THE TORIES WAR ON CANADAS POOR

Rolf Auer
March 4, 2011
Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing
exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the ell!
housed, ell!armed, and ell!fed"
#$erman Melville, novelist and sailor, #1%1& ' 1%&1(, Poor Mans Pudding
and Rich Mans Crumbs, #1%)4((
Plus a change, plus c'est la mme chose.
(Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, critic, *ournalist, novelist, #1%0%!1%&0(+
translation, The more things change, the more they stay the
same. (1!"##
P$%&'T( )&*+,&)
-hat is poverty. Of his many boo/s about0or related to0poverty, Richard
-il/inson co!authored ith 1ate 2ic/et The Spirit Level: Why More Eual Societies
!lmost !l"ays #o $etter, #200&(" 3n it is this definition, p" 2)"
4he problems in rich countries are not caused by the society being rich
enough #or even by being too rich( but by the scale of material differences
beteen people ithin each society being too big" What matters is "here "e
stand in relation to others in our o"n society% #italics added(
2OOR!5A6$378 A79 :A7A9A;6 2OOR <A-6
At least as long as the poor have been ith us, as is suggested in the opening
=uotation of this essay, >poor!bashing? also has been around for a long time" 3n @ean
6anson;s boo/, Poor&bashing: The Politics o' E(clusion, #2001(, is this definition, p" A"
4his boo/ is about the ar of exclusion, pre*udice, and hate against the poor
in :anada" More and more anti!poverty groups have started to call this poor!
bashing" 2oor!bashing is one part of classism'discrimination against people
because they are thought to be in a loer social class"
Again, from @ean;s boo/, pp" A), A&,
4he Bnglish 2oor las of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries became the
inheritance of the men ho made policy about people ho are poor in hat is
no :anada" 4hese las, li/e those in Burope, gre out of the economic and
religious turmoil of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries mixed ith the
self!interest of the ruling elite" 5y 1)&% Bnglish parishes ere supposed to
provide almshouses for people ho ere old and sic/, or/houses or or/
materials for the able!bodied poor, houses of correction or *ail for the able!
bodied ho refused to or/, and apprenticeships for children of the poor" 5ut
often, as the parish tried to cut costs, all these people ere thron together in
poorhouses, >one of the most depressing institutions ever devised by man,?
according to 9ennis 8uestC"5y 1%A2 the number of poor people as ell as
the taxes that paid for their relief as soaring" 4he rich didn;t ant to pay the
taxes but they didn;t ant any big rebellions of the poor" 6o they set up a
Royal :ommission to report on the poor lasC"4he Royal :ommission
tac/led the problem from the perspective of the ell!off+ could a country
have a system of poor relief that didn;t give or/ers any extra bargaining
poer. 4he commissioners decided this as possible if the amount of relief
as loer than the loest ages and if able!bodied people ere forced to
or/ in a degrading poorhouse" 4hey abolished outdoor relief and built over
six hundred ne or/houses, rites 5en :arniol" 4he ne 2oor <as and
their prison!li/e or/houses embodied 2uritan beliefs about discipline, or/,
and poverty" 2iven and :loard =uote the 2oor <a :ommissioners as they
described the purpose of their ne or/houses in 1%A4,
3nto such a house none ill enter voluntarily+ or/, confinement,
and discipline, ill deter the indolent and vicious+ and nothing but
extreme necessity ill induce any to accept the comfort hich
must be obtained by the surrender of their free agency, and the
sacrifice of their accustomed habits and gratifications"
4his statement contains the stereotypes e still hear about people ho are
poor being laDy, even >vicious,? and prone to fraud" And it has the gall to
assert that the poorhouses >abundantly relieved? people in need, *ust as
today;s corporate thin/!tan/s claim that elfare is >generous"?
Again from @ean;s boo/, p" 40,
$y the late eighteenth century) relie' o''icials began to openly state an
important principle) "hich they had already been implementing: relie' should
never amount to more than "hat the lo"est&paid "or*er could earn+even i'
that "as not enough to support a healthy person% #my italics( 2iven and
:loard =uote the 1%A4 Bnglish poor la commissioners; announcement of
this principle, >4he first and most essential of all conditions, a principle
hich e find universally admitted, C is that Ethe relief recipient;sF situation
on the hole shall not be made really or apparently so eligible EdesirableF as
the situation of the independent labourer of the loest class"? 3n 5ritain this
as called >4he 2rinciple of <ess Bligibility"? 4he commissioners did not say,
>4he first and most essential of all conditions, a principle hich e find
universally admitted, is that the relief recipient should be given enough to
maintain a decent standard of living"? Gor nearly five centuries, governing
and business elites have realiDed that if this humanitarian principle too/
precedence over their desire for cheap labour, or/ers ould have more
poer to demand life!sustaining ages" The Principle o' Less Eligibility is
o'ten accompanied by another unstated rule: that the "ages o' the lo"est&
paid "or*ers) even "hen they are too lo" to provide a reasonable living
standard) cannot and should not be increased% Wor*ers must be 'orced to do
"ith less) and the unemployed "ith even less than that% Emy italicsF According
to 2iven and :loard, the Bnglish 2oor <as of the nineteenth century, li*e
the ne" Canadian poor la"s o' today Emy italicsF, >reinforced the coercive
structure of labour la and to some extent came to replace it"?
