OnTheIce OnTheIce:
Delwin Delwin:
I agree. This comes at a time with a new government and huge economic changes in the province. It is as if he is saying to the people, "If you just would have stuck with the status quo, all of this could have been avoided." It's partisan interference.
He is just shooting himself in the foot though, he opens the door to attacks from all sides during the election, and you don't really want to trash the will of the people coming into an election.
His own province gave them a mandate, he shouldn't call their decision a disaster.
According to most, including resident Liberal supporters, this type of action is normal during election campaigns.
Just as it's 'normal' for the Ontario Premier to urge an entire Province to vote a certain way, it's just as normal for the leader of the Country to do so as well.
Delwin Delwin:
That doesn't apply in this case, federal encroachment on provincial jurisdiction was wrong when Harper spoke about it in 2001 and it is wrong now. He is the prime minister and needs to get his nose out of provincial business.
I disagree. Provinces fall under his jurisdiction being the Prime Minister of Canada to which those Provinces are funded billions.
I'll say that there's nothing "offside" about Harper's comments. It's politics, and he wants to decalre war against the Alberta NDP that kind of thing happens often. Premiers and Prime Ministers call eachother out all the time, even when they're from the same party (as but one example, Harper vs. Newfoundland Conservative Danny Williams). Harper's comments seem dumb considering the NDP just got there and clearly hasn't really had time to do anything good or bad yet. Also, politically it may not be wise to go around picking unnecessary fights with other levels of government, but I can only assume Harper has calculated something different.
Pronvices do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minsister. Provinces are not subordinate to the Federal government, they are constitutional equals. As to whether the Feds could withold federal funding for refusing to show their books, I doubt it, unless that is specifically written in to any of the funding agrements (spoiler: it's not).
Why would any Province open its books to a partisan opponent who is actively campaigning against them (as Harper is currently doing with both Alberta and Ontario)? It doesn't make sense. Even putting party politics asisde, there is natural friction between Provincial and Federal levels of government as they have different interests. Forcing one to 'report' and be subject to scrutiny by the other undermines the constitutional balance of power. Even the most pro-Harper Conservative Premier in the land (are there any currently?) wouldn't agree to it.
CKA Super Elite 
CKA Moderator 
