THE TORIESS WAR ON CANADAS STUDENTS

Rolf Auer
March 16, 2011
Ideology is a word commonly used in the social sciences to refer to more-
or-less articulate and generally coherent elief systems that are said to
moti!ate "olitical action#
$Canadian Politics, edited y %ames &ic'erton and Alain-(# (agnon, 2002,
)ontrasting ideologies in )anada* +hat,s -eft. +hat,s Right. Raymond
&a/ows'i, "# 01
2he current dominant ideology guiding go!ernment decision is neo-
lieralism#
$The Political eZine Canada, 2he 3eo--ieral 4ogma 5 )anada,
htt"*66"olitics#lilithe/ine#com62he-3eo--ieral-4ogma-and-)anada#html,
-aila Au-%a/ar, August 2001
789te"hen: ;ar"er, the first truly neolieral <rime Minister7
$The Harper Record, edited y 2eresa ;ealy, "df, )anadian )entre for
<olicy Alternati!es =))<A>, ?conomy, 2rade and In!estment* @oreign
Awnershi", Mel +at'ins, 9e"temer 22, 200B,
"# 102
2;? 2ARI?9, 3?A-I&?RA-I9M A34 ?4C)A2IA3
2he "ur"ose of this essay is to show how education in )anada$and the
conditions for )anadian students$has eroded under the federal 2ories, neolieralism#
2he essay is also su""osed to show how neolieralism in general leads to deterioration in
the Duality of education and in the Duality of life for students affected y it#
3?A-I&?RA-I9M A34 )A3A4A
2he current )anadian go!ernment$that is, the federal 2ories led y <rime
Minister 9te"hen ;ar"er$is neolieral# +hat does this mean.
)anada* 2he neolieral "rogram is largely aout ma'ing the mar'et su"reme,
reducing the si/e of go!ernment, and "romoting indi!idualism o!er social
decisions# It o"erates through reducing go!ernment re!enue through taE cuts,
"articularly for the well-off, and then using the ensuing lower re!enue as an
eEcuse for cutting ser!ices# 2he mar'et, rather than collecti!e social decisions
and rights, is seen as the a""ro"riate way to ma'e decisions, "articularly
aout resource allocation and, conseDuently, ser!ices# Privatizing is the
preferred way of providing consumer choice in markets. =my italics>
$onitor, 3eolieral assault on education s"ar's gloal resistance,
"eriodical of the ))<A, -arry Fuehn, 9e"temer 2006, "# 20
In other essays, attem"ts were made to relate neolieralism to fascism# =2he
2ories, +ar on )anada,s Arts, Rolf AuerG 2he 2ories and )anada are Incom"atile,
Rolf Auer> According to the !"ford #ictionary of Current $nglish, H
th
edition, 2006,
fascism is defined, in definition =2>, as eEtreme right-wing or intolerant !iews or
eha!iour#
)ertainly, memers of the current federal go!ernment hold !iews ranging from
right-wing to the far-right# 2his can e !erified y e!en a cursory eEamination of any
numer of its memers, "ast statements, including those of ;ar"er#
In addition to eing referred to as neolieral, the federal go!ernment has also
often een called neoconser!ati!e =neo-cons># 2hese terms are !irtually identical#
82:he contem"orary "ractice of treating neo-conser!atism and neo-
lieralism as commensurate terms signals a significant late twentieth-century
ideological de!elo"ment# 9"ecifically, neo-conser!atism is a term
freDuently used to descrie the American right in the Reagan and "ost-Reagan
years#
$Canadian Politics, edited y %ames &ic'erton and Alain-(# (agnon, 2002,
)ontrasting ideologies in )anada* +hat,s -eft. +hat,s Right. Raymond
&a/ows'i, "# BB
In )anada, howe!er, neolieralism more accurately reflects the ideology of our
