Wednesday, June 27, 2012

2012-06-27 "Canadian Government Makes It Harder to Find Jobs or Access Internet by Amy Boughner[http://www.care2.com/causes/canadian-government-makes-it-harder-to-find-jobs-or-access-internet.html]
In February 2012, the government made funding cuts that cost students access to in-person job banks [http://www.thespec.com/news/article/678947--ottawa-axing-student-job-centres]. Their argument for these cuts was that young people are more likely to go to online job banks. The Harper government has also made cuts at Veterans Affairs, arguing, again, that the services will be accessed online.

Mention of Veterans "Budget cuts" contained in 41st Parliment, 1st Session 2011-06-02. [Veterans41:1 Hansard -120 (2012/5/9) (1450)] [Translation]  Hon. Steven Blaney (Minister of Veterans Affairs, CPC) [http://www.parl.gc.ca/content/hoc/House/411/Debates/120/HAN120-E.PDF]: Mr. Speaker, it is very clear. What we are taking away from veterans are the millions of unnecessary transactions for veterans who need our services. We are simply cutting the red tape, cutting the routine and repetitive tasks that waste paper and in no way serve our veterans. That is what we are doing. If the member really wants to help veterans, he should support budget 2012, because it maintains veterans' benefits."Budget cuts"

Then, the government decided to cancel the Community Access Program. The program’s funding ended on March 31, 2012. The program provided free computer and Internet access for Canadians who couldn’t afford to have it at home or couldn’t access higher speed Internet because of their location. Computers and Internet access was provided  in libraries and community centers across the country through the CAP.
The government argued that the program had fulfilled its mandate, and that a majority of Canadians now have Internet access at home. This is true, 79 percent do, but the other 21 percent may be the most in need. In smaller communities, the program provided access to government services, such as job banks, Employment Insurance and tax information.
Communities are struggling to compensate for the loss of the program, trying to make sure that people who need access can still find it somewhere. In London, Ontario, the local library is actual seeing an increase in patrons using their services, a result of unemployed Canadians having to cut their home budget [http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/2012/05/despite-funding-cuts-library-usage-increasing/].
This government has called people on Employment Insurance lazy, it has called the program lucrative, and now it is punishing those people who need help even more by taking away their access to the programs they need.

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