McGuinty: Do as I Say, Not as I Do

This week Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is once again hitting up the federal government for increased funding in his province.

A few months ago McGuinty made no bones about his feelings when it came to resource dependent provinces like Newfoundland and Labrador retaining 100% of non-renewable resource revenues. A plan that would have seen the cash strapped and debt ridden province take in about $1 billion over the next decade and drastically improved its financial position.

According to McGuinty the concept was nothing more than another taxpayer funded handout and he wouldn’t stand for it.

Today, in a clear case of “do as I say and not as I do”, Dalton McGuinty is telling the federal government his province wants $2.85-billion in funding NOW to help the struggling manufacturing sector (with over $650 million to go directly into the auto industry) and improve Ontario’s unemployment rate, a rate that must be terrifying to the premier as it hovers at about half that of Newfoundland and Labrador.

He also would like Ottawa to lower the number of insurable weeks necessary to collect EI in Ontario.

Mr. McGuinty’s only explanation for this latest round of begging is to say, “It worked in the past”.

During Paul Martin’s reign McGuinty convinced Ottawa to increase funding for immigrants in Ontario from $819 per person to just over $3,800 and in the last budget he convinced Stephen Harper to provide additional funding for everything from health care to post secondary education. Now he wants billions more in funding.

The sad thing is that he’ll probably succeed, even after destroying the economic ambitions of Atlantic Canada. With a federal election coming sometime in the next 2 years, and Harper dead in the polls, there’s little doubt the PM will pander to vote rich Ontario as a matter of course.

It’s not that there’s anything inherently wrong with helping to curb unemployment in Ontario or anywhere else but for the Ontario premier to demand billions of dollars while other provinces are far worse off and after ensuring that those provinces would lose out on their resource revenues is almost as low as any man can sink. I say “almost” because I’m convinced we’ll see McGuinty’s level far exceeded by the generosity Stephen Harper will soon display to him.

It begs the question: If allowing poorer provinces with truly high unemployment to use their own resource revenues is a hand out, what is it when a rich province with lower unemployment expects the Canadian taxpayers to cut them a cheque every time they turn around?

Since hearing about McGuinty’s latest round of begging I’ve been trying to come up with a solution to Ontario’s problem that will save taxpayer’s like myself a ton of money. I think I found it.

With all due respect to the people of Ontario, when Newfoundlanders and Labradorians dare to speak about high unemployment the average Ontarian responds by brushing it off as “East Coast Whining.” Their typical response is to say, “Hey, if you really want a job why don’t you move to Alberta, there’s plenty of work there.”

Maybe that’s the solution is for Ontario as well. Perhaps McGuinty should give up his attitude of, “Do as I say and not as I do” and listen to Newfoundlanders like myself who are saying, “do as I say and as I do.”

Fort Mac can use a large influx of Ontario Labour just as well as workers from Atlantic Canada.

Alberta will provide an opportunity to put those unemployed Ontarians back to work without costing taxpayer’s a dime.

It’s a sound solution, and besides, I’d hate to see the people of Ontario cause a drain on the system by becoming too dependent on welfare and EI.