federal go!ernment# =Iid#, "# B1>
3eo-lieralism is a set of economic "olicies that ha!e dominated 8)anadian:
"olitics for the last 2I years# ?ssentially, neo-lieralism contains many
elements# The foundation of neo%li&eralism is a free%market economy' where
there is as little government intervention as possi&le. (econdly' neo%li&erals
aim towards the privatization of pu&lic services. They argue that the private
sector will deliver these services more efficiently. )eo%li&erals also advocate
for less spending on social services in order to minimize government
intervention. =my italics> A!erall, a neo-lieral state is one in which each
indi!idual com"etes against e!ery other indi!idual J e!eryone is out for him
or herself7# 3eo-lieralism is credited with economic growth, ut it is also
lamed for economic and social disasters such as the widening ga" etween
the rich and the "oor in de!elo"ed countries, and the current gloal financial
meltdown that was created y the deregulation of an's7# In the "ast 2I
years we ha!e seen leaders im"lement neolieral "olicies such as the
"ri!ati/ation of )anada,s hos"itals, schools, munici"al ser!ices, community
centres, social ser!ices and utilities# 2hey also "romote free trade agreements,
which ha!e een descried as cor"orate ill of rights =Feuhn, 200B*11># *t
also includes the cuts in funding among services that were once funded &y the
government such as education' child care provisions and welfare programs
=my italics>7# In our contem"orary )anadian state, 9te"hen ;ar"er,s
go!ernment is as neo-lieral as the last# ;ar"er see's to maEimi/e mar'et
oriented !alues# (tephen Harper has decreased ta"es for citizens while
decreasing state funding in programs such as education and health care
+,rown' -../0123. =my italics>
$The Political eZine Canada, 2he 3eo--ieral 4ogma 5 )anada,
htt"*66"olitics#lilithe/ine#com62he-3eo--ieral-4ogma-and-)anada#html,
-aila Au-%a/ar, August 2001
+hy has "ri!ati/ation stalled. <ulic o"inion won,t stand for it7# &ecause
there is little !oter su""ort for "ri!ati/ation, ad!ocates 8for "ri!ati/ation: ha!e
regrou"ed around a stealth 'ind of "ri!ati/ation, the "ulic-"ri!ate
"artnershi" or <K# A "ri!ate com"any uilds a school, hos"ital, highway,
sewage "lant or "rison, and the go!ernment leases or "ays the com"any a fee
to run it# 2he federal 8;ar"er: go!ernment is reDuiring that "ro!inces and
cities consider 8<Ks: when they uild infrastructure that uses federal
money7#;ere are some of the 'ey factors in "ulic su""ort for the "ulic
!alues in "ulic ser!ices*
1# 4emocracy* <eo"le are emotionally attached to democracy#
<ri!ati/ation is undemocratic# 7
2# 9ecrecy* Most "ri!ati/ation deals are negotiated and signed in secret#
7
K# Luality* <ri!ati/ers contend that their in!ol!ement in <K "roMects
reduces costs# &ut the "ulic does not necessarily agree that the low
idder should carry out "ulic ser!ices# <ulic !alues recogni/e that
unioni/ed "ulic-owned ser!ices are etter than non-union, in!estor-
dri!en contractors# 7
H# 9ecurity* 2he most admired "rofessions are "ulic em"loyees*
firefighters, nurses, doctors, teachers and "olice# +hat do they ha!e in
common. 2heir training and res"onsiility for security# Adding safety
to any Mo ma'es it more li'ely that "ulic o"inion will want it
"ro!ided y a go!ernment, not a com"any# 7
J<ri!ati/ation* a reality chec',
http://www.publicvalues.ca/ViewArticle.
