Conditional funding would also be given the provinces to help them develop community health centres as the main source of primary health care. A National Drug Plan would be phased in in partnership with the provinces to ensure access to prescription drugs. The Income Support Fund restoring and enhancing the federal governments contribution to the funding of welfare and other provincial income support programs. It would also recognize the need for people on welfare to have access to training programs in order to expand their job opportunities. It would include starting to convert student loans to grants, funding the development of First Nations studies and institutions.
People feel very unsure about the future.
As a nation, we have a long history of building programs to promote equality between individuals, families, and regions. To lose them or have them further weakened would be to risk our identity. We need programs which allow us to support each other through the tough times the corporations are profiting from. The CHST off-loads the federal share of social programs onto the provinces and municipalities, spelling the beginning of the end for national standards. With the CHST, the gutting of unemployment insurance, and the upcoming assault on public pensions, the Liberals are driving a stake through the heart of our basic values and principles.