Let me begin by saying that I do not relish doing this particular Blog.
Did you know, that in the Province of Quebec, a resident can receive their full Canada / Quebec Pension at 62? In the Rest of Canada (ROC), you must be 65. It was not until Lucia Corbella's Citizen column of May 17, 2010 that I became aware of this double standard.
Can you imagine - the CPP / QPP has been in effect since 1967 and no one to my knowledge - okay let's say precious few - have found it sufficiently of interest / importance to report on it until now. A conspiracy of silence on the part of the Media and the Politicians. If Ontarians were permitted to receive their pension 3 years prior to those living in Quebec there would be hell to pay.
I find this unequal treatment reprehensible.
Why should residents of Quebec, be they French or English or Haitian be entitled to retire 3 years earlier than other Canadians.
To add insult to injury, the money subsidizing Quebec's more generous approach comes from the ROC partially by way of Transfer Payments ($8.6 billion this year alone - some 60% of the fund) on the basis that it is a Have-Not Province - Which it is not!
Through a sweet heart deal with the Feds - the $Billions Quebec receives annually from its Hydro Electric Power Sales are not taken into account when determining entitlement to the Federal Transfer Payments. Provinces in the ROC are not so favoured - all revenues from power sources of any type must be factored in.
And Dear Leader Charest recently said his Province is not getting enough $ and is looking to ROC for even more. His rationale is that the oil industry in Alberta is keeping the Canadian $ high which hurts Quebec industry. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!!
There is some talk about Charest seeking the Federal Leadership - post Harper - but I can tell you, there is one vote he should not count on.
These payments allow for other areas of unfairness, as Corbella points out in her article:
- much cheaper post secondary tuition (Corbeil cites McGill tuition at $3,475 whereas it is more than twice that amount elsewhere in Canada);
- $7 dollar per day - child care (Corbella points out that this would not provide for even 1 hour of day care in the ROC);
- a more generous pharmaceutical program.
The list goes on.
I began by saying I do not relish writing this Blog - and I don't. I have always believed in fairness - everyone should be treated the same. And this pertains to Canadians whether they live in Whitehorse, Victoria or St. John's.
Quebec has continually stated that it is Special and they are absolutely right - they are a 'special' part of Canada - within Canada - in the same way PEIers and Manitobans are special.
We all have a proud history to contribute to the Country we call Canada. And we all have much to offer in the years ahead. If we stay together as equals.
But I think what Quebec is really saying is that it is Different as the above preferred treatment attests. There are though positive differences that exist such as Quebec's language and culture. Indeed, there was a time when I appreciated those differences and believed that Canada benefited from them but that appreciation has softened.
What I fear now is that both Quebec and the Rest of Canada have moved on, and one of the main reasons for that is the Special Treatment Quebec has and continues to receive at the expense of the Rest.
I personally fear that it is too late to change things but if an attempt was to be made to do so, the bail-outs need to stop. They do nothing for Canada and ironically hurt Quebec most of all as pointed out by such luminaries of late as Lucien Bouchard and Maxime Bernier.
As I see it...
"Galagher"
