Liberal Leader Offside in Equalization Debate, Says NDP

"We know where Mr. Harper stands on the Atlantic Accord, but what Mr. Dion is saying today is at odds with what he did when he was in government," said the NDP candidate in St. John's East. "The people of Newfoundland and Labrador have been fooled once by the Conservatives, but they're not about to be fooled again."

When he was in cabinet Dion claimed there was "no fiscal imbalance in Canada" (Hansard, November 1, 2001). Later Dion voted against a November 2004 motion "to allow the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nova Scotia to keep 100% of their provincial offshore oil and gas revenues."

When in government Mr. Dion was consistent in his opposition to Newfoundland and Labrador getting a fair deal on natural resource royalties:

"The federal government believes it would be ill-advised to grant such special treatment to Nova Scotia, Newfoundland or any other province. As a matter of principle, it's essential to maintain equitable treatment of all the provinces within the equalization framework." (Globe and Mail, July 13, 2001).

"It would be unfair to taxpayers in the other provinces to provide an even more generous treatment to offshore revenues in calculating equalization. It would be especially hard to justify such a move to residents of other equalization-receiving provinces that don't have oil or natural gas. Canadians in British Columbia or Ontario, whose governments don't receive equalization, might well ask why Nova Scotia and Newfoundland should receive equalization payments that give them fiscal capacities surpassing those of Victoria or Queen's Park." (Globe and Mail, July 13, 2001).

"I suggested to stop arguing about the past . . . It's a mistake to link (the offshore) to equalization payments, because then other provinces want to be part of it." - Stephane Dion on his meeting with then-Nova Scotia Premier John Hamm, The Daily News (Truro), May 15, 2002.

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