The 2012 Federal Budget: Prosperity Claims, Colonialist Aims
Number of First Nations communities that were ranked in the bottom 100 communities in “The Community Well-Being Index” of Canada: 96 [i]
Annual cuts to now be made to Aboriginal Affairs: $166 million [ii]
Available funding over the next three years that the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives deems necessary to adequately ameliorate Aboriginal education: $2.4 billion [iii]
Amount this budget has allocated to Aboriginal education over the next three years: $275 million [iv]
Minimum number of new schools that need to be built in Aboriginal communities to begin to truly improve the quality of on-reserve education: 40 [v]
Maximum number of schools the 2012 budgeted transfers would cover: 22 [vi]
Estimated financial benefit by 2026 of creating a strong education system in Aboriginal communities: $11.6 billion [vii]
Percentage of First Nations communities facing health risks from their water and wastewater conditions: 71 [viii]
Amount the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives states is required over the next three years to create safe water conditions on reserves: $2.85 billion [ix]
Current federal budgeted transfers to improve First Nations drinking water: $331 million [x]
Funding to be allocated to solve the seriously dire Aboriginal housing crisis: $0 [xi]
Cuts to Health Canada (including transfers to Aboriginal Health Care) to be made annually: $200 million [xii]
Percentage of current retirees in Canada who had to retire due to ill health: 25% [xiii]
Number of extra years individuals will be required to work or, if low-income or disabled, to go on social assistance once the age of eligibility for Old Age Security rises in 2023: 2 [xiv]
Current rate of labour surplus: 6.4 workers per vacant position [xv]
Public sector jobs new budget declares will be cut by the federal government: 19,200 [xvi]
Percentage of CBC.ca readers who have voiced that they disagree with the 2012-13 federal budget: 67.38 [xvii]
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[i, iii, v, vii, ix] The CCPA’s Alternative Federal Budget 2012
[ii] “Native Schools Funding Falls Short”
[iv, vi, x, xi] “Feds Focus on Younger Native Demographic”
[viii] “Education Just One of Many Priorities for Aboriginals”
[xii] “Budget 2012 Cuts Hit Hard”
[xiii, xiv] “Raising the OAS Eligibility Age Would Raise Poverty in Old Age”
[xv] “May Urges Opposition/Public to Stop Bill C-38”
[xvi] “Canada Budget 2012”
[xvii] CBC.ca
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By Danielle Martak
