This week in Real Change™

TRADE : Trade minister Chrystia Freeland ‘comfortable’ with decision to approve Saudi arms deal

“I’m supportive and I’m comfortable with the decision of our government,” she said.

HEALTH : Pharmacare vetoed as costly

"Pharmacare is too costly and will not be introduced in this Parliament, says Health Minister Dr. Jane Philpott."

"Canada is the only country in the world with a medicare system that excludes prescription drugs as if they are not part of the health-care system." 

"Pharmacare for all Canadians could save up to $11.4 billion a year by decreasing drug costs and reducing administration fees."

DEMOCRACY : Liberal majority on Foreign Affairs Committee votes down NDP motion to create Commons sub committee to study arms exports.

Liberal Chair Bob Nault (Kenora) : "Our committee is too high-profile and too important to play politics with issues.... Parliament does not need "a special committee for every issue that people think needs to be discussed."

FINANCE : Internal Finance Canada document says Liberal "middle class tax cut" actually benefits the rich

...half of all the benefits from the "middle class tax cut" end up in the hands of Canada's top 10% of tax filers.Canadians earning less than $45,000 receive no benefit from the "middle class tax cut."

MINING : Canada is home to over 50% of the mining corps in the world - 1200 in Vancouver alone as of 2013 - and there's a reason for that : Canadian taxpayer subsidies plus minimal government oversight and only then if the corp agrees.

"The Liberal government is showing no sign it plans to change the way Canadian mining companies are held accountable when acts of violence, intimidation, or environmental degradation are linked to their overseas operations. They have endorsed the controversial CIRDI and Office of the Corporate Social Responsibility Counsellor for the mining sector brought in under its Conservative predecessor." 

Labour Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk (Kildonan-St. Paul, Man.), a former Manitoba mining minister, geoscientist, and mining sector executive, defended Canadian mining companies as “the best in the world.”

FIRST NATIONS : Federal government killed appeal of residential-school settlement ruling 

"The Canadian government abandoned an appeal of a controversial court ruling that let the Catholic Church out of its responsibility to raise millions of dollars for aboriginal healing programs, court documents show.

The appeal was dropped just six days after the Trudeau government took office."

The revelation comes in a week when the Liberal government has repeatedly said that it had no options for appeal. It did not mention, however, that an appeal had been commenced and then withdrawn.'

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