Working Together to Advance N.S. Agenda

Nova Scotians are expecting their governments to work productively to improve basic public services, Premier John Hamm said today in Eastern Passage.

In remarks given to military personnel at CFB Shearwater, Premier Hamm outlined his government's commitment to achieving better results from Ottawa through improvements to the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. Earlier this month at the annual premier's conference, the premier obtained support from fellow provincial and territorial leaders to further Nova Scotia's priorities in health care, infrastructure and transportation and support for children and families.

"We are working with our Atlantic counterparts, and governments across the country, to advance the Nova Scotia agenda," said Premier Hamm, who is preparing for a First Ministers' Meeting expected next month. "Moreover, our agenda has been made crystal clear with the prime minister, Senator Bernie Boudreau, and any other federal minister my government has come into contact with."

He also highlighted the importance of the premiers' common front to strengthen the equalization program. Equalization payments honour a Constitutional guarantee that Canadians, regardless of where they live, are entitled to receive reasonably comparable public services at reasonably comparable levels of taxation. Limits imposed by the federal government on equalization cost Nova Scotia nearly $250 million in revenue between 1988 and 1994.

"Those are lost dollars that we can't get back," said the premier. "But we must work to ensure the loss of revenue stops. Because we expect to hit the costly equalization ceiling again this fall - costing us revenues that are due to us."

This year alone, the current equalization formula -- calculated on a five-province average instead of the original 10-province standard -- will cost Nova Scotia $90 million in revenue. The federal government has agreed to introduce part of a 1998 proposal put forward by the provinces to change the Canada Health and Social Transfer to one based strictly on population. But the federal government ignored provincial proposals for Ottawa to remove the ceiling on equalization payments and phase in a 10- province standard.

"We can't afford any more cherry-picking from the federal government," said the premier. "It's not a question of more subsidies for Atlantic Canada. It's a question of fairness. A question of equity. A question of sustainability. A question that regardless of where Canadians live in this great country, they will have access to the basic public services they depend on."

At the outset of his remarks, Premier Hamm recognized the 80- year-old military tradition of Shearwater, which is home to Canada's Sea King helicopters. The premier noted Ottawa's commitment to replace the aging aircraft and urged the federal government to obtain safe equipment for military personnel in the quickest manner possible.