LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
COMMENTARY
JUDY BARRETT
With the tough economic times many families in our country are facing, it is staggering to see that MPs and senators spent $3.7 million on travel expenses since January 2006 (The Guardian, March 31, 2008).
This does not include the travel expenses of government agencies or other officials and when compared to, let’s say, Environment Canada which had travel expenses of $42 million in 2005-2006, $3.7 million doesn’t seem like much.
With all the technology available today through high-speed Internet, e-mails and video conferencing, many feel that the need for travel should be less important in today’s government interactions. One would hope that governments, be they federal, provincial or municipal, would practise extreme discretion using taxpayers’ money in areas such as travel when so many Canadians are struggling to keep warm and feed their families.
Elected officials are employed by the people and paid from tax money to make decisions in spending and other matters that, at the very least, should benefit the majority of taxpayers. I have no doubt that these decisions are not always easy to make or clear cut. However, when Canadians and Islanders are being taxed into poverty, our elected officials have to take the responsibility of using this money wisely to improve, not burden, the people who have elected them.
Seniors on fixed incomes and working poor families are struggling to make ends meet and are being forced to live in substandard conditions when they cannot afford to heat their homes and are using food banks in order to survive. Seniors who live in their own homes save government money but if these seniors cannot afford to heat their homes or buy the groceries and medications they need, they are the ones who suffer the consequences. These conditions are often shared by our young people as they search for work or as they attend school to better prepare themselves for decent-paying jobs.
Many families who have been trying to make do with insufficient household income now have to stretch their money even further with the increase in food and energy prices. Many of the necessities of daily life become a luxury few of them can afford. This list of ‘unaffordables’ that many of us, including our elected officials, can take for granted include such things as decent living accommodations, clothing, hygiene products, a decent haircut, school/work supplies, health insurance, transportation money, personal vehicle (with adequate funds for insurance, repairs and gas charges), medication/medical emergency or dental care.
The idea of a dinner out for a senior couple or a low-income family once or twice a month is beyond their financial means.
This situation leaves me with many questions and wondering why our governments aren’t more proactive in trying to alleviate the financial difficulties of a significant percentage of its people who certainly aren’t out gambling their money away, but are trying desperately to make ends meet.
Should we really be taxing energy costs when they are a basic necessity? Should families making under $20,000 be taxed when they are struggling to make ends meet? Is there some kind of incentive/initiative that can be created to assist low-wage workers who are willing to work at jobs that are necessary and important to us all but cannot afford to raise their family on what they make?
Incentives like (GAI) guaranteed annual income or other subsidies would give them the dignity they deserve for working hard while enabling them to feel hopeful and positive about their future and what they do.
Surely within the provincial and federal governments we should have individuals who are aware of the crisis Canadians and Islanders are facing daily. These talented and intelligent government workers should be able to come together to create solutions that bring about positive changes for those less fortunate for the betterment of our society.
Isn’t it ironic that when there is an upcoming election many candidates campaign door to door and can see first hand the poverty that exists. They work hard in the hope of getting these votes yet do they really see the hopelessness, the desperation, and the struggles these people experience every day?
Judy Barrett of Charlottetown is a member of the Holy Redeemer chapter of the St. Vincent DePaul Society, which provides financial support and friendship to low-income families.
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