Newfoundland Is on the “Have” Team

It’s official. This past Monday it was announced that Newfoundland and Labrador is now a “have” province - the first time this has ever happened since the equalization program was introduced 51 years ago.

Stay tuned for a province wide party….

“We do plan to mark this momentous occasion,” Premier Danny Williams’s spokeswoman, Elizabeth Matthews, said.

Newfoundland actually came off equalization last April 1, a year earlier than expected.

The sad part is that we still have have-not provinces, with my former province Ontario now joining the have nots. I feel like I skipped out on friend just when they were down on their luck. But it’s not so Ontario, so don’t be so glum chum. I skipped out on you not because of the economy but because I needed to heed the call of the puffins…and because Newfoundlanders are the nicest people in the world.

Ok. For that you CAN feel a bit glum.

Weird thing is Canada has more have-not provinces than have provinces. The have-nots are Ontario, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and even Quebec (ouch - I didn’t know that.)  That means only Alberta, British Columbia,  Saskatchewan and Newfoundland are the “haves.”

Doesn’t seem right.

Here’s more fascinating info re: the equalization program.

The federal government will funnel $347 million in equalization payments to Ontario next year. Of course, as the premier noted, that’s mostly its own money that the province funnels to the feds, that gets reshuffled back.

Quebec will receive the most in equalization payments, collecting $8.3 billion, while Manitoba will get $2.1 billion, New Brunswick will get $1.7 billion, Nova Scotia $1.6 billion and Prince Edward Island $340 million.

As for Newfoundland’s term in the  “have” group is forecasted to continue to 2009-10, according to figures issued by the federal Department of Finance.

Remember people, the list isn’t forever. Like everything else in the world, it changes. Let’s all get together and try and make it a world where there is no have-not column, ok? And where everyone is the nicest the people in the world.