Throne speech promises much But critics say details lacking

A hike in minimum wage, further implementation of the Ontario Child Benefit program, and an infusion of funding for new social programs were some of the highlights of last week’s speech from the throne by the McGuinty government.
But critics, including NDP leader and local MPP Howard Hampton, believe the speech lacked details and strategy as to how the promises will be met.
“The McGuinty government uses all the right words, all the right rhetoric. They will promise everything from A-Z and they did again in the throne speech,” charged Hampton.
“But I think what people were looking for was how are you going to do this, when are you going to do this? None of those things were there,” Hampton added.
While Hampton was pleased the speech recognized there’s a serious problem with child poverty in the province, he said there was no action plan to address the issue.
“The only thing the government is going to do is set up a cabinet committee and study the problem for three years,” Hampton noted. “I think we’re long past the time when we can simply be studying the problem.
“There are specific and concrete things that could be done today.”
Hampton explained the government could have said they would raise the minimum wage now—not three years from now. The throne speech promised a boost in the minimum wage to $10.25 by 2010.
“That would have made a huge difference,” he stressed. “They like to create the mythology that it’s mainly students who work for the minimum wage, but that’s not true.
“It’s overwhelmingly women who work for the minimum wage and most of those women are trying to support a family.”
He added in 2010 bills will be higher and it won’t make a difference.
But Shelley Shute, Ontario Works manager through the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board, noted the hike in minimum wage will be beneficial for many local residents.
“It’s going to be a plus for those on social assistance and who are working in minimum-wage jobs by increasing their amount of money each month,” she said, although adding a more immediate boost in smaller increments up to 2010 would be ideal.
Shute added the throne speech also discussed fully implementing the new Ontario Child Benefit to $1,100 per child, which will have a large impact on the Ontario Works program.
“Right now the children are included in the social assistance benefits amount that the families receive,” she explained. “And with full implementation in July, 2008, the children’s portion of the basic needs and other benefits will be removed from there.
“And the Ontario Child Benefit, which will be paid through the province, will be picking up the portion of the children’s cost.”
Shute stressed it will benefit Ontario Works clients and those families with children.
In addition, the government indicated it would introduce legislation that would provide children’s dental benefits to low-income parents, but Shute noted no details of implementation were provided on that.
Meanwhile, last Thursday’s throne speech offered a stronger relationship with Ontario’s First Nations, but it failed to deliver what the aboriginal people were looking for.
“It was loaded with platitudes,” said Hampton, noting there were two things First Nations wanted to see.
“They wanted to see a commitment to a resource revenue-sharing formula,” he said. “In other words, the government would commit to share the revenues that come from cutting forests, mining, minerals, and damming rivers for hydro power. . . .
“And there was no mention of that.”
He added the second thing First Nation leaders want is their rightful funds from Casino Rama near Orillia, which was established in the mid-1990s as a First Nations-owned casino.
“The idea was any revenue from that casino would go to First Nations,” Hampton said. “The McGuinty government right now is holding back over a billion dollars of revenue from that casino that rightfully belongs to the First Nation of Ontario, who want that money because they desperately need to build housing and want to invest it in some economic development strategies.
“But there’s no commitment to that, either,”
Couchiching First Nation Chief Chuck McPherson said due to the withholding of this revenue, he is skeptical about the promises in the throne speech.
“We have to undertake litigation to act on that, so how sincere are they? To me, it’s just repetitive,” he remarked. “As far as helping people, they’ve talked about resource sharing—it’s words that have been spoken before and never materialized.”
Furthermore, the McGuinty government boasts it put another $30 million in the Heritage Fund.
But Hampton said people need to be aware that with the destruction of jobs in the forest sector, the Northern Ontario economy actually has lost over $800 million a year in wages and salaries.
“So saying we’re going to put another $30 million in the Heritage Fund, when they’ve taken more than $800 million a year out of Northern Ontario, isn’t going to do it,” he added
“It’s almost an insult.”