Throne speech an opportunity for public justice

Fear and inspiration. These are the big buzzwords lately. Fear driven by the financial markets and impending economic crisis. Inspiration that a man of vision who speaks of hope was able to overcome America’s troubled history of racial injustice to become President of the United States. And it’s no wonder the two words coincide: in a time of fear and uncertainty, we need vision and inspiration more than ever.

This week, Canadians will hear from our own federal government about their vision for our country. On Wednesday, the Speech from the Throne will lay out the government’s plans for the next session of Parliament. It will also set the direction and tone of our political debates and dialogue. In a time of growing fear, Canadians look to our government to see whether their vision will inspire us all to seek the common good or foster self-centered individualism focused on short-term gain.

With key public justice questions confronting Canadians, the decisions of this government are important for our common future. As Christians seeking to respond to God’s call to love our neighbour and care for creation, we cannot ignore the important role of government in enacting public justice. CPJ offers this list of suggestions we’d like to see included in the throne speech:

• The last Parliament was characterized by constant partisan sniping that degenerated into petty and personal attacks. Such an environment is not conducive to genuine democratic debate. Political parties hold deeply-felt positions on issues, and their positions represent the views of Canadians. These views need to be respected by other parties, and engaged in a thoughtful, civil way. Playing procedural games such as threatening confidence votes on every bill is not respectful, inclusive debate. The throne speech should set the tone for a more conciliatory, democratic approach. All Canadians should feel they are represented by our government and political processes.

• As we face a recession, it is more important, not less, that the government commit to action on poverty. In a rich country like Canada, it is already unacceptable that 1 in 10 Canadians live in poverty. Troubled economic times will punish low income Canadians more than high income Canadians, and it will push more Canadians into poverty. How we respond will be a measure of our common humanity and our vision for a country of equality and opportunity. The government should announce its intention to implement a poverty reduction strategy based on consultations with Canadians in the throne speech.

This poverty reduction strategy should include a long-term vision with targets and timelines, an action plan and a budget, mechanisms of accountability and agreed-upon poverty indicators. While the strategy should be fully developed in consultation with the provinces and with those who have experienced poverty, there are some policy initiatives the government could announce in the throne speech to immediately impact poverty. The government has already agreed to renew and extend the affordable housing programs; it should now commit to long-term strategic planning for affordable housing with appropriate funding. They should also commit to a genuine early learning and child care plan for Canadian families who juggle family responsibilities with paid work, seeking to make ends meet. And doubling the Working Income Tax Benefit and raising the cut-off so that more Canadians qualify will help the large number of working poor to meet their basic needs.

• Investing in Canadians will help all of us weather the economic crisis together. This includes reforming the Employment Insurance (EI) program. Currently, less than 40% of unemployed Canadians can access EI, even if they have paid premiums! At the moment 1 in 3 jobs in Canada are precarious: part-time, temporary or contract, with low pay and low benefits. This number is likely to rise in uncertain economic times, along with the number of unemployed Canadians. The number of hours required to qualify for EI don’t reflect the nature of precarious work, where someone can be with the same employer for years and still not reach the required total of hours worked in a year. The exclusion of self-employed workers from EI is also problematic. We need to make sure that everyone can access the help they need.

• We urgently need action on climate change. The 2007 Speech from the Throne identified the environment as one of five main priorities for the government. That speech outlined Canada’s commitment to a “20 per cent reduction [of greenhouse gas emissions] by 2020,” as well as a national strategy to reduce Canada’s total emissions “60 to 70 per cent by 2050”. However, while making the environment a major priority is a positive step, the targets are insufficient. Climate change is not something that will just happen in the future: it is happening now, and we must take immediate action to mitigate its impact. Canada will not meet its Kyoto Protocol commitments because we failed to take action. How will these new targets be any different? We must not wait for future generations before we begin seriously addressing climate change.

In this throne speech, the government should commit to binding targets, made incrementally each year, which will put Canada on track to reduce emissions in a much more timely manner. The next United Nations Climate Change conference, held next month in Poland, is an opportunity for Canada to demonstrate a strong commitment to international cooperation on climate change. As well, cooperating with U.S. climate change initiatives is another crucial step towards actively addressing our current environmental crisis. Our governments must make a strong and decisive commitment to reducing emissions in order to effectively address climate change.

Canadians look to our federal government for leadership on these – and many more – issues. Will the government respond with a vision that inspires all Canadians to work for the common good? Will it seek public justice? Will it respect the dignity of all Canadians? And will it seek to represent all Canadians?