October 19, 1995 For Immediate Release
TEN EQUAL PROVINCES MODEL GIVES QUEBEC A BETTER DEAL THAN SEPARATION
"It's time to get the feds out of the provinces' hair," says Breitkreuz.
Ottawa - Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, thanked the separatists in Quebec for helping to clarify the key irritant in federal-provincial relations. While he agreed they had identified the problem he disagreed with their proposed solution. "The separatist's solution for Quebec is like someone having a hang-nail on their thumb and telling the doctor to cut off their arm to stop the pain," said Breitkreuz.
"All Quebecers have to do is demand that the federal government give them the powers specified in the Constitution. They don't even need to change the constitution like Mulroney tried to do with the Meech Lake and Charlottetown Accords."
Breitkreuz went on to list the Reform Party's New Confederation proposals announced earlier this week in Quebec by Reform Leader, Preston Manning:
1.Language - Replace Official Languages Act with the Regional Bilingualism Act that would recognize demographic and linguistic realities of Canada and respect provincial authority and practices.
2.Culture - Make provincial governments primary providers and guardians of cultural services and primary regulators of cultural industries.
3.Natural Resources - Guarantee exclusive provincial control.
4.Manpower Training - Guarantee exclusive provincial control.
5.Housing - Guarantee exclusive provincial control.
6.Tourism - Guarantee exclusive provincial control.
7.Sports and Recreation - Guarantee exclusive provincial control.
8.Spending Power - Forbid new federal spending programs in areas of provincial jurisdiction.
9.Constitutional Referendums - All future constitutional amendments must be approved by majorities in all regions of Canada through a referendum.
10.Social Services - Cooperative federal provincial agreements rather than imposing unilateral standards and withholding transfer payments.
11.Transfers to the Provinces - Replace federal cash grants with tax point grants.
12.Tax, Debt and Expenditure Limitations - Unilaterally amend the Constitution to forbid deficit spending or rapid spending increases except when authorized by a national referendum.
13.House of Commons - Permit greater freedom for individual MPs; wider use of free votes, referenda, citizens' initiatives and recall.
14.Senate of Canada - All future appointments to the Senate would be made by means of elections on the model of the 1989 Alberta Senate selection process.
15.Supreme Court and Judiciary - Future appointments to the Supreme Court would be made by the provincial legislatures; all appointments reviewed by elected Senate.
16.Bank of Canada - Future board appointments made by provincial legislatures. Ottawa would continue to select the Governor of the Bank.
17.Lieutenant Governors - Appointed by provincial legislatures.
18.Charter Challenges - End the Court Challenges program
19.Municipal Affairs - Strengthen role of municipal governments in delivery of essential services.
20.Disallowance, Reserve and Declaratory Powers - A Reform government would not exercise the federal government's power to "disallow" and "reserve" provincial legislation and introduce a constitutional resolution calling for abolition of these federal powers.
"Clearly all provinces in Canada would benefit from this division of powers. Most of these proposals are not new," said Breitkreuz, "It's been in the constitution since 1867. This is the way the Fathers of Confederation planned it in the first place. Taxpayers would benefit the most because it would eliminate much of the duplication. I think Liberals have forgotten that there is only one taxpayer feeding three levels of government," concluded Breitkreuz.
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