Let's go back to my original post on Trudeau for a second as "ladies night" had me recall one particular section. It's being said now this ladies night to hear about women's issues is somewhat sexist. There is one angle on this sexism I don't see being voiced however, so I will voice it now. From my original post:
CNOOC-Nexen deal is good for CanadaRemember that? You, ladies, are basically an economic unit which just might explain that $250 entrance fee. He knows wages are stagnating, that certainly isn't changing, yet would charge the so-called "middle class" $250 so he can tell you how great he's going to be for you, being the middle class and all.
I opened my campaign last month with the argument that, if the Liberal Party is to become a positive force for change in Canada, we need to give voice to the aspirations of our middle class.This is an interesting way to say: "It's overwhelmingly positive that both parents now have to work to put food on the table". It's spun as being good because women are working, and I agree women having equal opportunities in the job market is good, but that's not what's really being said here now is it? What's being said is it's good that women have been forced to work to make enough for the family to live comfortably, taking time away from the child's relationship with their parents. This is because wages have stagnated over "the last decade" (the time of full-out NAFTA and the result of the globalization of our industries and privatization of our currency).
Personal income for middle-class Canadians has stagnated for more than a generation. This deeply troubling development is masked by a rise in family income, due to the entry of a new generation of well-educated, hard-working women into the workforce. While this phenomenon is overwhelmingly positive, we must be clear-eyed in understanding that it is a one-time benefit.
So, we’re left with the vexing question: where will the next wave of growth for the middle class come from?
Yup, ladies entering the workforce at what can still be today considered - relative to their fellow man - substandard wages is a great thing, because you countered the first obvious sign that infinite growth probably wasn't going to work. But gee whiz, now that wages have stagnated and costs have risen to the point where even two parents can't make ends meat, "where is that next wave of growth going to come from?".
Do you not see how sick and twisted this is? So what do we do? Well we support free trade agreements because wages sure as hell aren't going to be covering the ever climbing cost of food, housing, gas, now are they? No, so what we need is cheap credit and "free trade" so that we can
A) Continue pretending as though the middle class is still actually middle class when in reality most probably couldn't afford shit without a credit card.
B) "Lower costs" (which translates to lower wages) of goods for "middle class families". As if the love for "free trade" didn't create the "competition" our politicians and business leaders now blame for the widening gap between rich and poor.
A "one-time benefit". So who's next, TFWs? Then who? Our children? Where ever the "next wave of growth" comes from you can pretty well bet it won't be from the rich, or the political. If there's a race to the bottom Justin Trudeau is now leading the charge, and at $250 a pop no less.
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Richard Fantin is a self-taught software developer who has mostly throughout his career focused on financial applications and high frequency trading. He currently works for CenturyLink
Nazayh Zanidean is a Project Coordinator for a mid-sized construction contractor in Calgary, Alberta. He enjoys writing as a hobby on topics that include foreign policy, international human rights, security and systemic media bias.
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