Child Hunger in Canada

[WilliamGreen]

“Is it my job to feed my neighbour’s child? I don’t think so.”

These are the words of Canada's Tory minister James Moore.

When the inevitable backlash from child advocacy groups arose Mr. Moore backpedalled and released the statement:

"I apologize,” Moore wrote on his website.

“Caring for each other is a Canadian ethic that I strongly believe in — always have and always will. Of course poverty is an issue that concerns me, and concerns all Canadians. All levels of government, indeed all members of our society, have a responsibility to be compassionate and care for those in need.

“Great work has been done to tackle poverty and the challenges associated with poverty. And while more work is needed, I know the cause of fighting poverty is not helped by comments like those I made last week. For that, I am sorry.”

If he really believes in this ethos than why the original dismissal? We have to realize that this ideology is becoming more and more aggressive not only in Canada but across North America and into Europe.

It's not just something to be debated. It infects generations and leads to casual views on poverty, struggle, and empathy. The very meaning of community.

Sorry I'm a bit riled haha, I posted this on the facebook and twitter in order to help get it out as much as possible.

[A Psychological Symphony]

Unacceptable attitude towards the issue, but honestly what did expect from a Tory?

[The Garbage Disposal Unit]

It's kind of frustrating - that Tories are, more or less across the board, a bunch of violent sociopaths, liars, thieves, and otherwise the most disgusting examples of decadent ruling-class contempt for all life, makes it really hard to argue that the other bourgeois parties are no better. I mean, sure, Tom Mulclair is an opportunist-capitalist-slimeball, but, y'know, I feel like I could be like, "Hey Tom, that baby swallowed a loonie," and not expect him to gut the baby with a bowie knife, spend the loonie on drugs, then write it off as a parliament-related work expense.

[blake 3:17]

You give Mulcair too much credit...

Shit's getting harsher and harsher.

From Carol Goar, a socially minded liberal who writes for the Toronto Star


In the final hours before Parliament adjourned for its eight-week Christmas recess, James Rajotte , chair of the finance committee, quietly tabled Income Equality in Canada: An Overview.
A quick glance at the 69-page report shows why the Conservative MP waited until the last possible moment to release it, precluding parliamentary debate and minimizing public attention.
It is a pathetic piece of work. It heaps praise on Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his regressive policies. It says nothing about lifting low-income Canadians out of poverty, nothing about tackling the desperate shortage of affordable housing in the country, nothing about increasing the Canada Child Tax Benefit, nothing about improving public pensions and nothing about shoring up the country’s deteriorating social programs.
Here is recommendation No. 1: “That the federal government continue to create strong conditions for economic growth and job creation.”
It took the Tories 18 months to push one of the important issues facing the nation off the political agenda.
They seemed willing to grapple with the growing gap between rich and poor in June of 2012, when Liberal MP Scott Brison put forward a private member’s motion to “set aside partisan politics and work together to identify solutions to Canada’s growing problem of income inequality.” It passed 161 to 138. The Nova Scotia MP requested that the House of Commons finance committee study the issue and devise solutions.
For nine months, nothing happened. Finally, last March, Rajotte announced to fellow parliamentarians: “I am pleased the committee will be undertaking this important study.”
Another seven months passed. In October, the committee at last got down to work. It held a mere three hearings. Fifty days later, Rajotte tabled its report.
“It’s evident that improving the well-being of Canada’s poor wasn’t a priority,” said Joe Gunn, executive director of Citizens for Public Justice , one of the many groups waiting expectantly for the report.
The Conservative-dominated committee made 24 recommendations. Twenty-one of them urged the government to continue what it was already doing; keeping taxes low, encouraging young people to go into the skilled trades, maintaining Canada’s attractive investment climate, implementing its universally panned Canada Job Grant program, and removing disincentives (such as employment insurance payments) for all Canadians to work. In short, Rajotte and his seven Tory colleagues urged their political bosses to pursue the very policies under which the ultra-rich have acquired an ever-larger share of the nation’s income.

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2013/12/12/tories_shrug_off_income_equality_goar.html

[The Intransigent Faction]

“Is it my job to feed my neighbour’s child? I don’t think so.”

These are the words of Canada's Tory minister James Moore.

When the inevitable backlash from child advocacy groups arose Mr. Moore backpedalled and released the statement:

"I apologize,” Moore wrote on his website.

“Caring for each other is a Canadian ethic that I strongly believe in — always have and always will. Of course poverty is an issue that concerns me, and concerns all Canadians. All levels of government, indeed all members of our society, have a responsibility to be compassionate and care for those in need.

