ndpnic

Easy to say whenyou don't have red disconnection notices!!! We might have it better than some, but NOT GOOD ENOUGH when some many Canadians are living in poverty. Do the math. $7/hr x 40 = $280 $280 x 4 = $1520 Out of that $1520, the government will take their share, say @ $300.00 That leaves $1220 rent = $600 utilities = $250 That leaves us with $370 Food, transportation, insurance,child care, clothing, medications, laundry, phone, all have to come out of this $370 every month. Hope your kids don't have bithdays or believe in Santa, because there is NO money for pesents! Even if you double the income, people are still short for the basics in Canada.

You forgot the freedom to whine. I love how it's always called "Whinning" when you point out short comings within your society!

Social assistance does not supply eonough to provide all the basics. But I was talking about the people working 40 -50 hours a week, but can't afford all the basics, but aren't able to use the food bank because they're NOT on social assistance! Who feeds there kids? When does Social Responsibility come in? Canadians have no problem sending money overseas, yet deny people in Canada live in basically the same conditions : lack of medicines, lack of housing, lack of viable employment and wages, without adequate nurishment? They say "Charity Begins at Home" Why do we worry more about helping those a world away, instead of those a block away?

I live in community of 15,000. We have 1 foodbank, where you have to show assistance or disability slips to use their services. Where does that leave the working poor to turn? Urban Hunting! When your kids are hungry, you have no money left for food after you pay the bills, and you can't access the only foodbank, what do you do? If you're lucky and have an FAC and it's the "right" season, you can go shot dinner. But if you don't, then what? The only thing you can. You go to your local grocery store and steal food. Urban hunting. My question is, is this really a crime, punishable like all other crimes, or is this what survival in Canada has come to? Turning good, tax-paying, law-abiding citizens into criminals, because thats the only way to feed their famillies? Society has allowed the government to remove it's ability to be self sufficient. Sad country Canada has become!

Everyone keeps talking about "FREEDOM" these days in Canada. Here is a list of the "Freedoms" I thank Canada for : the Freedom to work for less than I need to survive the Freedom to not afford medicine I need the Freedom not have my voice heard politically because I belong to a smaller voting demographic the Freedom to go without utilities because I can't afford them the Freedom to live in inadiquate housing the Freedom to watch my child go without the Freedom to financially support the government and get no meaningful help from Thank YOU CANADA!!!!! Freedom and Democracy give us so much to be grateful for!!!

I have a 5 year old, and I'm wondering how I'm supposed to raise him in a country where on a daily basis he witnesses thae fact that people like him and his parents don't matter? I suffer from complex migraines, PTSD, and OCD. I have been told that I need to be on a disability pension because of these issues. I don't qualify for CPP, because I am 30, and have never been able to maintain employment to reach min. contribution levels. I don't qualify fo OSD because my husband's net income last year went over the $25,000.00 poverty line by $2,000.00 What they don't consider is that my husband lost his colin to collitis, so we have 'ostomy supplies to buy. He does receive money for this every year, but the supply cost has 3x, and the payments have never been adjusted, so the payment falls hundreds of $ short. He also has crohn's disease, and misses work when it's active, which inpacts your income. 2 years ago he got sick, took 4 months fighting with the insurance company to pay for his remicade, lost 40lbs because all he could eat for 4 months was chicken noodle soup! And we are about 6 weeeks from losing everything because we were never able catch back up. We have contacted our local MPP, and MP, only to be told that it's too bad, but people like us fall through the cracks of Canadian society, and there is nothing they can do to help! We have meds that add up to more than $1,000.00 a month sometimes, but go with out because we can't afford to buy them. And that's not including the $6,400.00 it costs when my hubby needs Remicade!! This is the only drug to work for him, as he's already had all the bowel removed possible, and the only other opption for him is to gone on a TPN feeding system - how would you like to never eat or drink for the rest of your life, and know that it was preventable? We sure seem to count on payday when they take their chunks of $ out!!!! So, until Canada cares about the parents being able to earn viable wages, chil poverty will not improve, only worsen!!

I don't know - various illnesses/accidental deaths maybe. Does that lessen the seriousness of the 3,9000 Canadians who choose to nd their own lives? Do you not see the problem with that many Canadians ending their own lives every year? That number is only going to continue to grew as the working poor and needy sectors continue to grow.

??????? Are u for real? These aren't only welfare kids, these are kids of the working poor! It is the governments fault because the government allows employers to pay less than the cost of living, utilities to rise 100's of %s, people who work honest jobs can't afford the basics of survival in Canada, like food, shelter and heat!!!! And people wonder why I promote civil rebellion!

Kissinger. Sorry. Forgot about Kissinger! Still wouldn't class Arafat in that group!!!

The death stats are on random packs of all brands. Health Canada stats 45,000 - Tobacco deaths 3,900 - Suicide deaths 2,900 - Car acciedent deaths 1,900 - Alcohol deaths 510 - Murder deaths

Don't you think it more likely Day didn't want to send condolensces because Arafat was a murdering terrorist scumbag, rather than any possibility he might be gay?

I am wondering why my smoke pack acknowleges that suicide is the 2nd biggest killer of Canadian citizens each year, but the government and society don't? It seems to me that there is something Fundamentally wrong in a country where more people off themselves then are murdered, or die of alcohol, or anything else other than tobacco!!

