‘Balancing Budgets’ and ‘Reducing Taxes’ became the political mantras of the ruling class and their minions in the media. Meanwhile, our telegenic premier prattles on about keeping taxes down (implying on everyone) while failing to mention the Rich. So, let’s get back to funding Medicare by those who can afford it and stop this smokescreen of “freedom of
the rich to jump the medical lineups”. If the NDP had any sense, they would see that this is a landslide issue for them at every election. Ian, please keep writing about these social problems; perhaps your efforts will help wake people up and avoid the collapse of our increasingly selfish society. Sincerely, Dr. Herb Spencer ♣
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Article: “More Liberal duplicity – Plans to privatize public infrastructure will disproportionately benefit corporate elites” [Article at Citizen Action Monitor, link from Derek Skinner: http://tinyurl.com/camlibdup ]
A few of the headings in the article: • Trudeau uses “phony progressive rhetoric” and other deceptive tactics as smokescreen for neoliberal agenda • Liberals called on to concentrate on privatization, both in the form of PPPs and the outright sell-off of government assets • Calculating Team Trudeau frames proposals as pro-middle class; reality is they’re pro-business elites • Trudeau’s talk of “improving worker productivity” is a euphemism for exploiting workers by reducing labour costs • Right-wing CD Howe Institute counsels Liberals on how to sell their pig in a poke to skeptical public • Establish an Infrastructure Bank to recruit Canadian and foreign investors in public infrastructure projects • Investments in public infrastructure will rake in billions for corporate elites, increased fees for working people. Comment from Dee Nicholson: Thanks so much for raising the info on PPP’s, Derek… it’s most important that people understand what they are and what they're for. They're called P3's... they've been around for quite a while. The goal (under UN Agenda 21) is to privatize everything under the sun. All crown corporations, all municipal or provincial agencies (think liquor, hydro, water utilities, etc. but also Canada Post and the CBC) are to be privatized, but that is not an announcement the government wants to make (It's too much information to reveal without an uproar), so the P3's get snuck in on the grounds that they "allow for progress beyond the capability of the company to achieve on its www.dialogue.ca
own"... in other words, "save them from total wrack and ruin".... which is why we see so much unrest at Canada Post and the fund-cutting at CBC. If they look bad enough, the public will be happy to see them privatized and off their financial backs. That is, until the new private owners start kicking in the price increases... The real reason is that under Agenda 21 publiclyowned companies are viewed as "subsidized" and so private competitors could not enjoy a level playing field. This is a "barrier to trade." So they need to go private, one way or another (and they boil this frog slowly as well, notice). The first NAFTA loss in that area was UPS vs. Canada re Canada Post's part ownership of Purolator Courier, which the court agreed was an unfair advantage over UPS and awarded UPS over a quarter BILLION bucks of taxpayers' money to correct that small error. I remember when Harper signed that Basel 3 Banking Agreement in 2010 and admitted that it was a loss of sovereignty: the media interviewed all party leaders and every one of them said exactly the same thing, which was "It's nice to be on a level playing field with our trading partners..." P3's are VERY dangerous. What's behind them is absolutely nefarious. All part of the same game.... Dee Nicholson, shrunkshrink@gmail.com ♣
Without any mandate, Trudeau pushes privatization Larry Kazdan, Vancouver BC Comment re: ‘Liberals bait-and-switch on infrastructure’ by Tom Parkin, Nov 06, 2016, Toronto Sun [LINK: http://tinyurl.com/ts-Tparkin-11-6] and also: ‘Without any mandate Trudeau pushes privatization’ even further: [LINK: http://tinyurl.com/ts-Tparkin-11-20] Larry’s comments follow …/ VOL. 30, NO. 2, WINTER 2016-17
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