Positions and possibilities

The Star's Ian Urquhart nicely sums up the provinces' current positions on federal/provincial funding. But it's not clear why he so quickly dismisses the possibility of prioritizing increased funding both to equalization and program funding over another round of tax cuts - an option which would both leave the provinces with little scope for concern about the outcome, and offer Harper a somewhat more plausible answer to the (now well-deserved) criticisms about funding he's pulled away from existing initiatives. It may not fit with Harper's ideology, but when it's both good policy and good politics, there's no apparent reason to pull the option off the table.