Casey unsure of Ottawa-Nova Scotia pact
Last Updated: Thursday, October 11, 2007 | 2:26 PM AT
CBC News
The Nova Scotia MP who was ousted from the Conservative caucus over his stance on the offshore accord wants to see a copy of a new pact the federal and Nova Scotia governments are hailing as a "breakthrough."
Bill Casey, MP for Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley, said he is baffled by what he has heard about the agreement.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald said Wednesday the deal would resolve the dispute between the two governments over offshore oil and gas royalties and equalization payments.
But if Ottawa has agreed to enrich the equalization formula for Nova Scotia, Casey asked, then why did the Harper Conservatives break a 2005 offshore accord to put in place an equalization program for the whole country?
"If now they've established a separate one for Nova Scotia, it would be baffling to me and a lot of other people," Casey told CBC News Thursday.
The veteran MP was kicked out of the Conservative caucus for voting against his government on the budget, which he maintains gutted the offshore deal that Nova Scotia and Ottawa signed in 2005.
He said he's not surprised Harper will not welcome him back to the Conservative fold and plans to run in the next federal election as an Independent.
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