer et al.. and subdue the shouting & snouting re LGBTQ policy and Scheer's personal christian 'values' or beliefs.. but what if Johnboy finds a loving husband prospect, instead of living the gay & single party life he revels in ? What then Mr Scheer ??
Yer honor, I rest my case due to outrage overload.. plus I do laugh too loud at these Party asshats
They believe they're surrounded by enemies, perfect.
I like that phrase "the bewilderness," sal. It has many layers of meaning.
.. the 'bewilderness' is the new frontier Owen
where no coherent woman or man cares to venture
and why would they ? Its a deadspace
kind of akin to the Alberta tar sands tailings ponds
or that dumping tidal pond at Boat Harbour, Nova Scotia
Oddly, it also in our House of Commons..
where the whipped politicos thrive .. Ottawa
and there are regional outbreaks too
Sounds like the bewilderness is where vision dies, sal.
.. quite possible.. but I fear 'vision' never enters such diseased & pathetic dead zones.. it would be like 'valor' being found in Trump Tower.. or 'remediation' escaping Jason Kenney's lips
We live in hope, sal. Remember: Nixon went to China.
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