Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

Yellowknife ( Mar 03/00) - Those who need help most will benefit least from measures introduced in the federal budget, claim Northern social advocates.

"Although it sounds like (Finance Minister Paul Martin) has covered all the bases, it's really skewed toward upper income Canadians and the corporate sector at the expense of much needed re-investment in social programs," said Suzette Montreuil of Alternatives North.

The president of the NWT Registered Nurses Association said the additional funding is a start but more is needed.

"We're pleased with every cent we get," said Linda Heimbach. "It's a step in the right direction, but it isn't enough to address the problems with the system."

Heimbach said how far the money goes to addressing the shortage of nurses and doctors in the North will depend on what the territorial government does with it. The funding can be used for health and education.

Montreuil said the budget provides far more in the way of tax cuts for wage earners than increases in health and education funding.

As an example, said Montreuil, during the 2000-2001 fiscal year, the federal government will provide the provinces and territories an additional $1 billion for health and education services while introducing tax cuts that will save wage earners $4 billion.

In the second year of the budget plan, tax savings jump to $7 billion and the heath and education transfer drops to $500 million.

Increases in the child tax credit, said Montreuil, will benefit wage earners but will be clawed back by reduced social assistance payments for those without jobs.

Inadequate funding for health care will result in the continuation of user fees the poor can ill afford to pay, Montreuil said.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees announced in a press release that the budget was a miserable failure where health care is concerned and called for Liberal MPs to vote down against the budget.

Representing 475,000 government workers, CUPE said the $2.5 billion the government will be putting back into health care is a drop in the bucket compared to the $25 billion the federal government has taken from provincial health care systems over the last five years.