Those that live in glass houses shouldn't be throwing stones

[carebear300]

Isn't it strange how imaginery lines called borders make so much difference in the way farmers are treated? Why does the farmer in Alberta get more in drought aid then the farmer in Saskatchewan? Why does the farmer in Quebec get more? Why does the farmer in Ontario get more? We are all supposed to belong to the same country, I thought. So before we criticize other countries for subsidizing their farmers more than us, maybe we should treat all farmers in this country the same.

[wilagro]

We do. We treat them like peons.

[wilagro]

Best thing Saskatchewan could do is declare war on Alberta and then give up before a shot was fired. Alberta would turn it into a have Province. Sask is rich in government mismanaged resources.

[cowman]

This country was never built on being fair. Manitoba, Sask., and Alberta were created to be a market for central Canada. It has worked well for them with Ontario becoming an industrial powerhouse. If Alberta didn't have the oil revenues we would be a bigger basket case than Saskatchewan.
At the same time I do agree with you carebear. Alberta sends about 7 billion a year in equaulization payments to the federal government. Now a very large portion of that goes to Quebec. They in turn have the most supportive ag policys in Canada. That lets them not only compete but prosper at our expense.
Now Sask. also gets some equalization payments but obviously not enough. I doubt there is one person in Alberta who would rather see our money go to Quebec than Sask. and Manitoba! Afterall we are one people.
I just got back from a trip to Saskatchewan(hadn't been there for twenty years). I was impressed with the friendly people and how agriculture seems so important, not just to the farmer but to the general population(in Alberta its all about oil and agriculture is a dirty word!). The Sask. farmer has the same problems, hopes and dreams as his Alberta counterpart. I was also amazed at how much the government owns. Sask Tel, Sask power, Potash mines, liquor stores, lots of government buildings. Now I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing but it sure is different!
I hope in my lifetime I get to see us as one country, because we are one people.

[nakodo]

And yet I seem to hear you saying we are different, well at least those Quebecers are different, and those Ontario people are different, and those lower mainlanders while they are different, and those foreigners are different, and those immigrants from the East coast while they are different?? or all we all the same??

[cowman]

Well people are people. Some good and some bad. I've met and worked with people from every province and just about every race and some were good and some were real SOBs!
The prairies share a common heritage and a common economy. So here we are in a drought and the govenor of the bank of Canada says our economy is booming. And I guess it is in central Canada. So up go the interest rates. Just what we don't need out here right now. The same thing happened back in the early eighties when the oil industry was in shambles after the central government destroyed it with the NEP. Our federal govt. is not the govt. of the west but a colonial dictator who cares nothing for the hinterland. Can we ever change that? No, we've tried. We vote in people and they can't do anything. On election night it's all over before they even count our votes.
Why is it that the lowest common denominator seems always to be what we should aim for? If the Americans or Europeans get a certain level of support why not the rest of us? Why do our provincial governments have to step in and do the bailing when it is so apparent that the federal government should be the ones saving the ship.
In Alberta we are in for a major, major wreck! Not just the old farmer but every last one of us. If the farmer goes down one hell of a lot of people are going down with him! I think we have about the highest per farmer debt in the country and no crops, livestock etc. means no one gets paid. Go talk to the feed dealers, auction marts, machinery dealers, fertilizer dealers. They know the wreck is heading their way and they are scared! And when they go broke who pays the wages of all the little government workers? It becomes a spiral because the fact of the matter is the only real wealth comes out of the ground (oil,agriculture,steel,lumber etc.)and all the rest of our economy fails without this.
So if Quebec, or Alberta, or America, or Europe try to save this industry that is a good thing. Lets try to get the common denominator at the high mark instead of seeing how low we can go.

[dalek]

Glass houses attract hail