Every province is Canada is heavily subsidized by the federal government. It has to do with the division of responsibilities vs. the right to collect taxes. (The city/municipal is the real loser here, with no right to impose taxes.)
The best way to think of this issue is Canada is to look at the flow of equalization money, designed to cushion economic disparities between the province. Traditionally Quebec and Ontario were the main sources of equalization money which flowed primarily to the Maritime provinces (PEI, NS, NB, NFLD) and the prairie provinces (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta.)
This of course has changed in the last few decades. Thhave anks to the resource boom Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Newfoundland become contributors and Quebec and Ontario recipients, but this is due to change back again thanks to the resources swoon. Really, the only Canadian provincial economy firing on all cylinders right now is BC, thanks to huge inflows of capital from China cushioning us from the commodities crash..
The relationships between Quebec, the other provinces, and the federal government are more complex than what you portray, but I will give you a lot of credit because you are an American who
1) knows Canada exists and where it is
2) knows the names of at least some of the provinces
3) has some sense of the political and economic issues affecting Canada.
Believe me, that's a rare thing among your compatriots.
OTOH, like New Zealanders with respect to Australia, and Austrians with respect to Germany, and Norwegians with respect to Sweden, Canadians in general know the US very well.
This is the reason why Canadians dominate comedy in the US. Our unique insider/oursider position gives us the ability to see the contradictions within the US and its culture more clearly than Americans do, and of course such contradictions are the basic ingredient for comedy.
I wonder if the US federal government would ever let a state come within a few tens of thousands of votes of choosing secession.
LC
