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Living in Toronto, I am experiencing a confluence of budgets, with a federal budget on Wed, the Ontario provincial budegt due at the end of the month, and the ongoing wrangles over the Toronto budget. Over the last few weeks I have seen all three levels of government jockeying for position, as well as various stakeholders (Toronto Fire Service, Ontario doctors etc etc) try to shape the upcoming budgets with doomsday reports of varying kinds. indicating that if the money doesn't come their way, it will be the end of civilization as we know it.
More importantly, there has been an increasing amount of rhetoric with respect to the so called fiscal imbalance, with the Feds running a surplus, and both Ontario and TO running rather large deficits.
Here is the rub- although they are all arguing over differing pots of money, and have differing mandates (although that lines has been blurred, with the Feds delving into education, daycare, resources etc - definitely not in their mandate as stated in the BNA - amajoor has much to say on this one in another thread) they seem to have failed to realise a ground truth: all of their efforts are ostensibly made on behalf of the citizens of Canada (corporate and individual), who are also their only source of revenue.
I have little sympathy for a provincial government that cuts taxes, then runs a deficit. I am not convinced that a federal governement should be running such a large surplus - surely their job is to figure out a) how much they need) and b) collect that much +/- a small fudge factor. I have some sympathy for a large city that is precluded by law from setting taxation levels in their own jurisdictions (commercial, not residential), but by the same token have no time for a city that has a bureaucracy big enough to run a small country.
Within this context, I am becoming convinced that governing at all levels is becoming almost impossible, and the governments themselves are certainly becoming less and less effective. It strikes me that we need to reassert everyone's lane, and allow them to collect the revenues necessary to fulfill their mandates. Is there anyway to accomplish this without opening up the constitution again? Is the answer in the equalization formula? Any ideas?
Dave
More importantly, there has been an increasing amount of rhetoric with respect to the so called fiscal imbalance, with the Feds running a surplus, and both Ontario and TO running rather large deficits.
Here is the rub- although they are all arguing over differing pots of money, and have differing mandates (although that lines has been blurred, with the Feds delving into education, daycare, resources etc - definitely not in their mandate as stated in the BNA - amajoor has much to say on this one in another thread) they seem to have failed to realise a ground truth: all of their efforts are ostensibly made on behalf of the citizens of Canada (corporate and individual), who are also their only source of revenue.
I have little sympathy for a provincial government that cuts taxes, then runs a deficit. I am not convinced that a federal governement should be running such a large surplus - surely their job is to figure out a) how much they need) and b) collect that much +/- a small fudge factor. I have some sympathy for a large city that is precluded by law from setting taxation levels in their own jurisdictions (commercial, not residential), but by the same token have no time for a city that has a bureaucracy big enough to run a small country.
Within this context, I am becoming convinced that governing at all levels is becoming almost impossible, and the governments themselves are certainly becoming less and less effective. It strikes me that we need to reassert everyone's lane, and allow them to collect the revenues necessary to fulfill their mandates. Is there anyway to accomplish this without opening up the constitution again? Is the answer in the equalization formula? Any ideas?
Dave
