Houston government not living up to equalization promises

Does anyone recall a provincial politician with high political aspirations in his guest shot column (“Houston promises to address gaps in equalization,” Cape Breton Post, June 9, 2018) stating the provincial equalization grant payments and the shared services agreements to municipalities are “a mess?” This politician also stated he would “double equalization as a one-year commitment” until a revised shared services agreement is in place.

That person, Tim Houston, is now the premier of Nova Scotia.

This year the province received $2.458 billion in federal equalization payments. The provincial municipal financial capacity (equalization) grant of $30 million Houston mentioned is a mere 1.22 per cent.

However, the federal total includes approximately 23 percent ($565 million) for the municipal deficiency in the tax capacity related to property taxes and miscellaneous revenues.

Premier, it’s not complicated what is not happening!

He went on to state, “As leader I’ll prioritize reviewing our shared services agreements, and make sure municipalities across the province are being treated fairly.”

Then like a marriage proposal gone sour, he also added these politically dishonest caveats: “There is no quick and easy solution to this issue.” He continued: “The long-term solution requires time and work” and this “complicated issue requires a multi-step solution.”

Premier Houston’s comment of a complicated equalization issue is just a political smoke screen as he knows the complication involves the decades of both the federal and provincial governments’ illegal manipulation of their legal responsibility to comply with the constitutionally enshrined law as represented by section 36 of the Constitution Act, 1982.

Houston is being disingenuous when he will not address the government’s manipulation of these equalization payments as the mess.

If Houston is sincere about correcting this mess he has described to “make sure all municipalities across the province are being treated fairly,” he knows it will be necessary for his government to stop hiding behind the federal government’s unconstitutional “unconditional” equalization transfers, and for his government to provide a separate and transparent accounting for where the federal equalization payments are spent in this province.

Houston and the federal government know that the federal government’s unconditional equalization transfers are illegal and that it undemocratically prevents Nova Scotians from being able to hold his government accountable.

He then goes on to state, “I’m not sure what everyone has been waiting for, but I can assure you that I won’t allow the feet dragging to continue.” Yet, the feet dragging continues.

Premier Houston, did you mislead the citizens of rural Nova Scotia and the Cape Breton Regional Municipality into thinking a Houston government will end this injustice of underfunding municipalities from the federal equalization payments now that you have succeeded in your political quest to become the premier of Nova Scotia?

And premier, are you going to make these democratic changes of transparency to allow all Nova Scotians to hold your government accountable regarding these federal equalization payments?

Is the Houston government forcing the RCMP to enforce government compliance with our constitution?

Charles W. Sampson Sydney Forks