One can see that :anadian poor las are result from a long tradition of poor!
bashing meant to benefit business and the rich" Anybody ho has tried to survive on
abysmally lo elfare rates or on minimum age *obs /nos ho inade=uate these are"
3t is ithin the federal government;s ability to change the las fixing the rates, but they
do nothing" -e shall see hy later in this essay" $ence, the second opening =uotation in
this essay"
-$A4 :A7A93A76 4$371 OG 4$B 2OOR
On March 1, 2011, in The ,ancouver Sun as this article, >Many :anadians feel
poor responsible for their on condition, survey finds,? by 6hannon 2roudfoot" 3n it ere
some surprising observations" >7early one!=uarter of :anadians #2A per cent( say poor
people are in that position because they;re laDy, hile 2% per cent say the poor have
Hloer moral values";? #3nteresting coincidence, Only 22"22 per cent of all eligible voters
in :anada voted for the 4ories in the last #200%( federal election" 6ource,
http,IIdonaldstreet"ordpress"comI200%I10I1)( >;3t;s not a case of people being laDy,;
says EAndre 5urditt, spo/esman for the 6alvation Army in :anadaF, H3t;s a case of not
enough income, lac/ of access to the training re=uired to get a ne *ob, lac/ of affordable
housing";? <ater in the same article, >AJ per cent agree that people living in poverty in
:anada Hstill have it pretty good";?
-hy ha.e /ana0ians1 attitu0es to2ar0 the poor remaine0 the
same 0uring the past 0eca0e3 -hy are some /ana0ians still poor-
4ashing3 +s it something to 0o 2ith the attitu0e o5 the 5e0eral
go.ernment to2ar0 the poor3 The 5e0eral go.ernment starte0 the
race-to-the-4ottom 5or the poor 2ith the elimination o5 the /ana0a
Assistance Plan Act in 1""6. The Act 2as essentially a Bill o5 'ights 5or
the poor. 'ecall 5rom the 4eginning o5 this essay the 0e7nition that
ine8uality is the 4asis o5 po.erty. 9ere1s an e:ample 5rom The Spirit
Level, p. 1;< =Typically, the poorest hal5 o5 the population get
something li>e ?@ or ?A per cent o5 all incomes an0 the richest hal5 get
;A or @ per cent.B 9ere1s a 8uotation 5rom one o5 the /ana0ian /entre
5or Policy Alternati.es (//PA# pu4lications, The Monitor, *e4ruary ?@1@.
*rom an article 4y &0 Broa04ent title0, =Ctop 4ac>sli0ing, put /ana0a
4ac> on the roa0 to e8uality,B p. ?A<
The present 5e0eral go.ernment has simply continue0 its
pre0ecessors1 onslaught on e8uality. As a conse8uence o5 the
continuing un0er5un0ing o5 social spen0ing an0 irresponsi4le
an0 un5air ta: cuts, it came as no surprise 2hen 2e 2ere
criticiDe0 4y the Enite0 ,ations 5or 5ailing to li.e up to our
o4ligations un0er the /o.enant on &conomic, Cocial an0
/ultural 'ights. This 2as 5ollo2e0 4y an $&/) F$rganiDation
5or &conomic /ooperation an0 )e.elopmentG report sho2ing
that the le.el o5 ine8uality in /ana0a is no2 among the 2orst
in the $&/).