cfm.RefN002, Mar' Owelling, 3o!emer 11, 2000
-I2?RA)P A34 ?4C)A2IA3
3eolieralism ultimately affects our language and therefore our thin'ing "atterns#
+hat immediately follows are some insights y an adult education writer on the
relationshi" etween neolieralism and literacy#
It seems to me that neolieral ideas and the "olicies that flow from them are
ha!ing a "rofound effect on our language and ultimately our thin'ing and
understanding of adult literacy and literacy wor'# 2he language of
neolieralism is the language of the mar'et$it is language that reflects the
!alues of the mar'et, of trade and commerce7# @rom the ideological
"ers"ecti!e of neolieralism, education ser!es as a means to train "eo"le to
wor' within, and to acce"t, a gloali/ed economic order7#
A""ressi!e state language$that is, currently the language of
neolieral go!ernment$is more !iolent than its land, rather
asurd surface might lead us to elie!e# It is at wor' here, usily
containing what we can do, what we can understand# It is the
language in which the auditor is 'ing# It is a language that
destroys social res"onsiility and critiDue that in!ites a mindless,
consumer-oriented indi!idualism to flourish and 'ills off
conscience#
$#iscourse0 studies in the cultural politics of education, 2he
im"ossiility of intellectual wor' in neolieral regimes,
&ronwyn 4a!ies, 200I
&usiness leaders, through the )onference &oard of )anada, ha!e consistently
made the usiness case for literacy in the interests of the economy7# 2his
one dimensional, functional a""roach to literacy has not een seriously
eEamined or contested within the adult literacy community, although, clearly,
how literacy is "ercei!ed, funded, "ro!ided and !alued is dee"ly affected#
Cltimately, under such a scheme, adult literacy ecomes a form of training, in
which techniDue is "ri!ileged o!er content and it ecomes easier to de!elo"
short-term, time-limited "rograms with s"ecific em"loyment-related intent$
that will, of necessity, eEclude many "eo"le and will result in a !alidation of
the train the est and ignore the rest "olicy# A more multi-dimensional !iew
of literacy in which learning is !iewed as encom"assing as"ects of self-
disco!ery and self-de!elo"ment, and in which there is room and
encouragement for reflection and eEamination of the roader social, "ersonal
and economic conteEts in which the learner locates herself, is not considered#
$4iteracies 56., 3eolieralism and literacy* a "ersonal reflection,
www#literacyMournal#ca, Maria Moriarty, s"ring 2001, (oogle title and use
Luic' Qiew* scroll down to read entire document
A research "a"er done Mointly y the ))<A and a numer of teachers, federations,
titled Commercialism in Canadian (chools0 7ho8s Calling the (hots9 =2006>, discusses
one direct effect of neolieral underfunding of education* the cree"ing influence of
mar'et commerciali/ation in )anadian schools and on children who attend them# 2his is
related to the later discussion in this essay of cor"orati/ation and education#
2he far-reaching effects of the 2ories, ideology egin y failing children at a !ery
young age#
In the latest C3I)?@ re"ort card on the rights of children, )anada failed to
meet nine of the 10 enchmar's of minimum standards for early child care
and education7# 3early 00R of )anadian mothers wor', ut many thousands
of families in )anada still lac' child care s"aces for their young children$
"articularly affordale, high-Duality child care and education# An a!erage,
when child care s"ace is a!ailale, "arents in )anada ha!e to "ay I0R of the
costs, in contrast to the a!erage of K0R that "arents normally "ay in ?uro"e#
$onitor, )anada lags far ehind other de!elo"ed nations in caring for and
educating children, ))<A, @eruary 2001, "# 21
+here does it sto".
-iteracy "rograms ha!e een among the targets of federal go!ernment
cutac's#
$onitor, 2hree out of 10 )anadian adults Sfunctionally illiterate,, ))<A,
?ric Roinson, 4ecemer 200B6%anuary 2001, "# KH
Ane can only s"eculate what moti!ates a neolieral go!ernment to cut funding for
literacy "rograms# +hat might the outcome e.
)anada has an illiterate and semiliterate "o"ulation estimated at H2 "ercent of
the whole7
$$mpire of *llusion0 The $nd of 4iteracy and the Triumph of (pectacle, 2he
Illusion of -iteracy, )hris ;edges, 2001, "# HH
Is it any wonder attention-getting 2Q "olitical attac' ads$used y the federal
2ories more often than any other go!ernment in )anadian history$are so successful.
