The Guardian COMMENTARY STEPHEN PATE
Is P.E.I. a democracy or is it ruled by the rich and powerful, an oligarchy? The preferential treatment of P.E.I.’s richest by the government compared to the treatment of its weak and poor is astounding.
Oligarchies have existed since ancient Grecian democracy whenever power was held tightly by a few powerful and rich people despite actual changes in government leaders.
The rich and powerful people in an oligarchy are not seen as governing. They are the power behind the throne. They rarely come out into public scrutiny since they know the population will be agitated by their obvious power.
In a democracy, we want to believe we change the government through democratic elections. What if we changed the government but the real power didn’t change?
I pose this question after observing last year’s election. The Ghiz Liberals slogan of ‘change’ resonated with many Islanders who felt their personal situation needed change, improving.
Islanders living below the poverty line have been in economic trouble since the mid-’90s. Social assistance and the lowest minimum wage in Canada do not provide a living wage. However, they do provide a pool of low-wage employees for the rich. Faced with the heating-oil crisis last winter, how did the new government react? It handed out a $200,000 heating fuel subsidy. That felt like the British idea of charity during the Irish potato famine.
Farm incomes have slipped to historical lows and the family farm on P.E.I. is almost extinct. Loss of the family farm benefits two large corporations who process on P.E.I. and large corporate farms. When the farmers brought their protest to the legislature, our premier, in my opinion, was condescending. His government authorized a massive cut in agriculture spending. Only a few family farms will remain if the rich and powerful have their way.
Islanders with disabilities are another pressing issue for the new government. Faced with an aging population, P.E.I.’s 22,000-member disabled community was promised positive change. Specifically the disabled were promised the return of $1 million cut back from the previous year and the inclusion of 9,000 seniors in the DSP. How did they fare? Well, seniors are still not covered and this spring the Ghiz government cut back the budget another $35,000.
Perhaps these examples are how the government must react in a time of deficit and we are biting the bullet for the common good. The weak and the powerless just have to wait.
This spring the government announced over $4.5 million for a new lab and research centre at the Culinary Institute, a public/private partnership that, in my view, will only benefit big business. The needs of P.E.I.’s weak and powerless can’t hold a candle to the needs of our rich and powerful.
By way of contrast the poor got $200,000 and the disabled lost $35,000.
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck we’ve got a duck. In my opinion, P.E.I. has slipped from a democracy to an oligarchy, ruled by the rich and the powerful. Unfortunately for us, the rich and the powerful are not going to give us back democracy. You can never have enough power or money.
Stephen Pate is a spokesman for P.E.I. Disability Alert.
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