FMWC Marches to Parliament Hill over #UnFairTaxChanges
The Federation of Medical Women of Canada (FWMC) used the opportunity of their annual general meeting, held in Ottawa during September 14-17, 2017, to mount the first public protest of the tax changes proposed by the federal government. They were joined in their protest by local doctors and small business owners who are concerned about the impact these changes will have on their families.
Under a bright blue sky day, doctors, their families and other small business owners took their message to Parliament Hill that they were not happy with either the legislation or the discourse labeling them as “tax cheats.”
Chanting, “Trudeau, Morneau, tax changes must go,” the crowd, made up of families, mothers, fathers, grandparents and kids in strollers, and many wearing scrubs, marched to the Hill, carrying signs and placards.
Speakers – Dr. Bev Johnson, President, FMWC, Dr. Nadia Alam, President-Elect, Ontario Medical Association and Dr. Anne Niec, Past-President, FMWC – spoke to the crowd that gathered on Parliament Hill about the impact these changes will have on the families of small businesses all over the country, and in particular, how they will affect women small business owners. Shadow Finance Minister, Pierre Poilivre, addressed the crowd concerning the implications for small businesses, particularly farmers.
The message was clear from all who spoke: these tax changes will cause middle-class Canadian families, many of whom are small business owners, undue and unfair financial uncertainty, particularly for women, who are not eligible for maternity leave under the rules of incorporation and therefore must provide for their own maternity leave. Doctors also use incorporation to plan for retirement. This legislation, it was pointed out, will drastically change the way families plan for their future. Speakers called for a pause on the process and a wider consultation on the impact of these changes for all small-business owners, not just doctors, who are feeling uncertainty for their financial future.