A new Canadian Union

Mr. Solomon's article today in the FP Comment Section of the National Post entitled "Canada needs Quebec", rather than building sound arguments to keep Quebec within the Canadian federation, actually builds a stronger argument for ALL provinces to go their separate ways. If it takes ongoing federal bribes, as Mr. Solomon has correctly explained,   to hold this country together, then a Canadian Union (a CU like the  EU) make up of +/- 10 distinct sovereign "nations" may be a  better "Canadian" concept than the status quo.                       

In fact, in such an exercise of rethinking Canada, it is likely that the current 10 provincial boundaries and 2 territories would be re-shaped into 5 or less  geographically defined entities. This would naturally occur when the citizens within each region were asked to assess and re-imagine their geographic, economic and cultural assets as well as their potential political and trading advantages as new sovereign quasi-national entities - an exercise that is exactly the same as  Quebec separatists have done for themselves.  The federal government would be disbanded with the exception of the  Bank of Canada (renamed the Canadian Union Central Bank- CUCB ) and "national defense" renamed as the Canadian Union Defense Coalition (CUDC). 

Federal taxation would also disappear and each CU participant "sovereign" nation would collect its own taxes and "tithe" a fixed  amount per citizen (say $100 annually)  to the CUCB and CUDC to be managed by one elected governors per CU nation that would collectively function as a CU Board of Governors (CUBG).    Each citizen of all CU nations would pay a levy to eliminate the current federal debt which would never again be allowed to grow because the CUBG would have  no powers to borrow on behalf of the CU nations.                                                                                                       

If the European Union is a concept that is good enough for 18 European countries, it should clearly be an acceptable model here.  Our advantage is that we have the unique opportunity to reshape our "sovereign" boundaries in a way that should result in new quasi-national entities 

that would enjoy better economic balance than exists in Europe where the disparity between their nations with respect to language,  industrial/economic base and culture is much more challenging to reconcile than within Canada.                                                                                                                                                       

If we are going to consider a Quebec referendum, then - I say -  let's consider a totally new concept of Canada along these lines - a new Canadian Union. 

Education reform does not need more government spending

Let's face it. We all live in a world of specialization that is supported by amazing technologies, sophisticated processes, and a constant stream of human innovation. All this spells one undeniable fact - our lives are constantly surrounded and enveloped by change, and not to embrace and prepare for this change is to face potential obsolescence and failure.

At the level of the individual, life-long learning is the only way to adapt to change and to thrive. The challenge to our higher educators in the past was to teach facts. Today, it is to instill the desire, ability and consistent learning habit as a key survival skill in every student.

Human beings are NOT born equal. Innate intelligence, aptitudes, physical capacities, appearance and birth circumstances are as unique as each person's fingerprints. After nearly 33 years of employment as a professional recruiter in the staffing industry, I have come to deeply appreciate this reality.  I have played the role of "matchmaker" thousands of times between employers who require individuals with rare abilities and those rare citizens who qualified to meet the always strict hiring criteria.  In 100% of the successful matches, the candidates' Education credentials were of minor consideration compared to their progressive work history, experiences gained, skills mastered and knowledge acquired -  in combination with the right mix of interpersonal, analytical and communication skills that successful performance on the job demanded. 

Human beings are shaped by their life choices and ensuing life experiences just as powerfully as by the unanticipated life circumstances that each one of us encounters. Our elders often profess the importance of a good education as an essential ingredient to attaining a rich and fulfilling life - and they are right to do so. In the long run, however, personal and career choices ultimately play the most significant roles in shaping our individual destinies.  Free market mechanisms have always been more effective at honing in on real market needs than top-down central planning as both Russia and China have realized in their evolving shift to more capitalist market practices.

The Ontario Libertarian Party believes that the top-down, centrally-planned, monopoly-delivered and taxation- funded model of education is NOT the best service delivery model when the enormously diverse hiring needs of employers  and the unique potential of each citizen are taken into consideration.  The private sector, on the other hand, provides numerous examples of businesses that have succeeded in profitably serving large and small markets for a enormous range of goods and services. Furthermore, whenever a business model is found to be unsuccessful in securing a market for its products, entrepreneurs are quick to make adjustments or else face extinction. How quickly would a government operation make these adjustments under similar circumstances?

A vote for the Ontario Libertarian Party is a vote for a bottom-up,  free market approach to education services delivery.  The mutual interests of future employers, parents and students will be aligned much more effectively by competitive, free market mechanisms than by the education and job market distortions that are the persistent by-product of the public Education monopoly that we have today.

Gene Balfour

Ontario Libertarian Party candidate, Thornhill riding

To all separatists - put our money where your mouth is !

Proposal:  A new, distinctly Quebec,  Transfer Payments Plan for the "distinct society" advocates within Quebec. 

Methodology:  Run parallel referenda in Quebec and the ROC to determine the level of future transfer payments made to Quebec. 

     For example, if 100% of Quebec citizens vote in favor of Quebec sovereignty, then transfer payments fall by 100%. If 30% vote sovereignty, then payments fall by the same 30% from current levels. 

     The ROC referendum will determine the percentage of non-Quebecers who no longer wish to support those Quebec citizens who do not value their Canadian citizenship sufficiently to stay within the Canadian "family". The ROC vote will determine the additional percentage by which ROC transfer payments will be reduced to Quebec. These tax savings will be awarded to ROC taxpayers who have funded the premium payments paid to Quebec separatists over many decades as our bribe to keep them in Canada. 

Reverse Payments 

      Oh, by the way, if the sum of the Quebec and ROC referenda is below zero, minus 10% for example, then Quebec will need to pay to the ROC an amount equal to 10% of current transfer payment levels for tolerating the inconveniences and extra costs that Quebec imposes on the ROC - such as official bilingualism mandated in all government documents across English-speaking Canada.