PM Mark Carney Awkardly Stands, Figits & Smirks Amid Awkard Question With Reporter

[Economy 52,851]

Canadian Prime Minister was standing with Premier of Alberta Danielle Smith taking questions from reporters when a Reporter decided to ask about Canadas equalization payment program (where Provinces with economies performing below National average get direct financial aid disproportionately payed by top performing Provinces) and in the context of the referendum for Alberta to seperate from Canada

 

Alberta being Canadas Wealthiest Province has been unsurprisingly against the program tho the Prime Minister supports it. When asked about it Danielle Smith took the oppurtunity to grill on the issue that PM and Premier have opposing views on and Mark stood awkardly on the side figiting, looking to the side and ground etc

 

SKIP TO 4:55 for the relevant part:

 

[Economy 52,851]

@Bronco ur kinda topic

[onTheBrink 1,264]

2 minutes ago, Economy said:

where Provinces with economies performing below National average get direct financial aid disproportionately payed by top performing Provinces

Damn that's a really egalitarian policy! There'd be a lot of Tory pearl clutching and polite uproar if the South East counties here in the UK (the wealthiest) had to send off some of their funds to the North. 

[LOVEDRUG 11,266]

1 minute ago, onTheBrink said:

Damn that's a really egalitarian policy! There'd be a lot of Tory pearl clutching and polite uproar if the South East counties here in the UK (the wealthiest) had to send off some of their funds to the North. 

We actually kind of do have this policy in the UK already, just not between counties. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all receive more in funding from the UK government than they contribute in tax. Government spending per person in Scotland and Wales particularly (I can't remember the NI statistics, but I believe they're the same) is much higher than in England.

If you applied it to England, as you say, you'd basically have London and the South East financially supporting all of the other regions. Sadly, we don't have anything resembling a federal system, so the government still does it on the basis of the four countries rather than regions or counties.

[onTheBrink 1,264]

1 minute ago, LOVEDRUG said:

We actually kind of do have this policy in the UK already, just not between counties. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all receive more in funding from the UK government than they contribute in tax. Government spending per person in Scotland and Wales particularly (I can't remember the NI statistics, but I believe they're the same) is much higher than in England.

If you applied it to England, as you say, you'd basically have London and the South East financially supporting all of the other regions. Sadly, we don't have anything resembling a federal system, so the government still does it on the basis of the four countries rather than regions or counties.

Yes, I know this. 

Was just drawing attention to how Brits would react to a policy that's truly equivalent to the one in the OP.

[Economy 52,851]

7 minutes ago, LOVEDRUG said:

We actually kind of do have this policy in the UK already, just not between counties. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all receive more in funding from the UK government than they contribute in tax. Government spending per person in Scotland and Wales particularly (I can't remember the NI statistics, but I believe they're the same) is much higher than in England.

If you applied it to England, as you say, you'd basically have London and the South East financially supporting all of the other regions. Sadly, we don't have anything resembling a federal system, so the government still does it on the basis of the four countries rather than regions or count

5 minutes ago, onTheBrink said:

Yes, I know this. 

Was just drawing attention to how Brits would react to a policy that's truly equivalent to the one in the OP.

 

I think thats a bit different. Any Country may take more tax revenue from some regions than they spend on them or vice versa,  and that occurs here in Canada too like anywhere else.

 

The Canada Equalization Payment Program on the other hand is direct financial transfers to Provincial Governments when a Province performs below National Average and theres a formula it follows

Edited yesterday at 02:31 AM by Economy

[LOVEDRUG 11,266]

16 minutes ago, Economy said:

I think thats a bit different. Any Country may take more tax revenue from some regions than they spend on them or vice versa,  and that occurs here in Canada too like anywhere else.

 

The Canada Equalization Payment Program on the other hand is direct financial transfers to Provincial Governments when a Province performs below National Average and theres a formula it follows

Oh yes, as a programme it's quite different. I was just mentioning that we do, in a sense, have a system where money (mainly tax revenue but also through block grant adjustments) from the South East is flowing to other, less wealthy parts of the UK, which is what the user I replied to mentioned.

