codetrap
01-28-2011, 08:17 AM
The Bloc de Quebecois extorting the rest of Canada openly now. Nice to know they're finally admitting they're basically a <strike>cheap</strike> expensive whore available to the highest bidder.
http://www.canada.com/news/Bloc+Harper+Send+billion+Quebec/4171598/story.html
QUEBEC — The Bloc Quebecois, with 47 seats in the House of Commons, has announced its price for supporting the Conservative minority government's new budget: The BQ wants $5 billion for Quebec, including $2.2 billion to compensate the province for harmonizing its provincial sales tax with the federal goods and services tax.
With 143 elected members in the 308-seat House of Commons, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government needs the support of at least one of the three opposition parties to remain in power.
Without that backing, the budget would be defeated, triggering a spring election.
The Liberals hold 77 seats, the New Democratic Party 36. There are two independents and three vacancies.
The Bloc is also seeking $1.5 billion more in equalization payments for Quebec, $800 million more for post-secondary education and social programs, $421 million as the federal government's share for dealing with the 1998 ice storm, and $137 million in income stabilization.
Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe insisted at the end of a two-day party caucus meeting in Quebec City, the region where the Harper government holds eight of its 11 Quebec seats, that in asking for $5 billion, the Bloc is "acting in the interests of Quebec."
He noted the Harper government's budget last year sent $10 billion to Ontario; Duceppe said there appears to be a double standard and the Conservative government does not take Quebec's demands seriously.
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette
http://www.canada.com/news/Bloc+Harper+Send+billion+Quebec/4171598/story.html
QUEBEC — The Bloc Quebecois, with 47 seats in the House of Commons, has announced its price for supporting the Conservative minority government's new budget: The BQ wants $5 billion for Quebec, including $2.2 billion to compensate the province for harmonizing its provincial sales tax with the federal goods and services tax.
With 143 elected members in the 308-seat House of Commons, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government needs the support of at least one of the three opposition parties to remain in power.
Without that backing, the budget would be defeated, triggering a spring election.
The Liberals hold 77 seats, the New Democratic Party 36. There are two independents and three vacancies.
The Bloc is also seeking $1.5 billion more in equalization payments for Quebec, $800 million more for post-secondary education and social programs, $421 million as the federal government's share for dealing with the 1998 ice storm, and $137 million in income stabilization.
Bloc leader Gilles Duceppe insisted at the end of a two-day party caucus meeting in Quebec City, the region where the Harper government holds eight of its 11 Quebec seats, that in asking for $5 billion, the Bloc is "acting in the interests of Quebec."
He noted the Harper government's budget last year sent $10 billion to Ontario; Duceppe said there appears to be a double standard and the Conservative government does not take Quebec's demands seriously.
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette