The Conservative Budget - Good For Aboriginal People ?
Here's a link for a full report on the budget ;
And some highlights :
New child tax credit worth $310 per child for most families.
Working Income Tax Benefit of up to $1,000 a year for low-income families, or $500 for individuals, to help get them off welfare.
$1.5 billion for projects to cut air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Rebate of up to $2,000 for buying fuel-efficient vehicles;
Green levy penalizing auto manufacturers up to $4,000 on inefficient vehicles.
Billions in extra funding to the provinces (through equalization and other programs) for health, infrastructure, post-secondary education and other items to address the so-called fiscal imbalance.
Government spending projected to increase by $10 billion to $233 billion in 2007-2008, with program costs jumping by 5.7 per cent.
Total revenue projected at $236.7 billion in 2007-2008, leaving a surplus of $3.3 billion with $3 billion of that going to debt reduction.
Economic growth forecast to be 2.3 per cent in 2007 and 2.9 per cent in 2008.
If we go along with many of the stats on Aboriginals in the workforce, we can assume that thousands of lower to middle class workers, will see the benefits of the Conservative budget where it matters the most...on the dinner table, or money for new furniture, clothes etc. My family, with three under the age of eighteen, could expect close to $1,000 actual dollars. When else do you see your local reps doing that much for you ?? Give me the fifteen hundred rather than the Manitoba Metis Federation or any other Ab rep, where they would take the government cash to form committees, charge for delivery of services and then at the end of the day, we would get maybe a C note worth of service benefits.
Three cheers today, for the working people and the Conservative party !!
If the upcoming plan for the environment is a winner, the Conservatives can certainly count on a majority next go 'round.
posted by Derryl at
10:29 AM
14 Comments:
I beg to differ with your assessment that the recent federal budget will benefit the lower and middle classes. Actually the budget benefits the lower and upper classes with the middle class footing the bill, as usual. 'Nuff said.
Good post. I like your blog. I watched young Slick over and over again. Also spent way too much time at your webcam roll. At least for today Beaver Harbour NB is the prettiest place in Canada
They will give it to you in one hand & take it from the other. The old shell game, you think you got it figured out until tax time.
Ernie's very perceptive!
If I may be allowed a sports analogy. The right wing finally learns how to deke in a hockey game. There's been this thing going on in Canadian politics the past couple decades where right wing parties always get squashed against the boards to the right by the so called left and centrist parties using right wing policies. Spazzes! They've finally deked left! Maybe it was an accidental stumble?
Maybe now there'll be a scramble to the left to regain the mantle.
I like what you said about just distribute aborignal funding directly to the people Derryl. Its kind of strange with the break to the right over the past 20 years that Soviet style, top down, delivery of services is still being used for aboriginals while the rest society uses free market delivery of services. Just turn INAC into a small agency for printing and mailing out checks to individuals. When I did a rough calculation of this before the census revealed our numbers were a little lower, it worked out to about $40,000 a year for a family of four. A mere 20 years of this would likely give abos and their communities the "hand-up" needed to match the average standard of living and straighten out all the crap on reserves and in orgs like MNS and MMF. Our leadership would have to come to US, hat in hand, to ask for their funding. Like I said though, its still U.S.S.R circa 1970 for abos.
As well, there's a whole lot of non-aboriginal mouths in the abo-funding gravy-train, all the way from engineers and lawyers at INAC to welfare workers and most key positions in non-profit corporations delivering services to abos. Anytime an abo or group of abos tries to start an NPC run by abos to maybe help out some of their people, all those well intentioned non-aboriginal folk at other NPCs who care ever so much about our cause suddenly change character dramatically when they think they're gravy train might be threatened. You get "duplication of services" thrown in your face or insinuation of inability or incompetence from those people who claim to helping us, claim to care! We aren't as capable of helping ourselves as well as they are! I know! I've tried!
Sure Charlie all the abos can form a line on the left to pick up their cheques no questions asked!
Hi Glenda, Ernie and Charlie...wow, nice to have some names.
Glenda, yes Slick is great he performs a lot around town so hopefully I get some more clips, Ernie, a family does get some relief this budget, the Conservatives even free up some cash for stay at home mos/dads. thats our taxpayer bucks going to the "people". Anything is better than nothing
Charlie, I read this morning the budget is 10 billion dollars for Aboriginal programs and services. The people in charge keep asking for more money and that's fine, but what the heck is the exisiting dollars going towards ? The leaders keep saying "we re poverty stricken, our people are hurting, etc. Then why are some leaders salaries that are more than a city mayor, or a premier of a province. I would hedge a bet that here in Manitoba no more than 5,000 people will be involved with the MMFs services this year(not counting cultural events)...and I'm being very generous with the numbers...The funding dollars total 25-27 million a year for the MMF from the Feds and the province. The President of the MMF is rumored to be making six-figures a year. Is that right ? It's all about leader accountability, transparency.
to anonymous ; its not a matter of giving cash directly into the hands of people, pointing out the that money can be better utilized is what I'm saying. Canadian taxpayers demand accountability from the leaders, So should we.
David Chartrand's salary is over $104,000 yearly and that doesn't include all those perks!
Since taxpayers cover David Chartrand's salary why isn't it publicly disclosed? You can find out how much Stephen Harper earns. You want to talk accountability Derryl there's one for you.
Was anything mentioned in the budget about the surplus they have in the EI fund 44 BILLION$$$$.
I heard that they want to make some more cuts to the program.
Just a quick reply to anonymous here.
Yeah, just the same way all those immigrants off the boat lined up for free hand outs of aboriginal lands and resources stolen in the great homicidal "stick em up redskins" robbery that this country was founded in!
Hey Charlie B, be thankful it wasn't a genocidal people such as the Huns that came to invade Canada! That was a long time ago and there is more than enough land in Canada for all peoples. At leeast your treaties are still standing. As for the farmers, the crow rate was supposed to be "forever" too!! I too think that the overburden of administration in all of Indian Affairs is huge and needs to be revamped. Accountabilty should be a priority for both aborigonal AND non-aborigonal citizens of Canada!
Hey Charlie,
I'm one of those CANADIAN third generation honky, gringo, abos who took your land.
Derryl, why do you keep posting this guy? And he wants to host a Saskatchewan Metis webpage? Charlie would be better off running for President, Manitoba Metis Federation.
Big Chief Bleeding Ears
(Saskatoon)
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