{short description of image} THE DREAM OF CANADA {short description of image}
A Meditation on the Bank of Canada, 'Manifest Destiny', and Political Will
CANADA Yesterday Media Monetarism Secrets History Free Trade Budget 95
Election 04 A Sonnet Politics The Dream Election 06 Economics Links Today

The Liberal Government's 1995 federal budget, delivered by then Finnce Minister Paul Martin, was, in my opinion, the worst budget in modern Canadian history. I couldn't believe (at that time) that our very own government could be so destructive to its citizens! (I've since observed that governments WORLDWIDE are betraying (knowingly or in ignorance) their peoples in a like fashion...) As we have seen, to say "there is no alternative" is simply not true.

For an exploration of alternative approaches to 'mainstream' economics, click here for information on the video of the 2004 Conference of the Committee on Monetary and Economic Reform (COMER). See also www.comer.org

Governments may choose to create their own moneys using their central bank; OR borrow at staggering interest rates from the private banking system...
--In the 1995 budget, transfer payments to the provinces were reduced by $6.2 billion. In other words, the federal government downloaded on provinces; they in turn downloaded on municipalities, and they on us! No honest Canadian that I know of, anywhere, wanted any of the following to happen!

Much of the social progress and many of the programs realized over prior decades were dismantled.
Here is a list of some of the damage caused by the 1995 budget:
health care: hospital closures; layoff of doctors and nurses; reduced services
less water/meat testing, and no plans to improve
$2/3 billion cuts to education. Tuition fees soar
social security network cut back
'postponed' environmental cleanups, including The Great Lakes
cutbacks to the Arts and the CBC
neglect of military equipment / defence capabilities
neglect of infrastructure

HOW AND WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?

Today ALL G-8 national finance ministers are obliged (due largely to pressure from market sector economists and lobbyists) to make interest payments using OUR (taxpayers) money to financial institutions in the private sector, rather than using their own central bank to finance public sector programs such as those listed above.

It may therefore be argued that the peoples of the world have been betrayed by their very own leaders! --Certainly that has been so in reference to The Dream of Canada... Next: The 2004 Federal Election.