)oes the poor-4ashing ha.e something to 0o 2ith /ana0a 4eing
in an economic 4oom 5or a4out a 0eca0e3 *rom an $cto4er A, ?@@"
//PA report (source< //PA 2e4site# title0, =Po.erty< 9o2 0o 2e
measure up3 %ery poorly,B 4y Ceth Klein< =FTGhe po.erty rateHremains
e:tremely high gi.en that ?@@; represents the pea> o5 the 4usiness
cycle a5ter more than a 0eca0e o5 economic gro2th.B An $&/) report
sho2s that po.erty an0 ine8uality ha.e 4een increasing in /ana0a 5or
the past 0eca0e. (http<II222.oec0.orgI0ataoec0I!!I!I!1A?A?"?.p05#
+s this the reason 5or people1s unchanging attitu0es to2ar0 the poor<
That the circumstances o5 the poor appear to 4e the same or 2orse
0espite a perio0 o5 sustaine0 economic gro2th3 )o people e.en
percei.e the lin>s 4et2een go.ernment policies an0 the plight o5 the
poor3 -hy 2oul0 J; per cent o5 those sur.eye0 say that people li.ing
in po.erty ha.e it pretty goo0, 2hen the ?@@; po.erty rate 2as
appro:imately 1@ per cent o5 /ana0ians3 (Klein# The point o5 this
0iscussion is there are still a lot o5 misconceptions a4out po.erty in
/ana0a.
-9( )$&C,1T T9& *&)&'AK L$%&',M&,T '&C$K%& P$%&'T(3
=-hy 2on1t go.ernments re0uce po.erty 2hen they >no2 it >ills
people3B 2as the title o5 a ,o.em4er ?J, ?@@" Vancouver Sun
/ommunity o5 +nterest 4log entry 4y Jean C2anson. Come e:cerpts<
T2o 0ays a5ter + rea0 a4out po.erty re0ucing li5e e:pectancy,
+ rea0 that the Thompson 5amily, 2hich controls a num4er o5
/ana0ian me0ia giants, has amasse0 a4out N?? 4illion in
2ealth. -hile the rest o5 us are losing our Oo4s an0 ta>ing pay
cuts, 2hile ser.ices that lo2 income people nee0 are 4eing
2ipe0 out 4ecause o5 the recession, the Thompson 5amily1s
2ealth gre2 4y 1"P. -hy 0o our go.ernments create la2s
an0 policies that allo2 this to happen 2hen people are
suQering an0 0ying 4ecause o5 it3....-hat i5 our ta: la2s
allo2e0 the Thompson 5amily to >eep N? 4illion o5 their
2ealth (enough to pro.i0e N!@ million each to A@ 5amily
mem4ers#, 4ut too> the remaining N?@ 4illion to 4uil0
1@@,@@@ housing units on city o2ne0 lan0 across the country3
-e coul0 en0 homelessness in /ana0a, an0 the Thompsons
2oul0 still ha.e enough le5t so they 2oul0n1t ha.e to 2or> 5or
the rest o5 their li.esH.Lo.ernments say they ha.e no money
4ut they ha.e ta:ing po2er. -hy is it so important to >eep
ta:es lo2 5or the .ery rich 2hen it means the poor 0ie
sooner3
The 5ollo2ing t2o ans2ers are not meant to rationaliDe or Ousti5y
the go.ernment1s actions. They are only meant as possi4le
e:planations 5or their re5usal to act.
(1# *rom the May ?@@" Monitor, p. ?6, =$nly 4usiness lea0ers
chosen 5or &conomic A0.isory /ouncilB 4y -illiam K. /arroll<
$n )ec. 1, ?@@, 5e0eral *inance Minister Jim *laherty
announce0 the mem4ers o5 his ne2ly-appointe0 &conomic
A0.isory /ouncil (&A/#. The /ouncil1s man0ate is to help
5ormulate creati.e responses to the economic crisis that has
4een 0eepening in /ana0a an0 glo4ally since last 5allH.True
to their neoli4eral colors, ho2e.er, FPrime MinisterG Ctephen
9arper an0 Jim *laherty create0 an &A/ that represents
corporate capital, an0 corporate capital alone. 'ather than
choose a0.isors on the 4asis o5 pro5essional e:pertise or 2ith
an eye to2ar0 representing 0i.erse interests an0
perspecti.es, 9arper an0 *laherty seem to ha.e 4een gui0e0
4y a# the amount o5 pri.ate 2ealth one controls, an0 4# the
e:tent o5 one1s reach into the corporate
communityH.Cociologists 2ho stu0y a0.ance0 capitalism1s
class structure point out that the capitalist class R those 2ho
control 4usiness enterprises either through o2nership or
through occupancy o5 top management positions R
constitutes a tiny 5raction o5 societyH.The &A/, ho2e.er, is
hea.ily 5reighte0 2ith capitalists o5 the corporate >in0< those
2ho o2n an0Ior manage the largest 4usiness enterprises in
/ana0a. +n0ee0, nine o5 the 11 mem4ers are capitalists, an0
7.e o5 them represent some o5 the largest pri.ate 5ortunes in
the countryH./onsi0erHthe participation o5 /ouncil mem4ers
in Slite policy planning groupsH.+n /ana0a, the /ana0ian
/ouncil o5 /hie5 &:ecuti.es (///&# is the most
importantH.-ell 5un0e0 through many o5 the largest 7rms in
the country, the ///& maintains 2hat are eQecti.ely sha0o2
ministries o5 the 5e0eral go.ernment, each tas>e0 2ith
proacti.ely 5ormulating optimal policy positions 5rom a
corporate stan0point, across the entire spectrum o5 5e0eral
politics.
