The value of having Stephane Dion in your corner
Stephane Dion has been fighting for months on the issue of poverty. Today we have learned just what having Stephane Dion fighting on your behalf is worth.
Liberal Party leader Stephane Dion has for months been demanding action on poverty.
Back in July, Stephane Dion made it clear that fighting poverty needed money, and for that reason he would stand up against a cut in the GST:
Dion noted he opposes Prime Minister Stephen Harper's plan to cut the GST to 5 per cent for the same reason - the money is needed for federal programs.
"The Prime Minister is committed to decrease the GST by one additional point, that's $5.5 billion. I will use it to fight poverty, and I will work with municipalities on that."
Later, just two weeks ago, in fact, Stephane Dion reiterated the importance of fighting poverty by demanding action on the issue to be include in the Throne Speech:
[Stephane Dion] says the Liberals want four things in the throne speech: a revival of the Clean Air Act shelved by the Tories; Canadian troops pulled out of Afghanistan within 18 months; a real plan to fight poverty; and a plan to improve Canada's productivity.
After the Throne Speech was delivered, Stephane Dion slammed it for not doing enough on the issue of poverty:
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, who will announce the party's position on Wednesday, slammed the speech for its failure to strive to meet Kyoto targets and its "shocking indifference" to poverty.
In the House of Commons, Stephane Dion made his formal response on the issue of poverty:
In vowing to put the fight against poverty "at the heart of the Liberal agenda," Liberal Leader Stephane Dion has committed his party to focusing on the needs of the estimated 5.3 million Canadians, including 1.2 million children, who are poor.
"A plan to fight poverty is urgent," Dion said last week in his formal reply to the government's throne speech, which was devoid of any plan to address the issue.
And today, when the test came, Stephane Dion allowed the Throne Speech to pass despite the "indifference" to poverty:
Liberal members of Parliament abstained from voting on the speech from the throne Wednesday night, ensuring its passage and staving off the prospect of an immediate election.
NDP Leader Jack Layton blasted Dion over his refusal to vote against the throne speech, saying the move effectively gives Harper majority government status.
He accused the Liberals of failing in their duties as Her Majesty's official Opposition merely to avoid going to the polls.
And now the word is that the finance minister, Jim Flaherty, is planning to shave another point off of the GST. Back in July, Stephane Dion said a GST cut could not be allowed to pass since it would put any plan to fight poverty at risk. In October, Stephane Dion said that a Throne Speech that did not address poverty would not be allowed to pass.
The Throne Speech has passed even though Stephane Dion fumed that it did not address poverty.
Stephane Dion allowed it to pass.
And now via the Canadian Press wire, word that the Stephane Dion will allow a GST cut to pass as well:
GST cut not awful enough to force Liberals into toppling government: Dion
By Julian BeltrameTHE CANADIAN PRESS
The federal Liberals won't topple the minority Conservative government even if it cuts the GST to five per cent in the fall economic update, Stephane Dion said Wednesday.
The Liberal leader was responding to growing speculation that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will include the poison pill of an early GST cut in his economic update, expected in the next two weeks.
"If Canadians didn't want an election last week, I don't think they will want one next week,'' said Dion when asked how he would react to a GST cut.
The money saved by Canadians through a 1% GST cut: $5 billion
An election to challenge Stephen Harper on the issue of poverty: $250 million
A promise from Stephane Dion to fight on behalf of the poor: Worthless
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The impact of a 1% GST cut on government revenues: $5 billion
An election to challenge Stephen Harper on the issue of poverty: $250 million. A promise from Stephane Dion to fight on behalf of the poor:
Worthless
One word - OUCH! Actually, two words - LOL!
Posted by: Lycan Stark at October 24, 2007 06:54 PM
Hi Lycan,
I reworded my ending bit to focus on the real effect of a GST cut. I think it reads better.
Posted by: Steve Janke at October 24, 2007 06:56 PM
McLiar is gonna snatch up that GST reduction by increasing the PST.
Posted by: zilla at October 24, 2007 07:11 PM
Right, zilla, McLiar just might do exactly that, he has four years and no opposition can take him down.
The deafening silence from the stunned voters of Ontario is deafening.
They're deliriously happy, no faith based schools, the only concern they had. Everything else is tickety boo. They condone being lied to, repeatedly and reward it with a majority.
We just gotta be living in the most idyllic province in the country.
Posted by: Libby at October 24, 2007 07:46 PM
We just gotta be living in the most idyllic province in the country.
Idyllic? Idiotic, maybe.
Posted by: Joanne (TB) at October 24, 2007 08:17 PM
Funny how Dion opposes the GST cut because he needs the money to fight poverty yet he supports massive corporate tax cuts...
Hm, which would benefit the poor the most, a GST cut or a corporate cut?
Posted by: Cool Blue at October 25, 2007 06:32 AM
Loved Garth's page today. He abstained by 'choice'. HA HA HA HA...yeah he choose not to get turfed. I guess Dion is a bully, but in a very feminine way, eh? I do sincerely hope that the LPOC keeps Dion as their leader for a very, very, very long time. Leasa
Posted by: Love it! at October 25, 2007 08:00 AM
Libby;
Ontario voters were given a choice between voting for a party that promised to fund Islamic holy schools with public funds or a party that broke every promise it made in the previous election campaign. Given a choice between an idiot and a liar they chose the liar.
Posted by: Iron Oxide at October 25, 2007 12:26 PM
Dion is surfing .. and eventually that monster wave called an 'election' will catch up with him and wipe him out.
I do recall that the then Liberal government of which Dion was a part, promised to wipe out child poverty by 2000, and now we have Dion promising the same 7 years late.
Similarly with the Kyoto Accord intentionally going delinquent by 35% before he as minister of the environment introduced his "Project Green" plan to "stop global warming".
Corrent me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Liberals introduce the Gun Registry to stop criminals from using guns on our streets..??
Posted by: Observer at October 25, 2007 12:47 PM
Funny - I kinda figured that leaving an additional $5 billion in the hands of ordinary Canadians might go a long way to those ordinary Canadians not being quite so poor anymore. But, no, Dion wants that money so he can spend it on programs to fight poverty.
The GST works its greatest mischief on the poor; an income tax cut doesn't help them at all, since they pay next to no tax in the first place. However, there is no way for them to avoid paying the GST; adding 5% to the cost of clothing your children or buying them school supplies is a lot more significant if you're a single mom earning minimum at Timmie's than if you're a CEO with a seven-figure income.
This whole argument is really one of the most basic distinctions between liberals and conservatives - conservatives believe that money belongs to the citizens, and the government must take some of it to run the country; liberals believe that money belongs to the government, except for what they in their benevolence allow Canadians to keep. The Libs have done such a fine job of indoctrinating Canadians to the mindset that, when there is a tax cut, we react as if the government is giving us something, rather than simply allowing us to keep more of what is already ours.
Posted by: Tom at October 25, 2007 11:00 PM
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