Equalization payments?

[cowman]

Very soon the provinces and feds are going to sit down and discuss equalization payments. Quebec needs more money if the Liberals are going to continue to hold power...and the only place to get it is from Alberta! Ralph will use this oportunity to come out as the great defender of Alberta...which is probably the biggest joke in the world, but whatever!
On the Rutherford show yesterday they had a guy talking about Alberta sharing somemore of the wealth with BC and Saskatchewan. Not writing their governments a blank check but investing money in projects that would benifit everyone in the west. Now personally I think that is an excellent idea...with some misgivings! The biggest problem might be Sask. and BC always electing these totally inept NDP governments?
Saskatchewan seems to be a basket case and yet they elected the NDP again? BC seems to be on the right track after the NDP pretty well ruined them, but who is to say they won't re-elect these bums in the next election?
Personally I think the three provinces should combine as either one province or as one "Block" if you will? Not so sure about Manitoba as they seem to have very "eastern" ideas at times!

[cakadu]

Ahhh, yes Ralph. Defender of the Albertans who are not savvy enough to understand the proposed health care reforms until AFTER the election.

[grrrr]

Here in Sk. it is the cities that keep re-electing the inept N.D.P. If ever there was a rural-urban split......... We have lots of oil and natural gas. We have forestry. We have uranium. We have potash. But we also have a socialist government who tries to pick winners and losers. They are telling us that they will use some of this new found equalization money to relieve us of some of our property tax burden (school tax is over $1000/quarter section in my area) I won't hold my breath.

[Horse]

Say grrr how do you like being heldup as an example to how bad it would be if us albertians were to elect anyone but Ralph , I get so sick of rutherford always saying we could be like sask.
I think I could run alta and sask on the money that should be in the alta treasury. I wnder what the economy of alta would look like without the oil and all the 6 and 7 figure salerys that the torries keep in place with thier cheap royalties policy .
I think sask is at least saving a little resouces for the future or mabey they cant get any oil companys intrested as long as there is cheap oil in alta. I say hang in there your day will come and us on this side of the border will some day say I WISH WE HAD SOME RESOURCES LEFT to sell .

[cowman]

The fact is Saskatchewan has lots of oil and gas but not anywhere near what lies under Alberta. Simple geological fact?
Now having said that, it is also true that Alberta has made it very clear to the oil companies that it is open for business! Whatever they want...they get!
So why would the oil companies even want to deal with Saskatchewan, which has these goofy NDP governments that make business difficult? I believe the role of any government is to promote and encourage commerce and trade?
I will admit I haven't a lot of experience travelling in Saskatchewan, but the few times I'm there I find it strange how so many buildings have the Saskatchewan government logo on them! And how everything comes to a standstill at 5PM on a Friday night!
I suppose the equalization payments are so everyone in Canada can get equal opportunities in government services? Which I can see as a good thing if done right. However if these equalization payments just go to keep incompetent provincial governments in place is that a good thing? Why should the NDP government go looking to promote industry as long as they are being propped up by equalization welfare? I believe the equalization payments come with no strings attached? The province can spend it on whatever it desires? Is that good???