The point o5 this is to sho2 ho2 totally 4ehol0en the 5e0eral
go.ernment is to corporate (an0 there5ore 4usiness# interests. -hy
2oul0 they 4e intereste0 in the least 2hat happens to the poor3
9o2e.er, 5rom The Spirit Level, p. 1"1<
Co 2hile changes in go.ernment i0eology may sometimes 4e
among the causes o5 change in income 0istri4ution, this is not
part o5 a pac>age o5 policies inten0e0 to increase the
pre.alence o5 social pro4lems. Their increase is, instea0, an
uninten0e0 conse8uence o5 the changes in income
0istri4ution. 'ather than challenging the causal role o5
ine8uality in increasing health an0 social pro4lems, i5
go.ernments un0erstoo0 the conse8uences o5 2i0ening
income 0iQerences they 2oul0 4e >eener to pre.ent them.
*rom the May ?@@" issue o5 the Monitor, =+ncome ine8uality not
sustaina4le economically 5or any o5 us,B 4y Armine (alniDyan, p. 1;<
-hen pu4lic policy 5ails to 4alance the nee0s o5 the po2erless
against the appetite o5 the po2er5ul, the promise o5
0emocracy is sha>en. FCan0y /ameron< >B=uality is a /eystone of
democracy" -ithout e=uality, there can be no democracy"?+ see >3ne=uality,
9emocracy, and :lass arfare? by Rolf AuerF 4he ideal of a government of
the people, by the people, for the people starts to loo/ li/e government of the
Slite, 4y the Slite, 5or the Slite. Cuch a system may last 5or a
time, 4ut its 0ays are num4ere0.
(?# As 9arper an0 his Tories 2ere i0enti7e0 4y -illiam /arroll as
neoli4erals, this mar>s them as 5ree-mar>et i0eologues. +n )a.i0
Korten1s When Corporations Rule The World, 1""6, pp. ;@-1, 5ree-
mar>et i0eology stan0s out 5or its sancti7cation o5 gree0. Cpeci7cally<
People are 4y nature moti.ate0 primarily 4y gree0.
The 0ri.e to ac8uire is the highest e:pression o5 2hat it
means to 4e human.
The relentless pursuit o5 gree0 an0 ac8uisition lea0s to
socially optimal outcomes.
+t is in the 4est interest o5 human societies to
encourage, honor, an0 re2ar0 the a4o.e .alues.
As 5ree-mar>et i0eologues, the Tories also sancti5y transnational
corporations. *rom The Spirit Level, p. ?!!<
,umerous corporations are no2 4igger than many nation
statesH. F&Gstimates suggest that hal5 o5 the 2orl01s largest
economies are multinationals, an0 that Leneral Motors is
4igger than )enmar>, that )aimler/hrysler is 4igger than
Polan0T 'oyal )utchIChell 4igger than %eneDuela, an0 Cony
4igger than Pa>istan. Ki>e the aristocratic o2nership o5 huge
tracts o5 lan0, 2hich in 1;"1 Tom Paine attac>e0 in his The
Rights of Man, these pro0ucti.e assets remain eQecti.ely in
the han0s o5 a .ery 5e2, .ery rich people, an0 ma>e our
claims to real 0emocracy loo> pretty thin.
+t is not 0iUcult to imagine that some o5 these corporations e:ert
un0ue inVuence on go.ernments, especially -estern capitalist
0emocracies espouse0 to 5ree-mar>et i0eology, li>e /ana0a. Again,
2hy 2oul0 such go.ernments care 2hat happens to the poor3 These
go.ernments 2oul0 4e mostlyWi5 not totallyWcommitte0 to 0esigning
policies meant to 5urther the interests o5 the corporations. As 2ill 4e
sho2n later, these ten0 to hurt the pu4lic an0 the poor.
