The Shoemaker's Son

The shoemaker's son famously went unshod. His poor old Daddy was just too busy, too tired, too poor to do anything but focus his attention on the needs of his customers. Thus no time left nor materials to produce boots for his child. That's a hoary old tale, but it's also a maxim. It almost fits the scenario of equalization transfer payments that have ensured poverty of services for the 'have' provinces of Confederation, and richness of service choices for the 'have-not' provinces.

And while the original idea might have had some merit in concept, the practise has proven to be somewhat inferior in outcome. Because it just is not fair. That taxpayers in provinces that have been able to parlay their human intelligence and their natural resources into a good, solid financial performance in employment and trade, sending their tax dollars to the federal government for re-distribution, as good citizens of the country are getting short shrift.

While taxpayers who live in provinces that have found it comfortable to settle in with far less internal expectations, incapable through inertia or lack of enterprise or disinterest in being independently responsible - or all combined, are able to access the kind of services that the others can not. It's like the welfare recipients who weigh the balance between receiving social assistance against that of a working wage, and go for the welfare option.

Less stress and strain and far more generous for far too many. The productively responsible provinces - not too many of them; traditionally three in fact, balancing out the remainder. (Saskatchewan and Newfoundland are now capable of taking Ontario's traditional seat on the giving triumvirate.) Competitive, enterprising Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia have 24% fewer nurses than New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Manitoba.

Ditto nursing home beds per capita, and hospital beds per 100,000 population; 42% higher in the take provinces than the give provinces. In B.C., Alberta and Ontario average university tuition is over $5,000 and averages $2,000 less in Manitoba, Quebec and P.E.I. Regulated childcare spaces for children under five sees Manitoba, Quebec, P.E.I. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with 1 space for every 4 children, compared to 1 space for every 5 elsewhere in Canada.

The Atlantic provinces have 20 publicly funded universities and colleges; 3 less than Ontario, which has over five times the population. Subsidized electrical power in Manitoba comes at the expense of the provinces who support Manitoba's program, but cannot afford to do the same for their taxpayers. In recipient provinces public sector comprises between 50% and 70% of the economy; 1 in 4 workers there employed by the public sector.

Ontario is scheduled this year to pay $6-billion into equalization, and humbly, for the second year, will receive $1-billion in transfer aid. This is a half-century formula that has proven to be an absolute failure, helping, on a macro level - seen amply on the municipal level to discourage those who can to help themselves, rather than rely on public subscription - to create absurd disparities.

Absurd, because the equalization program was meant to ensure that all provinces would be capable of providing for their populations equal services to begin with. By any measurement of accomplishment this one is an abject failure.