by P.J. Harston
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 17/97) - An alternative federal budget - drawn up by a national think tank and a coalition of politically motivated organizations - has been released in Yellowknife and 29 other Canadian centres.

Its Northern presenters said this budget, if adopted by the federal government, would pay down the debt, create jobs and foster economic prosperity.

And it would accomplish all that without making further cuts to the social envelope and placing a tax burden on the poor and middle class.

"We're tired of hearing politicians (federal and territorial) telling us that there's no alternative to making massive spending cuts," said Ben McDonald, a member of Alternatives North, a Northern social action coalition. "There are choices."

The federal government brings its budget down tomorrow.

McDonald - along with well-known social activist Arlene Hache, Mackenzie Diocese of the Catholic Church representative Suzette Montreuil and Union of Northern Workers president Jackie Simpson - contend that budget will only "force increasing numbers of Canadians to live in poverty."

It will do this, they said, by further cutting unemployment insurance benefits for workers and social transfer payments for those unable to work and without jobs.

As well, they expect the federal budget to include more cuts for health and education programs in order to reduce the deficit.

"They refuse to balance the country's books by raising taxes on those most able to pay -- the wealthy and those corporations paying little or no tax," said McDonald.

Suggestions put forward by the alternative budget include immediate collection of all unpaid personal income tax, the implementation of a wealth transfer tax on estates willed to others, a profit tax on banks and a minimum corporate tax.

It also suggests the end to Revenue Canada's meal and entertainment allowance for business people.

"When some people can't afford to eat at all, it's a shame our corporate leaders can get their meals paid for them," said McDonald.

As for employment, the alternative budget suggests that a reduction in interest rates and the implementation of a emergency employment investment program will create jobs.

The investment program would focus on building and strengthening environmental and social infrastructure, said Simpson.

"The alternative budget looks in the right places to find solutions for all Canadians," she said.

The alternative budget also addresses the public housing crisis, child, adult and family poverty; and dispels what Hache called the "myth of community empowerment."

"The myth is that people have wanted community empowerment all along," said Hache.

"The truth is the people's needs weren't being met in the first place and now the government is transferring programs to the communities that have no real money attached to them."

This is the third year an alternative budget has been released prior to the federal budget address, but the first time it's been released in the North.