Caucus makes rumblings on Harper's shift on fiscal imbalance

[tuvor]

(Google News links to this article with the title I've noted in the subject line. It would appear that G&M didn't care for it, since this is what I found at the link instead.)

Conservative MPs in Sask. say province must get its equalization money

OTTAWA — Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper is hearing rumblings from within his own caucus on his shifting positions on Canada's equalization formula.

In a letter written in late July, the chair of the Conservatives' caucus of Saskatchewan MPs, Brian Fitzpatrick, warned Mr. Harper that they face political damage if he does not stick to the initial promise to exclude non-renewable resources such as oil and gas from the equalization formula.

“All members present believed that anything less than substantial compliance with our commitment will cause us no end of political difficulty during the next federal election,” Mr. Fitzpatrick wrote.

“The two major Saskatchewan daily newspapers have made it abundantly clear that there is very little ‘wiggle room' for the Conservative Government and its Saskatchewan MPs on this issue. The Saskatchewan MPs believe that this matter must be handled with the greatest of care.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060815.wfiscal0815/BNStory/National/home