Education and literacy

FEDERAL BUDGET: CONSERVATIVES COMPLETELY OUT OF TOUCH WITH EVERYDAY REALITY OF CANADIANS AND COMMUNITIES
Federal budget puts Canada back on flawed track that led to recession: Savoie

OTTAWA – Victoria MP Denise Savoie today expressed astonishment that the federal Conservative government has tabled a budget that is completely out of touch with the everyday reality and priorities of Canadians and communities.

By Emma Godmere and Kat Eschner
January 28, 2010

OTTAWA (CUP) — The Conservative government has decided not to renew funding for the Canadian Council on Learning, a national organization that studied and published public reports on all levels of Canadian education since 2004.

On Jan. 8, the CCL announced that the government’s financial support — originally a five-year, $85-million grant, which had been extended by the Conservatives for another 12 months last year — will run out on March 31.

Honourable James Flaherty
Minister of Finance
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Re: Consultation on federal budget 2010 – Victoria, BC

Dear Minister,

I am writing to convey to you the results of extensive pre-budget consultations that I conducted in my riding during the month of November 2009.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOVEMBER 24, 2009

OTTAWA – Twenty years ago, on November 24, the Leader of Canada’s New Democrats Ed Broadbent sounded the alarm bell on the tragedy of child poverty in Canada. Since then, every day in the House of Commons and out in the communities across Canada, New Democrats have been working tirelessly to push for an end to poverty.

It is now 2009, and there is still much to be done to eradicate the scourge of child poverty in Canada. This is a collective failure and shows a lack of political will on the part of successive governments.

#1 : Denise's climate change series
#2 : Libby Davies' housing bill
#3 : NDP Seniors' motion
#4 : Denise's commuter choices bill

Motion would require Triple Bottom Line assessment of federal property sales

OTTAWA – Victoria MP Denise Savoie today introduced a motion requiring that social, environmental and local-economic impacts are given full and equal consideration when the federal government sells or disposes of property.

“Under Liberal and Conservative governments there has been a fire sale of federal properties,” said Savoie. “Instead of selling out at the best immediate financial deal, I believe that respect for residents, communities and all Canadians dictates a more holistic, long-term view.”

Savoie pledges to be watchdog for Conservative promises

VICTORIA - Denise Savoie, Member of Parliament for Victoria, is pledging to be a watchdog for her riding to ensure Conservative budget promises are actually allocated.

“This government has proven in the past that it has an obvious distaste for investment in affordable housing and in a forward-thinking, sustainable economy,” Savoie said today after the long-awaited release of the 2009 federal budget. “He has fought his whole career against progressive change. Why should we trust him now?”

She is extremely disappointed that the government appears to believe that climate change should be allowed to escalate during periods of economic hardship, that the poorest families should be allowed to flounder and that more and more laid-off workers should discover that they are not entitled to benefits under Canada’s deeply-flawed employment insurance program.

By Matthew Pearson
For The Tyee

The federal government will spend more money over the next few years helping Canadians renovate bathrooms than it will building new social housing units.

A new tax credit for home renovation unveiled in yesterday’s budget could cost the federal government $2.5 billion in the next fiscal year, while total spending over the next two years for social housing totals just over $2 billion.

The full unveiling of the budget followed a series of well-orchestrated leaks by the Conservative government. Since late last week, the government has spilled the beans on $13 billion worth of stimulus spending plans, including more than $2 billion in additional funding for social housing.

Cut and paste this link to watch Denise speak in the House of Commons on Student Debt:

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=yd-h--9-LYI&feature=related

Layton blasts privatization in the school system, federal cutbacks, and more
By Ian MacDonald
The Muse - Memorial University

With the NDP lagging in the polls behind the Liberals and the Conservatives, party leader Jack Layton only has a few short weeks to try to sway voters.

The New Democratic Party (NDP) has put forth a platform that promises a larger portion of Canada’s cash to flow into post-secondary, Layton told student newspapers across Canada in a teleconference last Thursday.

“As a share of [gross domestic product], federal investment in education is 40 per cent lower than it was in 1992,” said Denise Savoie, NDP education critic.