Mick Sweetman (Mick Sweetman)
Toronto
Member since December 2009
April 15th: Raise The Rates - Rally and March on the McGuinty Government
Submitted by ocap on Wed, 03/24/2010 - 21:47.
Thursday, April 15th, 2010
12 Noon
Allan Gardens Park (Sherbourne and Gerrard)
*Free Meal
WE DEMAND:
-Raise Welfare and Disability rates by 40% now!
-Stop the attacks: Give us the Special Diet!
-Defend Public Services
In 2003, the Liberals were elected on the promise of ‘change’. Those empty promises did nothing to end poverty. For poor people there is no difference between McGuinty and Harris: same program, different facade. The reality is that poor people in Ontario are worse off than we were 15 years ago. And now, things are about to get even worse.
The Government is looking at taking away the Special Diet in this year's Provincial budget, and maybe raising the total rates by a measly 3%. If this happens - thousands of people in this province are going to be thrown in to a serious crisis. People on OW and ODSP live on rates that are shamefully inadequate. Since the 1995 cuts by the Harris government, these rates have been reduced in real terms by at least 40%. People are forced to choose between paying the rent or buying food. In slashing the Special Diet now - the government is taking away the one thing that people on Social Assistance had left to try to get-by.
Governments responded to the economic crisis by giving billions of dollars in bailouts and tax cuts to failed corporations and banks. Now they are looking to get that money back in the way of serious Social Cutbacks. The Special Diet is an example of this, but Housing, Social Assistance, Childcare, and all Public Services are under threat. We know that any cuts will result in an even bigger explosion of poverty and suffering in this Province for poor and working class people.
If we let the government write our future, it will be bleak. We are calling on poor and working people in Ontario to organize and fight back.
We won’t pay for their crisis or their deficit. We demand the right to a decent income and a future free of poverty. Raise the Rates by 40% Now! Join us on April 15 and fight for the right to decent income!
Ontario Coalition Against Poverty
www.ocap.ca / 416-925-6939
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