Hewers of wood and drawers of water. Here we are in 2012 and apparently thats still Canadas modus operandi to keep the economy goingat least from a Conservative federal governments perspective. Thats how I interpreted much of finance minister Jim Flahertys 2012 budget, which he tabled Thursday.
Canada was indeed built on hewers of wood and drawers of water, but arent we more enlightened now that were well into the 21st century?
Since I have no political or economic background (I have BA with a major in French), my perspective on the budget is from that of an average citizen, being the parent of two young children and my fear about the future.
I worry excessively about my future and get riled when pundits think that people in their 40s arent going to be upset about not getting Old Age Security until theyre 67 as opposed to 65 because its still so far off in the future. Given that were ceaselessly told to plan for our golden years (ie. RRSP contributions), how can the 54-and-under crowd not get mad at the OAS change. According to a prof I heard on CBC yesterday, those who earn less than $60,000 a year nowsuch as long-time Courier newsroom staffers who have no cushy pension plan to rely onwill face hardship at age 65. Thanks, Stephen Harper for the extra gloom in our futureeven when all of us know well be working well beyond 65 anyway. If we have jobs that is.
Aside from OAS, the all-oil sands, all-the-time 2012 budget (complete with weakened environmental protection laws) struck me more as a 1950s budget as opposed to a 2012 one. It lacked a key elementvision. I saw no grand vision for a grand country. But then again, I doubt any federal budget by any party has ever set my pants on fire. Youd think by now wed be just a little smarter, a little more inspired, and gasp, a little radical even. By radical, I mean not sticking with the business-as-usual approach that has different industries working in economic silos but grasping that all economic activity is connected by our dependence on natural resources and the ecosystems that sustain us. How this can be ignored is mindblowing. Under Harper, its about getting our raw resources to market and the environment be damned. Can we not at least sell our precious resources with value added to them, Steve?
It therefore comes as no surprise that the concept of natural capital failed to pass the lips of Flaherty last week.
Its also obvious Prime Minister Harper dislikes (nay, loathes) those pesky environmentalists opposed to the Northern Gateway pipeline project. Hes going to spend $8 million to sick auditors on environmental groups to essentially silence their opposition to the aforementioned project. The name McCarthy springs to mind.
What I so longed to hear was Harpers vision for Canada over the next century. Are we simply going to continue being the worlds supplier of raw natural resources, most of which are finite, or are we going to lead the way in green, social, cultural and technological innovation?
This is where my kids come in. By the time theyre my age, Id like to think every structure (houses, schools, towers, stores etc) in Canada would derive their electricity from solar panels on their roofs, cars would run on a renewable energy (but there would be fewer of them because of fantastic transit and train systems), and our cities would be cultural hot spots with worlds best universities graduating students creating useful technologies to address our health, social and environmental challenges. And wouldnt it be refreshing to hear politicians realize the arts are as vital to the economy as making cars and building houses. Its been better articulated by others, but let me say it again, it is through the arts that we tell and share Canadian stories and learn about each other. And guess what? It also generates revenue and provides employment to about 80,000 British Columbians. I love Paris. Why? Because it has amazing museums, art galleries and architecture. I long to go to New York to see Broadway and off-Broadway plays and visit its fine museums. I want to visit Washington, D.C. and check out the Smithsonian.
For me, any real move away from the standard hewers of wood approach to the economy starts with cities. They need to be strong, healthy, diverse and a place where people can find meaningful work. Given cities are where the bulk of new immigrants will live in Canada, its imperative to put real focus on developing our urban areas to encourage creativity and innovation.
Let the revolution begin.