Is this massi!e failure of )anadian literacy somehow the fault of )anada,s
institutions of higher learning.
At last fall,s 82000: Cni!ersity of 2oronto conference on academic freedom,
:reedom of (peech' :reedom to Teach, %im 2ur', eEecuti!e director of the
)anadian Association of Cni!ersity 2eachers, offered some useful reminders*
2he conce"t of academic freedom is notional, without sustance in
law#
;igh schools are organi/ed around oedience, not awareness#
)olleges ha!e some free s"eech "rotections under the )harter,
uni!ersities none#
Anly collecti!e agreements can lin' academic freedom to Mo security#
Cni!ersities remain Tlite institutions, disguising "ower as 'nowledge
while constraining the indi!idual, courageous !oice#
7#
2he <alestine issue has clearly een a test for uni!ersities# As distinguished
scholars %ohn Mearsheimer and 9te"hen +alt note in their estselling The
*srael 4o&&y and ;.(. :oreign Policy, uni!ersities ha!e een under
tremendous "ressure to loc' deate and acti!ism around Israel# And they
ha!e tried to com"ly# )anadian uni!ersity "residents issued a statement last
summer =2000> o""osed to the Israeli oycott6di!estment6sanctions =&49>
cam"aign# 9tudent and faculty outrage at such mu//ling forced a "ulic
deate at Ryerson on the suMect in late 3o!emer# 9iE hundred attended# 3o
one died from the eEchange of !iews# 9imilarly, McMaster Cni!ersity was
forced to retract its attem"ted censorshi" of the "hrase Israeli a"artheid# +e
can e relie!ed that <arliament was loud in indignation when 9te"hen ;ar"er
insulted the ;olocaust recently y suggesting that criticism of Israel was anti-
9emitic# &ut the trend toward silencing y institutions within our democratic
society is nonetheless disturing, as these eEam"les illustrate# 2oday,
critically-minded uni!ersity and college instructors face formidale structural
limitations to their teaching# 2he most o!ious one is how to get tenure if
your !iews are edgy7# A secondary structural limitation deri!es from the role
of the mainstream media as gate'ee"ers for legitimate o"inion# (ood
intellectuals are emedded in "ositions of regular commentary, while
resistant intellectuals are as'ed critical or s'e"tical Duestions on those rare
occasions when, for the sa'e of alance, they might a""ear#
$onitor, @reedom of s"eech in our schools not guaranteed or "rotected,
))<A, Roger -angen, %uly6August 200B, ""# K6-0
=@or an eEam"le of mistreatment of a resistant intellectual, see Margaret Atwood,s
log entry titled, &unfights in the 4ar'* U)K2, March 11, 2011, on her log*
htt"*66marg01#word"ress#com# 9he isn,t an intellectual as in the sense of a tenured
"rofessor at a uni!ersity, ut she is y definition 1 at www#dictionary#com, a "erson
"rofessionally engaged in mental laor, as a writer or teacher#>
2here is some good news in all of this# @or some students, all is not lost in the
conflict etween neolieralism and academics#
If you,re not a reader of 8the ))<A,s Duarterly education Mournal !ur
(chools<!ur (elves:, you owe it to yourself to get hold of a co"y of its @all
2000 issue, whose main theme is Media ?ducation and ?ducating the
Media# Pou,ll learn that media education has ecome mandatory in ?nglish
-anguage Arts in )anadian schools, that Media -iteracy is eing incor"orated
into reading, writing, and communications suMects in many schools across
the country, and that educators agree that hel"ing young "eo"le thin'
critically aout "o"ular media is an im"ortant "art of their Mo# +e already
seem to ha!e more media-literate "eo"le in )anada than in the Cnited 9tates,
Mudging y the "olls, ut the maMority still remain under the media-induced
s"ell# Most )anadians still su""ort 3A@2A, for eEam"le, still fa!our taE cuts
o!er social s"ending, still "refer the undemocratic first-"ast-the-"ost election
system# 2he more students who learn to Duestion, understand, and e!aluate
what they see and hear in the commercial media, the closer the emergence of
a truly well-informed citi/enry =and thus a genuine democracy> comes to
reality# 2he teachers who ha!e ta'en on the challenge of creating media-
sa!!y students are "erforming a !itally im"ortant ser!ice for this country#
@reeing young minds from the "rison-cells of neolieral "ro"aganda, o"ening
them u" to the !ision of a etter and fairer world$this is surely a nole
calling#
$onitor, )reating an un-rainwashed generation is a nole calling,
))<A, ?d @inn, 4ecemer 20006%anuary 200B, "# H
Is it any wonder the ;ar"er go!ernment sees that money goes into &usiness,
9cience and 2echnology de"artments at uni!ersities, to the neglect of lieral studies.
