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Here are some government actions which are different form what most citizens envision.

3.1 – Trade De-Regulations: free from government regulations.

There is a lingering question, in the minds of many Canadians, about The Free Trade Agreement, FTA.

It was the single most prominent and controversial issue in 1988, yet today in 2019, it continues to be unresolved, normalized, and expanded.

The 52.3% of Canadian citizens opposing FTA, in 1988, split the vote between the Liberal and NDP parties. Because of Canada’s representative system, FTA became legally the choice of the 169 Conservative MPs, who did not represent the choice of most Canadian citizens.

Superseding FTA, in January 1, 1994 the North American Free Trade Agreement – NAFTA, came into force.

Again, this controversial agreement was mandated without meaningful information, without public debate, and without the approval of the majority of voters by referendum.

The ongoing North American Security and Prosperity Partnership, NASPP; the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement, CETA; and the Transpacific Prosperity Partnership, TPP, are negotiations without a meaningful public mandate. Consequently, a handful of Cabinet Representatives trumps the choice of the majority of citizens.

3.2 – Military Interventions

Military Interventions in foreign countries are serious, life and death decisions, yet only a few cabinet ministers, supported by a few members of parliament, are authorized to make decisions for all of us, often in conflict with the will of most of us.

Since 2001, year after year, the polls showed public rejection to the Canadian military intervention in Afghanistan. According to an Angus Reid poll – February 2011, 63% of Canadians opposed Canada’s participation in the war in Afghanistan. Yet, the Canadian government sent the military to that war, for more than ten years.

Conservative reports of the National Defence Budget, currently being decided by a few politicians, shows an increase from $15 billion in 2006 to $28 billion in 2017. Military expenditure undermines the financing of health care and education services which are being gradually shifted from general tax revenues to individuals, as a fees-per-service system.

3.3 – Foreign Affairs Policies

Canadian diplomatic, trade, and aid policies, with some foreign countries, are in conflict with the will of the majority of Canadians.

For example, religious prejudices, ethnic discrimination, apartheid and even genocide are some of the extensively recognized charges by the United Nations against the State of Israel.

Also, the Canadian government’s unconditional support for the State of Israel is constantly being opposed by International human rights and peace activists, Independent Jewish Voices, and The United Church of Canada. Furthermore, Orthodox Jewish Nations of Israel are opposed to the very existence of the political State of Israel.

The UN has passed hundreds of resolutions condemning Israel’s violations and non-compliance, yet the government of Canada, contrary to the people’s wishes, continues to acquiesce with the State of Israel’s human rights violations.

3.4 – Bank of Canada.

Since 1986, the Committee on Monetary and Economic Reform, COMER, has been advocating for the Bank of Canada to assume its original mandate of lending money to all levels of government at a nominal fee or at the lowest interest rate possible to cover operating costs.

Instead, the Canadian government accepted the Bank of Canada’s independent policy of not lending money to our governments, to comply with the Bank of International Settlements policies.

Comer.org and Paul Hellyer, former Defence Minister and founder of the Canadian Action Party of Canada, claimed that the $60 billion paid out to National and international financiers in yearly interest, from all levels of government debts combined, could instead finance an optimal health care system, tuition-free public education, social housing for all Canadians who need it, and much more.

Canadians need to wonder, whom our elected politicians are representing.

3.5 – Health Care System.

Most Canadians and the BC Health Coalition believe that Health Care Service is a human right. Everyone must have access to high quality, responsive, and appropriate health care which is publicly funded, publicly accountable and publicly provided.

Statistics and budgets show that federal and provincial governments have been eroding the public health care system, making it vulnerable to privatization. Health spending continues to decline from 7.8% of GDP in 2015/16 to a projected 7.4% by 2019/20, even as the population ages. –

According to a CCPA analysis, “…in terms of health care funding per capita: BC fell from second out of ten provinces in 2001 to eighth out of ten by 2016.”

There is an obvious disconnect between what the for-profit businesses are lobbying the governments to do, and what most people need.

3.6 – Education System.

Many developed countries enjoy tuition-free education from kindergarten to university; whereas in Canada, our governments claim that we can not afford it, while at the same time they lower progressive income taxes which could be paying for education.
The United Public Education, UPE, a non-partisan coalition of student unions, teacher associations and other groups who represent every level of education in BC, Canada, raise awareness about the chronic under-funding of public education.

Budget Reduction of spending per Student from 3.3 to 2.5% of GDP

3.7 – Social Housing.

The federal and provincial governments in Canada developed legislation in the 1970s to provide financing for Social Housing through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, CHMC.

However, in the 1990s, contrary to the need of a significant number of citizens, who pay more than 50% of their income for housing, the federal government reduced the funds available for mortgages and eliminated the start-up funding for housing cooperatives.

3.8 – Transportation

Most environmentalists and advocates of the LEAP Manifesto would like to reduce the use of the “single user vehicle” because of its pollution effects; however, all levels of government keep increasing-budgets for highways, roads and bridges rather than for public transit vehicles and light rail infrastructure.

Obviously, increasing public transit would decrease air pollution which is detrimental to public health.

3.9 – Campaign promises often not fulfilled.

During the ’90s, the Reform and Conservative Parties campaigned for D.D. and recall legislation;
however, when a coalition of both Parties resulted in Stephen Harper becoming the prime minister, D.D. and “Recall” legislation were no longer on the agenda.

This short list of government practices in conflict with citizens illustrates and confirms the imminent need to shift from being ruled by a few party representatives, to direct democracy or citizens’ legislation by referendum.