Defend Public Healthcare

The federal transfers are out for 2015/16 and Ontario has done well –$1.253 billion or 6.5% more than the total federal transfers to Ontario for 2014/15.  Apparently, the Wynne government's attack on the Harper government's stingy cash transfers to Ontario are convincing the Conservatives to cough up some more dough for Ontario.  (Just in time for the federal election.)   The total increase in federal transfers ($1.253 billion) equals a 1.1% increase in overall provincial program spending.  In contrast, the current provincial government spending plan is to increase program spending 0.6% next year, a tiny 0.08% the following year, and then impose a cut of 0.7% the year following that.   In other words, federal Conservative transfer increases to the provincial government far outstrip total provincial Liberal spending plans.  Ontario "own source" revenue would play no role at all in new program spending. This is very odd - -in the normal scheme of things

There was much gloom in the corporate media's reports on the Ontario government's Budget follow-up, the Fall Economic Statement .  The Globe and Mail  headlined their front page report on the Statement with the claim "Ontario Fades," concluding that "the key takeaway was that the province's struggle to rein in its chronic budget deficits is getting harder."   The Sun Media columnist Anthony Furey treats the Statement as another gruesome example of governments addicted to debt.  Stories about worsening government deficits play well with big business attacks on public services, but they are  based on exaggerating minor issues. True, the Ontario Finance Ministry did reduce the 2014-15 revenue outlook by $509 million.   But there is much more to the story than that.   The reported decline in revenue had little to do with current events.  Instead it was largely based on new assessments of corporate taxes for 2012 and earlier .   As well