Charest, a veteran politician whose elected political career goes back to former Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s government, said he could not remember a period marked by more unilateral decisions on the part of Ottawa.
“We are in a period of unilateralism on the federal government’s part,” said Charest, who is expected to call a Quebec election in coming days. “This is a period of unilateralism and that preoccupies every single premier.”
“None of us have experienced a period in which the federal government has made so many decisions that affect our citizens in areas where we each have a role to play, where the federal government has made unilateral decisions.”
Charest said it began in 2007 with the budget on equalizations and transfer payments then when the financing was changed in 2009 without consultation. Topping it off was last December when finance minister Jim Flaherty short circuited any negotiations and announced the level of federal government health transfers until 2024.
“We have never experienced that before. We have never seen that happen before. That’s something that must change.”
Charest said a first ministers meeting would be a “first good step” to foster an atmosphere of cooperation instead of unilateralism.
Charest’s comments came as Canada’s premiers called for a first minister’s meeting on the economy with Prime Minister Stephen Harper, warning they have “alternatives” if Harper refuses.
However, the premiers refused to spell out what alternatives they have in mind if Harper once again turns a deaf ear to their calls.
Speaking to reporters late Thursday afternoon, Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter said the premiers are inviting Harper to meet with them in Halifax in November, after the U.S. presidential election. With the world’s economy still uncertain, he said premiers believe it is in the public interest for all of Canada’s leaders to meet to discuss the best direction to take.
While Liberal Prime Ministers Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin were usually quick to heed calls by provincial premiers for a first ministers meeting, Harper has held only one since he came to power in 2006.
But while Harper has resisted calls for a first ministers meeting, he has agreed to many bilateral meetings with individual premiers and has negotiated bilateral deals with various provinces.
For example, Charest said Quebec has reached deals with Ottawa in areas such as oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a $2.2 billion compensation package for GST harmonization and representation for Quebec in the Canadian delegation to UNESCO.
“It’s mixed in terms of results. Some of them very good, some of them not what we wanted and we’re going to work at making it better.”
However, Charest said the Parti Québécois’”very dismal” record when in office makes his job of selling federalism in Quebec easier.
Original Article
Source: ipolitics
Author: Elizabeth Thompson
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