There's a rift developing in the big tent they call the Liberal party.
The loose spenders ruling the roost in Ottawa and the promise-breakers ensconced at Queen's Park in Tor-onto aren't getting along.
Throughout Canadian history, there have been few periods when Liberals have been in power at the same time in Ontario and nationally, so they aren't used to this situation. They aren't accustomed to working together as governments. It appears we should be concerned.
A major dispute has arisen about equalization payments, with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty arguing Ontarians send $23 billion more each year to Ottawa than the province sees returned in support for programs for its citizens.
McGuinty says he'll take $5 billion right away to start to rectify the unfairness.
For his efforts, McGuinty has found a deaf ear in his federal Liberal counterparts in Ottawa. Parliamentarians from Ontario ridings have little sympathy for his pitch. In fact, Joe Volpe, the federal minister for Ontario, dismissed McGuinty out of hand, saying Ontario gets less because it needs less.
McGuinty is scrambling to put together a provincial budget faced with a deficit of $6 billion. He says getting shortchanged by Ottawa is one of the reasons for the province's money woes.
The federal government set this year's budget and then discovered a surplus of nearly $10 billion.
McGuinty says he'll continue to wage war for a better deal from Ottawa. He must be profoundly disappointed in his Liberal cousins sitting comfortably on a nice fat sack of money. Among them is his brother, David McGuinty, who represents Ottawa South.
Two more episodes this week illustrate Grits are getting grumpy with each other.
Joe Fontana, the Liberal from London-North-Centre, has been largely critical of the provincial government in recent months. As minister of labour and housing, he has more than $300 million he's prepared to spend in Ontario for affordable housing. But the province has been slow to sign a national housing initiative so the money won't flow yet.
Fontana readily concedes provincial officials have concerns about costs, but he refused to acknowledge they might relate to the $23-billion funding gap McGuinty is complaining about. He says if there is a shortfall in equalization payments at all, it is far less than the premier claims.
Fontana insists he's done everything he can and the province is to blame for the delay.
Chris Bentley, the Liberal who holds London West provincially and is McGuinty's labour minister, wasn't about to let Fontana off the hook.
"It's a little troubling when the feds want us to come up with money instantly and they are holding $23 billion a year of our money," Bentley said. "That's a lot of money." Indeed.
As the labour ministers were duking it out, the agriculture ministers went at it later in the week. The latter episode was particularly troubling.
Federal ag minister Andy Mitchell stopped in Guelph and Mt. Brydges to announce a $1-billion cash drop for agriculture. He had new-found money for beef farmers still struggling with fallout from closed borders because of the mad cow crisis, and also for grain and oilseed producers who in Ontario had warned they needed $300 million or they can't plant crops this spring.
This came as a surprise to Ontario Agriculture Minister Steve Peters, the MPP for Elgin-Middlesex-London. He had his own announcement the very same day, when he allocated $79 million more in income support for grain and oilseed producers and $50 million for tobacco growers.
Peters said he only learned about Mitchell's announcement the previous night in a phone call from him. He must have been thrilled Mitchell stopped in Guelph, where Peters' main office is, then afterward a few concessions outside Peters' own riding.
"I really haven't had a good opportunity to review the federal program," said Peters, who must have been fuming, but didn't show it. He had been upstaged by the federal minister bearing substantially more money and who drew greater media coverage.
For his part, Mitchell was blithely unconcerned. "The money is flowing," he said, "regardless of what the provinces do."
John Tory, leader of Ontario's Opposition Progressive Conservatives, had a field day with all this.
Tory said Ontario had been excluded from top-level discussions about agriculture March 7 among Prime Minister Paul Martin and the premiers of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
"Farming officials we spoke with are concerned that your government isn't talking to the federal government at this critical time for farmers in Ontario," Tory taunted McGuinty and Peters in the legislature.
Ouch.
When Liberals at Queen's Park don't get along with Liberals on Parliament Hill, it comes as a bonus for the Opposition.
And a matter of real concern for all taxpayers who stand to lose in this squabble.