The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
More money woes Last week's Right Corner commented on the Provincial Premiers' announcement at their Ontario meeting of their willingness to let the Martin government set up and pay for a national pharmacare program, supposedly promised by Paul in the election campaign. The number first floated was $9 billion per year to set up and operate a standardized plan for Canadians, but Gary Doer later dropped the estimate to $7.5 billion, a number he attributed to The Canadian Nurses Association. Before the health care meeting between Martin and the Premiers later on this month, the provincial health and finance ministers met to crunch the numbers and give more credit to the idea, promised twice by the Liberals, which would take an enormous burden off the backs of the provinces, and place it on federal shoulders. For example, in Manitoba pharmacare costs have accelerated from $90 million five years ago to $177.5 million this year. Interviewed on the matter, the Prime Minister downplayed the idea as too costly, meaning his government would be unable to finance other promises. He said his pre-election promise only meant the Feds would pay for catastrophic and super-expensive drugs, such as one Lukemia medication which costs $38,000 per patient per year. Manitoba's Health Minister Chomiak asked Paul to: "Please don't say no now!", but it looks like this promise, like many Liberal promises in the past, will not be kept. As Shakespeare wrote: "The king knows when to promise and when to pay." The B.S.E. crisis, now over a year old, continues unabated as related money woes haunt the cattle ranchers and farmers. In early August the Alberta Auditor-General reported that the poorly planned federal-provincial aid package of $402 million helped only the meat packers who increased their profits by 281 per cent! How did this happen? What the plan did was drive down cattle prices below costs and panicked the farmers to sell their cattle cheaply. The packers also received $45 million of the aid money. What did the Auditor-General think of this? He said it was the free market's law of supply and demand, neither illegal or immoral. Opposition critics and many others were appalled at this cool, so-called free-enterprise rationale, arguing the government package did nothing to help the producers as the packers profited on the backs of the ranchers, farmers, and, oh yes the consumers. The Consumer's Association of Canada was quite blunt with its president claiming the meat packers ripped off consumers who paid regular mark-ups plus the $400 million in tax dollars. He demanded that the packers give back to the producers the $200 million they made in "illegal" profits! Did you notice the price of beef drop during the year-long border closing? Not a whit. Famous Winnipeg grocer and meat retailer Joe Cantor (Cantor's Filet Mignon is to die for!) told the "Corner" the continuous high prices are not the retailer's fault as the wholesale prices stayed high with huge profits gained by the packers. Only some cheaper cuts of meat dropped in price. The Manitoba Government continues to hope the issue will go away, and is accused of having no plans to help producers after plan "B", the Rancher's Choice slaughterhouse fell through due to a lack of financing (plan "A" was to hope the border would open). Opposition leader Stuart Murray says the only plan "C" so far is to blame the Federal government for their flawed plan, while farmers' money woes and B.S.E. related suicides continue. Will the border re-open soon for live cattle and more meat products? Cynics say only if it is in the interests of the Americans. With American cattle prices high and producers profiting, don't expect anything to happen until after the November Presidential election. The B.S.E. crisis is only a crisis in Western Canada, it is definitely a non-issue in the U.S. as are most Canadian issues. By the way, the NDP received some "cattle country" political fallout in the recent elections. They were soundly whipped in Selkirk ?Interlake in the federal contest, an area with a lot of cattle producers, including the Conservative candidate, and easily beaten in the Turtle Mountain provincial by-election. The next provincial election may prove very interesting in rural Manitoba. The Hydra-House money wasting affair continues to trouble the Provincial Government. Hydra House is an organization set up 20 years ago to provide residence and care to mentally disabled children and adults. It is under the wing of the Family Services Ministry in Manitoba. Executives of the organization were accused two years ago of misuse of provincial funds ? spending over $1.5 million on bonuses, trips, meals and high-priced cars for themselves. The story was broke in a CBC report by an investigative reporter featuring allegations by a former C.E.O. on the misuse of tax dollars, similar to the Virginia Fontaine Treatment Centre scandal, also in Manitoba. Family Services Minister at the time, Tim Sale, rejected the report as untrue, but the Manitoba Auditor-General in July reported the allegations as factual, with money misspent and missing. The Province then investigated, a true conflict of interest as it was in a way investigating itself. Amazingly the Province's Crown Attorneys did not recommend criminal charges be laid and instead asked the Federal Justice Department to advise if the money could be recovered! The issue continues, and undoubtedly will be an "attack issue" for the opposition this fall when the Legislature meets. Readers may remember the "holier than thou" attitude displayed by Tim Sale who was the instigator of the "Tarasgate Affair" that sullied the reputation of the Filmon government back in 1998, and many believe led to their defeat the next year. This scandal under Sale's watch will be of interest to many PCs who believe that "Tarasgate" was more political than financial.
