WE MOVED … while you were out
Got out own server, got it all set up, moved all the stories over, even kept the same name
WE MOVED TO
That’s easy!
Click on over and change your bookmarks when you get there.
Oh give me land, lots of land under starry skies above, don’t fence me in…
Click her to our new site
50,000 videos 9 million readers
October 16th, 2008
Thursday we passed our 50,000th viewer on YouTube.
The Disability Alert story has been seen by 9 million readers and viewers.
That doesn’t even touch the secondary sites that re-publish the videos and articles.
Those are both phenomenal achievements measured only in your interest and enjoyment. Thank you very much for your support for returning again and again to these pages.
Thanks to Michael LeClair and Trish Clarkin who help so much with the videos and many other things. Thanks to all the volunteers and those unnammed and unsung heros, to the media who cover our stories and to my family for putting up with me writing so much.
I do this to help those who cannot help themselves due to life’s little gift of disability and for no other reason or gain.
There is so much more to do and we’ll have fun doing it.
I am humbled and encouraged by your support. Thanks again.
Note: counts refer to story counts, clicks, and views not unique viewers and readers since many people return to our sites.
Premier Ghiz lost Liberal seat up west
Kipling: Man Who Would Be King, sex, power and money lead to defeat, humility is called for
They say winners in politics only get what the incumbant party loses. This week’s election is proof of that.
There aren’t many Canadians in love with Stephen Harper but Stephane Dion gave him the win by bringing in complex new taxes based on obscure and complex principles before the election. What was he thinking? Obviously, he is not a man to be trusted in a crisis to come to the right conclusion. He had lots of good advice to drop it but his ego or stupidity kept him on the wrong course.
On PEI, Premier Robert Ghiz had the death wish in Prince County. He has been abusing West Prince since the election. Just to seal the loss for the Liberals, during the end of the campaign Ghiz sent Wes Sheridan to announce no support for Summerside Raceway.
Ask candidates about their plan
Printed in the Guardian, Eastern Graphic and West Prince Graphic.
STEPHEN PATE
P.E.I. Disability Alert, Charlottetown
Wednesday October 8th, 2008
Editor:
The Green Party, Liberals and NDP would improve the lives of Islanders and Canadians with disabilities if elected on Oct. 14. We contacted all Island candidates for a local response. The Conservative Party did not reply.
It’s my understanding local Conservative candidates were told by the Prime Minister’s Office not to respond on campaign issues. Stephen Harper likes to control the media.
NDP, Green and Liberal candidates to improve lives of disabled, Consevatives silent
The Green Party, Liberals and NDP would improve the lives of Islanders and Canadians with disabilities if elected on October 14th. The Conservative Party did not reply. We contacted all Island candidates for a local response.
The Conservative Party platform released on October 7th contains no new initiatives for those living with disabilities.
Apparently local Conservative candidates were told by the Prime Minister’s office not to respond on campaign issues. Stephen Harper likes to control the media. Tom DeBlois promised me face to face he would reply but didn’t. It appears the Conservatives plan nothing of substance to improve the lives of Islanders and their families living with disabilities after the Election.
NDP reply on Election 08 disability issues
Brian Pollard, NDP candidate
Q- Will you support an increase in the CPP up to the single person LICO (low income cut off)? The disabled living on CP Disability are living below 60% of the LICO.
Absolutely. Every human being deserves a life of health and comfort, and free of pain and suffering. The federal NDP will also institute an Elimination of Poverty act, with a goal of eliminating poverty in Canada by 2020.
Conservatives, NDP have no response on disablities in Election…yet
Conservatives and NDP are no-shows
We heard back from the Green Party and the Liberal Party candidates in Election 2008. A chart of their responses is above.
There have been no responses from the Conservative Party and the NDP.
Rumour on the Conservatives is the candidates are on a short leash and not allowed to speak. I met Tom DeBlois at the Farmer’s Market and he pretended he never got my email. Shame Tom – aren’t you modern?
The NDP appear disorganized. Again at the Farmer’s Market, Brian Pollard admitted pondering a reply that hadn’t happened.
22,000 Islanders with disabilities, their families and caregivers deserve a reply.
Liberal Shawn Murphy responds
Shawn Murphy MP Liberal
Q- Will you support an increase in the CPP up to the single person LICO (low income cut off)? The disabled living on CP Disability are living below 60% of the LICO.
Response – If elected, the Liberal Party will make the Disability Tax Credit refundable so if a disabled person does not pay taxes they will still receive the support, which could amount to as much as $1025 per year. I believe this can be a positive step in helping to raise the level of income for people with disabilities. There is still much more to be done though and with the Liberals 30/50 Poverty Plan, many of the systematic issues that place people in unfortunate situations will be addressed. It is becoming even clearer to me, especially in going door to door, that many people with disabilities are living in poverty and need more support
Q – Will you support a national drug program with a co-pay for the disabled of less than $1,000 per year. The current suggestion of $5,000 does not consider that the disabled poor are often living on $12,000 per year.
Response – In response to your concerns about drug coverage, last week the Liberal Party announced their Catastrophic Drug Coverage plan that will invest $900 million to ensure Canadians living with serious illnesses can focus on their health and not their finances.
Q – Will you support a national program of disability supports to replace the current patchwork quilt of provincial supports? On PEI, only 11% of the disabled population is receiving supports.
Response – I support a national strategy but I recognize that many of the programs disabled persons utilize are administered by provincial jurisdictions but I am willing to continue to work with the provincial government to ensure that the level and access of support and programs are strengthened.
Q – Will you support a Canadians with Disabilities Act similar to the US ADA as amended? Canadians with disabilities need protection not a Charter. The attached article contains a recent post on the ADA.