[SavetheEarthNow 62]

Alberta claims to be the "wealthiest province", saying it's based on per capita GDP, however, Alberta actually receives some of the most federal investments than any other province or territory. During covid for example, people in Alberta were given the highest amount of federal assistance, Justin Trudeau also signed an agreement with Alberta for one of the top 2 highest investments in healthcare - $20 BILLION. This is on top of the billions of dollars in subsidies Alberta is given for the oil industry, the oil industry in Alberta has been given trillions of dollars in the last decade, of Canadian tax payers' money. 

The equalization program is immensely misunderstood by Albertans and people like Danielle Smith continue to miseducate people and spread the falsities about the equalization payments, a payment system that was actually implemented by a conservative Prime Minister.

 

When it comes to equalization payments, a province that doesn't receive them should be happy, it means their province is doing well enough that it doesn't require a bunch of funds from other places to take care of it's people.

Even in the US, the majority of the blue states, California, New York, etc are the ones who fund the majority of programs that help poor Americans and that pay for programs in red states to help their people living in poverty, on WIC, SNAP, etc. 

This is just the typical case of Albertans wanting to be given everything without giving back. They act like the oil industry of Alberta carries Canada, but it doesn't. It's just more propaganda to push separation by miseducating Albertans to make them think they can stand on their own two feet as a separate entity. 

Ask yourself this question: if a province is said to be the wealthiest province, is it fair that they be given more money from provinces that are poorer and less fortunate? Should poorer provinces and territories have to give a rich province more money? Alberta complaining about equalization payments is doing just that - wanting to take from the poor so the rich in their province can maintain their wealth and become even richer, while the poorer elsewhere in Canada become poorer. 

 

Lastly, Alberta doesn't collect provincial sales tax from citizens of that province. Other provinces collect sales tax and that's how we pay for things, such as infrastructure. How does Alberta pay for these things? As mentioned above - huge investments from the federal government. Alberta shouldn't complain when they are heavily dependent on Canadian tax payers' to fund things like their infrastructure. 

 

Edited yesterday at 03:50 AM by SavetheEarthNow

[SavetheEarthNow 62]

1 hour ago, onTheBrink said:

Damn that's a really egalitarian policy! There'd be a lot of Tory pearl clutching and polite uproar if the South East counties here in the UK (the wealthiest) had to send off some of their funds to the North. 

Do you understand how taxes work? 

[Just A Holy Fool 2,660]

The system has it flaws, but on principle it’s good for Canada. For instance, Ontario at one point qualified for equalization, which I thought at the time was ridiculous. It definitely helps the smaller provinces who just do not have the population base to support services without a program like this. Alberta needs to quit its whining already. 

[Laxy 391]

So in a country some should suffer while others reap the rewards of oil? What a joke lmao. Also Mark looks fine and like someone who wants to scream at her.

[Bronco 25,122]

4 hours ago, LOVEDRUG said:

If you applied it to England, as you say, you'd basically have London and the South East financially supporting all of the other regions. Sadly, we don't have anything resembling a federal system, so the government still does it on the basis of the four countries rather than regions or counties

In all fairness, while the UK like you say doesn't have a federal system and english counties aren't guaranteed the same wealth distribution system we use for the devolved nations, the counties do see a degree of wealth transfer from richer to poorer counties on the same logic that N.I and Wales get uplifts due to social standards around social outcomes. 

London absolutely does get the most back in expenditure, but it and the south east are the only regions where it brings in more tax revenue than it spends per person. 

[Economy 52,851]

7 hours ago, SavetheEarthNow said:

Alberta claims to be the "wealthiest province", saying it's based on per capita GDP, however, Alberta actually receives some of the most federal investments than any other province or territory. During covid for example, people in Alberta were given the highest amount of federal assistance, Justin Trudeau also signed an agreement with Alberta for one of the top 2 highest investments in healthcare - $20 BILLION. This is on top of the billions of dollars in subsidies Alberta is given for the oil industry, the oil industry in Alberta has been given trillions of dollars in the last decade, of Canadian tax payers' money. 

