By: Ernie Lightman The NDP has introduced a motion in Parliament calling for a cap on ATM fees. They want a fifty cent ceiling on the charges for use of an ATM machine, in contrast to the current $2-$3 fee, dramatically described by NDP leader Tom Mulcair as ‘sky-high’. Putting aside the political hyperbole, is there a real issue here? Is this something we should be deeply concerned about? Is this worthy of the NDP? Evidently Mulcair is pursuing the elusive middle-class voter, widely held to be the key to the next election. He’s hoping to show this group that the NDP shares their daily pain, and is not so scary after all. But Mulcair is entering on crowded terrain. Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has staked out the middle class as the focus of his agenda and campaign, while even Stephen Harper has recognized their importance with his rhetoric on reducing cable charges and cell roaming fees. (Also on board is the Ontario NDP who maintain a monk-like silence ...
PERCEPTIONS AND THOUGHTS, OBJECTIVE AND/OR POLEMICAL, ON ISSUES OF THE COMMON GOOD