Response – No Comment
Thank you for contacting me again about disability issues. I have enjoyed working with the disabled community and I am committed to improving their situation here in Charlottetown,
Shawn Murphy, MP
Greens respond on disability
Peter Bevan Baker, candidate for the Green Party, replied to our questions. I placed the pre-amble to his reply at the end to keep the resonses clear.
Q – Will you support an increase in the CPP up to the single person LICO (low income cut off)? The disabled living on CP Disability are living below 60% of the LICO.
Reply – See above in the section “our vision” where the Greens expressly endorse the basic income program. I can refer you to the appropriate portion of “Vision Green” for a full explanation of what the Greens are proposing regarding a GLI (or GAI as some call it). This would apply to ALL Canadians, not just those with disabilities.
Q – Will you support a national drug program with a co-pay for the disabled of less than $1,000 per year. The current suggestion of $5,000 does not consider that the disabled poor are often living on $12,000 per year.
Reply I’m having trouble finding specifics on this in the Green Party platform – the nearest I can come to a national drug program is attached below, but there are no specifics about maximum co-payments as you asked. Is the “Current suggestion” you quote of $5000 from a Green Party source, or some other document? Personally, I would support your proposal of a maximum co-pay of $1000.
Reduce the Costs of PharmaCare
1. Initiate a public inquiry into the rising costs and over-prescription of drugs.
2. Immediately embark on a commission to study and conduct a cost-benefit analysis on the feasibility of establishing, in cooperation with the provinces, a new crown corporation to bulk purchase and dispense generic drugs to pharmacies and the feasibility of establishing a national PharmaCare Program that ensures that effective pharmaceuticals are available to all Canadians who need them.
Q- Will you support a national program of disability supports to replace the current patchwork quilt of provincial supports? On PEI, only 11% of the disabled population is receiving supports.
Reply – Yes – our GLI would replace a whole host of current programs for all Canadians.
Q – Will you support a Canadians with Disabilities Act similar to the US ADA as amended? Canadians with disabilities need protection not a Charter. The attached article contains a recent post on the ADA.
Reply – Yes.
Hi Stephen,
It was good to meet you. Here are my answers to your questions:
Q- If you are elected, what will you and your party do for Islanders with disabilities?
Here is our policy on disabilities, taken from “Vision Green” – I’ll be referring to it in subsequent answers.
b) People with disabilities
Canadians with disabilities and their families live with disproportionate levels of poverty and exclusion. To better understand the underlying factors, the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (CCD) and the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL) commissioned the Caledon Institute of Social Policy to study the situation and propose solutions. It concludes that:
1. Canadians with disabilities are more likely to live in poverty than other Canadians. Poverty is both a result of exclusion and lack of supports, and it contributes to further exclusion and vulnerability in a ‘vicious cycle’;
2. Children with disabilities are twice as likely as other children to live in households that rely on social assistance as a main source of income;
3. Poverty rates of Canadians with disabilities result in large part from the lack of needed disability supports, which enable access to education, training, employment, and community participation;
4. Canadians with disabilities are too often exiled to inadequate, stigmatizing and ineffective systems of income support that were never designed to address the real income needs of Canadians with disabilities; and,
5. The federal government has a key role to play in addressing the poverty and income security needs of Canadians – they have done this through Employment Insurance, CPP/QPP, Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement, the National Child Benefit, and Child Disability Benefit, and various tax measures.
The Caledon Institute propose that the federal government invest in a new initiative, which they have called the Basic Income Programme to best provide the support that Canadians with disabilities desperately need.
Our Vision
The Green Party of Canada believes that it is time to treat Canadians with disabilities with dignity. We endorse the Basic Income Programme proposed by the Caledon Institute, which asserts, when all factors are taken into account, will actually save the government money. We urge the adoption of this income security programme for people with disabilities as soon as possible as an interim measure to a full poverty eradication federal-provincial program is established to provide for income security for all Canadians.
Green Solutions
Green Party MPs will:
Institute a basic income for people living with disabilities so that none of them live in poverty by:
• The conversion of the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) to a refundable credit as a first step in creating a national Basic Income program for working age adults with disabilities;
• Establish rigorous “needs based” eligibility standards for basic income to permit an affordable benefit system that provides adequate benefit levels; and,
• Use a redesigned Canada Pension Plan/Disability Benefit (CPP/D) test to incorporate the DTC definition of disability and permit employment, rather than the CPP/D definition that requires a ‘severe’ disability to be life-long and to be the cause of any incapacity to pursue ‘any gainful occupation.’ The revised definition allows individuals to work while retaining eligibility for basic income.
Thanks for this Stephen. Speak soon,Peter.
Ask the politician
Social issues are almost non-existent from this year’s election campaign in Canada. So we asked local Island politicians what they will do if elected for Islanders with disabilities.
Canadians and Islanders with disabilities make up 16% of the population, or 22,000 people on PEI.
If you are elected, what will you and your party do for Islanders with disabilities?
Will you support an increase in the CPP up to the single person LICO (low income cut off)? The disabled living on CP Disability are living below 60% of the LICO.
Will you support a national drug program with a co-pay for the disabled of less than $1,000 per year. The current suggestion of $5,000 does not consider that the disabled poor are often living on $12,000 per year.
Will you support a national program of disability supports to replace the current patchwork quilt of provincial supports? On PEI, only 11% of the disabled population is receiving supports.
Will you support a Canadians with Disabilities Act similar to the US ADA as amended? Canadians with disabilities need protection not a Charter. The attached article contains a recent post on the ADA. ADA
Thank you,
Stephen Pate
PEI Disability Alert
