HALIFAX - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has scheduled a good news trip to Halifax -- likely to re-announce funding for the military -- but the visit Thursday could be overshadowed by lingering resentment over the most recent federal budget.
Harper was off to a rough start even before arriving in the port city after he apparently snubbed Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald, who said he knew nothing about the visit less than 24 hours before it was due to occur.
"If it's good news for my province, I'd be very disappointed not to know what that news is,'' a bewildered MacDonald told reporters in Bridgewater, N.S., during a spending announcement at the local Michelin tire plant.
"If it's good news for Nova Scotia, I'm quite surprised that I would not be aware.''
The confusion arose a few weeks after Harper and the Conservative premier engaged in a public feud over offshore resources and the distribution of transfer payments handed out to have-not provinces like Nova Scotia.
MacDonald accused Harper of breaking a promise not to claw back revenue from the province's offshore energy sector when calculating payments under a revamped federal equalization formula.
The premier argues that under a new equalization system introduced in the March 19 federal budget, Ottawa is also forcing Nova Scotia and Newfoundland to accept a cap on their offshore revenues, based on the fiscal capacity of Ontario.
The provinces say the budget effectively negates the updated Atlantic accords, federal-provincial agreements signed with Ottawa in 2005 that protect the two provinces from equalization clawbacks.
Harper and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty have dismissed the assertions, saying the two provinces can stick with the old equalization formula if they don't like the new one.
But Ottawa's position doesn't sit well with Atlantic Canadians, according to a recent poll that indicated voters in the region were particularly disappointed with Harper's handling of the matter.
The survey of 1,000 people by Decima Research showed that 69 per cent of those surveyed in the region sided with the premiers of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, with only six per cent saying they felt closer to Harper's position.
The poll's margin of error was 3.1 per cent, 19 time out of 20.
Nationally, only 27 per cent of respondents leaned toward Harper's position, while 32 per cent sided with the premiers.
One pundit said that makes it even more important for Harper to smooth the waters and eliminate the perception that he cares little for the region.
"He certainly wants to give the sense that he does pay attention to what's going on here and he is interested in being responsive to our concerns,'' said Michael MacMillan, a political science professor at Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax.
"He certainly can't afford to have any part of the country thinking that he has simply written them off.''
Peter Stoffer, a New Democrat MP from Nova Scotia, said it will take more than one swing through the capital city to reverse Harper's slip in the polls.
"He's obviously going to make some sort of an announcement, and if it helps the economic drivers of our region, then that's a good thing,'' he said from his largely rural riding east of Halifax.
"But the fact is he still has made a major faux pas in terms of the Atlantic Accord and the distrust is there.''
It's not clear what the prime minister will announce, but speculation is that he will restate funding for the navy.
Local media outlets have speculated Harper will announce funding for the next phase of building new joint-supply ships to replace Canada's two, steam-powered supply vessels.
As well, the federal government has plans for new Arctic patrol vessels and replacing the navy's four aging destroyers.
A source at the federal Fisheries Department, which is responsible for the Canadian Coast Guard, said it's unlikely any announcement would involve patrol vessels for the coast guard.
Others suggested the news could relate to the modernization of Canada's 12 Halifax-class frigates.
MacDonald said he hoped that a visit by Harper would include an attempt to resolve the high-profile disagreement over the federal budget.
But later in the day, the premier revealed that Ottawa has yet to respond to an offer the province made last month to settle the dispute.
"We've tried discussions on this issue and haven't had results that satisfy us and two weeks ago we submitted a proposal and haven't heard back,'' the premier wrote in response to a question posted during a live, online chat on the Globe and Mail's website.
"Right now, the ball is in their court, though we have had people calling back and forth to clarify numbers -- but no substantive discussions ... The federal government knows where we stand on this issue. But, as always, we would welcome the prime minister to Nova Scotia at any time.''
