Toronto-Danforth MP Jack Layton said the only winners to come out of the recent G20 Summit were the big banks and the major oil and gas companies.
The leader of the federal New Democratic Party said he's especially disappointed a proposed global bank tax wasn't explored further at the recent G8/G20 Summits in Huntsville and Toronto respectively.Layton said the new revenue could have gone toward addressing global poverty."That would have been a good outcome of the summit," the local representative said, adding petroleum companies also got off the hook thanks to a lack of commitment by the G20 leaders to eliminate subsidies."The banks and the oil companies were the winners, but I'd say the poor of the world were left disappointed," Layton summed up, noting Canada's $1.1 billion, five-year pledge to global maternal and child health is a mere drop in the bucket compared to previous G8 commitments.He said he's also troubled by the showing from other G8 member nations, which in total mustered up a little over $7 billion.Further, Layton said he's troubled by Harper's focus on deficit and debt reduction at the summit, adding those goals will be difficult to achieve until more jobs are created, which in turn will lead to greater tax revenue and an overall stronger economy."I share Obama's concerns here. I worry about the ideological focus," he said, adding he feels the global recession isn't quite over yet.On a positive note, Layton did say the G20 leaders' promise to strengthen the regulatory regime for financial institutions is a good thing.He said he would have liked the global climate change crisis to have a more prominent place at the international conference."These are the biggest, richest, most polluting countries. It's as though that issue was downgraded as a priority," Layton charged, noting it's a topic close to the heart of his Toronto-Danforth constituents."It doesn't surprise me the innovative new thinkers are linking economy to the environment. These issues were simply not addressed."Taking a moment to condemn the actions of those who caused destruction and chaos in the city's downtown core during the summit, Layton said he also shares local Councillor Paula Fletcher's concerns about the conditions inside the Eastern Avenue temporary detention facility.The local MP also wondered why the community surrounding the holding centre was not better consulted.As a result, the NDP is calling for the federal public safety committee to conduct an investigation into the spending and operations reports pertaining to the G8/G20 summits.The NDP is also urging the Conservative government to provide financial assistance to businesses with physical damage as a result of the summit."We are continuing to press the government to provide some assistance. We're hoping other parties will agree with us that we should," Layton said, adding he wants to know what can be learned from Toronto's G20 experiences so they won't be repeated at future international events."There are tons of questions. Let's make sure we learn some lessons here."