Action Overload: Harper vs. Canada

A Coalition of Canadian non-profits have banded together to protest the deep cuts announced by Harper's government this month.

This month Canadians have learned that we have a $13 billion surplus, and.... so the Feds are slashing $1 billion from social programs. According to economist Ellen Russell from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, because the Tories are making tax cuts ($9.9 billion in the first budget), increasing defence spending ($4 billion), and putting money into other initiatives, the government is actually short $17 billion.

We all know who gets axed in circumstances like these. The unrepresented get pushed even further away, the only means they/we had for intervention and voicing concerns effectively eliminated.

According to the Coalition's website (linked above), the following programs have received cuts, some of them debilitating, most severely hampering the organization's ability to even function:

- Court Challenges program (assisted CUPE in its successful fight to achieve pension benefits for same-sex spouses; Has provided women, First Nations and other equality seeking groups with funding to mount court cases against larger, well-funded groups).

As an aside, I must mention Edmonton columnist Linda McQuaig's article in See Magazine "Budget as Bludgeon". She enlightened me to the fact that in 2000, the Court Challenges program was instrumental in defeating.. Stephen Harper! At the time, Harper was head of the National Citizen's Coalition (NCC), a right-wing business-funded group trying to strike down the federal law that puts a spending limit on groups like itself when funding candidates during election campaigns.
"Democracy Watch," a citizens group (without the corporate backing) took on the NCC in the Supreme court, challenging them on the grounds that limits on funding are needed so groups like NCC cannot hold heavy influence on election outcomes. Democracy Watch used funds from the Court Challenges Program to defend their case, aptly and presciently called Harper vs. Canada! Democracy Watch won the case. Well, Harper has now had his final ideological and practical revenge, and from now on groups representing those of us without corporate backing will not be able to challenge the "big guys".

- Law Commission of Canada: ELIMINATED to save $4.2 million.
The Law Commission of Canada advises Parliament on how to improve and modernize Canada’s laws.

- Status of Women Canada: $5 million cut from $13 million budget.
Already the government’s smallest department, Status of Women Canada now has no mandate to fund groups that do advocacy, lobbying or general research, which is convenient, because they also now have $5 million less to spend every year.
Also missing from the organization’s new mandate is the word “equality”. Please visit Status Report to find out all the detials regarding the cuts, and ways to take action.!!!!

- Community Access Program ELIMINATED as part of $42 million in cuts to Industry Canada technology programs.
CAP provided funding to allow libraries, post offices and community centres to provide low-cost public internet access, mostly in areas of the country where internet use is well below average.
Now those without home access won't even be ablwe to protest further cuts by taking action online!

- First Nations and Inuit Tobacco Control Program ELIMINATED to save $10.8 million.
Part of Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit health program, this program sought to reduce the 60% smoking rate amongst Inuit and First Nations people. It had had an external evaluation which had shown it was effective. That this program was somehow deemed not to provide “value for money” has rather striking racial overtones.

- Health Canada Policy Research Program: $7.5 million elimination of program

- Environment: $7.6 million cut to grants and contributions to environmental groups.
Does anyone remember those videos I made for the One Tonne challenge programme? On the side bar over there on the right? Gone. There isn't even a federal website on Climate Change anymore. It's been removed; it's not an issue in any form for this government.

There are several more cuts, I haven't listed them all here. But I think we get picture of what Harper prioritizes, and what is expendable, eliminate-able.

Please visit the sites mentioned, spread the word, support the groups, and most of all, write letters.

*In further news regarding REAL Women of Canada who I wrote about a few weeks ago as the main proponents of destroying Status of Women Council, DAWN Ontario has set up a REAL watch. Visit (un)REAL Women to see some of the unbelievable ideological pap the group spreads through the news media.