What is a "have not province" in Canada?

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Mr. Interesting!

In Canada, the provinces are loosely divided into "have" and "have not." "Have not" provinces do not generate enough money domestically to cover their federally-mandated programmes (i.e. healthcare, welfare, pensions). "Have" provinces are the ones that do generate enough money to pay for their provincial programmes. Alberta and Ontario are the have provinces, Quebec is the benchmark of standards that the provinces have to meet, and all the others are "have not".

There is some shifting nowadays due to natural resource wealth - specifically oil. Newfoundland is about one year away from becoming a "have" province, and I believe Saskatchewan is coming up in the world too. Meanwhile, Ontario is looking likely to fall down to "have not" status, as the current economic state with the high Canadian dollar is doing a real number on the manufacturing sector. The "have" provinces may soon be limited to the ones with plentiful oil ...

Contrary to popular belief, equalisation payments (money given to the "have not" provinces to help them balance their books) does not come directly from the "have" provinces. Alberta doesn't pay for New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. The equalisation money comes out of the federal budget, it isn't taken out of the hands of wealthy provinces to be given to the poor. Albertans are fond of berating the east coast for stealing their money, but that popular us-versus-them scenario just doesn't play in reality.

The Territories don't factor in at all. They lack the autonomy over their resources that the provinces have, and receive their operating budgets directly from the federal government. In exchange, the feds take all the profits derived from the Great White North. They're set, as they can never go broke, but they can never profit and prosper. They won't wind up in the hard shape of PEI, but they won't be rolling in dough Alberta style. Thus the major difference between a province and a territory. (PS, Alberta's per capita GDP is ~55000 dollars ... NWT is at about 85k. If you think Alberta's rich, if there was a province of NWT, the few people that live there would be raking it in hand over fist even more than the Albertans.)

Imaka

Mr. Interesting has given an excellent response and has explained it very well. The weakness of the American dollar and the increasing wealth in Atlantic Canada, specifically in Newfoundland and Labrador, is changing the faces of "haves" and "have nots". As Mr. Peckford once said about Newfoundland and Labrador "Have not shall be no more."

shoredude2

I think you mean in terms where the "have provinces" have to turn over money to the "have not provinces" in terms of payments to equalize taxes. Ontario and Alberta would be the "have provinces" and the others are the "have nots".

transplanted_fireweed

Probably the smaller provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island.....if any. They don't have the industries, mining, or tourist trade that the bigger provinces have. Of course, Yukon, and the other two territories aren't provinces, but they aren't actually hurting, either. They have federal support.

yaeebooo

Saskatchewan it has not even a decent population.

pastor dion

a province that is not doing good economically and so considered have not in the sense .

usually provinces on the east coast fit into this category but ontario is increasinly close to joining the club

ron h

It is a province that has some have nots in it ...

jaco

all provinces in can. are doing well ,thank you.

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