Flemming Holm's Blog

Finance Minister Flaherty has promised us tax cuts. The recent surplus, and projections for the future, make such a promise possible. And many people and corporations are happy. But we would prefer to see more compassionate and progressive use of the available funds.

We want the federal share of health care costs restored to former levels to make it possible to reduce waiting lists and provide everyone with a family doctor. We want to see equality in health care guaranteed – one system for all, no two tier system and no privatization. We want to see universal pharmacare, initially at least for preschoolers. As one newspaper columnist has said, our national health care plan is not broken; it is broke.

We want more emphasis on restorative justice and the prevention of crime.

We want to hear our political leaders inspiring and challenging a fairer distribution of income – there is no reason why any family should receive more than five times the income of any other family, particularly when there is so much poverty in Canada and throughout the world.

There is a growing poverty gap within our country and among the nations. We want to see it narrowed. And we want to see the stigma of poverty removed through the use of universal benefits.

We want more money spent on waging peace than on waging war.

We want to speed up the settlement of land claims and thus reduce the gap between the Native people and the majority, in order to promote justice and peace and to prevent the sacrifice of more lives, both Native and Caucasian.

We want government at all levels to take seriously the prospect of global warming and to begin preparation for the changes that are coming. We want the federal government to restore its support of home owners as they install solar and other modern forms of alternative heating. We want to see an end to the use of fossil fuels in all government buildings. We want the erection of homes on flood plains prohibited. We want a carbon tax imposed.

We want anti-viral medication made available to AIDS sufferers in Africa at cost or less. We want a recognition that clean drinking water is as much a human right as is clean air; to treat it as a commodity to be bought and sold by the wealthy and available only to those who can pay – that is triage and tantamount to genocide.

We want to see greater government assistance to university education, so as to provide the poor with equality of access to higher education.

We want to see affordable housing provided for the poor, and better provision for those who are homeless due to mental illness and similar disabilities.

Nearly sixty years ago Canada formally agreed that:

“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 23 (1)).

We want Canada to take the Universal Declaration seriously.

If cancelling the federal government’s tax cuts will make possible one or more of the above suggestions, we will gladly forego our share of the surplus.

Dear Gerald Keddy, M.P.,

My income consists totally of pension payments, and has always been modest. But I fully expect that if Canada is to deal adequately with its environmental problems the action will cost me at least a thousand dollars per year. And if Canada does not deal adequately with those problems, it will cost me several thousand per year – and my grandson will lose even more in his lifetime. So I expect to pay, while there still is time. And I expect that, in all fairness, the wealthy, who have benefited more than I from our misuse of the environment, will bear even more of the burden. And many of the large corporations will also have to suffer. Let us not pretend that there will be no dislocations in our economy.

We can expect flooding – as well as other catastrophes. Every harbour, every seaport town, every beach, every flood plain will suffer extensive rearrangement. Some changes may be beneficial, but the transition will be painful and costly. The whole nation will bear the burden, and unless we take drastic steps, will suffer unevenly. As in New Orleans, the poor, who can least afford it, will suffer most. The wealthy already tend to live on the hills, so are relatively immune from the worst disasters.

We cannot wait 50 years. We cannot wait 5 years. We must take action in 2007, so as to get results in 2008. The question is not whether we can afford to take drastic action. We cannot afford not to take such action. What we need is not a toothless bill, such as the original C-30, but one that will result in the use of alternate sources of power and in penalties for corporations that pollute. Let’s have a carbon tax, or the equivalent. Restore subsidies for installation of solar panels and windmills on private homes, apartment buildings and businesses. Governments must tighten controls on new buildings to make sure they are energy efficient, and prohibit building on flood plains.

Freely debate the amendments proposed by the opposition parties; allow adequate time for debate, and do it as soon as possible. Accept proposals for change, and do not play politics with this issue. There is no time for games or blaming. Come to agreement quickly so that we can get moving and be prepared for the future. Let it not be said that we did too little and that we did it too late.

Yours for a bright future. Yours for A future!!