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Topic: Poverty reduction strategy shelved??
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Fidel
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 5594
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posted 25 September 2008 07:34 PM
Ontario poor still waiting for strategyMcGuinty accused of 'abandoning' people in need by hinting weak economy could slow poverty plan quote: Premier Dalton McGuinty says he's absolutely committed to creating a plan to help the 1.3 million Ontarians who live in poverty – he's just not saying when his government will act on it."The issue is not whether we go ahead with the strategy, it's how quickly we can move on this particular strategy given our financial challenges," McGuinty said yesterday, referring to his pre-election promise to release, by the end of the year, a comprehensive plan to reduce poverty in Ontario. Josephine Grey isn't impressed by the distinction. "Talking about putting a plan in place without implementing it is basically talking about a lot of hot air," said Grey, a Toronto grandmother struggling to escape poverty and co-chair of the Ontario Coalition for Social Justice. "Obviously, when we're looking at an economic downturn, we're losing jobs across the province, people are struggling in rural areas, child poverty has got to the point where it's 1 in 4 in Toronto, it's reaching crisis portions. "And here he is talking about pulling back and abandoning the people who are most in need at a time when help is most needed," said Grey, who was at Queen's Park where the NDP released its report on poverty meetings held across the province this past summer. More than 400 people attended the NDP's eight public meetings on poverty and income security, and access to affordable housing topped their list of concerns, Beaches-East York MPP Michael Prue said. . .
From: Viva La Revolución | Registered: Apr 2004
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Michelle
Moderator
Babbler # 560
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posted 29 September 2008 05:01 PM
Recession and Ontario's "poverty reduction" quote: Last week, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty began messaging that implementation of his controversial “poverty reduction” strategy “will likely” be slowed down and scaled back. His excuse? “The state of the economy.”
Seems to me that a recession is the worst time to shelve a poverty reduction strategy.
From: I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell. | Registered: May 2001
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RevolutionPlease
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 14629
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posted 29 September 2008 07:56 PM
Like they give a shit in the first place.Why do poor people think Conservatives or Liberals are good? edited: ambiguous sentence [ 29 September 2008: Message edited by: RevolutionPlease ]
From: Aurora | Registered: Oct 2007
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Fidel
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 5594
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posted 29 September 2008 11:02 PM
quote: Originally posted by Michelle:
Seems to me that a recession is the worst time to shelve a poverty reduction strategy.
That's exactly right, Michelle. For instance, our central bankers are said to have to forecast rising inflation three months, six months, or even a year or two down the road. God help us they say if the inflation boogyman ever gets hold of the economy. They trot out all kinds of scarey stories about hyperinflation in post-WW I Weimar Germany, and other historical economic events which have very little to do with the situation in modern Canada or any other post-laissez-faire economy. As Linda McQuaig said, the big sledge hammer of interest rate hikes is brought down at the first hint of inflation, except for times like now when the deregulated banking mess throws a wrench into the capitalist skunkworks. But investing countercyclical dollars like the ONDP did from 1991-94 - into the system for social causes at the first hint of a recession - and now looks to be a real good time in Canada after an estimated 300k-400,000 manufacturing and forestry job losses since 2002 - is a non-starter in Ottawa or Toronto. McGuinty has resorted to some Keynesian measures with creating public sector jobs - and kudos to Ontario's Liberals for doing so. Credit where credit is due. But they've also ignored some very good advice from the NDP side as well as captains of industry in this province for too long. Horses are out of the barn, so to speak. It sounds like McGuinty and Dion(and Harper) are out of tune. Why McGuinty's 'fairness campaign' has failed [ 29 September 2008: Message edited by: Fidel ]
From: Viva La Revolución | Registered: Apr 2004
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Mojoroad1
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 15404
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posted 30 September 2008 07:07 AM
Prue demands immediate action on poverty reduction Queen's Park September 22, 2008 - 10:00pmNDP Poverty Critic Michael Prue today demanded the McGuinty Liberals take immediate action to reduce poverty, including implementing a host of cost-effective measures that would make a significant difference in the lives of Ontario’s poorest. ”An economic crisis is no excuse for poverty to slip off Dalton McGuinty’s agenda. Now is precisely the time when we need to see action from his government. There are things that can be done immediately that won’t cost the province a cent,” said Prue. During today’s opening of the Legislative Assembly’s Fall Session, Prue grilled McGuinty for stalling on his poverty reduction promise. Prue said Ontario’s economic “tough times” should not be used as an excuse to delay these effective poverty-fighting measures: • Immediately increasing the minimum wage to $10.25 an hour. • Improving the Employment Standards Act to protect temp agency and part-time workers so that employers can’t underpay and exploit employees. • Restoring card certification across all job sectors so that unionization is not so difficult and bad jobs can be turned into good jobs with decent pay and benefits. • Capping payday loan rates at 35 per cent so that people don’t see their scant dollars siphoned off at extortionate rates. Prue noted that all of these measures have been repeatedly recommended by poverty activists at consultations held across Ontario. “These measures would make a difference and they wouldn’t break the bank. Dalton McGuinty has no excuse for not acting on them,” he said.
From: Muskoka | Registered: Aug 2008
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