Today’s Throne Speech – which outlines the priorities of the Ontario government led by Premier Kathleen Wynne – states, “When Ontario hosts the Council of the Federation in Niagara-on-the-Lake this summer, it will work with our provincial partners to expedite the return of principled transfer arrangements with the federal government”.
This builds on a comment Wynne made last November during her campaign for the Liberal leadership in Ontario. At that time, the Globe and Mail reported, “(Wynne) wants to forge a united front with her provincial colleagues to extract a fairer deal from Ottawa. …If the provinces were to become one big squeaky wheel, it would be much more difficult for Prime Minister Stephen Harper to ignore any pleas for reform, she said.”
The Council of Canadians intends to help mobilize a major demonstration at the meeting of the Council of the Federation – the thirteen premiers of Canada – that is noted in the Throne Speech today. The meeting takes place on July 24-26 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, which is located on Lake Ontario, about a 90-minute drive from Toronto.
This will be a key opportunity – prior to the implementation of the Harper government’s 2014 Canada Health ‘Diktat’ – to pressure provincial premiers to oppose the up to $36 billion in cuts to federal transfer payments to provincial health care budgets.
In the short-term, we will also looking for additional comments to be made in this regard by Deb Matthews, the London North Centre MPP who serves as both the Minister of Health and the Deputy Premier.
To read more:
The full Throne Speech can be read at http://www.premier.gov.on.ca/news/thronespeech.php?Lang=EN
UPDATE: Council of Federation to meet in Niagara-on-the-Lake, July 24-26, http://canadians.org/blog/?p=19003
NEWS: Ontario Liberal leadership candidate urges united front against Harper agenda, http://canadians.org/blog/?p=18215
