Remarks come as CUPE PEI members gather on eve of federal election
(Charlottetown) Paul Moist, National President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), warned today against giving Paul Martins Liberals another majority government.
Paul Martin cant hide from his record, said Moist. We must never forget that as Finance Minister, Martin slashed health care funding and presided over the growing gap between rich and poor. He has shown that his loyalties lie with big business and not with people.
Moist made the remarks at the 24th Annual Convention of the Prince Edward Island Division of CUPE. The convention came on the eve of an expected call for a June 28th election, which sees CUPE members across the country rallying to expose Martins Liberals for their policies that favour corporations over communities.
Our communities suffered gravely as Martin cut the deficit by attacking social programs and gutting public services, Moist said. As a result today we see long waits for medical care and crumbling municipal infrastructure while Martins big business friends wait in the wings to take advantage.
Moist noted that over the last several decades, the burden of taxation has lessened on corporations and increased on individuals. In 1961 about 20% of federal revenues came from corporations and about 32% from individuals. By 2002, 48% came from individuals while corporations accounted for only 14%.
Moist also sounded the alarm bells that Martin is undermining public health care by not enforcing the Canada Health Act, allowing provinces to experiment, as Health Minister Pierre Pettigrew said, with for-profit delivery of health care services.
But this trend goes against what Canadians want public services in public hands. Moist referred to an Ipsos-Reid poll released April 8th which found an overwhelming majority 84 per cent of Canadians want their public services delivered by public sector workers accountable to elected representatives and the public, rather than by corporations accountable to their shareholders.
CUPE will be working hard through the election campaign to expose Martins real agenda for Canada: for-profit health care, benefits for corporations over communities and a continued starvation diet for vital public services, Moist said.
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For more information:
Danielle Savoie, CUPE Communications, 506-381-1966 (cell)