There1s still another point to 4e ma0e a4out corporations. +n one
o5 Joel Ba>an1s 4oo>s, The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of
Proft and Power, (?@@!#, p. 16, 4y the en0 o5 the nineteenth century,
corporations ha0 4ecome persons 4e5ore the la2. Ba>an later as>s
2hat >in0 person is the corporation, p. A;. A5ter consulting a 2orl0-
reno2ne0 e:pert on psychopathy, the ans2er came 4ac>< a
psychopath. An entityWa personW2ith no regar0 5or the 2ell 4eing o5
other people. /oul0 this e:plain the type o5 inVuence e:erte0 on
go.ernments3 $nce again, note the long-term unsustaina4ility.
These t2o ans2ers seem pretty grim. But there1s hope,
accor0ing to The Spirit Level, p. ?6J<
+t is impossi4le 5or go.ernments not to inVuence income
0iQerences. ,ot only are they the largest employer in most
countries, 4ut almost e.ery area o5 economic an0 social
policy aQects income 0istri4ution. Ta: an0 4ene7t policies are
the most o4.ious 2ay. $ther inVuential areas o5 policy inclu0e
minimum 2age legislation, e0ucation policies, the
management o5 the national economy, 2hether
unemployment is >ept to lo2 le.els, 2hether 0iQerent rates o5
%AT F%alue A00e0 Ta:G an0 sales ta: are applie0 to necessities
an0 lu:uries, pro.ision o5 pu4lic ser.ices, pension policies,
inheritance ta:es, negati.e income ta:, 4asic income policies,
chil0 support, progressi.e consumption ta:es, in0ustrial
policy, retraining schemes, an0 many more.
9A'P&'< =+ )$,1T B&K+&%& T9AT A,( TAX&C A'& L$$) TAX&C.B
+n =The Best an0 -orst o5 /ana0ian Ta:es,B a 4log entry in the
Vancouver Sun1s /ommunity o5 +nterest 4y *aDil Mihlar on July 1A,
?@@", he 8uotes 9arper1s remar> a4out ta:es at a recently conclu0e0
L- summit meeting< =(ou >no2 there are t2o schools in economics on
this. $ne is there are some goo0 ta:es an0 the other is that no ta:es
are goo0 ta:es. + am in the latter category. + 0on1t 4elie.e that any
ta:es are goo0 ta:es.B
+n the June ?@@" Monitor article, =+nOustice 4uilt into our ta:
system hurts poor the most,B p. 1, 4y John McMurtry<
*ormer E.C. Cupreme /ourt Justice $li.er -en0ell 9olmes
once 5amously 0eclare0< =+ 0on1t min0 paying ta:es. They 4uy
me ci.iliDation.B + completely agree. But in the last ? years,
ta: policies ha.e 4een e.er more 4iase0 in 5a.our o5 po2er5ul
special interests 2hich 0ominate our society an0 0ispossess
the poor< the unearne0 income o5 the rich, ta:-e.a0ing
corporations 2ith teams o5 ta: la2yers, an0 high-on-the-hog
4usiness e:penses. +n0ee0, the /ana0ian ta: system might
no2 4e calle0 a war of the rich against the poor (italics
a00e0#
+n the Vancouver Sun /ommunity o5 +nterest 4log entry,
=9arper1s %ision Thing,B *e4ruary 1@, ?@1@, 4y 'o4 'oach<
There is at least one maOor e:ception to this< the LCT cut.
9arper an0 e.ery economist 2orth their salt >no2s that
cutting a consumption ta: is not as goo0 in economic terms
as cutting income or corporate ta:es. But, as policy guru Paul
-ells has notice0, 9arper1s goal 2as not goo0 economics 4ut
goo0 conser.ati.e politics. =9arper1s LCT cuts 2ere 0esigne0
to 0epri.e 5uture go.ernments o5 an income sourceB
(MacLean!s, May ?6, ?@@# The t2o percentage points sha.e0
oQ the LCT mean that e.ery time someone pays 5or
something, t2o cents less goes to $tta2a to 5un0 more
am4itious go.ernment programs.
+n the Monitor article 4y Armine (alniDyan, p. 1;<
+5 po.erty re0uction is truly a policy priority, it re8uires a
pause 5rom the single-min0e0 pursuit o5 lo2ering ta:es to
stimulate economic gro2th R the cree0 o5 pu4lic policy that
has 4rought 5e0eral spen0ing an0 re.enues to le.els o5 the
late 1"A@s an0 early 1"6@s. Arthur )onner an0 )oug Peters,
4usiness economists 2ith long pe0igrees in the in.estment
an0 4an>ing 2orl0s, suggest the >nee-Oer> ans2ers to our
pro4lems, the same ones that ha.e 4een on oQer 5or the past
5e2 0eca0es W ta: cuts an0 smaller go.ernment W are no2
part o5 the pro4lem, not the solution.
