Atlantic finance ministers are getting ready to square off with Federal Finance Minister Paul Martin in Halifax.

New Brunswick Finance Minister Norm Betts says the federal equalization program will be high on the agenda at the Monday meeting.

Betts says the program is supposed to see more money funneled to the east coast from richer provinces.

"We want to make sure it works the way it's designed to work," he says.

In Atlantic Canada, funding from equalization provides a quarter of provincial budgets.

In 1982, the federal government introduced a ceiling on the payments. Betts says that ceiling prevents the program from working properly so he wants Ottawa to lift the cap.