=2his statement is illustrated in the neEt section#>
)AR<ARA2IOA2IA3 A34 ?4C)A2IA3
+hat ha""ens when the dri!ing engines of the free-mar'et economy$
cor"orations, the e"itomi/ations of neolieralism$tangle with educational institutions.
Cltimately, howe!er, we thin' that it is less im"ortant to focus on the enefits
and harms of cor"orati/ation than it is to focus on what it leads the uni!ersity
to ecome, and what this transformation means for the well-eing and future
of citi/ens# )or"orati/ation con!erts uni!ersities from "ulic-ser!ing
institutions into 'nowledge usinessesG that is, it changes the uni!ersity from
a "ulicly accessile resource for social de!elo"ment that enefits a di!ersity
of grou"s in a wide !ariety of ways into an institution that "roduces "roducts
and ser!ices for s"ecific mar'ets and "aying clients# 7hether or not the
Canadian pu&lic supports this transformation has not &een asked. *nstead'
the decision to pursue this transformation has &een taken &y default' and' in
some respects' &y stealth. Citizens need not=indeed' must not=uncritically
accept this development. 7e can and should e"amine and >uestion what has
&een done to our nation8s universities' and from there take steps to ensure
that they clearly reflect our collective will and fulfill our aspirations. =my
italics>
$onitor, +hat,s wrong with cor"orati/ing )anada,s uni!ersities. <lentyV
))<A, )laire <olster and %anice 3ewson, @eruary 2001, "# KI
3o matter if the students will e!entually find careers in the "ulic or "ri!ate
sectors, the ideology and the !alues in!arialy reflect the needs of the
cor"orations# Programs like &usiness administration' accounting' information
technology' pu&lic relations' marketing' human resource management'
communications in &usiness' to name a few' predominate. =my italics> ?!en
"rograms such as early childhood education, law enforcement, social
ser!ices, nursing, and international relations are ased on the assum"tion that
what is good for usiness =or the ottom line> is good for society as a
whole7# 82:he curricula of "rimary and secondary schools tend to gi!e little
attention to such matters as the eE"erience of car"enters, electricians, women
wor'ers =es"ecially those wor'ing in non-traditional occu"ations>, "ulic
em"loyees, or immigrant wor'ers7# +or'ers and their families thus tend to
fund a "ulic educational system that is increasingly under stress, fails to
reflect their struggles or history, and ignores their as"irations to uild a etter
society$one ased on true eDuality of treatment and o""ortunity,
inclusi!eness, social Mustice, and res"ect for others in international relations#
Is it any wonder that we end u" with the 'ind of federal "olitical leadershi"
we now ha!e in Attawa and in most "ro!inces. <olitical a"athy, ine"titude,
and ser!ility to cor"orate interests "re!ail e!en though many "ulic o"inion
"olls show that a maMority of )anadians want more "rogressi!e "olicies#
$onitor, )anada,s schools now mainly ser!e cor"orate interests, ))<A,
%oe (rogan, Actoer 2000, "# 1H
8R:ather than "reser!ing our "ulic uni!ersities, the "ri!ate sector is actually
hel"ing to rema'e them in its own image7# Ane of the most o!ious ways in
which )anadian citi/ens fail to enefit from uni!ersity6industry alliances
stems from the growing "ri!ati/ation of academic 'nowledge# Although
)anadians still "ay the lion,s share of the costs of uni!ersity research, the
results of this research are increasingly ecoming the "ri!ate "ro"erty of
cor"orations, uni!ersities, and6or academics# 9hould !arious memers of the
"ulic wish to access the results or "roducts of the research they hel"ed "ay
