Democracy Gone Astray

Democracy, being a human construct, needs to be thought of as directionality rather than an object. As such, to understand it requires not so much a description of existing structures and/or other related phenomena but a declaration of intentionality.
This blog aims at creating labeled lists of published infringements of such intentionality, of points in time where democracy strays from its intended directionality. In addition to outright infringements, this blog also collects important contemporary information and/or discussions that impact our socio-political landscape.

All the posts here were published in the electronic media – main-stream as well as fringe, and maintain links to the original texts.

[NOTE: Due to changes I haven't caught on time in the blogging software, all of the 'Original Article' links were nullified between September 11, 2012 and December 11, 2012. My apologies.]

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

National Defence hit hard as government to slash discretionary spending by $4.9 billion

OTTAWA — The federal government plans to slash $4.9 billion in discretionary spending in the next year — with the Department of National Defence bearing the brunt of cuts, while departments involved in the Conservatives’ law and order agenda are spared.

The plan was unveiled Monday as Treasury Board Tony Clement tabled the government’s main budgetary estimates for 2013-14 in the House of Commons.

The detailed document provides a glimpse into how the government intends to increase or decrease funds for a long list of departments and agencies in the next fiscal year.

In additional to Defence, other departments facing spending reductions include the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Environment Canada, Transport Canada, the Canadian International Development Agency, Canada Border Services, and Health Canada.

But others will see their budgets go up. They include: Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, the RCMP, the Security Intelligence Review Committee, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, the National Research Council, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Canadian Heritage.

There could be some slight variations when Finance Minister Jim Flaherty introduces his budget, expected next month, but Clement stressed Monday that the estimates provide a clear sense of what lies ahead.

“I would call it a harbinger, perhaps, a signal of the kind of budget that we will have,” he told reporters.
“We are continuing to rein in spending.”

While overall spending will be up slightly, Clement reiterated that the government plans to eliminate the deficit in the “medium term.” Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Flaherty have been more specific — saying they want a balanced budget by 2015, the year in which Canadian voters next go to the polls.

Last year, Flaherty’s budget contained billions in program cuts — with a plan to slash 19,000 jobs.
Clement said the government will be starting the next fiscal year “on the right track” with more reductions in spending.

According to the estimates, the government will spend $252.5 billion in 2013-14 — up from $251.9 billion the previous year. That includes $87.1 billion in discretionary spending — which is down $4.9 billion from $91.9 billion in 2012-13.

At the same time, the government projects $165.5 billion in “statutory” spending — an increase of $5.5 billion over last year, largely due to expenditures in areas such as pensions for seniors, benefits for employment insurance recipients, and transfers to provinces for the health system.

Clement said the governing Tories’ insistence on fiscal discipline is beginning to “get rooted” in departments. “So when departments come forward with new ideas, for instance, new projects, they are encouraged and educated to find offsets rather than expecting there to be a new pot of money for new spending.”

The new estimates confirm that the government continues to search for millions of dollars worth of savings from spending on environmental policy and clean energy programs in several departments.

The estimates also show a drop in overall infrastructure funding by several hundred million dollars at the office of Infrastructure Canada.

But the estimates confirmed that the government was still working with the provinces and territories to develop the “next long-term plan” for infrastructure, as current agreements expire from the existing Building Canada Fund. The next plan is expected to be introduced in the budget.

The estimates also proposed $5.6 million in “temporary funding” over the next year for “heightened public awareness of pipeline safety” as well as an increase of $1.4 million in funding for the Privy Council Office to “continue to support the coordination of a government-wide communications strategy” to promote the government’s economic policies.

Among the highlights of the estimates:

Defence:

The budget will be slashed by $1.8 billion — from $19.7 billion to $17.9 billion. Most of that comes from a $1.2-billion cut to operating costs, and a decrease of $480.2 million in capital costs.

It was already known that National Defence was facing cuts of between $1.1 billion and $2.5 billion by 2014-15, but these latest government figures indicate the belt-tightening may be even tougher than expected. A spokeswoman for Defence Minister Peter MacKay said the reductions are logical given the end of military operations in Afghanistan and Libya.

“The Department of National Defence is finding savings for Canadian taxpayers by streamlining contracting and internal processes,” Paloma Aguilar said in an email.

“The Canadian Armed Forces continue to receive the needed equipment and training so that they are ready to respond when Canada and Canadians need them.

But some military commanders have reported struggling to ensure personnel, equipment and training aren’t unduly hurt by the cuts, as they were during the period of deep budget cuts in the 1990s.

Foreign Affairs:

The budget will be slashed by $270.5 million — from $2.6 billion to $2.3 billion.

The cuts will be particularly tough.

Much of the department’s money goes to fixed expenditures such as embassy operating costs and mandatory member payments for international organizations such as the United Nations, meaning there is very little left to shave.

Most of the reductions appear to be a decision not to renew a $100-million-plus program managed by Foreign Affairs that supports peace and security in places such as Afghanistan, Colombia, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“These cuts are hollowing out the limited resources we had to deal with some of the greatest international challenges facing our country,” NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar said in an email.

“In effect, we will no longer be able to provide timely response on urgent issues of peace and security. The net effect is that these cuts will further isolate Canada from the world.”

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness:

The budget jumps by $8.9 million — from $432 million to $440.9 million.

Some of the funds go to the “national security and emergency management initiatives” connected to the Canada-U.S. Beyond the Border plan designed to combat terrorism.

Original Article
Source: canada.com
Author: Mark Kennedy Lee Berthiaume

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