Governments pass the buck on equalization fairness

The Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness (NSEF) continue to try to get both levels of government to communicate with us regarding the underfunding taking place here in Cape Breton.

The whole situation boils down to passing the buck. The Federal MPs here (Rodger Cuzner and Mark Eyking) have both met with our group, but have managed to avoid the issue all together. When we recently asked them to meet with us again to discuss the situation, Eyking sent an email stating “we do not do meetings to be recorded or live-streamed.”

When we explained the purpose of making these meetings public record they responded with “from our perspective, we cannot see any more that can be done on this issue, being that it is a provincial matter.”

Charles Sampson commented back to them saying: “The federal government is the dispenser of these funds. Section 52 of the Canadian Constitution states that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land and the federal government is one of the two signatories to the constitution act of 1982. Your response indicates like you are performing a Pontius Pilate act. This is illegal and unconstitutional to the people of Canada and Nova Scotia. You cannot simply wash your hands of your legal responsibility to the people who elected you.”

The NSEF is also trying diligently to get the provincial government to meet with us but when the request is answered they talk about items that are clearly not in the request for the meeting. Finance Minister Karen Casey is the one minister who seems to be doing all the talking for the provincial government and nothing at all is coming from Minister of Municipal Affairs Chuck Porter who should be dealing with this file.

Casey’s response after many requests for a meeting was “at this time, we do not feel it is necessary to meet to further discuss the differences between the federal and provincial equalization programs.”

The people of Cape Breton do not care if you feel the meeting is unnecessary. We feel it is necessary. We wanted to meet with minister of finance to discuss the underfunding to Cape Breton Island and rural Nova Scotia. This is what it is like to deal with government today. The federal government says talk to the province and the provincial government does not want to meet and discuss anything.

The fight continues and we will have a general meeting for our followers in the coming weeks as well as another protest soon. Dr. Albert Maroun Sydney

(On behalf of Nova Scotians for Equalization Fairness)