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In 1867
Sir John A. Macdonald, from Ontario and Sir George-Étienne Cartier,
from Québec were Fathers of
Confederation.
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In 2005
Stephen Harper, from Alberta and Gilles Duceppe, Bloc leader in
Québec, want to be Fathers of
De-Confederation.
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In 1980
A majority of Québecois rejected sovereignty – association as the
basis for negotiation with the rest of Canada but the issue has
plagued the country ever since.
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Now in
2005 Harper is proposing with the support of Duceppe a type of
sovereignty association not just for Québec but for all provinces.
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In the
25-year period since 1980 Canadians have seen their average
household annual after tax disposable income fall $15,000.00
compared to comparable USA households. This is heavily due to this
inter-governmental turmoil.
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Further,
if we could close this gap, provincial and federal governments would
also benefit, collecting an additional $90 billion annually from
Canadian taxpayers without increasing tax rates.
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This
extra revenue would enable Canada’s governments to raise
dramatically the level of investment and quality of service in
health care, day care, education, and other social services and
simultaneously to reduce tax rates.
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True,
the
Liberal government disgraced itself, not only by allowing an
unprecedented level of corruption, but - equally seriously - by
giving Québec separatists the greatest gift they could receive: the
perception that federalists will use illegal and underhanded tactics
to influence Québecers.
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But as
Canadians turn away from the Liberals, there is an equally
grave
threat to the
future of our country:
Stephen Harper and his
radical view of Canadian federalism.