for, they must "ay for them again# 2his is assuming that research results are
accessile, which may not e the case for a !ariety of reasons, including
eEclusi!e licensing agreements and "rohiiti!ely high mono"oly "rices7# At
the same time that our uni!ersities are ecoming less useful to greater
numers of )anadians, cor"orate lin's are also rendering our uni!ersities less
trustworthy and reliale# As academics and uni!ersities ecome more
in!ol!ed in usiness !entures of others or of their own, they ecome less ale
to "rotect the "ulic from harm7# ;ltimately' the corporatization of the
university threatens to leave our society without a disinterested source of
e"pertise to which we can turn for assessments or advice on important social'
economic' and political >uestions? =my italics>
$onitor, )or"orati/ation of uni!ersities more harmful than hel"ful,
))<A, )laire <olster, 3o!emer 2006, ""# H0-2
In short, any usiness-friendly enter"rise gets free rein in learning institutions,
while anything else, which could challenge the neolieral ideology that is the foundation
of the federal 2ories, gets short shrift#
A))?99A&I-I2P A34 ?4C)A2IA3
Is the free-mar'et the answer to all "rolems, as neolieral dogma claims. +hat
aout tuition fees for students. If the ;ar"er go!ernment is the most neolieral one to
e!er come to "ower, one might thin' that the free-mar'et$one of the cornerstones of
neolieral ideology$would cause tuition fees to decrease, due to more efficient deli!ery
of ser!ices# Instead, since ;ar"er assumed "ower, they ha!e s'yroc'eted, ecause of
social ser!ice =that is, susidi/ed schooling> cutac's#
2o go further, as some ha!e, and suggest that susidi/ed tuition is regressi!e
re!eals a total misunderstanding of the economic meaning of a regressi!e
measure# @ ta" is regressive if the percentage of the payer8s income
represented &y the ta" declines as the payer8s income increases. =my italics>
9o again, in direct o""osition to the claim y critics of uni!ersally funded
"ost-secondary education, it is the tuition fee that is regressi!e, ecause a flat
amount of tuition fee ma'es u" a lower "ro"ortion of a student,s income as
her or his income increases7# +e "ro!ide uni!ersal funding for education
ecause, as a society, we thin' it is !aluale to ha!e an educated
"o"ulation7# +e elie!e, as ?gerton Ryerson did, that education underwrites
the economic o""ortunity on which lieral democratic society is ased#
$onitor, It,s tuition fees that are regressi!e, not "ulic funding, ))<A,
;ugh Mac'en/ie, %une 2000, "# 21
In )anada, howe!er, e!en if y some miracle tuition fees were rolled ac' or
eliminated tomorrow, it would do nothing to alle!iate the financial distress of
the thousands of graduates still hea!ily urdened with student det# 2he
escalation of tuition fees =u" WI,000 a year in many "ro!inces> has garnered
some "olitical, "ulic, and media attention, ut the des"erate "light of
graduates$many of whom are staggering under det-loads as large as the
mortgages their "arents started out with$continues to e ignored# ;owe!er,
e!en "eo"le with mortgages or car loans rarely encounter the "rolems that
graduates ha!e to endure with the administration of student loan det# 2he
le!el of ser!ice eing "ro!ided to graduates is far elow the standards
"ro!ided y other lending systems7# 2he interest rate on student loans is
much higher than the rate charged on other ty"es of loans7e!en though the
go!ernment,s cost of orrowing is sustantially lower#
$onitor, An B-"oint "lan to tac'le )anada,s student loan crisis, ))<A,
Mar' A,Meara, 3o!emer 2000, "# KH
In 3o!a 9cotia, the <rogressi!e )onser!ati!e "ro!incial go!ernment enacted a
