Volume 41 Issue 1,2,&3 | Posted: April 8, 2026
Today we were told of the very real concern of an austerity narrative coming to dominate government thinking (again), with departments being directed to cut between 10-15 per cent from their budget expenditures.
We know that those who are unorganized and who have less power (and wealth) become very vulnerable to the structural inequities built into our society during times of ‘austerity’.
We will have to be especially vigilant about this as things unfold during this provincial budget cycle.
I think it is also important to not lose sight of the other side of the government budget equation of “revenues and expenditures”, i.e., revenues. And we should always be prepared to ask the question as to the state of “government revenues”, or to at least to not lose sight of the question – ‘do the big corporations pay their fair shares of taxes, as we are expected to do every year?’
Our Prime Minister, Mark Carney, once a world class banker, has written an impressive scholarly book (507 pages) on Value(s): Building a Better World for All (2021). Stephanie and I have been listening to it by way of audio books. We listened to the first part as we travelled around the Gaspe.
Returning home from Saint John after my medical procedure where I was very dependent upon our socialized health care system, which, by the way served me very well, we had a chance to listen to Carney again.
In the section where he is looking closely at the power of ‘liberal market ideology’ in economies, especially where it has become ‘corrupted’ or ‘dysfunctional’, which is just about everywhere today, he observes how it is that the very big corporations tend to answer this question on paying their fair of taxes with the mantra – “we pay all the taxes that are due”. And that they say this while inventing sham companies to avoid their fiscal responsibilities in the nations or jurisdictions where they are most active and make their greatest profits.(p.123)
Along side the so-called problem of government deficits, this too is a serious structural inequity in our society in how society’s wealth is distributed and that can only be met through the intelligent solidarity of working people and their organizations, as flawed as they may be; this is especially so for us in this community care sector.
This is very hard work but necessary, and ultimately it is good work … in solidarity,
Hugh Williams, Debec, NB
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
Hugh Williams, Debec, NB
