We are not as well off as Tories claim
When the government tabled its budget earlier this month, it continued its tradition of trumpeting the benefits to a fictitious family: Blake and Laurie have two kids and a combined salary of $120,000. They have both been fortunate enough to receive 20-per-cent salary hikes over the past two years.
According to the prime minister, this “typical” family of four pays less taxes than when he came to office. But that rosy picture pales when compared to the government’s own internal reports. The Canadian Press, under the Access to Information Act, recently obtained a report prepared by the government’s own experts in Employment and Social Development Canada. This report shows middle-income families are relying more and more on debt to maintain their lifestyles and concludes they are mortgaging their future.
It also points out that middle-income salaries have risen by an average of only 1.7 per cent a year — a far cry from the budget’s fictitious 20 per cent.
There is something fundamentally flawed with a government that tries to convince people they are doing well, when its own internal reports tell it otherwise. Even a simple Google search shows the latest median family income in Canada is $72,240, not $120,000. (Thank you, Statistics Canada.)
If this government wants to convince voters it is a competent economic manager, it needs to start living in the real world.
Neil Cave, West Vancouver