1. Ensure that Canada remains a major player in the new economy;
2. Provide Canadians with equal opportunity to succeed; and
3. Create an economic and social environment where Canadians can enjoy the best quality of life and standard of living.

Importance of Participation

Budgets and Program Planning

• Be carefully researched and thought through in terms of long term consequences.
• Provide for wise governance.
• Be in conformity with the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.
• Provide a good quality of life and standard of living for everyone and the opportunity for each individual to reach his or her potential.

However, we do expect our government to take an active role world-wide in:

• Peacekeeping,
• Controlling armaments,
• Fighting poverty and disease, especially AIDS, which is so persistent,
• Protecting the environment,
• Stimulating education,
• Facilitating communication.

Taxation

1. We reiterate our stand that taxation is a necessity to provide a well-functioning civil society and a good quality of life.
2. We support fair and progressive taxation with higher rates for higher levels of income. Three levels are not progressive and are not acceptable.
3. Any tax cuts should go to lower income groups.
4. Tax support by Corporations should be increased
5. Corporate tax deferrals should be eliminated.
6. The GST is a regressive consumption tax which has greater negative effect on lower income people who have no discretionary income. Greater effort should be made to mitigate the effects of the GST on low income people.
7. The clawback on Old Age Security should be removed. It imposes an extra tax on seniors who have already paid into OAS over many years - and who continue to pay - through their income tax.
8. The Guaranteed Income Supplement should be increased to bring the combined OAS and GIS up to at least the poverty level.

• The top 2.5% of families owned 29% of the wealth.
• The top 10% of families owned 53% of the total wealth.
• The top 50% of families hold 94% of wealth
At the other end,
• The bottom 20% of families own virtually nothing.
• The bottom 50% own 6%! ...

Health Care

• The principles of Canada’s Health Act - comprehensiveness, universality, accessibility, portability and public administration - must be maintained.
• The growing privatization of services must be stopped and reversed. We are concerned by developments in all of the provinces in this regard, and alarmed at the possibility that our agreements with NAFTA may lead to the takeover of our health care by foreign companies.
• Core funding for health care must be restored and control over its use exercised through national standards for health care.
• Canada’s Health Act needs to be broadened to include essential currently non-insured health services such as home care, long term care and a national pharmacare program.
• We are opposed to any further "unaccountable" transfers to the provinces. Designated funding to meet identified needs , (e.g. M.R.I. equipment), with a clear accounting of expenditures, might be one way to improve the provision of health care across the country.
• More attention needs to be given to health promotion and disease prevention.
• All of the determinants of health need to be taken into account -
  Social and economic factors such as living and working conditions (income, employment, social support networks)
• Physical environment (housing),
  Personal health practices (lifestyle choices and coping strategies)
  Health services (availability and accessibility)

1. We need a National Housing Strategy.
2. The target should be the elimination of homelessness within every community in Canada.
3. Everyone is entitled to a home to call his or her own - affordable, accessible, safe and clean and with a significant degree of privacy.
4. Homelessness is only part of the problem. The marginally housed and those in danger of having to move because of increased rents from homes where they have lived for long periods of time, must also be protected and appropriately accommodated.
5. Children deserve better than constant moves and sharing one room with the entire family in a seedy motel. This situation is happening too often today.
6. Core funding for low income and supportive housing is essential. CPC supports the recommendation of the National Disaster Relief Committee that a further 1% of the total national budget should be spent on co-op and non-profit housing.
7. CPC supports the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in their request to the federal government to build at least 200,000 new rental units over a maximum ten year period, the annual federal share to be at least 1 billion dollars.
8. Money allotted for housing should be targeted to be used for the purposes intended.

1. Our public education system must be maintained with adequate provision for well trained educators, well equipped schools and adequate transportation.
2. It has become even more important in this Information Age that all children be given a full education, and that re-education and re-training be readily available as the world of work changes.
3. Education must be seen as preparation for life and include the arts as well as science and technology. People with the broad and deep perspective on life and on their role as Canadians, that a good education provides, are better contributors to society.
4. Children who are hungry or who live in unsavoury housing and are constantly changing schools do not learn well.
5. College and university students should not be saddled by years of debt or forced to drop out because they cannot pay their fees and living expenses.
6. College and university fees should be lowered. More government support for educational institutions must be provided.
7. More innovative projects are needed to help street youth become trained and employed.
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8. he unemployment rate for youth remains high. Re-training, continuing education and apprenticeship job placements in meaningful employment are approaches worthy of consideration.

A letter dated July 25, 2001, sent out by the United Way of Toronto, states:

Children born in low-income areas are 40% more likely to die in infancy, experience health or developmental problems and require health care and other services...
The years from birth to six are critical for ensuring that children get a good start in life. These are the formative years when nutrition, education and contact with adults and other children are so important.

1. We support the proposals of Campaign 2000 for a comprehensive National Children’s Agenda.
2. We support a uniform Child Tax Benefit for all families regardless of income, rather than the present sliding scale. This would make the tax system fair and recognize the high costs of raising children at all income levels. The Tax Benefit must be protected from deductions from welfare payments.
3. Child care should be available to all families in every community across Canada

1. Maintain our precious supply of water and protect it from sale on the world market.
2. Prevent contamination of the air we breathe and our water supply.
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3. reserve adequate acreage for the production of food and develop programs to support the family farm while avoiding the industrialization of agriculture through factory farms.
4. Preserve our forests, wetlands and parkland areas.
5. Stand firm on our support of the Kyoto Agreement, study the measures already taken by various municipalities that have shown successful results, and make the best practices mandatory across Canada.
6. There needs to be a national transportation strategy with financial assistance to regions and municipalities to develop public transportation services and reduce dependence on the auto.

1. Canada's contribution to foreign aid is shameful in the face of the tremendous poverty of many of the developing countries. It should be brought up to at least 0.7% of our GNP.
2. Our aid should be targeted to basic needs of food, shelter, health care and medicines, education and infrastructure such as food production and wells.
3. Our aid should not be tied to purchasing products from Canada.
4. Our aid should not be used in buying or producing arms.
5. Canada's respected role in peacekeeping on the world stage should be maintained.

We recommend that:

1. Federal support be given to developing long term strategies to provide meaningful, contributory occupations for persons outside of the commercial and business fields.
2. Seniors and retired persons be encouraged to share their knowledge and experience in the planning and carrying out of policies and programs.

c Canadian Pensioners Concerned sees all of the above as important issues which need careful consideration in budget planning. Their position in the paper does not reflect their order of importance. We are committed to working toward a truly caring, compassionate, and effectively functioning civil society, where all Canadians have an equal opportunity to succeed and to share in responsibility for each other. If we are successful in helping all our citizens enjoy a good quality of life and standard of living, Canada will be a major player in the new economy and set an example for other nations around the world. We look forward to working with government in this pursuit.