-9AT C+Y& $* L$%&',M&,T3
+n the Vancouver Sun /ommunity o5 +nterest 4log entry,
=Lo.ernments nee0 to 0o more 2ith less,B August A, ?@@", 4y Philip
9ochstein< =Lo.ernments must try to re-engineer their processes to
achie.e 4etter results 2ith less. That1s 2hat 4usinesses are 0oing no2.
-hy isn1t go.ernment3B
+n 'o4 'oach1s article< =9arper1s i0eological 4ent is conser.ati.e.
/onser.ati.es are suspicious o5 4ig go.ernment proOects on the
groun0s that they gro2 the state at the e:pense o5 personal 5ree0om
an0 ten0 to ha.e all sorts o5 negati.e uninten0e0 conse8uences.B
+n the Monitor article, ='ight-2ingers re.ile Z4ig1 go.ernment as
Zcreeping socialism,B $cto4er ?@@", 4y &llen 'ussell, p. 1@<
+n their 4ac>lash against the 2el5are state, right-2ingers
re.ile0 go.ernment as a stulti5ying 5orce that smothere0 goo0
ol0 capitalist ingenuity 2ith ta:es, regulations, an0 social
programs. )o2nsiDing go.ernment 4ecame a neoli4eral
mantra. Thus a perniciously con.enient e8uation 2as
promote0< that 4ig go.ernment e8uals socialism, 2hile small
go.ernment e8uals capitalismH.Cince 9arper has 4een a4le
to spen0 money that is supporti.e o5 his allies, his right-2ing
cre0entials remain intact. But any go.ernment that 0ares to
spen0 money that really helps those 2ho are suQering has
=crosse0 the line.B
*rom The Spirit Level, p. 1;;<
FLGreater e8uality can 4e gaine0 either 4y using ta:es an0
4ene7ts to re0istri4ute .ery une8ual incomes or 4y greater
e8uality in gross incomes 4e5ore ta:es an0 4ene7ts, 2hich
lea.es less nee0 5or re0istri4ution. Co 4ig go.ernment may
not al2ays 4e necessary to gain the a0.antages o5 a more
e8ual society.
-9+T9&' TAX /ETC3
+n the Monitor article 4y John McMurtry, p. 1<
)emocracy, uni.ersal social programs, an0 the pu4lic
economy, along 2ith support 5or those in po.erty, ha.e 4een
largely era0icate0. (et corporate me0ia an0 4usiness-le0
parties still 5a.our e.en lo2er ta:es 5rom 2hich most 4ene7ts
go to the rich, more use o5 arme0 5orce in poor countries li>e
A5ghanistan 2hich ha.e 0esire0 oil-access an0 mineral
resources, an0 o5 course =getting tough on crimeB W that is,
Oailing the poor, most o5 2hom ha.e committe0 no crimes
against persons. The ultimate goal is to turn money into more
money 5or those 2ith the most money, 2ith no limit an0 no
re8uirement o5 pro0ucti.e contri4ution. ,othing that comes
out o5 the *raser an0 /.). 9o2e +nstitutes, the F,ationalG
/itiDens1 /oalition, an0 the 9arper 'e5orm-Tories proposes to
change the pattern, e:cept to ma>e it more e:treme. An0
4ecause this ruling money co0e is li5e-4lin0 in principle, its
cumulati.e eQect o.er time is to hollo2 out most people1s
li.es an0 incomes, as 2ell as ecological support systems W
all a"ecting the poor #ost of all (italics a00e0#
+n the Monitor article, =Political assault on social rights is
2orsening ine8uality,B May ?@@", 4y &0 Broa04ent, p. <
9ere in /ana0a, to no one1s surprise, the 9arper go.ernment
simply continue0 the Ki4eral go.ernment1s economic policy o5
5a.ouring regressi.e ta: cuts o.er social spen0ing. /ana0a1s
top 1@@ /&$s, 2hose annual income a.erage0 N1@ million in
?@@; (up ?@P# nee0 not 2orry a4out 5e0eral ta:es.
