EDMONTON - As the UCP government rolls out its flawed affordability package this month with application details expected Monday, Public Interest Alberta’s Executive Director Bradley Lafortune issued the following statement:
“Albertans are suffering under this affordability crisis. Food banks can’t keep food on their shelves. Homelessness has more than doubled across the province, and families are sinking further and further into debt. Albertans deserve better than sleepless nights with their stomachs in knots wondering how they will pay their utility bills, feed their families, or make rent or mortgage payments.
“While the $100 per month for 6 months offered to seniors, AISH recipients, and children will provide some temporary relief, it will not address the problem at the root. Albertans are suffering with sky-rocketing costs as grocery stores and utility companies are posting record-breaking profits. The pay gap between CEOs and Canadian workers recently hit an all-time high.
“What is the UCP government doing about runaway inequality? Nothing. Instead, they’re continuing to line shareholder pockets with tax breaks and corporate welfare.
“It’s no surprise these band-aid measures have been introduced mere months away from a provincial election. The UCP is attempting to ‘buy votes’ through cynical cash payments, all while slashing public services and refusing to address the health care crisis, overcrowded classrooms, and the collapse of our social safety net.
“We have solutions to reverse the affordability crisis, fix health care and education, and create the conditions for a prosperous future for all Albertans. But it requires more than band-aids and distractions. It requires fair taxation and a fundamental reinvestment of public institutions and services.”
