the Walnut Diary

Saturday’s Globe carried a very interesting interview with former NDP leader Ed Broadbent in which he laid a couple of things on the line. Canada’s population has grown poorer because of the gutting of social programs by Liberal and Conservative governments while tax cuts have favoured the rich.

He further asked, “What’s wrong with raising taxes?” This topic has been taboo in North American politics ever since George Bush Sr. suggested a tax increase to cover the cost of the first Iraq war and caused a voter backlash which handed the presidency to a bemused Bill Clinton.  But Ed Broadbent is retired, and probably doesn’t give a damn about re-election. He will tell it as it is.

In the next minority government, it will be up the the NDP to form a coalition with either the Liberals or the CPC and force an agenda which will reverse the trend to weaken Canadians’ security through funding cuts to social programs like E.I. and O.H.I.P.  After the successful Republican propaganda campaign against government health care in the U.S.A., protection of what remains of our socialized health care will need to be Layton’s #1 priority.

It’s too bad Ed’s around so seldom any more.