Federal gov't cuts community-based program funding - FedNor affected
The announced $1 billion in program cuts will hurt the least served across Canada as the Conservative finds new ways to fund their war machine. Announced cuts to FedNor, the Community Access Program and other community and regional programs will negatively affect all communities in northern Ontario and elsewhere across Canada. First Nation programs are being targeted as well (see Tobacco Strategy program cut news story below).
The Federal Government has announced that it is cutting uncommitted funds for the social economy, along with a long list of cuts to grants and contribution programs for community non profit organizations.
The full announcement and links follow ...
Today the President of the Treasury Board announced a series of measures <http://www.fin.gc.ca/news06/06-047e.html> to achieve expenditure savings and focus resources on government priorities.
http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/media/nr-cp/2006/0925_e.asp
Amongst those targeted:
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Industry (FedNor), Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council & Western Economic Diversification - Elimination of Non-Committed Funds for Social Economy Programs $39.276M
Also listed is: Elimination of Support to Canadian Volunteerism Initiative $9.744M, cut in Social Development Partnership program $13.8M, cut in youth employment programs $55.4M, cut in workplace skills programs $17.6M, cut in adult learning/literacy $17.7M.
Aboriginal group slams Tory government as discriminatory after spending cuts
Alexander Panetta, Canadian Press - Published: Wednesday, September 27, 2006
OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's largest aboriginal group is claiming discrimination after the new Conservative government cut funding for a First Nations health program.
The government announced Monday it will kill the First Nations and Inuit Tobacco Control Strategy at a savings of $10.8 million to taxpayers over two years.
The Assembly of First Nations denounced the move and pointed out that other smoking awareness programs aimed at non-aboriginals were left untouched by Monday's cuts.
"We see this as discriminatory treatment," assembly chief Phil Fontaine said in an interview Tuesday with The Canadian Press.
Fontaine said he's starting to detect a pattern.
First, the Tories turned their backs on a $5 billion deal for aboriginal housing, education and health care that the previous Liberal government signed with the provinces and native groups.
Then they joined Russia as the only two countries in the world to oppose the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Now this.
"We ask ourselves if this government really cares about First Nations," Fontaine said.
"Is it concerned about the single most important social-justice issue in this country?"
The government says it is scrapping the awareness campaign because it failed to reduce smoking rates among aboriginal people. And it says it will work with aboriginals to produce a more effective strategy.
"It is eliminating funding of the First Nations and Inuit tobacco control strategy . . . because the program has been ineffective in achieving its goal of lowering the smoking rates among First Nations and Inuit," said Health Canada spokeswoman Carole Saindon.
But Health Canada's own statistics fail to support the government claim.
Its most recent numbers date back to 2003 and they indicate a three percentage point drop in aboriginal smoking rates from 1999.
Smoking rates among aboriginal people were at a staggering 62 per cent in 1999, the tobacco program was created in 2002, and the rates were at 59 per cent the following year.
Late Tuesday, the government offered a new rationale for cutting the program when told their figures failed to support their initial explanation.
The program was being cut, government officials said, because aboriginal smoking rates continue to be roughly three times the Canadian average.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was unapologetic.
"That's a program that didn't work," he said.
"It just didn't work effectively in reducing the incidence of the use of tobacco. So then what do you do if you're in your own household or in your own business or in the government?
"You look and say, 'Hey, we better find a better way of doing this, a better way of spending the money so that we accomplish the goal of reducing smoking.' "
Fontaine said the smoking announcement added insult to injury.
Just a few months ago, he noted, the government said it couldn't afford the $5 billion Kelowna accord.
"Then to learn (Monday) they're going to apply $13 billion to the debt is just mind-boggling to us," he said.
© The Canadian Press 2006