Despite all of the green virtue-signaling that comes from Ottawa on a regular basis, those who follow such things know that it is largely empty rhetoric that hides some very, very inconvenient truths. On the one hand, there never seems to be sufficient funds to implement meaningful programs that would improve
Continue readingTag: corporate welfare
Politics and its Discontents: Guest Post: A Response To Be Careful What You Wish For
As I indicated in my last post, I have been having problems with readers’ comments. I have not been receiving them. I have found a workaround the situation; although I am still not being notified of them, I went into the dashboard and looked under Comments Awaiting Moderation, where I
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Careful What You Wish For
With so many cities, including Toronto, vying to become Amazon’s second headquarters, they might be mindful of some basic truths about Jeff Bezos and his business practices: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' wealth increases by $275 million every single day. Meanwhile, Amazon workers have to rely on food stamps and public
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: More Harper Acquiescence To The Corporate Agenda
As much as it is said that the Harper regime is planning to buy votes for the 2015 election by giving income-splitting to families, the reality is that Canadians are increasingly being called upon to aid and abet its agenda of ‘starving the beast‘ while at the same time subsidizing
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Corporate welfare: Petronas seeks billions in Canadian federal tax handouts
by: Obert Madondo Follow @Obiemad | Published Wed, Aug 13, 2014 2012 PowerShift protest in Ottawa. (Photo: OBERT MADONDO/The Canadian Progressive) In 2012, I complained that Prime Minister Stephen Harper was turning Canada into a fully-fledged petro-state whose vast tar sands operations were owned by energy companies controlled by foreign governments. That was after
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Tar Sands Refinery Cries "Uncle" on Climate Change – Seeks Taxpayer Bailout
The Delaware City Refining Company doesn’t just refine oil, it refines bitumen from the Tar Sands. The company, however, is intensely aware of the dangers of climate change, so much so in fact that it’s seeking tax dollars to protect its refinery from “tidal encroachment” – another way of saying
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A Timely Reminder Of Tim Hudak’s Magical Thinking
While we should be back from our trip tomorrow in time to catch the Ontario election news coverage, this seems an opportune time to remind readers of the kind of magical thinking so favoured by extreme right enthusiasts such as young Tim Hudak. Tim, as you may recall, has made
Continue readingLeDaro: Tax refund for $500 million for BlackBerry
If you’re a big corporation and suffer losses then you may qualify for hundreds of million in tax refund. More welfare for corporations and big businesses. If an ordinary person loses his/her job no tax refund. Read more here.
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Industry Canada dished out $22.1B in “corporate welfare” since 1961
A new report by the Fraser Institute reveals that Industry Canada gave businesses $22.1 billion in taxpayer-funded subsidies, aka “corporate welfare”, since 1961 The post Industry Canada dished out $22.1B in “corporate welfare” since 1961 appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: On Corporate Welfare
David Lewis, the one-time head of the federal NDP and father of Stephen Lewis, used the phrase corporate welfare bums in his 1972 federal election campaign to describe the various subsidies handed out to the corporate world. It was a withering jab at the world of business, so proud to
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: A Fund To Fund Underfunded Funds
From the government presser to their Venture Capital Action Plan: $250 million to establish new, large private sector-led national funds of funds (a funds of funds portfolio consists of investments in several venture capital funds) Can anyone tell me this isn’t straight out corporate welfare? But wait! It is, it is
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: A New Warning About CETA
While much has already been written about the economic threats to Canada inherent in the Canada-European Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement currently being negotiated in secret by the Harper regime, a new development in those negotiations ha…
Continue readingPolitics and its Discontents: Inconvenient Truths for the Corporate Sector
Given that recent reports have helped to puncture the myth of job-creation benefits arising from corporate tax cuts and corporate welfare, I was pleased to read Martin Regg Cohn’s article in this morning’s Star. Entitled NDP leverages vote results to pressure big business to create jobs, the article discusses the
Continue reading350 or bust: Obama: It’s Time To End Subsidies To Big Oil
In President Obama’s address last week, he made it clear that it’s time America ends the $4 billion in annual subsidies to oil companies that are earning historic profits, and invests in new technologies. Prime Minister Harper, are you listening? In 2009 PM Harper promised to end subsidies to big
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Harper Spends $90k of Our Money/Day to Spin Us on His Cuts
The Harper government is paying consultant Deloitte Inc. almost $90,000 a day for advice on how to manage the cuts. via Harper personally approved $22,000 tab for visiting bureaucrats – The Globe and Mail. I am flabbergasted to read this entire article about money Harper personally signed off on to
Continue readingPushed to the Left and Loving It: Stephen Harper Shows Corporate Tax Cuts at Work
On March 19, 2008, Stephen Harper posed for a photo-op at London’s Electro-Motive plant to showcase a $5-million federal tax break given to Caterpillar, the American buyers of the Canadian company. When Caterpillar, famous for union busting in the United States, amid record profits, wanted the employees to take a 50% pay cut and surrender
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