Letter to the Editor from New Brunswick Federation of Labour! Austerity, cuts and the role of government The more things change, the more things stay the same. The provincial Liberal government is now telling us that major program cuts are needed to balance the books. Six months ago, it was the Conservatives telling us the same thing. In total the government is looking for $500 to $600 million in “savings.”Since 2008, the provincial government has been incurring deficits every year, adding to the overall provincial debt. I wanted to remind you that it was at this time that the provincial government decided to introduce tax cuts. Governments receive the highest economic returns on their investments, not by making tax cuts, but by investing in people. The highest economic returns, measured both in terms of increases to GDP (economic output) and jobs creation, go to investments made in child care services, health care, social services, public infrastructure and education. At least now the Liberal government admits in the background document called engageNB Strategic Program Review that economic growth alone will not get us out of our fiscal imbalance. In the past, citizens were told that lowering taxes would stimulate economic growth and that our fiscal imbalance would simply go away. I worry about the reference in the background document to “realign the role of government in society.”Does this mean that the government will do away with its role of making sure that economic growth benefits all members of society and not just the wealthy. I just hope that the cuts will not increase the already growing divide between the rich and the rest of us and that it will not disproportionally affect society’s most vulnerable. I look forward to participating in the consultation process. I encourage you to do the same! -30- Patrick Colford President New Brunswick Federation of Labour 314-96 Norwood Avenue Moncton, NB E1C 6L9 (506) 381-8969 cell
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 12:56:15 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015