A week ago, I did a light analysis of which CBRM councillors have been doing the most talking about Equalization. It was based on the number of times they said the word from November 2016 to present. Councillors Eldon MacDonald and Darren Bruckschwaiger lead the pack. Both men spoke assertively about the issue, but MacDonald made one of the boldest statements of all:

".. we're not getting our fair share of Equalization, and that fight, I'll take to any level of government, no matter who they are" - Councillor Eldon MacDonald

If you're not familiar with the term "Equalization", it's a program where our Federal government sends Nova Scotia an amount nearing $2 BILLION dollars, of which the CBRM receives only about $16 Million. And that amount is frozen, even though the province keeps getting more.

The problem with finding solutions to this issue is that talk means very little. If Councillor Eldon MacDonald is serious about backing up his bold assertion, then I think it's time that he write an open letter to the public explaining (a) what he's been doing, (b) what he's going to do, (c) when he's going to do it, and (d) what results we should expect. And then (e) he should take action.

After all, if he isn't planning on taking any action, then he could just as easily stay silent on the matter at Council meetings like many of the other weak Council members.

The people of the CBRM are drowning in talk. We need people who will take action. If this current Council doesn't have the energy or follow through to back up their statements with action, why do we keep electing them? It's certainly not based on economic performance.

Perhaps Councillor Amanda McDougall said it best when she called a spade a spade:

"You can't just sit down. I'm sorry guys. There's been too much sitting down for the past 30 some years." - Councillor Amanda McDougall

Many of the councillors would have us believe they are powerless despite their fightin' words. So I'll provide some practical steps to initiate that process. If Councillor Eldon MacDonald believes he is ready to take that fight, then he'll have some tangible actions that he can take now. And if he isn't ready, then these actions can be taken by any CBRM councillor who is ready to step up on our behalf.

Action #1

Write an open letter to the people of the CBRM stating that you intend to demand a short-term correction to Equalization. Specifically, you want the province to commit to doubling Equalization in the provincial transfer program to $64 Million, and to have it increase by a percentage equal to the increase in the Federal transfer on an annual basis. In two years, it will be reassessed.

Action #2

Following Action #1, you will introduce a formal motion before Mayor and Council to have that demand formalized and sent to the Province - and our regional MLAs - on behalf of the entire council.

Action #3

You will introduce a motion to Mayor and Council that obligates Mayor Cecil P Clarke to formally include a commitment to doubling Equalization in his PC leadership campaign. His campaign represents his commitments if he is to secure the Premier seat in a future provincial election. This recognizes that his role as mayor obligates him to act on our behalf. If he finds that such a position is in conflict with the will of the CBRM Council, then he must resign as we cannot have a mayor who is prevented in any way from fulfilling the will of the elected CBRM Council. When he makes that commitment, this obligates him to do so not only before Council, but as a core tenet of his provincial campaign, to be documented in all of his campaign literature, and reiterated in every provincial campaign interview he does with any form of media.

Taking Action in a Practical Way

Demanding a doubling of Equalization is a practical request given that the provincial transfer is so small and is currently cancelled out completely by provincial clawbacks. It will be the start of a tangible move forward, not the long-term solution. It's not the end.

If you don't take this action now and realize your leverage as a Council over the Mayor, both Liberal at-risk MLAs, and a Liberal government that lost ground in the previous election, then you will demonstrate that you don't know how to use leverage effectively, resulting in allowing this window of opportunity to close.

If you have some alternative plan of action different from what I've suggested above, it's time to tell everyone what it is.

Councillor Eldon MacDonald: Are you ready to enter the ring or not?

NOTE: The views expressed above are my own and do not represent lokol (goCapeBreton.com). Read more