The latest Harper government slashing of the mandatory census and the associated outcry that has raised is certainly present in our minds right now...but given a few more months and some other action, will it fade?
I thought it would be a good idea to compile a list of the cuts and attacks the Harper government has led against various groups. Taken one by one, these cuts and attacks are awful, but are not easily located in a pattern.
I'll start off with one:
COURT CHALLENGES PROGRAM
In 2006, Harper [url=http://www.petitiononline.com/fr33d0ms/petition.html]cut funding[/url] to the court challenges program. This program gave various groups and individuals the financial ability to challenge federal legislation, including cases related to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It provided a sort of direct action 'check' to the exercise of federal legislative power. The Court Challenge program was being used fairly successfully to challenge laws that discriminated against homosexuals, and women in particular. [url=http://www.egale.ca/]Egale[/url] and [url=http://www.leaf.ca/]LEAF[/url] were two groups that routinely accessed the program to challenge discriminatory legislation.
In 2008, the program was 'reinstated'. Except now it is the [url=http://www.slapupsidethehead.com/tag/court-challenges-program/]Program to Support Linguistic Rights[/url]. As in, it can no longer be used to support [url=http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=1&STORY_ID=5069&PUB_TE... the rights[/url] guaranteed in the Charter...only linguistic rights.
Since the people accessing the Court Challenges Program had to be members of a disadvantaged class who were personally impacted by the legislation in question, the cutting of funding has directly reduced the political power of those who are already marginalised in our society.
Please, add to the list!