March 28, 2007

Federal Budget Review - 2007

HAAKON SULLIVAN
Starr WRITER

On March 19 the Minister of
Finance, Jim Flaherty, had to make
the speech of his life to help pre-
vent a spring election. This speech
was to introduce the budget and if
the opposition decided that it was
not good enough for Canada, the
minority Conservative govern-
ment would fail and an election
would have resulted.

After the speech, the oppos-
ition got to say what they thought
about the budget and after this de-
bate finished, it became apparent
that the budget will pass and there
will be no spring election. This is
because one of the opposition par-
ties, the Bloc Quebecois, supports
the budget. As for the Liberals and
NDP, they oppose the budget say-
ing “the government is doing so
little with so much” or that “the
kitchen table got a few crumbs
while the boardroom table got big
corporate tax cuts.”

In general, the budget will
introduce many changes which
range from from environmental
programs to tax relief, Middle
class families were the target of.
the tax relief, as they can soon
expect a two thousand dollar tax
credit providing up to three hun-
dred and ten dollars per child.

Businesses can also see some
more cash in their pockets but lose
it at the same time. This is because
the government will give tax re-
ductions and write off options to
some industries but at the same
time crack down on “tax havens”-
a strategy used by some business-
es to avoid tax on their income.

Seniors will also benefit from
the budget by funding programs
to help prevent elder abuse and
fraud. Pension income splitting
will also be introduced allowing
seniors to live easier off their only
source of income.

Students will get their share
of the budget as well. The Can-
ada Graduate Students Fund will
be receiving 35 million dollars,
which will support a thousand
more students. The limit on an-
nual contributions to the regis-
tered education savings plans
(RESP) will be dropped and the
lifetime contribution limit of the
RESP will increase by eight thou-
sand dollars. The maximum for
the Canada Education Savings
Grant will also increase to five
hundred dollars.

People in the research com-
munity can also expect a large
influx of cash with millions of
dollars going into organizations
such as Genome Canada and the
Canadian Institute for Advanced

Research. The research institutes
getting the most money are the
Centers of Excellence in Com-
mercialization and Research as
well as the Canada Foundation
for Innovation. Both are getting a
total of around nine hundred mil-
lion dollars.

As for money for environ-
mental programs, the budget has
plans to put an extra tax on “gas
guzzling” vehicles and rebates
for fuel efficient ones. The gov-
ernment will also put away some
money to help put older polluting
vehicles off the road and a whop-
ping one and a half billion dol-
lars to encourage production of
biodiesel and ethanol. The govern-
ment will also double the number
of environmental enforcement of-
ficers and create a national water
policy. As for the oilsands project,
the government will re-balance
the tax system to encourage them
to invest in green technologies.

The budget also increases
money given to the provinces.
Provincial governments around
the country should expect two
billion dollars more in equal-
ization payments as well as two
hundred and fifty million for new
child care spaces. Post-secondary
education also benefits from this
provincial money, as the govern-
ment is investing one and a half

Bush Meets Negativity in

JEREMY JOHNSON
STAFF WRITER

An Associated Press article
reported earlier this month that
Mayan priests would have to
“purify a sacred archaeological
site to eliminate ‘bad spirits’ after
President Bush visits.”

The article quoted a priest who
explained that migrating brothers
faced prosecution. Other reasons
included the provoked wars start-
ed by the United States.

His presence is “an offence for
the Mayan people and their cul-
ture” Juan Tiney said.

The American president’s
troubles didn’t end there. Boing-
Boing.net, one of the internets
most popular blogs documented
a recent picture gallery posting by
Knuttz.net which features pictures
of a recent visit to Brazil.

The pictures start off with a
few military vehicles (probably
armoured) then security person-
nel entering a few roads as taken
from a high-rise building. Sev-
eral ground shots were also then
taken of the vehicles. Later on,
the posting shows a series of pic-

tures, of armed security officers in
camouflage uniforms with a *PE’
on their right upper arms seem-
ingly to direct traffic. The last
of the less than dramatic pictures
showed other vehicles including
an ambulance.

