Trickle Down . . . . . or Down Loading?
By Paul Masterson
No matter what you call it, Municipal governments that are at the end of the transfer payment “buck passing” will be receiving less assistance from senior governments. As Tiny’s Mayor Lancia said: “It’s not that the senior governments are passing the buck – its that they are passing less bucks.” The question is by how much.
For Ontario, its share of the reduction mounts to some $3.6 billion in revenues over the next three years, starting in 1996. With this, it is evident that Queen’s Park will be passing some of the burden onto the municipalities.
What do we expect?
We expect Government to live within the parameters of a responsible fiscal policy, a policy that will realistically begin to reduce our debt. This can require prioritizing and cutting non-essential services, for the time being, and, setting forth policies that effectively support the development of job creation programs. These programs are not to be “make work” projects but programs that assist business and industry to grow and compete with their commitment to create additional employment.
Political parties should know by now, that if they wish to take on the responsibility of governing and administering public affairs, they must present a platform of objectives that are believable and obtainable. Ontario now needs a trustworthy and fiscally responsible government, not one that is fiscally irresponsible, self-serving and tuned in to single purpose groups bent on their own agenda.
Deficit cutting, wealth producing jobs and expenditure cutting is the keystone of fiscal responsibility. Finally, both management and organized labour, whether in government or in the private sector, have got to demonstrate more discipline over their avarice tendencies. Creating profits while reducing your compliment of employees or demanding an increase in wages and benefits at the expense of the public interest is unacceptable. A more caring and sensitive behaviour must be exercised by both.
For you and I, now is the time to get rid of our own selfish aspirations and think of the common good of society. We can’t have something without giving up something. That only makes sense. For every “taker” there is a “giver”.
At this time in Ontario, the impending election requires us to carefully appraise which political group we feel will, with honesty and integrity, start us back along the hard but healing road to a better Ontario.