Does the acknowlegment of labour supurceed the value of human life? I think human life is the most valuable comodity on earth, and should not be sacrificed to satisfy peoples greed! I bet alot of you call yourselves christians. I believe it says "thou shall not worship false gods". But people live and die in the pursuit to aquire more and more and more. Money determines if people live or die. You go to church on Sundays, but really don't give a crap about some familly going without in your communities! Shame on you and your hypocracy!!!!!!!

The world is only more complicated because people choose to make it!!!

okay Kimmie, here it is! The media is to blame with top rated shows likt the OC and desperate house wives glamourizing adult/teacher/teen sexual relationships. You think kids are watching this crap with a discerning eye? They're going to school the next day fantasizing over some teacher! You don't think kids are depressed about the state of our economy and social structure? Hello!!!! Teens being treated and medicated for depressive disprders is higher than ever. You don't think when they see their parents stressed over not having the $ to pay all the biils due, or they have to go without meals or utilities, or clothing that they don't feel that? That they aren't aware? You think these kids don't know that $7/hr is all most of them have to look forward too? And we know that they can't ALL go on to post secondary education, don't we? If there was no peon sector, society would come to a complete stand still. People with university educations don't pump gas, pour coffee, work in grocery stores, flip burgers, babysit, work on farms growing food, or any of a million other lowly but essential jobs. Remember 'boomers, if it wasn't for the peons there would be no need for CEO's!!! Maybe the kids were the ones who introduced the teacher to pot? Ever think of that? Modern teenagers are frustrated seeing $$$ sent over seas, when they see people on their own famillies and communities going without meds, food, shelter, utilities, etc. Maybe we could send the message that it Important to take care of our own at home, before helping the world!

Day is a jackass! If he were American, he'd be an ignorant, biggotted, rednecked, southern Bush lovin hillbilly! Day has no place in Canadian government.

I would rather not pay higher taxes 4 daycare, but have that money put back into lower level jobs so that more women have the option to stay home and be moms! Not just the mom's who's hubby's make over $60,000.00!! All kids deserve and need a full time parent, not just well to do kids! I think the last generation is proof of this.

Funny how sex between consenting humans over the age of 15 is "abuse" if one of the participants is over the age of 18, when girls were often married mothers by that age in the not so distant past of civilization! You don't want your teens sleeping with adults, teachers/other, then maybe you should lobby for less American bullshit on t.v.. You don't want your teens drinking and smoking pot? Give them a viable economy and social structure and maybe they won't.

I'm not surprised by Days reaction - pretty typical of the babyboomers! Fear and ignorance abound in that generation! No doubt Arafat was gay too, eh? All that really matters is a Nobel prize winner has passed. Sad day for the world if you ask me!

Thank you!!!!!! It's so nice to hear a voice of reason! Babyboomers can call us the I want generation all they want! Even back in the day, minimum wage was more in keeping with the cost of living. Now, utilities have gone up HUNDREDS of percents, but peon sector wages? A token raise of15cents in over a decade!! Babyboomers are resentful of the younger generations because we do have modern tehnology and the like, where as they did not. They throw in our faces that in thier day mothers stayed home. Do you know how many young mothers I know who would sell thier souls to stay home and raise thier kids? It is not Financially viable. It has nothing to do with cutting corners and going with less, it takes 2 full-time incomes to make it week to week!!! And as for wages, they won't go up because the babyboomers own and run all the companies. You don't need viable wages, they need millions to retire! But I forgot, the Young generations are the Selfish ones!!!!

It is amazing how many of you have missed the point. It doesn't matter if I have a rooster, or if there is a store down the street. I guess I was trying to see how greedy and self concerned mt felow Canadians are. I just wanted o know if you had 2 of something, and your neighbour had none, if you would do the decent thing and just give them one. guess my countrymen are more Americanized than I had hoped!!!!!

I find it amazing how many out of touch babyboomers use this site! Or maybe there is just 2 different realities to Canada!

from the sounds of it, I'd say by your responses your not in the peon populace! Leave it to the arrogance of the older generations to think they ave the answers! The currrent state of our country indicates otherwise. You think you have the answers because you've been at it longer:? Seems to me your generation is to blame for the state of our economic, environmental, social, and political problems. My generation doesn't get to buy new houses for $20g, with only $100 downpayment. We can barely live week to week!

I recently called all 3 major Canadian parties, and posed to the all the same question: "what are your partie's plans to recruit the younger vote?" This was made too be such an issue during the election, I assumed they all had a plan. Wrong!!!! The only party who even acknowledges this sector of the populace is the NDP. From the other 2 parties I was bluntly informed that young people don't care about politics, so they have no plan to recruit the younger voters. How sad! I did respond to this that young people care very much about politics, but are feeling greatly frustrated. You see, it's frustrating knowing that even if every single voter in your demographic voted, our votes would be cancelled out by babyboomers and seniors. I figure we're about 10 years from Drastic political and social reform in Canada as the #'s start to favor the "Forgotten Peon" populace. I just hope the peons aren't all dead by then from lack of utilities, shelter, etc., as fewer and fewer are able to afford basic survival needs, thanks to our "Democratic" government!!!!!

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