i_am_canadian666 i_am_canadian666:
I am new to this particular forum and so I will star off by just saying how i think the budget should have gone:
I am a Conservative, but my no.1 priority and duty as a Canadian is that i think we should never go into debt except if it was an absoloute emergency.
More military money, much more. Possible increase from $9 Billion per year to about $16 Billion per year. That would put us back on the world stage of politics and allow us to actively participate in many more peacekeeping and humanitarian operations.
This would have to be paid for by an initial raise of taxes, but then when our debt is gone we could lower them again.
Healthcare and Education would stay the same.
I would cut the redundant social programs and increase police and Emergency Services spending.
Theres my view. I'll check the forum on Sat, Sun, Mon, Fri.
I agree with every point made, especially about the debt. I would like to see some changes to the education system so it can have a universal standard so skilled immigrants that have a doctorate can more easily apply their skills in Canada rather than having to redo their entire education. This is a shameful waste of resources. We are losing our health care system because of the federal retreat from it's fiscal responsibilities and the Provinces now shoulder the weight and thus we don't have 1 heath care system, we have 13. The funding between provinces and feds was 50/50 now it's more like 80/20 this will make the best care in Canada to be found will be in provinces like Alberta that have payed off their debt and now can spend more on their system as it becomes self sustaining. Places like BC and Quebec will be scraping by with a floundering systems that they can never totally scrap but will never have the funds to run it most efficiently. Also what is covered in Quebec is not in Nova Scotia or Manitoba this leads to health care shopping that will inevitably lead to a two tiered health care system that will undermine the overall effectiveness of our heath care system and have people looking south for shorter wait lines. We still have it better than the US (we only have to look to flu shots for proof of that) as the pharmaceutical industry does not as of yet have a complete stranglehold on our nations medical industry.
The military must be ramped up. We currently spent 1.1% of GDP on defense. This must be increased to 2.5% over 10 years with emphasis on more ground troops. Large purchase for Strategic air lift and long range ASW will be required to patrol our northern boarder. We will need a more robust navy with more capabilities then what we have now and will need to make from scratch replacement parts for our Brit subs as the only useful thing on them will be what we put into them.
The daycare system and Gun registration are going to be costly investment in social programs. They also set precedent that Canada is a socialist state. If they can not be kept under tight spending control then they must be axed. If they can show they can keep to a budget we should keep them. The gun registry has been a liberal screw up since day one and should have been grandfathered in and the original scope was far too ambitious and ended up alienating may law abiding citizens. Such disrespect should never be given credence but a future system of registration has merit. Day care has been horribly mismanaged by every government that has tried to take it on, I have little hope that this will change. However, the idea that we live in a free and equal society is challenged if women can not get a job because they have to take care of the kids. Women may not be paid for their duty but our nation would not exist without their sacrifice. To support them will pay long term dividends in a more secure and stable society. The federal responsibility to this should be to create and maintain a standard that can be enforced uniformly.
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