The next few pictures were
clearly taken from a high location
looking down at protestors setting
up. There were pictures of even
larger teams of similarly armed
security personnel. After that, a
couple protestors carrying a large
version of, what appears to be
Cuba’s national flag. Next is seen
similar looking armed personal
with shields and batons. The next
picture ‘showed more protestors
holding another large flag, this
time, the flag appears to be Chile’s
national flag. The pictures after
this showed more protestors and
security personnel preparing.

Banners started rising. One

read “Rora Bush” According to

one translator tool, it is Italian for
“Tt pierces Bush” Another couple
of pictures showed non-violent
protests along with pictures of
more vehicles. The gallery then

shows a picture of Bush with the
Brazilian president. This was the
last picture before violent pictures
appeared in the gallery.

One picture showed a protest-
or on the ground with two police
officers standing over him. An-
other picture showed someone
with a metal pole next to a build-
ing with red paint slashed on the
side. What appears in the pic-
ture was that the building read
“Unidos Da America”

Further pictures included
officers using night sticks on
protestors, one security officer
holding either a rifle or a shot-
gun, other officers using mace
on protestors, protestors holding
signs which shows an image of
Bush modified to resemble Ado-
If Hitler, and the American flag
filling in a Swastica among other
things. Protestors filled up the
width of what appears to be a six
lane highway.

The images and stories -
these two examples in particular
— shows that George W. Bush’s
reputation in other countries isn’t
great. Is this part of a new wave

billion dollars more into post sec-
ondary education.

There were many more fea-
tures to the budget, but it’s the fea-
tures that are not there that draws
the criticism.

Phil Fontaine of the Assembly
of First Nations was disappointed
at the budget, as it fell short of the
five billion dollars he said was
needed to solve aboriginal pov-
erty. He also called the twenty one
million dollar funding increase
more of an insult than help. The
First Nations group is planning a
BC day of protest on June 29..

Environmental groups are also
not appeased by the budget say-
ing that it is not enough to stop
global. warming. This is because
the budget does not include fund-
ing for following the Kyoto Proto-
col and subsidies for oil and: gas
companies still exist. The David
Suzuki Foundation also says that
the tax on gas guzzlers is like a
carbon tax.

Some provinces also feel
left out from the budget, espe-
cially British Columbia. During
the budget speech, Flaherty said
that Canada, from the Rocky
Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean,
will be improved by this budget.
On the same day of the speech,
some leaders from BC expressed
their anger at the exclusion. The

other provinces angered about
the budget are Saskatchewan and
Newfoundland. The premier of
Newfoundland, Danny Williams,
said that his province will lose
revenue because of changes to the
equalization policy and because of
that he will personally campaign
against the federal Conservatives.
Lorne Calvert, the premier of Sas-
katchewan, has also expressed his
disappointment with the loss of his
provinces’ equalization money.

The reason why the country is
not going into a full blown elec-
tion is because the Bloc Quebecois
is backing the budget. The reason
why is because a good chunk of
the money going to the provinces
is going to Quebec. Politicians
in many provinces have said that
they are being treated unfairly
in the face of a strategic voting
ground.

In general, the budget has
something for almost everyone
but it’s the quality of the budget
points which will decide who will
win in the next election. The next
election seems to be in the distant
future as well and it looks like this
may be the second longest minor-
ity government in Canadian hist-

ory.

Other Countries

of an anti-US movement?
“Protests greeting US pres-
idents are not new. Nixon (when
[Vice President]) was greeted
by some riots in South Amer-
ica on a visit.” Don Munton, an
international studies professor at

college pro
PAINTERS

UNBC, noted after hearing about
this, “The polls make clear that
public opinion in many countries
has become very anti-US, and
perhaps especially anti-Bush,
since the invasion of Iraq.”

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