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A simple remedy: Let’s just all pay our fair share.
Ottawa (22 Feb. 2012) - The latest edition of the National Union of Public and General Employees' (NUPGE) newsletter, the ATN Campaigner, is reaching thousands of Canadians across the country this week.
This month's Campaigner profiles a solid ATN Champion, Jeanette Kimball (MGEU/NUPGE). As an outdoor enthusiast, Jeanette knows Canada is a land of great natural beauty. She also knows it is a land of great acquired wealth. “So why must we live with endless cuts in services to Canadians?” she asks.
“How can we do so much for millionaires; and so little for the working poor and all those forced to live in Third World conditions right here in Canada?
“Our government needs to account for increased tax cuts to rich corporations while continuing to slash services to the most needy and vulnerable,” Kimball says. “I am all for paying my share of taxes. In this way, we take care of each other, whether we need the services ourselves or not. If corporations paid their fair share, we would have the services so desperately needed by Canadians and make sure no one feels the pain of poverty and hunger.”
Kimball is one of the more than 32,000 members of the Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union (MGEU/NUPGE), Manitoba’s largest union. Jeanette is president of Social Sciences, Local 48, Area 8, and works as a family conciliation counsellor in Thompson, Manitoba for the Government of Manitoba’s Department of Family Services and Labour. She often meets parents at a stressful time as they reorganize their lives.
“Family court can be an intimidating and adversarial place and I stress the importance of working out a parenting plan and making peace for the sake of their child(ren),” she says. “At heart, I’m a peacemaker and I value being able to assist families in resolving things.”
“Getting the message out that we need to protect our public services and keep ‘tax fairness’ on the table for discussion has been natural for me to do”, Kimball says, “whether I’m presenting to a group or talking one-on-one with people I meet. I am excited about being part of the All Together Now! Campaign to sound the alarm for Canadians who may not realize how vulnerable we are to losing what we have unless we take action.”
The ATN Campaigner also exposes Harper's misguided corporate tax cuts and the shameful exodus of the Caterpillar plant in London, Ontario.
The ATN Campaigner is a monthly newsletter highlighting the issues and events of the All Together Now! campaign promoting quality public services and tax fairness. You can subscribe to the newsletter via the ATN website, http://alltogethernow.nupge.ca.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE