Archive for the ‘Equality Policy Context’ Category
For Two Economists, the Buffett Rule Is Just a Start
April 16, 2012
Emmanuel Saez and Thomas Piketty have spent the last decade tracking the incomes of the poor, the middle class and the rich in countries across the world. More than anything else, their work shows that the top earners in the United States have taken a bigger and bigger share of overall income over the last three decades, with inequality nearly as acute as it was before the Great Depression… “People say that reducing inequality is radical. I think that tolerating the level of inequality the United States tolerates is radical.”
Tags: economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
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Reserve kids underfunded, court decides
April 19, 2012
Under the Indian Act, the federal government is responsible for funding health, education, police services and child welfare on reserves, all of which fall under provincial jurisdiction off reserves… children on reserve receive 22 per cent less funding for services than those who live off reserve. That distinction was central to the government’s argument that comparing funding from two different levels of government was both “unreasonable” and nonsensical. In her decision, Mactavish said the tribunal “erred in failing to consider the significance of the government’s own adoption of provincial child-welfare standards in its programming and funding policies.”
Tags: Native, participation, rights, standard of living
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At 30, the Charter of Rights has reshaped our society, for the better
Apr 14 2012
[It] transformed us from being a parliamentary democracy to a constitutional one… At root, the Charter empowers the people… That is its great, enduring value… Under a series of vigilant judges who did not hesitate to strike down bad laws, or to “read in” rights when justice required, the Charter has come to affect most aspects of our lives. As Justice Claire L’Heureux-Dubé once put it, memorably, the Charter “stretched the cords of liberty” and enfranchised us all.
Tags: featured, ideology, participation, rights, standard of living
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A simple way to tax the rich
March 9, 2012
While income earned from stock options is deemed to be ordinary income under our tax laws, a special deduction was created in 1984 (paragraph 110(1)(d)) which allows individuals to deduct 50 per cent of the income derived from exercising stock options. That is, only half of the employment benefit from stock options is subject to tax… The purpose of paragraph 110(1)(d) was to encourage more widespread use of employee stock option plans… there is no evidence the deduction achieved its stated goals… the entire deduction should either be eliminated… or a holding period should be attached to the exercised shares in order to qualify for the deduction.
Tags: budget, ideology, tax
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The have-nots always suffer
Feb 18 2012
Why must the poor, the young, the old always suffer while the rich never do? While the Drummond report has some good ideas, the well-to-do remain, as usual, untouched. Not even asked to do without luxuries, perks and tax breaks all subsidized by taxpayers who cannot even afford to make their own ends meet. Where is leadership by example?
Tags: budget, ideology, poverty, standard of living, tax
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Same-sex marriage law to be changed to recognize gay tourists
Jan 13, 2012
… we will change the Civil Marriage Act so that any marriages performed in Canada that aren’t recognized in the couple’s home jurisdiction will be recognized in Canada.” The legislative change will apply to all marriages performed in Canada regardless of the laws of the jurisdiction in which the couple live, the official said.
Tags: ideology, rights
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The case for tax reform
Jan 03 2012
… top-earning CEOs are sitting on $2 billion in stock options that are treated as dividend income, and taxed at half the value. That’s a tax break worth $475 million… It’s hard to make a compelling case that the affluent need tax breaks that ordinary workers will never see when Ottawa is short on cash. And when 3.5 million Canadians live in poverty… The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives report… urges Ottawa to eliminate the tax break for executive stock options… the Conservatives do have options for dealing with the deficit beyond thinning out the public service and cutting transfers or services.
Tags: ideology, standard of living, tax
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Hate and the law: how to deal with bigots
Dec 19 2011
Eradicating racial hatred is a noble goal but it cannot be legislated out of existence. The Canadian Human Rights Act prohibits communication “likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt.” This is impossibly vague and subjective… The legislation does not permit a defence of truth and ignores progress made by feminists, gays and civil rights activists, many of whom were contemptuous of, and hateful toward, their oppressors… Bigots are best defeated through open debate, rather than judicial or legislative fiat, precisely so their ideas can be exposed to both hatred and contempt.
Tags: multiculturalism, rights
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Is the Western world history?
Dec 16, 2011
Recurring global economic crises are highlighting the inherent conflicts between the values of the market economy and those of democracy. We are failing to keep these largely contradictory influences in balance. The dictates of the marketplace are overshadowing the values inherent in our Western democracies… In a market economy the individual is often treated as a commodity, whose value depends on their unit cost, education, age, and even gender and race. But in a democratic society, the promotion of the individual is supposed to be paramount.
Tags: economy, ideology
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How first nations can own their future
Dec. 17, 2011
Truly progressive governments recognize individual property rights and enforce the rule of law, thus allowing people to reap the rewards of their initiatives. Individual property, voluntary yet enforceable contracts, open markets – these have been the holy trinity of economic progress in the Western world since the Industrial Revolution, and they are transforming China, India, Brazil and many other previously impoverished countries. The formula for progress is no different for first nations…
Tags: economy, ideology, Native, participation, privatization, rights, standard of living
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