More Carrot for The Rock
Sheila Copps definitely knows how to keep a promise. In 1996 she vowed to resign if the GST were not abolished, and when Chretien balked she kept to her word. Running again and winning, it was testament to her reputation that she was re-instated to previously held posts.
Copps speaks up for Newfoundlanders and Labradorians in today’s National Post:
Newfoundland has long gotten the short end of the Canadian stick. It’s time for the carrot. If Danny Williams had to resort to flag-lowering, maybe we should get beyond histrionics and find out why the only province that surrendered its nationhood to become part of Canada is having second thoughts.
Full article here
Insulting a whole region of the country: what better way to unite aggravated folk? It only takes one flea to irritate a dog, and the Newfoundland dog seems plenty irritated these days. One need look no further than the screen in front of you to see the proof of this: 23,000 citizens have taken action on this site so far, and the number is climbing. What more can we do between now and January 28th? What more can you do?
Check out Copps full article if you can. Also, Vic Young in The Globe and Mail.
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Way to go Sheila, I always admired your spunk!
But what irony, the same flag you sent out to any household requesting it is the same one I’ll be returning to PM Martin in the next day or so. Money you once wasted might be used as a “cool” reminder to him by Newfoundlanders who so choose! It is now money well spent! Maybe we can send him enough so he can reinstate them on all “his” and “now his son’s” ships, yeah, whatever. …Our John and Sheila “together” again and Martin is getting the boot! You gotta love it!
Comment by Martha Collier — 1/15/2005 @ 2:08 amIt seems that the only ones speaking out AGAINST Newfoundland and Labrador and its contribution to the rest of Canada are those who have much to lose or is it those hiding behind them urging them on? Their vehemence especially in recent weeks speaks volumes so too their ignorance.
Check out this article on what exactly this province contributes:
http://www.caw.ca/visual&printlibrary/speeches&briefs/speeches/speech13.asp
Comment by Martha Collier — 1/15/2005 @ 2:09 amAhem, Sheila and Martha.
While Sheila’s piece said some nice things she is totally dead wrong when she claims Newfoundland and Labrador has to beg to be treated like Alberta.
Under the Atlantic Accord the provincial government is treated BETTER than Alberta and far better than if Hibernia, Terra Nova and White Rose were on land.
And for the record, people who criticise much of the commentary being foisted on the public about the Atlantic Accord are not arguing against Newfoundland and Labrador. That’s a pretty simplistic conclusion. We are arguing for a discussion based on facts, logic and fairness. Some of us detest seeing nonsense being paraded as truth.
Comment by Ed Hollett — 1/19/2005 @ 7:48 pmI have to echo Ed Hollett’s comments. This business about “if only the oil were on land…” is the biggest intellectual fraud of all, and there are a lot of intellectual frauds in this debate.
The reason Alberta’s oil and gas revenues don’t get “clawed back” is NOT because they are on land. It’s because they are so large that Alberta doesn’t qualify for equalization in the first place.
They ARE actually “clawed back” from Alberta’s equalization entitlement, but it’s an academic exercise (at least for as long as the oil and gas lasts), because Alberta’s equalization entitlement is negative. And in the equalization calculation, that works out like those lines on your tax form ("if negative, enter 0″).
If the offshore oil and gas revenues in NL and NS were also large enough to bring those provinces above the equalization threshold, there’d be no “clawback"… because there’d be nothing left to claw back from. Neither province would be eligible for equalization.
Danny Williams simply won’t agree to any definition of “have” status that will actually ever get NL off equalization and on its own two feet. He protests that he doesn’t want equalization and oil royalties… but that’s EXACTLY what he wants.
He is not going to get what he wants if he can’t at least be intellectually honest about it.
Comment by WJM — 1/20/2005 @ 6:35 pmWJM I believe you and Ed miss the point all together. There are recurring instances of Newfoundlands resources being mis-managed and/or given away to benefit the rest of Canada. The whole point is for no clawbacks to equalization payments until the deficit in Nfld equals that of the 5 “have” provinces. At this point Newfoundland drops its need for equalization payments and joins the list of the “have” provinces. Now correct me if I am wrong but would this not be to the benefit of “ALL” of Canada? The problem is Martin and his party are a corrupt group who are only looking out for themselves. It is unbelievable that that Canadians were dumb enough to put them back in power, But then again was it “Canadians” or more appropriately “Ontario” that put him back in? In essence this country is doomed for ultimate failure as long as Central Canada continues its grip on the federal government. What this country needs is a PM from east of Quebec or west of Ontario and then we can rant about how great this country really is. Canada would be nothing without the eastern and western provinces, it would be good for Ottawa to remember that. One thing that it would do “mainlanders” good to remember is that the origins of North America were on that island over 500 years ago. If the people back then didn’t see the good in it then there wouldn’t be a Newfoundland.
Comment by Scott — 1/21/2005 @ 4:00 pm