Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Kevin Falcon the Fall Guy for Jim Flaherty - BC loses billions in health care funding, HST repayment - but Falcon fails to get it

Ex-Premier Gordon Campbell & Finance Minister Kevin Falcon - asleep at the switch
BC Liberal Finance Minister Kevin Falcon must have had that falling feeling Monday when he praised federal Conservative Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's new plan to reduce health care funding increases - then watched as most of his provincial counterparts denounced Flaherty.

Why?  Because the federal Conservatives just pulled the rug out from under BC and other provinces' funding, six ways from Sunday.

Flaherty surprised provincial finance ministers by unilaterally announcing that Ottawa will end current health care funding increases of 6% a year by 2017, despite rising costs, leaving the provinces to make up the difference.

The new plan will also reduce BC's per capita health care funding because Ottawa's funding formula doesn't deal with our aging population's hire costs, meaning up to an additional $250 million a year will be lost.

But too late - Falcon was already on the record:  "From B.C.'s perspective, we think certainty is good thing," he said. "We cannot ignore what is taking place around the world."

Huh?  What's going on is that BC is getting shafted and Falcon was sticking up for his federal Conservative friends, not British Columbia.

Quebec's Finance Minister Raymond Bachand wasn't as thick as Falcon.

Bachand called the unilateral federal decision to dramatically reduce funding "totally unacceptable."

Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter called it "profoundly disappointing".

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said it was "frustrating".

Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said the provinces will lose $21 billion.

"It means less access to quality health care," Duncan said.


By Tuesday even Falcon had figured out that BC was being shafted.


And his hardline response?  He'll ask the federal government to "adjust" the per capita formula - but if BC got that "we'd be very happy with the rest of the package."


Falcon and BC Premier Christy Clark have also thrown in the towel on getting repayment of the federal Harmonized Sales Tax grant of $1.6 billion reduced to reflect the period of time the HST will have been in effect.  


Now they are hoping to claim "victory" by getting an extended lay-away plan to repay the entire amount.


Just one question - wouldn't you love to play poker with these jokers?


Jim Flaherty must be laughing all the way back to Ottawa.


Pathetic.


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15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Truly pathetic. I have never understood how fiscal conservatives justified voting for the BC Liberals. Sure tax breaks are thrown their way if they are wealthy enough but is it really that easy to molify all of them? Real fiscal conservatives get angry about idiotic pandering and wasting revenue regardless of how a turd (K.F.) has been painted.

Anonymous said...

Having a political party with two such alpha-type social predators (Christy & Kevin) "forced" to peacefully co-exist in the same room is truly a XMAS Miracle.

Premier cute & perky is going to continue to use control-freak Kevin as her personal . . . political sewage treatment plant for as long as she can.

If Kevin had any balls he would take his ass and his $$$ scalp implants and move to the back bench in January.

Just imagine how Christy and her BC government-media fart-catchers would spin that one!

The GREAT SATAN

DPL said...

The stupidity of Falcon makes most other folks look quite brilliant. Maybe he is trying to get a harper appointment before the BC liberals get thumped next time around. and that time can't come too soon for many of us

ron1 said...

Who will be the first Liberal MLA to cross the floor and become the first provincial tory MLA?

Bill Bennett?

Anonymous said...

Cut the flighty one some slack.

His entire political(?) career was/is built on being a 'yes' man to anyone above him.

Anyone he considers beneath him,Like the rest of us, well that's a whole 'nuther story.

Jack Hope said...

It really does seem like Falcon is positioning himself for some post-provincial job. I wonder how many other Liberal Ministers are going to start following his example?

Anonymous said...

I'm not surprised at Falcon supporting Flaherty and Harper. We saw Harper reward Campbell the High Commissioner to England post, for doing his dirty work for him.

If Falcon shot his mouth off, before his brain was in gear, the BC people will still pay, which ever way it goes. We had, Campbell,Hansen and Harper. Now we have, Falcon, Harper and Flaherty. Same game, same kind of ripoff.

Same with the HST. We have to pay Harper and Flaherty back, for stealing the HST from the BC citizens. We said no to the HST, Harper and Campbell forced it on us anyway. An illegal tax with no representation. The BC people made no deal with the devil. Campbell and Hansen did, before the BC election.

Meanwhile, we are also paying for Flaherty's, $1,400 per night, for his luxurious hotel suites. Along with MacKay's luxury hotel bill as well.

Canada isn't Conservative. Our country is, a fascist dictatorship regime. Harper said, "I am the government". "I am the law". "I make the rules".

Ken in Victoria said...

Good question as to the first liberal to join the conserves.Such a move is the only way to conserve their re election. Next question will be how many will follow?

upsetvoter said...

Didn't Cummins state he would not take in any existing BC liberal members? Even Cummins knows that any BC liberal MLA is too tainted.

Anonymous said...

None of this happens by accident, or a slip of the tongue. Cristy Clark, Falcon and the rest of them all support everything the federal conservatives do. Same with building all these prisons and dropping the bill on the provinces. They don't stand up to anything Harper and the conservatives do.

The question is why?

Keith said...

Clearly Falcon is to thick to have asked his counterparts the obvious question;

"So what did you make of Flaherty's speil"

as he couldn't work it out himself and a grade 10 math student wasn't available.

e.a.f. said...

It would appear Falcon engaged his mouth before his brain, maybe. I would suggest Falcon is actually in agreement with Flaherty. With a reduction in funds from Ottawa, B.C. will set the stage for reducing health care services. Their argument will be, "lack of funds from Ottawa". The lieberals will then introduce "private health insurance". Harper and his majority government will provide the federal legislation to permit it. The game will be on to move to an American style of health care.

The voters will go along with it because of the extreme reduction in health care services.
Its simple, first you reduce the funds, then you reduce the services, then you provide a method for those who can afford it a "private" health insurance.

Many people will be willing to pay several hundred dollars a month to ensure they and their families receive adequate health care. Once the process is there the insurance companies can begin increasing the rates.

The Americans will be happy because they can move into a new territory to make money. Their medical insurance industry will be happy because those Americans who favour state supported medical care will no longer point to Canada's health care system as an example.

Harper nor the B.C. Lieberals are interested in listening to the voters, i.e. Harper's Crime Bill and the lieberals HST. Both governments have a majority and by the time they are voted out of office the deed will have been done and they will have moved onto their corporate rewards.

These people have an agenda which has little or nothing to do with providing good government or good government services to the people of this country. They are their to promote their personal religious agenda along with providing mega profits for multinational corporations while destroying our enviornment.

Anonymous said...

The stupidity of Falcon makes most other folks look quite brilliant

Which leaves "DPL" out for sure.

Global Economics affects government in ways even at a basic level many here can't figure out.

pb said...

Nothing new here folks. Falcon is merely paving the way for expansion of private, for profit health care, which is consistant with the Liberal approach to selling off our common assets for the benefit of friends.

Anonymous said...

This is governance in a 21st century economy? What a crock! Somebody fire these clowns now, before we end up totally bankrupt! The stupidity of this is truly pathetic.
IF you want to see true intellectual brilliance in this province, vote these clowns out of office and out of existence once and for all!Come on folks! It really is time to wake up, and stop the "con" game!