I know you do not call it charity but that is what it is.
The other side of charity is now showing up in every country of the world that has gone too far with charity. I am not against charity, just how much. It has another side. With charity we also create dependence. Until the program of regional redistribution was enacted the income in the maritime provinces was a bit behind that of the rich centre.
The problem of economic development was solved by slow outward migration. Chances were that outward migration would have maintained income in the regions equal or near equal to that in the centre.
However, what did we do? We instituted in the name of charity a program which when exposed turned out to have been a disaster. It told the people of the maritimes to stay where they were and, if they fell behind, they would be given money. They would be given charity. What happened? They became so dependent on it that when the fish disappeared, when an economic crisis developed, they ended up having the worst possible kinds of problems.
We do not give money to our children after a certain stage because we know if we keep giving them money they will never become independent. Yet here we have a state institution which continuously says: "Stay poor, we will take care of you".
This is the long run perspective on those kinds of programs which I believe has to be brought out in our discussion of where we are going into the future.