Prime Minister Stephen Harper鈥檚 government is paying the price for not talking to the provinces before it rolls out ambitious programs that tread on provincial responsibilities.
In the budget last March, the government announced the sa国际传媒 Job Grant, which would help train people for jobs by providing $15,000 for each unemployed or underemployed person. The federal government, provincial government and employer would each pay one-third.
Ottawa would fund its portion by cutting $300 million from the $500 million it gives the provinces for training under Labour Market Agreements.
鈥淲ait a minute,鈥� said the provinces. 鈥淵ou never asked us about this.鈥� sa国际传媒 has led the provinces in fighting back, outraged that they will have to cut existing training programs or find another $300 million to match the federal funds.
In spite of the protests, the Conservatives bulled ahead.
Now there are reports the federal government has seen the April 1 deadline barrelling down the tracks and has suddenly said it will waive the requirement for the provinces to match federal funds. And employers might be able to claim wages as their share of the grant.
Ottawa still intends to chop the $300 million, and it will cover the greater expenditure by reducing the number of grants.
The plan is still deeply flawed and offers little hope to people who need significant skills upgrading. Harper has to start talking to his provincial counterparts, instead of dropping bombshells on them.
