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News release |
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Communiqué |
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Inky Mark, MP |
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Dauphin-Swan River |
December 10, 2001
Ottawa—Inky Mark, MP for Dauphin-Swan River says that while the Liberal government has finally put some money into Canada’s ailing military, they ignored some obvious problem areas in the Budget announcement today.
“First, let’s remember that it was the Liberal government who cut back military spending since 1993. It took a major crisis like a terrorist threat to make them correct their error. There is nothing new in this Budget in the way of health care spending, and nothing in the way of agricultural relief funds for farmers still reeling from the low commodity prices that has severely affected them since 1998. This Budget sounds good – but it deflects our attention elsewhere, which is what the Liberal government intended,” Mark said.
In the first Budget in nearly two years, Mark said that the internal problems of this country were all but ignored in favour of boosting our national security. While making Canada secure is a welcomed action, Mark says this Budget doesn’t go far enough.
“There is a $37 billion dollar surplus through Employment Insurance. Rather than allocate that money back into the system to benefit those who put it there in the first place, it was retained. Minister Martin announced that $1 billion in the next three years will be spent on foreign aid rather than help Canada’s failing health care system. He’s announced funding for a system of airport security which the taxpayers, through user fees and taxes, will pay for rather than helping the farmers who feed us. I’d say the Finance Minister ignored some pretty big issues with his announcement,” Mark said.
Mark did say that this budget will bring in a few things that were sorely needed. Among them were the funds for armed air marshals, funding for better screening equipment at the borders and ports of entry, as well as the funds to hire the staff necessary to do those jobs effectively.
“The problem I have with todays announcement is Minister Martin ignored Canada’s domestic problems in favour of promoting his advances for our national security. Had his government not created a crisis in the RCMP, CSIS and the Canadian Military through previous deep cuts in funding, we might not have needed todays new spending announcements. We could have spent that money on our health care, our food supply industry, education and paid down our national debt,” Mark concluded.
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