Danielle Smith speaks in incomplete financial silo statements. She refuses to allow disabled Albertans to benefit from the Federal disabled benefit because she says disabled Albertans already have some of the highest benefits. She obfuscates by refusing to index or increase the minimum wage as the lowest in the country, and Alberta teens start out at one dollar less in minimum wage than other Canadian teens.
All political parties bear guilt in basing Canada’s entire financial system on financial silos with no coordination of income and assets with benefits. PM Carney speaks of social justice, MLA Peter Guthrie speaks of fairness and the NDP have given multiple benefits to families. What does this even mean when the poor, youth and singles receive less or are excluded from social benefits?
RBC’s July 2024 report “Where Did My Money Go? The Cost of Being Single in Canada” outlines how singles generally pay more for almost everything including housing and food. Of course, RBC’s only suggestion for singles is to use their RBC app.
In April 2023 Maytree recommendations to the 4th United Nations periodic review of Canada stated that Canada should require poverty reduction strategies across all orders of government and incorporate these into agreements to fund social programs. Attention should be given to groups who are falling behind, such as working-age single adults and people with disabilities.
As long as federal and provincial governments are separated in their poverty reduction and financial strategies, Danielle Smith will always opt out of federal programs so she can strategically manipulate provincial finances to benefit her own foibles, politicians, families and the wealthy at the expense of the poor, disabled, youth and singles. Even a living wage will not help because she will opt out of that too.
Lin Gackle
Cochrane, AB
