Privatization of public assets and services
B.C. for $ale:
Abandoning the common good
through privatization and deregulation
The Oceanside Coalition for Strong Communities organized and hosted a conference about privatization in October 2008. The keynote speaker was Linda McQuaig, award winning journalist and author. She talked about "The Real Axis of Evil: Business, Money and Politics" . The B.C for $ale conference included the following speakers:
Mel Hurtig, Canadian icon, author, editor and publisher
Rafe Mair, spokesperson for the Save Our Rivers Society and former Social Credit cabinet minister
Corky Evans, MLA and former NDP cabinet minister Iglica Ivanova, researcher for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Leslie Dickout, organizer for the BC Health Coalition
Charley Beresford, executive director of the Columbia Institute
Heather Fussell, researcher for the Columbia Institute Susan Lambert, First vice-president, British Columbia Teachers Federation
Please also see the the conference media reports.
Neo-liberalism is a set of economic policies that have dominated politics for the last 25 years. Essentially, neo-liberalism contains many elements. The foundation of neo-liberalism is a free-market economy, where there is as little government intervention as possible. Secondly, neo-liberals aim towards the privatization of public services. They argue that the private sector will deliver these services more efficiently. Neo-liberals also advocate for less spending on social services in order to minimize government intervention. Overall, a neo-liberal state is one in which each individual competes against every other individual – everyone is out for him or herself.
The privatization of water (and the releasing of its control without supervision to private corporations) connects directly to the general assault on democratic structures locally and across the (Western) world. The process is local and global. It intends to remove public participation (legislative and other) from decision making and to direct all wealth held by the “commons” (water being a key component) to private control and use. The assault on water as a commonly shared resource has a history. Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver Island are a major part of that history. Robbin Mathews gave this presentation to Your Water ~ Your Future Forum in Nanaimo in May 2010. Please read more by clicking on title.
Forestry forgotten
kootenaywesternstar.com
part of BClocalnews.com
Editorial
June 13, 2008
The guiding philosophy of Campbell’s Liberal Government and Harper’s Conservatives is based on Milton Friedman’s economic guidelines of privatization, deregulation and a pull-out of government involvement – The theory being that the less interference there is from government, the more the market will be able to regulate the problem. This will then bring economic prosperity that will then filter down to the masses.
To view Forestry forgotten
“Private ownership of the globe by select individuals will appear quite absurd as private ownership of one man by another…democratic ownership must, by the impact of its own existence, dictate that society must hand the planet down to succeeding generations in an improved condition.”
... Karl Marx, Critique of the Political Economy, 1859
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Truer words were rarely ever spoken.
“Free-market neoliberalism has created a tiny elite and turned the working class into losers with no power to control their lives – what they call the free market is actually covert capture by monopolies,” he tells me, followed by: “Monopoly capitalism has atomized us into a society of lonely consumers isolated from a big, monolithic, uncaring state.”
Quote from Phillip Blond, a English political thinker. Requoted by Doug Saunders, Globe & Mail.
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The Shock Doctrine
Naomi Klein has written a book about the secret history of what is called the "free market". In many countries public services are being privatized at the expense of social justice. Visit the her website for more information. Naomi Klein responds to "Shock Doctrine" Attackers One Year After the Publication of The Shock Doctrine, A Response to the Attacks
A message to Canada Post regarding postal outlets pricing
A postal outlet is not a federal government agency and is not owned or managed by Canada Post. For example if the postal outlet is within grocery store or pharmacy it would follow the stores working hours, therefore if the store must be closed, so will the postal outlet inside.
Only Canada Post Depots and Corporate Post Offices are obligated to follow the price of stamps and postal products that are legislated by Canada Post. Any commercial and private establishment may charge extra fees as a convenience to their customers. It is at their discretion to apply additional service fees to products that they sell.We suggest visiting a Corporate Post Office in order to avoid paying additional service charges that corner stores or other establishment may implement on their products.
Regards,
Veronika Strofski
Customer Service "
How's that for privatization?
New Zealand government buys back national rail, ferry system for US$519 millionMelissa Davis Published: May 12, 2008,TheTyee.caSticker Shock: the Impending Cost of BC Hydro’s Shift to Private Power DevelopersTo view article. The Globe and Mail, and The Associated Press - May 5, 2008
WELLINGTON, New Zealand: The New Zealand government will pay NZ$665 million (US$519 million; €336 million) to Australia's Toll Holdings Ltd. to buy back rail and sea ferry operations that were privatized in the 1990s, the finance minister said Monday.
End of Public Power in BC?
Private power and the myth of mindless growth
Other privatization articles
Edmonton illustrates the perills of corporatized water
Evidence shows public-private partnerships not a solution, experts say
See also our Canadian Medicare page for some privatization articles
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