The term "non-aboriginals" is now dated. What the media means are Canadians. There is no reason to use the term aboriginal and non-aboriginal in the same sentence, paragraph, article or book. It assumes that the basis of Canada are aborginals, they are not, Canadians are the basis of Canada. Canadians should never be referred to as non compared to another group in the country.
Probe into income gaps awaits parliamentary vote - Winnipeg Free Press
Probe into income gaps awaits parliamentary vote
By: Mia Rabson
Posted: 06/9/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 2 (including replies)
Scott Brison: no magic bullet (ADRIAN WYLD / THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES)
OTTAWA -- Parliament will vote next week on whether to conduct a year-long investigation of income gaps in Canada.
The motion, from Liberal MP Scott Brison, was introduced in April and had its second hour of debate on Thursday. It will come up for a vote next Wednesday.
In April, Brison said the motion stemmed from the fact inequality is growing in Canada between regions, between urban and rural communities and between aboriginals and non-aboriginals.
"These growing inequalities result in tremendous costs for our economy in terms of lower economic growth and higher demands on health and social services," he said.
Brison's motion calls for the House of Commons finance committee to review federal and provincial systems of personal income tax and income supports, examine the best practices that reduce income inequality and identify gaps in the federal tax system that contribute to income inequality. It calls for a report within one year.
He said a parliamentary study will not be the magic bullet to fix the problem, but it is "a start."
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development last December reported income gaps between working-age Canadians have risen steadily since the 1990s and now exceed the OECD average.
It reported the average income of the top 10 per cent of Canadians in 2008 was $103,500, 10 times that of the bottom 10 per cent at $10,260, a ratio of 10 to one.
In the 1990s, that ratio was eight to one. The OECD report said the rise was largely due to discrepancies of wages, but also noted taxes and benefits reduce the income gaps less in Canada than they do in most OECD countries.
Brison also pointed to studies that show incomes in Canada's poorest neighbourhoods have shrunk in the last three decades, while in wealthy neighbourhoods, incomes have grown.
"As a result, Canadian cities, communities and towns are becoming increasingly ghettoized," said Brison. "This division leads to weaker communities, increased crime and worse outcomes for health and education."
The NDP appears to support the motion, but the majority votes from the Conservatives likely won't materialize. The Conservatives voted it down in a voice vote on Thursday, but a recorded vote was requested and will take place on Wednesday.
In April, Manitoba Conservative MP and parliamentary secretary for finance Shelly Glover suggested the Conservatives don't appear to support Brison's motion.
"While our Conservative government has been pursuing smart economic policies to encourage job creation, today's motion from the member for Kings-Hants, and more important, the Liberal party's embrace of far-left economic thinking of higher taxes is not what Canada needs," she said.
On Thursday, Alberta Conservative Jim Hillyer suggested while there are some parts of Brison's motion the Conservatives agree with, there are parts they don't. Hillyer said the parts they do agree with are already being dealt with either during pre-budget consultations in the fall, or in a study underway in the Senate.
"We have a nice clean baby and the motion wants to throw the baby back into the dirty bathwater."
Probe into income gaps awaits parliamentary vote - Winnipeg Free Press
Probe into income gaps awaits parliamentary vote
By: Mia Rabson
Posted: 06/9/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 2 (including replies)
-
5
Scott Brison: no magic bullet (ADRIAN WYLD / THE CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES)
OTTAWA -- Parliament will vote next week on whether to conduct a year-long investigation of income gaps in Canada.
The motion, from Liberal MP Scott Brison, was introduced in April and had its second hour of debate on Thursday. It will come up for a vote next Wednesday.
In April, Brison said the motion stemmed from the fact inequality is growing in Canada between regions, between urban and rural communities and between aboriginals and non-aboriginals.
"These growing inequalities result in tremendous costs for our economy in terms of lower economic growth and higher demands on health and social services," he said.
Brison's motion calls for the House of Commons finance committee to review federal and provincial systems of personal income tax and income supports, examine the best practices that reduce income inequality and identify gaps in the federal tax system that contribute to income inequality. It calls for a report within one year.
He said a parliamentary study will not be the magic bullet to fix the problem, but it is "a start."
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development last December reported income gaps between working-age Canadians have risen steadily since the 1990s and now exceed the OECD average.
It reported the average income of the top 10 per cent of Canadians in 2008 was $103,500, 10 times that of the bottom 10 per cent at $10,260, a ratio of 10 to one.
In the 1990s, that ratio was eight to one. The OECD report said the rise was largely due to discrepancies of wages, but also noted taxes and benefits reduce the income gaps less in Canada than they do in most OECD countries.
Brison also pointed to studies that show incomes in Canada's poorest neighbourhoods have shrunk in the last three decades, while in wealthy neighbourhoods, incomes have grown.
"As a result, Canadian cities, communities and towns are becoming increasingly ghettoized," said Brison. "This division leads to weaker communities, increased crime and worse outcomes for health and education."
The NDP appears to support the motion, but the majority votes from the Conservatives likely won't materialize. The Conservatives voted it down in a voice vote on Thursday, but a recorded vote was requested and will take place on Wednesday.
In April, Manitoba Conservative MP and parliamentary secretary for finance Shelly Glover suggested the Conservatives don't appear to support Brison's motion.
"While our Conservative government has been pursuing smart economic policies to encourage job creation, today's motion from the member for Kings-Hants, and more important, the Liberal party's embrace of far-left economic thinking of higher taxes is not what Canada needs," she said.
On Thursday, Alberta Conservative Jim Hillyer suggested while there are some parts of Brison's motion the Conservatives agree with, there are parts they don't. Hillyer said the parts they do agree with are already being dealt with either during pre-budget consultations in the fall, or in a study underway in the Senate.
"We have a nice clean baby and the motion wants to throw the baby back into the dirty bathwater."