The theory 4ehin0 5a.ouring ta: cuts to the rich an0 to 4usiness
is that it is suppose0 to promote economic gro2th, 2hich 2ill 4ene7t
the poor suppose0ly 2ith more Oo4s, etc. *rom )a.i0 Korten, p. !<
Those 2ho call 5or e:pan0ing the economic pie as the ans2er
to po.erty o.erloo> an important reality. -hether or not a
person has access to the resources re8uire0 5or sur.i.al
0epen0s less on a4solute income than on relati.e income. +n
a 5ree-mar>et economy, each in0i.i0ual is in competition 5or
access to the limite0 en.ironmental space, an0 the person
2ith the most money in.aria4ly 2insH.-ithout concurrent
re0istri4ution, an e:pan0ing pie 4rings 5ar greater 4ene7ts to
the alrea0y 2ealthy than to the poor, increases the a4solute
gap 4et2een rich an0 poor, an0 5urther increases the po2er
a0.antage o5 the 5ormer o.er the latter. This a0.antage
4ecomes a li5e-an0-0eath issue in a resource-scarce 2orl0 in
2hich the rich an0 poor are loc>e0 in mortal competition 5or a
0epleting resource 4ase. +5 the prophets o5 illusion 2ho
promote gro2th as the ans2er to po.erty are really
concerne0 2ith the plight o5 the poor, let them a0.ocate
measures that 0eal 0irectly 2ith increasing the a4ility o5 the
poor to meet their 4asic nee0sWnot ta: 4rea>s 5or the rich.
P$$' -$M&, -$'CT $**
*rom the Monitor, =-omen1s rights an0 Oo4s once again coming
un0er attac>,B Ceptem4er ?@1@, 4y Pat Armstrong, p. ?!<
As Kathleen Kahey puts it, the ?@@" 5e0eral Bu0get =seems to
ha.e 4een care5ully cra5te0 to e:clu0e 2omen 5rom as much
o5 the N6! 4illion in ne2 0e5ecit-7nance0 spen0ing an0 ta:
cuts as possi4le,B 2ith no money 5or things that 2oul0
support 2omen, such as chil0 care. Allocate0 only a hal5
million 0ollars, in5rastructure 5or 2omen1s shelters recei.e0 a
thir0 o5 2hat animal shelters recei.e0. There is also no money
5or programs an0 ser.ices in the 4uil0ings a5ter the
construction is complete.
*rom The Walrus, $cto4er ?@1@, =Pee>a4oo,B 4y Cyl.ia
Bashe.>in, p. 1"<
+n ?@@6, the /onser.ati.es choppe0 NA million 5rom the N?J-
million 4u0get 5or Ctatus o5 -omen /ana0a, e:plaining their
0ecision 2ith tal> o5 7scal responsi4ility an0 =eUciency
sa.ings,B as 2ell as through the apparently soun0 argument
that the unit1s mission ha0 4een accomplishe0. To 8uote
Ctatus o5 -omen Minister Be. $0a, /ana0a1s ne2
go.ernment =5un0amentally 4elie.eF0G that 2omen are
e8ual.B +n reality, the 9arperites hit har0 at research an0
a0.ocacy groups man0ate0 to unco.er an0 act against
ine8uality. The same year, the /onser.ati.es shut 0o2n a
nascent national chil0 care program initiate0 4y Paul Martin1s
Ki4eral go.ernment, intro0ucing instea0 a N1,?@@ annual ta:
allo2ance paya4le to parents 5or each preschool chil0.
Although the mo.e 2as presente0 as a cost-cutting measure,
it rein5orce0 tra0itional 5amily .alues 4y re2ar0ing one earner
couples at the e:pense o5 mothers 2ho 2or> outsi0e the
home.
*rom the Monitor, =/ana0ian 2omen on their o2n are the poorest
o5 the poor,B $cto4er ?@@", 4y Monica To2nson, p. 1;<
The roots o5 2omen1s po.erty can 4e 5oun0 in the 2ay they
are treate0 2hen they are in pai0 employment, an0 the
situation in 2hich they 7n0 themsel.es i5 they are not.
-omen 2ho 2or> 5ull-time year-roun0 earn only ;1P o5 the
a.erage earnings o5 men 2or>ing 5ull-time. -age gaps
4et2een 2omen an0 men are e.en higher 2hen hourly 2age
rates are compare0. Most 2omen 0on1t ha.e pension plans at
2or>, nor 0o most men, 4ut 2omen1s lo2 2aages ma>e it
almost impossi4le 5or them to sa.e 5or retirement.
