Sunday, May 5, 2024

Chrystia Freeland's Canada; $13 billions for Ukraine, $200 a month for the most vulnerable Canadians

One of many pie-in-the-sky promises Team Trudeau made during the last election campaign was to lift our fellow citizens, suffering from mental and/or physical disabilities, out of poverty. And what a beautiful promise it was. To be sure, those trying to make ends meet on the strength of a disability pension are inevitably mired in deep poverty, in addition to whatever other challenges they may face. In my province, the Ontario Disability Support Program maxes out at $1,300/ month for a single person. That’s in a province where you can’t find a one-bed flat for that. Thank goodness food banks are plentiful in Canada, otherwise these people would starve to death. Since winning the 2021 election, the Liberals haven’t made a move on that lifting-out-of-poverty thing. Since the next election will roll around in 2025, advocates for the disabled had high hopes something would be announced in this years budget speech. And it was. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced every Canadian living on a disability pension would get a $200/month lift out of poverty… into more poverty, obviously! But let’s not be too hard on Chrystia. She’s got bigger fish to fry than a bunch of whiners in wheelchairs. In the same speech, she set aside an additional $320 million for Ukraine. Whether that’s included in the $13 billion we’ve already sent, or if it’s new money, isn’t made clear in this CBC interview with Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal. But what is clear is that, unlike the advocates for Canada’s disabled, Shmyhal is utterly enamored of Chrystia Freeland! According to the Prime Minister of Ukraine, Chrystia is the very best friend of Ukraine! I understand Chrystia has a soft spot in her heart for the Ukrainian nationalists, due to her family’s history of collaborating with Nazi Germany during the holocaust, but has she no decency? Shouldn’t she try a little harder to be a better friend to the most vulnerable Canadians?

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