Not quite!

Let me try to just input some facts in here.

Lets get to the "have" / "have not" provinces. For the last few years, Ontario has been a have not, while Newfoundland has been a have province. Basically, there are now (and for the next few years for sure) four "have" provinces: BC, AB, SK and NL. The following table is taken from the Federal Government site on the latest round of equalization payments - made under the new Conservative government formula allegedly "fairer":

Province :-------Equalization :----------Per capita :

• PEI-------------337 M$----------------$ 2,390.07
• Nova Scotia----1,268 M$---------------$ 1,351.52
• New Brunswick--1,495 M$--------------$ 1994.66
• Québec---------7,391 M$--------------$ 944.07
• Ontario---------3,261 M$--------------$ 249.52
• Manitoba-------1,671 M$---------------$ 1,367.43

So if Quebecers are living in luxury at the expenses of the "have provinces", what does that tell you about Manitobans and the residents of the "have not" Atlantic provinces?

Lets look at some current facts. They come from the following sources: Pop. figures: Federal government numbers for 2009; current provincial deficits, debt to GDP ratio, Federal transfers as % of province revenues: come from each province's latest budgets, as compiled by CBC, finally, net debts of provinces: TD Canada economic forecast figures.

----------------------------------------------Ontario Québec Manitoba Nova Scotia

• Pop. (2009) (x 1000)------------------------13,029----7,829----1,222---------938
• Budget Deficit-------------------------------15.3 B$---1.5 B$----460 M$-----211 M$
• Net Debt------------------------------------260.4 B$--178.5 B$--15.4 B$---13.7 B$
• Debt to GDP ratio----------------------------37.2 %----35.2 %----27.4 %----34.8 %
• Federal transfers as % of provincial revenue---19.4 %----22.8 %----28.1 %----32.1 %

The federal transfer payments include ALL transfers to the province's revenue. It is interesting to add here that on that basis, Alberta gets 12% of its provincial general revenue from Federal transfers.

If Quebec is like Greece, with a small deficit of $1.5 B$ this year (and a forecasted return (Yes! return) to balanced budget next year), what does that say of Manitoba at double the deficit in proportion, and Ontario at five times! And how could the Manitoba and Nova Scotia government fare - extravagant as they are - without the huge Federal transfer that buoy them up?

Finally, here are a couple of little facts about the "$7-a-day daycare program in Quebec: 1) All economic studies so far (and there have been a few) have concluded that the program generates for the province's government approximately $1,5 B$ in revenue a year ABOVE the cost of the program. 2) the very existence of this program is cited in the annual UN Human Development Index as having helped Canada up two positions in the index, with a complaint that it had not been adopted by all provinces. Go figure, Alberta!

Edited because Reddit sucks at formatting.