)o you still 4elie.e Be. $0a1s statement that 2omen are e8ual
no23 )i0 you e.er 4elie.e it3
+n the 5ollo2ing article 4y Murray )o44in, he 2rote, =,o other
part o5 society has suQere0 5rom 9arper1s contempt 5or 0emocracy an0
his 0etermination to turn 4ac> the cloc> as ha.e 2omen.B
JECT T9& *A/TC
Come a00itional interesting 5acts< =9arper1s hitlist< 9uman rights
ta>en out o5 commission,B 4y Murray )o44in, http<IIra44le.ca, April 1!,
?@1@Wa4out the Tories eliminating the /ourt /hallenges Program in
their 7rst year in po2er (?@@6#. The //P 5un0e0 marginaliDe0
in0i.i0uals1 (5or e:ample, the poor# an0 groups1 (5or e:ample, *irst
,ations 2omen1s a0.ocacy groups# access to Oustice. +t 2as pro4a4ly
9arper 2ho 0eci0e0 Oustice-4ase0 human rights 2ere no longer
necessary. This is 2hat he sai0 a4out human rights on January 11,
1""" 2hile running the ,ational /itiDens /oalition< =9uman rights
commissions, as they are e.ol.ing, are an attac> on our 5un0amental
5ree0oms an0 the 4asic e:istence o5 a 0emocratic societyH +t is in 5act
totalitarianism. + 7n0 this .ery scary stuQ.B 9arper calling human rights
commissions totalitarian3 ,o2 that!s scary[
=Tories see> to rene2 anti-terrorism po2ers,B 4y /olin *reeDe,
The $lo%e and Mail, April ?!, ?@1@Wa4out the Tories trying to enact
"I11 la2 allo2ing police to arrest 2ithout charge. +t sort o5 Ou:taposes
nicely 2ith all those ne2 e:pensi.e prisons they1re trying to 4uil0,
0oesn1t it3 =9ey you, are you poor3B =,o, +1m rich, +1m rich[B =-ell, you
loo> poor to me. (ou1re un0er arrest.B
'emem4er the Parliamentary 7ght o.er the 4lac>e0-out A5ghan
0etainee 0ocuments3 =The go.ernment seems to 4e in.iting
suspicion,B The $lo%e and Mail, April ?J, ?@1@W7rst line< =The 5e0eral
go.ernment1s secreti.e 4eha.iour an0 0ismissi.e treatment o5 the
Military Police /omplaints /ommission spea>s to secrets it 2ishes to
>eep.B That1s not the 7rst time the 9arper go.ernment has 4een calle0
=secreti.e.B
*rom )a.i0 Korten, p. !1<
FTGo pro.i0e people 2ith a goo0 0iet, shelter, clothing, clean
2ater, health care, 4asic transport, e0ucation, an0 other
essentials o5 goo0 li.ing, H is 2ithin the means o5 most
countries to 0o so an0 thus alle.iate human 0epri.ation
2ithin their e:isting le.els o5 pro0ucti.e output. +n many
instances it 2oul0 re8uire little more than reallocating the
resources no2 0e.ote0 to military purposes.
That implies that the multi-4illion 0ollars the Tories 2ant to spen0
on ne2 7ghter OetsWi5 reallocate0W2oul0 go some 2ay to2ar0
alle.iating po.erty in /ana0a, 4y, 5or e:ample, instituting a national
social housing program, thus sol.ing homelessness.
/$,/KEC+$,
*rom many sources, it is possi4le to state that the greater the
ine8uality in a society, the greater the po.erty one 2ill 7n0 in it. -e
also >no2 that po.erty >ills. *rom Jean C2anson1s article, =Po.erty is
responsi4le 5or more lost years o5 healthy li.ing in /ana0a than
cancerH.This translates into o.er 11 5e2er years o5 healthy li.ing 5or
men in the poorest income group an0 almost 1@ 5e2er years 5or
2omen.B
/ana0ians aren1t an in0iQerent people. The report mentione0 at
the start o5 this essay a4out /ana0ians1 attitu0es to2ar0 the poor
states " per cent o5 those sur.eye0 agree0 that people in po.erty
0eser.e a helping han0.
&0 Broa04ent, li>e 'ichar0 -il>inson (an0 Kate Pic>ett#, an0
many others 4elie.e ine8uality 0oesn1t Oust aQect the people 2ho
suQer 5rom it, 4ut that it aQects an entire society, no matter 2hat one1s
social stan0ing is. *rom his *e4ruary ?@1@ Monitor article, p. ?6<
Ko2 2ages, lo2 social 4ene7ts, lo2 spen0ing on health care
an0 e0ucation are not only ethically un5air 5or the poor 2hose
mar>et-4ase0 incomes are the lo2est an0 2hose human
potential to Vourish they 0eny. But, 4ecause such policies
maintain or increase ine8uality an0 e:acer4ate social
tensions an0 an:iety in general, the& are also %ad for
ever&one else +n contrast, more e8uality 4ene7ts all classes<
lo2er, mi00le an0 upper.
+t1s past time to re.erse the tren0 o5 0eepening po.erty in
/ana0a. +t1s past time that social Oustice in /ana0a 2as restore0. +t1s
past time that 2e ha0 a 0iQerent go.ernment in po2er.