"rogram to send welfare reci"ients to uni!ersity# It was well-intentioned, ut ultimately
unrealistic, once again ecause of crushing student det loads# 2his is one of the eDuests
of neolieral free-mar'et ideology#
)areer 9ee' was announced in 3o!emer 2006# It was designed to allow 200
welfare reci"ients =I0 "er year> o!er four years to recei!e "artial enefits
while they earned a degree# <artici"ants must first de!elo" a career "lan with
a case-wor'er, and the "lan had to draw a straight and continuous line from
their undergraduate degree to a Mo# All had to orrow maEimum student
loans# 3umerous restricti!e eligiility criteria and, I elie!e, the difficulty of
re!ersing a certain mindset of clients, case-wor'ers, and other human ser!ice
"ersonnel =Mos and college are "ractical, uni!ersity is eEtra!agant and
im"ractical> resulted in Must two successful )areer 9ee' a""licants entering
uni!ersity last 9e"temer# 4et a!ersion no dout also inhiited "artici"ation#
?Eactly how does a single mother with no financial assets eE"ect to "ay off
WI0,000 or more while raising a young family and eginning a new career.
$onitor, Cni!ersity degree eyond reach of single mothers on welfare,
))<A, Fatherine Reed, March 200B, "# 1I
)A3)-C9IA3
2he central "ur"oses of ca"italism,s assault on "ulic school funding are
clear* @irst, to increase ca"italist "rofits through financial cutac's =allowing
taE cuts for the rich and the cor"orations> and through outsourcing school
ser!ices =eE"anding the school mar'et"lace for "ri!ate "rofit># 2his "rocess is
often called "ri!ati/ation# (o!ernments ha!e la!ished huge taE cuts on the
rich and the cor"orations# 2hey ha!e 'e"t the neoconser!ati!e financial
structures in "lace that demand eEtensi!e social-ser!ice cutac's to ensure
this taE relief# 2his has een es"ecially the case in countries with rising
military, "olice, court, and Mail costs#
$onitor, 3eolieral assault on education s"ar's gloal resistance, ))<A,
?"ilogue, (eorge Martell, 9e"temer 2006, "# 2I
@rom :ederal ,udget -.6., a )anadian Cnion of <ulic ?m"loyees =cu"e#ca>
o!er!iew of the u"coming federal udget, a few details* under ?ducation and training
and inno!ation, WI00 million has een allocated for RA4AR9A2, a satellite "rogram#
RA4AR9A2,s cheerleaders ha!e een careful to conceal that its data offer a
tremendous oon to foreign military and intelligence organi/ations# Most
significantly, the C#9# 3a!y, Air @orce, Army, and its !arious s"y agencies
ha!e always een among the to" users of this "ulicly-funded, ut now
"ri!ately-controlled, )anadian satellite7# 82:here are those in the C#9# who
'now all too well that, when it comes to "roducing the technology of war,
)anada is dee"ly integrated into America,s war-fighting machinery#
$onitor, )anada is ta'ing a leading role in the militari/ation of s"ace,
))<A, Richard 9anders, %une 2006, "# 2B
W222 million is going to 2RICM@, the nuclear and "article "hysics laoratory# WHI
million is slated for a "ost-doctoral fellowshi" "rogram to attract research leaders# And
W1I million is going to college and community "rograms to ma'e lin's with local
usinesses# Aside from this last it of neolieral drile, there is nothing to hel" students#
Cnder 2aE measures, there is no "lan to re!erse the "ro"osed cor"orate income
taE cuts, which will result in a loss of W20 illion in re!enues o!er the neEt fi!e years#
It,s federal 2ory slash and urn time again, with them using lower re!enues as
an eEcuse to cut more s"ending, "articularly on social ser!ices$as the "oint was made
!ery early on in this essay#
9tudents are going to end u" hurting more than e!er#