Ontario voters should call for fairness in this election
By Amy Terell Canadian Chamber of Commerce

We have an opportunity to ask the candidates in this federal election an important question: "If elected, what will you do to bring fairness to Ontario?"

Ontario currently holds 34 per cent of the seats in Parliament (even though we have 39 per cent of the population) and yet, for decades and over successive governments, no matter what their party affiliation, Ottawa has failed to treat Ontario fairly when it comes to federal transfers for such vital services as healthcare, infrastructure, unemployment insurance, education and immigration.

Each year, taxpayers in communities across the country, including Caledon, send their federal tax dollars to Ottawa.

And Ottawa, in return, distributes some of that money to the provinces to help fund programs under provincial jurisdiction.

Sadly, successive federal governments have shared fewer dollars with each Ontarian than with citizens in other provinces.

In other words, Ontarians have been subsidizing the services in other parts of the country for many, many years.

The time has come to end this unfairness.

Not only can Ontario no longer afford less than its fair share of federal tax dollars, but decades of underfunding have contributed to a steady deterioration of services in this province which affect every man, woman and child.

This is not to say that things couldn't be done differently in some cases by our provincial leaders, but when one important revenue source perpetually falls short, it narrows the options. All three political parties at Queen's Park have agreed on these facts.

In real dollars, Ontario receives more than $700 million less each year in healthcare funding from the federal government than it should.

Seven hundred million dollars would be enough to hire 14,000 more full-time nurses to care for us in our hospitals and long-term care facilities.

It would be enough to buy 250 more MRI machines to provide quicker diagnoses of critical illnesses.

In real dollars, Ontario receives $1 billion less in infrastructure funding from the federal government than we should.

One billion dollars would build a four-lane highway from Sudbury to Toronto.

It would pay for the construction of 67,000 more affordable housing spaces for families struggling to pay the rent.

In real dollars, our unemployed workers receive almost $5,000 less each year than an unemployed worker in another province.

Imagine what that would mean to Caledon families who have been affected by layoffs in the manufacturing and service sectors.

This is not a new injury to Ontario taxpayers. Looking back over the last two decades through several changes in government at the federal and provincial levels, the wound has been diagnosed numerous times with battle lines drawn predictably along federal-provincial points of view.

And commentators and experts alike, including the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, have layered research upon research, documenting the facts.

Unfortunately all this discussion has gotten us nowhere.

A few band aids have been applied by successive federal governments to address some of the more obvious injustices. But no one has had the guts to once and for all implement a comprehensive and sustainable cure. Ontarians have been failed over and over again by their representatives in Ottawa, whether in government or opposition.

This is an issue that rises above party politics. It affects every person who uses healthcare services in Ontario. Every person who accesses training or Employment Insurance. Every new Canadian who makes their home in this province. Every person who drives on our roads or takes our transit.

In Ontario, we typically put Canada first and are reticent to advocate too loudly for ourselves.

The irony is, that the fiscal imbalance and its effects on Ontario, actually hurt Canada as well. Ontario is, after all, the economic engine of this country. A strong Canada simply needs a strong Ontario.

That's the reason for a campaign by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, supported by Caledon Chamber of Commerce , which is being called ActNowForOntario.com.

It's time for every Ontarian to send a clear message to the leaders of all five federal parties. And time to find out what each of them would do to end the unfairness to Ontario.

Visit the Web site at www.actnowforontario.com, and make it clear that you and your family care about the future of Ontario and Canada.