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Sovereignty by the back door? All the provinces complain about not receiving enough money from Ottawa, but sometimes it''s hard to tell whether Quebec''s cry for more is in response to its special needs or simply political maneuvering. (National Unity--Special Status).

Article Excerpt
For many Canadians, Quebec already has sovereignty within Canada. The province operates its own pension plan, labour market training, and has its own legal and justice system. According to a column in the Financial Post by Diane Francis, Quebec runs its immigration department at a huge profit. "La Belle Province," she writes "receives less than 20% of immigrants to Canada but has been handed more than 40% of the immigration budget dollars."

And, she points out, the province's pension plan is allowed to invest "in favoured francophone businesses or is used ... to co-opt business to stay or expand in Quebec."

Others agree that subsidies compensate businesses for the unattractive business climate "created by the ... policies of the provincial government," and that the money comes from taxpayers in other provinces through federal transfer payments.

The Atlantic Institute for Market Studies has a study to back up these claims of preferential treatment. In 1998, says the Institute, the Quebec government gave away an incredible $3.18 billion to businesses, more than the $2.2 billion given by the nine other provincial governments combined. Combined federal and provincial business subsidies per private-sector employee in Quebec are 75% higher than the Canadian average.

When it comes to arts, sports, and cultural sponsorship, Quebec already is given the lion's share of federal money (84% for 25% of the country's population). Aside from scandals surrounding the percentages that seem to have been skimmed and scammed from those federal handouts, many people believe that such disproportionate sponsoring hurts national unity. Some critics think federalism's true failing is that "ill-thought-out transfer programs from Ottawa obscure from Quebeckers the price of their...