Least essential level of government
Re Majority Tories get tough, March 30 If fiscal deficit elimination is the cornerstone of our national strategy, then you have to wonder about the need for three and sometimes four levels of government draining our tax resources. The Canadian tradition is for each level of government to shift its costs to the next level of government. The federal government shifts its costs onto provincial governments and in turn provincial government shifts its costs onto municipalities. While the Prime Minister is running around the world touting the fiscal health of the federal government,
OAS will be a painful loss
Re Tories add years to working lives, March 30 I “planned” for my retirement. I have been working since I was 17. That was until I became permanently disabled and unable to work five years ago. I receive a Canada Pension Plan Disability pension, which makes up 1/3 of my income, and long-term disability, which makes up 2/3. As a result of my disability, my income and benefits decreased to about 40 per cent of my pre-disability income. I now spend thousands of dollars a year on medication and health-care providers delisted by the provincial Liberal government. I can no longer afford to live independently; I had to move in with my parents. Tell me Mr. Harper, since my longterm disability benefits cease in 13 years at age 65 and my CPP-D decreases, how will I financially survive until the age of 67 when you are taking away OAS and GIS benefits for those two years? Dawn Wylie, Mississauga Many Canadians do not understand what the change to the OAS means. It does not affect me now as I am too old but I understand what it means to people on a low income. Many single women and other Canadians who have no company pension to supplement the old age pension depend on the OAS. To take money away from this group of seniors is like taking from the poor. Stephen Harper and Jim Flaherty should be ashamed. This change shows me finally what Harper stands for and who he really is. Elizabeth Richardson, Toronto
Put F-35 money into the CBC
Re CBC slapped with 10 per cent reduction,
March 30 The $115 million slashed from the CBC is a curious choice. Why not just scrap two F-35s? The jets don’t even meet the government’s own mandatories and should have been disqualified. At $75 million a pop the loss of two might just make up the $115 million so that we could save some CBC programs like Marketplace and The Nature of Things. You know, those programs where we learn about the amniotic fluid of newborns containing some 287 industrial and commercial chemicals, and about those nasty PCBS now deeply nourishing mothers’ breast milk. Of course, Stephen Harper has muzzled our scientists so they can’t talk to the public about things like this anyway. Richard Grace, Toronto he forgets to mention that he has off-loaded its debt onto the backs of Canadians and the provinces. Individual Canadians have the highest per capita debt in the world and our largest provinces and municipalities are on the verge of bankruptcy. It is clear that the federal government’s goal is to disassociate itself from providing the basic needs or necessities of its population. The drive to cut back on health-care contributions, the cutbacks in Old Age Security, or even the increased sentences prescribed under the new Criminal Code will shift more and more of the costs of providing essential services and
Getting rid of the penny
Re Ottawa stops making cents, March 30 With the federal budget proposing the physical demise of the one-cent coin, Canada could lead the world in becoming the first nation to truly “go decimal” with its currency. Dividing into one hundred parts a unit of currency that won’t buy even a cup of coffee is patently ludicrous. Even a dime buys nothing, but to have just dollars and 10-cent pieces would make a lot more sense than continuing to mess about with pennies. The nickel would also disappear, with further savings in production, and the ridiculously small dime could be sized up. The only other coin needed would be a half-dollar, though even that wouldn’t buy much more than a book of matches. Alternatively, we could revalue the dollar, the way the French did with the franc some years ago, but that won’t happen in my lifetime. Dave Ashby, Toronto
First Nations before foreign aid
Re Help for native reserves ‘nowhere near’
enough, March 30 This drives me nuts. Right beside your story on foreign aid being slashed and a member of Oxfam Canada crying about it is a story on the plight of our Canadian First Nations. We cannot even look after Canadians yet these people want the Canadian taxpayer to look after the rest of the world. It is time for Canada to look after Canadians and if there is money left over, we can help others. Mark Fried seems to think we will look bad among the aid donor countries, but what do they think when they look at the way we take care of our own? David Fournier, Sutton protections for Canadians onto the backs of provinces and municipalities. From that perspective, the least essential level of government in the lives of Canadians is the federal government. Canadians can live adequately without hosting G8/ G20 extravaganzas, bombing Middle East countries, engaging a massive diplomatic staff at the UN, participating in East Asia Nuclear summits, etc. It takes the lion’s share of taxes and provides an ever-diminishing level of essential services for Canadians. If the federal government is phased out, most Canadians would hardly notice. J. Arakelian, Scarborough
So much for ‘shared sacrifice’
Re Majority Tories get tough, March 30 By all measures the economy seems to be doing fine. Bank profits are still in the stratosphere, and with crude oil at or over $100 per barrel, oil companies are the richest in the world. There are more millionaires and billionaires in the country than ever before. Looks like another jobless recovery where senior managers and shareholders make out like bandits but labour gets the boot — again. Now both federal and provincial governments introduce “austerity” budgets that grind down the working class even further.
Canada could easily get its house back in order by increasing corporate taxes to fair levels and by eliminating the generous corporate welfare benefits now in place. By way of example, the most profitable foreign oil companies in the world operate in Canada and yet still receive billions (billions!) of dollars in subsidies. Toyota received a combined $500 million from the federal and provincial governments, but is lauded for making an $80 million investment in the province? And yet, even after all the bailouts and subsidies, business leaders still cry poor and demand exemptions from any austerity measures, and shamefully all levels of government comply. Martin Gagné, Toronto Speaking of how only the poor and (disappearing) middle-class are being asked to sacrifice in tough economic times, Warren Buffet was bang-on when he said, “My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress. It’s time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice.” The emphasis on the word “shared” is mine. I thought our Prime Minister might want to look it up. Peter Dick, Toronto
Cushioning the blow to GG
Re Governor General to pay taxes, March 30 It’s thrilling to learn that Canada’s Governor General will finally have to pay income taxes just like millions of other Canadians routinely do. To cushion this shocking blow, the Conservative government promises to upwardly “adjust” the GG’S stipend of $139,000 to compensate. And that is what is commonly known as equitably sharing the burden. Geoff Rytell, Toronto