ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams will be in Saskatchewan on Tuesday to shore up support in his fight with Ottawa over a revised equalization formula.
Williams and Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert are both opposed to the inclusion of non-renewable resource revenue in a new formula.
Williams said he is going out West to show that Newfoundland is not alone in its position on the contentious issue.
"I think the federal government would like to sort of have Newfoundland and Labrador isolated as the province and the premier who basically can't agree with Ottawa, but nothing is further from the truth,'' Williams said in an interview Monday.
Last week, Saskatchewan Finance Minister Andrew Thomson accused the federal government of sacrificing Western Canada's resources to gain favour in Quebec.
Thomson was responding to a report that said the federal Tories would include half of a province's non-renewable resources in a new equalization formula.
The $12-billion equalization program is designed to help poorer provinces provide a level of government services that is comparable to their richer neighbours.
By including natural resources in the calculation for payments, the so-called have-not provinces rich in resources would receive smaller payments.
Calvert is expected to visit Newfoundland next month in a similar show of solidarity.
Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has promised a remedy in his next budget, expected in March.
