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McGuinty and separatism
by
Angelo Persichilli
THE HILL TIMES

“There are strong centrifugal forces that pull at our attachment to Canada.” This strong politically charged statement did not come from the premier of Quebec, Alberta or Newfoundland and Labrador. This is Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. And these are strong words.

            But is anyone listening in Ottawa, or does Ottawa believe that McGuinty and his government are bluffing? Usually when Quebec’s government leaders, especially the so-called federalists, sneeze, there’s a political frenzy in Ottawa.

            Most of the time, Ottawa cuts a cheque and the cold disappears.

            Lately the federal government has re-written historical agreements for the federal “transfer payments” to the provinces in order to keep the Canadian flags fluttering in the Atlantic breeze, and, hopefully, to keep the voters close to the Liberal candidates in Newfoundland and Labrador as well as Nova Scotia. But it’s an agreement that most Canadians consider an act of weakness on the part of Prime Minister Paul Martin who was paying for a promise made during another moment of weakness during the last federal campaign.

            Nonetheless, even opposition parties seem to balk at the possibility of floundering at the Kyoto Protocol, because they do not want to upset the agreement on the offshore resources.

            What about Ontario? How serious is the situation? Refer to Premier McGuinty’s speech two weeks ago in Toronto, a speech that the federal government and media have not taken seriously. Yet, the message used by the premier was very loud and clear.

            The premier went out of his way to say that “Ontario is still the heart of Canada,” and “Ontario is still the economic engine of Canada” and “Canada and Ontario must grow together. “But McGuinty’s statements are more and more political and less and less about economics. Refer to the Ontario Premier’s comments two weeks ago. “Forces have led some to conclude that Ontario and Canada are growing apart, that we are evolving into a distinct region-state. “He mentioned clearly “centrifugal forces” that have “helped create a growing divide in federal-provincial relations. “Premier McGuinty stressed many times that “it is not a perspective I share,” and “I will never sacrifice my country,” but also “I always stand up for my province. “Well, he might not share that view, but certainly he is basing his fight against Ottawa exactly on those sentiments.

            But the premier goes well beyond those political darts and exposes some real numbers that force you to think twice before disregarding those statements as a political gimmick of a desperate government.

            In fact, McGuinty goes straight into the heart of the problem, stressing that “many things have changed in our country and our world. “The premier said that “because of the free trade, today Ontario’s exports are more likely to run north-south then east-west. “And, “while we still value our trade with Quebec, we do far more trade today with Michigan. “In fact, in 2001, Ontario trade with Michigan was worth $92-billion, compared to $37-billion with Quebec.

            “Over the years,” said McGuinty, “Ontario governments, of all political stripes, have faced a series of fiscal shocks from the federal government, from cuts to freezes to cap on transfers. “This is a direct accusation to the last 10 years of federal Liberal government and an indirect re-habilitation, in this regard, to the provincial governments of NDP Bob Rae and Conservative Mike Harris. And the reaction to those shocks “have created a growing divide” between Ottawa and the provinces. McGuinty said that he doesn’t agree with those “centrifugal forces” but then he lists them all. And, of course, he is never tired of pointing out the “$23-billion gap between what Ontario gives and what it gets back” from Ottawa. A gap that “10 years ago was only $2-billion. “This is another blow to the federal Liberal government.

            Many believe that this is just a political gimmick and Ontarians will not pay attention. Maybe.

            However, McGuinty has some striking points that no premier of Ontario has ever made. While Ontario, Canada’s economic engine, “now ranks tenth out of ten Provinces when it comes to university funding,” he tells Ontarians that “your tax dollars help pay for training in Sydney Mines and St. John’s, surgeries in Montreal and Regina, and post-secondary education in Whitehorse. “Wow, this is the premier of Ontario, a premier who is reminds Ottawa that our federalism is in jeopardy. He tells Ottawa to stop creating new terms, like “asymmetrical federalism,” to cover up “fiscal shocks” against Ontario and other provinces, and be more concerned about the essence of Canadian federalism. Back when John A. Macdonald was fighting to create a national railroad some joked at the time that “Canada was not a nation, but a railroad in search of a nation. “Well, it might sound a joke to some, but today in the era when railroads are becoming more of a symbol of unity than a means to deliver goods, we should be more care careful about assessing our priorities.

            We should be more careful in assessing the words of a premier of Ontario when he says that Ontario “accounts for 39 per cent of the country’s population, 40 per cent of the Canadian employment and 42 per cent of the nation’s real GDP,” and we should be very concerned when “Ontario exports are more likely to run North-South than East-West. “Never mind the asymmetrical federalism, the problem of federalism is very symmetrical: moves from East-West to North-South! Some pollsters believe that “Ontarians are Canadians first. “McGuinty believes the same. However, he is betting his political future on the assumption that Ontarians are fed up: and he’s giving them the numbers to prove them right. I don’t know how deep those feelings are, I know that things in Ontario are changing. And nothing will disenfranchise people more than the belief that someone takes you for granted.

            For the last couple of decades, Ontario has been taken for granted by the federal governments. It still is, but Ontarians are changing and federal politicians, especially the Liberals, sooner or later are going to have a rude awakening. “I would take this opportunity to give a little bit of advice to the federal Members of the Parliament representing Ontario: Smarten up!” This subtle advice came from Liberal MPP at Queen’s Park, Ernie Parsons (Prince Edwards-Hastings), who read a statement last week in the House.

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