Parliament returns next week with a new Official Opposition front bench and a Government bound and determined to continue on its mission to remake Canada.

The Government has used the break period to make some key announcements, notably the (still not clearly defined) plan to radically change environmental assessments and the quite unequivocal plan to close two prisons.

Surprisingly, the Government had earlier re-appointed the Correctional Investigator Howard Sapers to another term.

Sapers has been fearless in pointing out the potentially disastrous consequences of the Government’s crime legislation. He has warned, among other things, about prison overcrowding, abuse of elderly prisoners and a lack of services to prepare prisoners to rejoin society.

But the Conservative Government re-appointed him nonetheless.

Sometimes a government that seems so often to be hyper-partisan and vindictive will do the right thing, for reasons that will forever remain a mystery.

This week’s prisons announcement put Sapers on centre-stage and he provided a note of helpful realism to the discussion.

Some media folks admitted that they had never heard of Canada’s penal system “ombudsman” before, which is a bit odd, since Sapers made some very pointed and important interventions during the debates over the omnibus crime bill, C-10, in the fall.  (Hill Dispatches reported Sapers’ sharp insights on a number of occasions.)

A “mild” budget, that does not “roll back the modern state?”

The federal budget will continue to work its way through Parliament.

The government seems to have been largely successful in convincing many people — certainly the media, lobbying, policy and business elites — that there is “nothing to see here, folks.” Most have bought the line that it was a stand-pat, moderate, stay-the-course budget.

Here, for instance, is what one Conservative-friendly lobbyist told his clients about the budget:

“For all the tough talk about taming public expenditures, this is a mild budget…Those who thought the election of a majority Conservative Government would lead to a more right-wing Conservative budget will be disappointed… A few small programs have been cut and some more will drop as departmental cuts take hold. But, this budget does not represent any roll-back of the modern state…”

However, when it comes to the true intents of this Government, the devil really is in the details.

In his marathon speech in the House just before the break, NDP MP and then-finance critic Peter Julian quoted numerous letters, e-mails and tweets from Canadians who had significant concerns about the budget’s impacts.

One letter-writer in Kenora’s comment on the budget’s announcement that it would cut the youth volunteering program Katimavik captured what seems to be the Government’s motivation:

“It’s hard not to think this is a vindictive move by the Conservatives…”

As its many defenders have pointed out, Katimavik was a small budgetary item, under $15 million per year. Cutting it does not appear to be about saving money. It looks more like a matter of eliminating programs the Conservatives just don’t like.

Selective cutting of cultural institutions

In the case of Katimavik, its Liberal parentage probably doomed it, as much as its cost-effectiveness or value. Recent formal evaluations of Katimavik have all been favourable, and the Government had, not too long ago, committed to continue funding it.

When it came to cutting cultural institutions it was hard not to notice that the Government even kicked in some new money to commemorate the War of 1812 and preserved funding levels for some institutions such as the Canada Council and the Canadian Museums of War and Civilization, while slashing Telefilm, the CBC and the National Film Board.

The cut to the CBC is savage, but will result in significant savings of over $100 million.

The cut to the Film Board is equally savage but only saves a meagre $6 million.

Why bother, then?

It is hard not to see ideology at work here.

The Government has, for the most part, chosen to continue to support institutions that have circumscribed mandates and are not likely to challenge the Conservative view of Canada. (Think: monarchy, military and the market economy.)

Institutions that foster a diversity of viewpoints and creative perspectives are more suspect, however, and this Government has been quite open about its aversion to funding anyone or anything that might be critical of it or hold it to account.

That is why — way back when it first took office — the Conservative Government cut the Court Challenges program, among others.

And that is why the Government now has the advocacy work of charities in its sights. Faith-based charities do as much advocacy as do environmentalists, but you do not hear Conservatives complaining about that or threatening to investigate them.

They even cut Internet access for the poor

One of the cuts that particularly hurts poor and vulnerable Canadians was not even announced in the budget.

It is the cut of a meagre $2 million for the Community Access Program that provides Internet and computer access at sites all over Canada, and is used mainly by low-income people who can’t afford a home computer or Internet connection.

Nearly two weeks ago the Canadian Library Association issued a little-noticed press release decrying the end of this vital program for poorer Canadians.

“According to Industry Canada, the program has outlived its usefulness because 94% of Canadians now live in a community where broadband is available for purchase,” the librarians said, “But with only 79% of Canadian households having an Internet connection, and 54% of households in the lowest income quartile, it is clear that community-based Internet access is needed to supplement home access.”

The Library Association pointed out that Industry Canada itself has recognized that a “digital divide continues to persist in Canada among a number of demographic groups including Canadians in rural and remote communities, low-income earners, those with low levels of literacy and education, francophones over 50 years of age, seniors and others.”

As well, the head of the librarian’s group, Karen Adams, pointed out: “Community Access programs provide much more than connected computers — they provide training and help to the public to increase their digital literacy. Without this assistance, disadvantaged groups would not be able to benefit from the ability to connect with information and services essential to their well-being…”

The Association says that libraries which provide Internet access will not be able to make up for the lack of funds from the Community Access Program. In Nova Scotia, alone, almost half of the 209 access program sites will probably have to shut down.

What is incomprehensible about this seeming petty and spiteful cut is that the Government has said that it wants to encourage Canadians to move from seeking in-person service from their Federal Government to the online version.

The small investment in the Community Access Program made it possible for thousands of Canadians to interact with their government online. In effect, the Government has now cut them off!

Karl Nerenberg

Karl Nerenberg joined rabble in 2011 to cover Canadian politics. He has worked as a journalist and filmmaker for many decades, including two and a half decades at CBC/Radio-Canada. Among his career highlights...