The equalization program is immensely misunderstood by Albertans and people like Danielle Smith continue to miseducate people and spread the falsities about the equalization payments, a payment system that was actually implemented by a conservative Prime Minister.

 

When it comes to equalization payments, a province that doesn't receive them should be happy, it means their province is doing well enough that it doesn't require a bunch of funds from other places to take care of it's people.

Even in the US, the majority of the blue states, California, New York, etc are the ones who fund the majority of programs that help poor Americans and that pay for programs in red states to help their people living in poverty, on WIC, SNAP, etc. 

This is just the typical case of Albertans wanting to be given everything without giving back. They act like the oil industry of Alberta carries Canada, but it doesn't. It's just more propaganda to push separation by miseducating Albertans to make them think they can stand on their own two feet as a separate entity. 

Ask yourself this question: if a province is said to be the wealthiest province, is it fair that they be given more money from provinces that are poorer and less fortunate? Should poorer provinces and territories have to give a rich province more money? Alberta complaining about equalization payments is doing just that - wanting to take from the poor so the rich in their province can maintain their wealth and become even richer, while the poorer elsewhere in Canada become poorer. 

 

Lastly, Alberta doesn't collect provincial sales tax from citizens of that province. Other provinces collect sales tax and that's how we pay for things, such as infrastructure. How does Alberta pay for these things? As mentioned above - huge investments from the federal government. Alberta shouldn't complain when they are heavily dependent on Canadian tax payers' to fund things like their infrastructure. 

 

Oh i agree, im not saying shes right lol, i know theyve received a lot of finding that far exceeds equalization

 

Are u sure about trillions in the past decade tho? $1T That would have to equate to at least $100B a year. Canadas Federal Budget is around $500B annually. Your telling me at least 1 fifth of Canadas budget has gone to Alberta Oil subsidies? 

 

Im not disagreeing with you in Principal that Danielle Smith tends to missrepresent things including on this issue... BUT... I dont like to make up numbers just to try to prove a point. Theres no way 1 fifth of Canadas budget in the last decade has gone to Alberta Oil Subsidies, and if they really have id ask you break those down cuz it doesnt sound plausible for it to be that much

[Economy 52,851]

19 hours ago, Just A Holy Fool said:

The system has it flaws, but on principle it’s good for Canada. For instance, Ontario at one point qualified for equalization, which I thought at the time was ridiculous. It definitely helps the smaller provinces who just do not have the population base to support services without a program like this. Alberta needs to quit its whining already. 

You get weird stuff like this when programs follow a formula although if theres no formula it can cause even more bickering as it becimes even more subjective

 

I will say tho, its totally true that by many Metrics Ontario was performing below National average. Based on what the program is for, being large should not automatically disqualify you. Its based on performance relative to National average not how big you are

 

Quebec the 2nd most populous has consistently been the largest receiver (tho on a per capita terms I believe PEI was the largest receiver)

 

In any case this is but one program. I believe even as Ontario received some equalization payments indirectly it was still a net tax contributer as Ontarians were paying more in tax than receiving in direct spending by the Federal Government

[Economy 52,851]

19 hours ago, Laxy said:

So in a country some should suffer while others reap the rewards of oil? What a joke lmao. Also Mark looks fine and like someone who wants to scream at her.

Not to mention time and time again Alberta has gotten tax subsidies for its own big projects

 

The pipeline the Federal Government bought and built alone cost $34B, way more than any equalization payment

 

I get it wasnt a grant, the Federal Government now owns the asset which it can either sell or keep collecting dividends. But either way it was still a big investment with ALL Canadians tax dollars and its not the only example

 

She lost credibility to me in any kind of fair math when she claimed Alberta was somehow entitled to 53% of Canadas CPP fund. Like what the actual literal f*ck. What kind of drugs was she and her team smoking when they came up with that number?