I have several beefs to pick with this patheticness of a budget the Convservatives just vomited onto the Canadian populace. I'll handle this on a point by point basis.
1. The increase to the retirement age. I'd like to thank the Convservative government for forcing my family and I to now have to work for two more years to collect a pension. This is a blatant slap in the face of the people. It cannot be argued that this is addressing a manpower problem. Part of this budget allows people to work for five years longer than the minimum retirement age while deferring their pension. That's a solution! If people want to work longer, then legislate that employers cannot forcibly retire people until 70 years of age! There are two points to help foreign skilled immigration, those being refunding the $400 application fee for the skilled worker program, and adding job categories to the recognized foreign qualifications list. Those are solutions. If there's a shortage, bring people in when needed. There are millions of people out there who would love to come to Canada, so why not let them? Keep our economy healthy and stocked with skilled people who can be more easily managed. Raising the retirement age keeps people in jobs two years longer, occupying positions that could go to new university or high school graduates entering the workforce.
2. The reduction in cross border duties. The Convservatives want to create jobs? How does this help create jobs? If anything, this move will reduce jobs in the retail and manufacturing sectors, as it allows people that live close to the American border to purchase more goods in America before they pay duties. The 24 hour limit on purchases increased by 400%! Why are we helping the American economy?
3. A $7.5 million Elections Canada funding cut. I view this with major suspicion and would like to know why an organization vital to the democratic process is having it's budget cut. So far I can't find a reason in the media. Let us not forget about Harper's stance on Democracy, visible last year when he tried to cut political party subsidies.
4. Foreign aid and international development is being cut by $377 million by 2015. Call this what it is: an abandonment of the Third World.
5. Reduction in the environmental review process for resource development projects. Combine this and the point above and it's easy to see how the Conservative government is systematically destroying the respectable international reputation that Canada enjoys. Canada currently is home to the largest envirnomental disaster zone in the world (oil sands), and the government wants to cut environmental review even more? Did we not look bad enough in the eyes of the world when we withdrew from the Kyoto Accord last year (I won't defend that treaty, I thought it was unproductive, but it's the principle of it)? It's clear our government will bend over backwards for oil companies, not for the people of the land they love.
1. The increase to the retirement age. I'd like to thank the Convservative government for forcing my family and I to now have to work for two more years to collect a pension. This is a blatant slap in the face of the people. It cannot be argued that this is addressing a manpower problem. Part of this budget allows people to work for five years longer than the minimum retirement age while deferring their pension. That's a solution! If people want to work longer, then legislate that employers cannot forcibly retire people until 70 years of age! There are two points to help foreign skilled immigration, those being refunding the $400 application fee for the skilled worker program, and adding job categories to the recognized foreign qualifications list. Those are solutions. If there's a shortage, bring people in when needed. There are millions of people out there who would love to come to Canada, so why not let them? Keep our economy healthy and stocked with skilled people who can be more easily managed. Raising the retirement age keeps people in jobs two years longer, occupying positions that could go to new university or high school graduates entering the workforce.
2. The reduction in cross border duties. The Convservatives want to create jobs? How does this help create jobs? If anything, this move will reduce jobs in the retail and manufacturing sectors, as it allows people that live close to the American border to purchase more goods in America before they pay duties. The 24 hour limit on purchases increased by 400%! Why are we helping the American economy?
3. A $7.5 million Elections Canada funding cut. I view this with major suspicion and would like to know why an organization vital to the democratic process is having it's budget cut. So far I can't find a reason in the media. Let us not forget about Harper's stance on Democracy, visible last year when he tried to cut political party subsidies.
4. Foreign aid and international development is being cut by $377 million by 2015. Call this what it is: an abandonment of the Third World.
5. Reduction in the environmental review process for resource development projects. Combine this and the point above and it's easy to see how the Conservative government is systematically destroying the respectable international reputation that Canada enjoys. Canada currently is home to the largest envirnomental disaster zone in the world (oil sands), and the government wants to cut environmental review even more? Did we not look bad enough in the eyes of the world when we withdrew from the Kyoto Accord last year (I won't defend that treaty, I thought it was unproductive, but it's the principle of it)? It's clear our government will bend over backwards for oil companies, not for the people of the land they love.
Here's a quote from a Jan.1st, 2012 news article on CanadianBusiness.com: "Profitable Canadian businesses are set to reap $2.85 billion in additional income tax savings in 2012". Am I missing something here? That's half of the $5.2 billion that Flaherty plans to cut in the budget! Elminate the 1.5% Federal rate cut to corporations and save half of the nineteen thousand government jobs that are on the chopping block! The article also addresses a quote from Harper, where he complains about all the private money "sitting on the sidelines". I have an idea, tax it and turn it into public money! Just take a look at the debt clock to the right and see how badly this needs to be done.
I do commend the education boost to First Nations, the reduction in the defense budget (and no provision for the F35 Joint Strike Fighter), and the sale of diplomatic properties overseas. I do not, however, think these steps make up for the failings that punctuate this budget.
I do commend the education boost to First Nations, the reduction in the defense budget (and no provision for the F35 Joint Strike Fighter), and the sale of diplomatic properties overseas. I do not, however, think these steps make up for the failings that punctuate this budget.
Some valid points, great job again Kyle, we differ in a few areas, but love the debate, you give me hope that there are people who actually care what is going on in the world instead of watching Kim K and Jersey Shore.
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