Federal Minister of Finance Bill Morneau speaks with media following meetings with his provincial and territorial counterparts in Ottawa on Monday, Dec. 10, 2018.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
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Equal(ized)? Not so much
Re Oil-Producing Provinces Urge Equalization Shakeup (Dec. 11): It strikes me as hypocritical that Quebec has been happy to accept billions of dollars in equalization payments, a sizable portion of that money directly attributable to the production and sale of hydrocarbons – which Quebec Premier François Legault derides as “dirty energy.”
Is that a bit like calling Santa a jerk and then demanding more presents?
What about all the workers who are forced to leave Quebec for better-paying jobs, and like many other Canadians, find employment in Alberta? Why doesn’t he chastise them?
As for the “clean energy” Quebec enjoys at the expense of Newfoundland and Labrador – is Quebec acting in good faith by refusing to pay even close to market rates for its hydro power?
When you follow the money, Quebec has billions and billions of reasons to insist on the status quo – and as far as I can see, not many of those reasons extend beyond blatant self-interest and a disregard for the rest of Canada.
Douglas Campbell, Sherwood Park, Alta.
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Given the payout pattern, the so-called equalization program is an oxymoron when it favours one province over all others in such an outrageous manner – 66 per cent of the total equalization program. The program should be renamed the Quebec Gravy Train.
James R. McCarney, Oakville, Ont.
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Equalization payments always have been and always will be controversial. However, there is a fundamental flaw in the policy: The payments are supposed to ensure Canadians in all provinces experience equal levels of public services at equal levels of taxation. Yet, those levels are not defined, and provinces are not required to use the funds on public services or to tax up to the Canadian average.
Sid Frankel, associate professor, Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba
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Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau says “we all recognize that this [the existing rules for equalization] is something that has been renewed for five years after considerable discussion.” While there doubtless have been discussions among federal and provincial leaders and officials, there has been virtually no public discussion of this $100-billion decision before its announcement. It was buried in an omnibus document that precluded public discussion.
Equalization subsidizes some regions to provide more accessible public services than others. The federal government has never comprehensively studied the program’s economic impact on recipient provinces, contributing jurisdictions or the country as a whole. Population need is not considered in determining equalization entitlements. The five-year extension should be rescinded immediately to permit public debate on these serious problems.
David MacKinnon, Wellington, Ont.
Oil, spilled
Re Premiers Squabbled With One Another More Than With PM (Dec. 8): Pipeline or ocean spills of dilbit (heavy oil from the oil sands, diluted with toxic chemicals) would be an environmental disaster, thus opposition by B.C. and Quebec to Trans Mountain and Energy East. The refined product is far less problematic. So was $4.5-billion spent to get refining capacity? No. Instead, Canada bought the pipeline few want, to carry the dilbit most fear. “Greening” the oil sands could include using green energy to refine the oil, helping to reduce the carbon footprint. Refined oil wouldn’t carry a big discount, and we could reduce our East Coast dependence on Saudi oil. Is it really that hard to get a refinery in Alberta?
Pierre Mihok, Markham, Ont.
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Re Husky Energy Apologizes For Largest-Ever Oil Spill Off Newfoundland Coast (Dec. 11): Incidents like this – and Husky’s empty sorry, we’re working to improve procedures – demonstrate in a very small nutshell why so many Canadians distrust the oil industry. Don’t they ever learn? Don’t they ever plan properly? There is only one planet, and we all need to protect it.
Jim Gough, Toronto
The ambassador replies
Re A New Weapon Against Press Freedom In The Philippines (Dec. 6): The cases that have been filed against Rappler Holdings and its president, Maria Ressa, are not “meant to intimidate and threaten the website [Rappler] and, ultimately, to shut it down.” Rappler Holdings violated Philippine tax law when it failed to file its value added tax (VAT) and income tax returns in 2015. In her capacity as president, Ms. Ressa was named the defendant in charges filed by government prosecutors arising from those omissions. Her being a journalist, and the ownership by Rappler Holdings of the news website Rappler do not exempt them from their responsibility to file the required tax returns.
Rappler Holdings and Ms. Ressa have availed themselves of all legal remedies to answer the charges, including being represented by counsel of their choice. The judiciary in the Philippines remains an independent branch of government; calling on foreign governments to influence its decision should not be countenanced.
Rappler remains online and its writers continue to exercise their constitutional right to a free press, including criticizing the Philippine government, if they so wish. The Duterte administration remains committed to keeping the press in the Philippines one of the freest in Asia, if not the world.
Petronila P. Garcia, Ambassador of the Philippines to Canada
She deserved better
Re Canadian Physicist Collects Nobel Prize (Dec. 11): One sentence and one small photo far back inside our national newspaper the day after Canadian Donna Strickland accepted the Nobel Prize in physics in Stockholm. When, oh when, are we going to take pride in our accomplishments?
Nancy Coates, Guelph, Ont.
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How disappointing to see the photo of Donna Strickland, Canada’s Nobel laureate in physics, relegated to the back of the front section. She deserved to be on the front page.
Katherine Peel, Toronto
Real thing, second tier
Re Supporting Health Comes At A Cost (Dec. 11): Face-to-face meetings to peer review the merit of research grant applications is optimum. Unfortunately, as André Picard notes, the public’s reaction to paying for travel for public servants is generally hostile.
That said, I also agree that the more economically palatable alternative of “asynchronous online discussions” (it’s a toss-up whether that should be considered bureaucratic or scientific gobbledygook) should be shelved permanently.
There is, however, a more elegant solution: video conferencing. As a former director in the Public Service, my modest budget was frequently subject to freezes; very often, the first sacrifices were travel and training. Our team came to rely on video conferencing and e-training as adequate substitutions for the “real thing.”
Patricia Spice, Ottawa