In the News May 10
Ontario Election 2022
Matters of Concern
Federal and Provincial Handouts to Ontario Auto and Shipbuilding Private Enterprise
Prior to calling the Ontario election, the Ford government teamed up with the Trudeau federal government to make several announcements of handouts to auto and shipbuilding private enterprises. These handouts from the federal and provincial treasuries to privately-owned and controlled companies total billions of dollars. These large handouts of public money to private interests should be looked into by the workers. What the government is up to when it makes these handouts is an important issue in the Ontario election.
Generally the public money given to global private interests is accompanied with much fanfare and chest-thumping followed by lavish praise in the mass media. No voice can be heard questioning as to whether this direction for the economy is either sustainable or desirable. Any voices questioning the handouts as appropriate when the needs for public investments in social programs are so great are drowned out with shouts hailing the jobs and economic development. Apparently Ontarians are not capable of providing either jobs or economic development without bribing the global rich to invest with lavish handouts of public money, infrastructure and servile regulations.
The end result is that Ontarians have no control over their economic and political affairs. People are supposed to be content with being the human productive force that the global oligarchs use to make money, crush their competitors, strengthen their empires and perpetuate their privileged lifestyles. Any voice objecting is quickly silenced with “What!? You don’t want their investment and the ‘worker-first’ benefits they bring!? Are you crazy; we can’t build anything like that without those guys in control. They won’t invest here if we don’t give them what they want: money, infrastructure, a trained human productive force, resources and easy regulations.” End of discussion — if it can even be called discussion.
In this election that cannot be the end of the discussion. Everything needs to be out in the open, investigated and discussed. Who really benefits from these handouts to the rich? As a matter of principle should public money be going to enlarge the wealth, power and privilege of the rich? Besides, only so much public money is available and the social needs are obvious and great. Is no other direction for the economy possible where public investments go to social programs and public enterprise, and the benefits and control are public and serve to humanize the social and natural environment?
We think there is. It requires putting those who represent the interests of the working people, not the rich, in decision-making positions.
Ontario Political Forum, posted May 10, 2022.
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