“Great work has been done to tackle poverty and the challenges associated with poverty. And while more work is needed, I know the cause of fighting poverty is not helped by comments like those I made last week. For that, I am sorry.”

If he really believes in this ethos than why the original dismissal? We have to realize that this ideology is becoming more and more aggressive not only in Canada but across North America and into Europe.

It's not just something to be debated. It infects generations and leads to casual views on poverty, struggle, and empathy. The very meaning of community.

Sorry I'm a bit riled haha, I posted this on the facebook and twitter in order to help get it out as much as possible.

Did a bit of a rant on Facebook, too, even though I'm half-asleep and not sure how clear it was but whatever.

I'm kinda tempted to just spread it around and not comment, because he does a damn good job of making himself look bad here unless you're already pretty much a reactionary...

Anyway,

"Empowering families with more power and resources so that they can feed their own children is, I think, a good thing."-James Moore

Because, you know, your "own children" are the only ones who matter. Never mind the one that instead of starving could have grown up to be, I dunno, the surgeon that saved his life, or just someone who achieved a much greater potential for their own sake and others' than they would have starving under capitalism.

There's a lot that could be said about how paternalistic top-down welfare state programs are no real solution to the inherent contradictions of capitalism, but saying that here would be beating a dead horse. That and I've personally volunteered enough at a food bank to feel that as long as capitalism exists we're probably better off with than without those sorts of programs, because their use doesn't seem to entail a harmful reformism in the same way as, say, bourgeois electoralism.

Anyway, between that one "Minister of Science and Technology" who refused to say whether he supports the theory of evolution because 'a question about his religious beliefs was inappropriate', war hawks in the Ministry of Defense, a Ministry of the Environment that has gutted all sorts of regulations to benefit the oil companies, and a Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism who has denied "frivolous refugee claims" from "safe [a.k.a. allied] countries" and cut health care for refugees...and this guy, I'm seriously starting to wonder if Harper is planning to model Canada after Nineteen Eighty-Four.

[blake 3:17]

Harper is a pretty hard right fuckwad. I resisted "fascist" for some reason, but if the shoe fits.

I respect him (he's smart) and he's playing the long game. After he was Reform MP, he'd be on TV for the Tax Payers Federation or one of the other right groups, and I'd be astounded by his insights. He just plays for the other team.

The NDP tried to learn from him and the progressive wing of Democrats. From a socialist perspective, massive fail. From an electoral POV, they did good. I didn't think a Third Way was possible here, given the Liberals...

Aside from QS there's been no moderately successful left break from the NDP.

[blake 3:17]

It's going to come down to the oil wars, and the terrain is weird there.

As a friend said -- Frack the police!

[blake 3:17]

From Thom Walkom:


James Moore, the federal industry minister, may have said more than he meant to when questioning why his government should feed hungry, poor children.
Certainly, he apologized fulsomely once he realized that his comments — made last week to a Vancouver radio reporter — were putting Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government in a bad light.
But the British Columbia MP deserves to have his original remarks taken seriously. Among other things, they provide some insight into the government’s curious decision to squelch any talk of reforming the Canada Pension Plan.

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/12/17/stephen_harpers_merry_band_of_19th_century_liberal s_walkom.html

[Crabbensmasher]

As much as I want to call Canadian politicians rightwing nutjobs, his comment does seem a bit unusual. Politicians here won't usually run their mouths about that, or anything that could possibly be scrutinized as controversial.

For this reason, there's a lot of questions that are just never touched in Canadian politics - income inequality being one. It's like everybody across the board knows the conversation is going to be awkward and they're too afraid the electorate will rip shit over their answer.

It seems like in cases such as these, everyone in parliament is a slimeball, but nobody has the balls to express their opinions cause their so damn scared. And in a way, this makes them even bigger slimeballs.

Not to mention, it gives us the impression our politics are centrist as all hell, when in reality, they're not.

But hey, this is probably old news, eh?

[WilliamGreen]

Thanks for every ones great posts on this.

Hopefully the message will get out and as time goes on a momentum will build to where there are some limits.

It seems insane to think but starving children are no longer a limit.

[The Intransigent Faction]

Thanks for every ones great posts on this.

Hopefully the message will get out and as time goes on a momentum will build to where there are some limits.

It seems insane to think but starving children are no longer a limit.

Sorry to say I'm sure this remark will be swept under the rug along with the treasure trove of other such remarks by MPs in the Conservative Reform Alliance Party.

[WilliamGreen]

Sad to say but maybe true.

As more canadians become hungry though maybe we'll remember