Archive for the ‘Governance Debates’ Category
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »
NDP’s Horwath wants more from McGuinty before backing budget
April 21, 2012
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says the Liberals’ surprise $275 million boost for child care and disabled benefits is “a very positive sign” on the eve of Tuesday’s key budget vote… Horwath said a sticking point remains the Liberals’ opposition to a wealth surtax on people making more than $500,000 a year… The levy is also hugely popular with Liberal MPPs, but McGuinty himself is wary of the scheme.
Tags: budget, disabilities, ideology, poverty, standard of living, tax
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
What liberals can learn from conservatives
Apr. 21, 2012
The Righteous Mind, is a must-read for anyone who’s dumbfounded that Stephen Harper got to be prime minister, or that so many of his obviously stupid policies are so popular, or that Albertans appear to be on the verge of electing a party full of bigots and climate-change deniers… conservatives and liberals operate with two quite different moral systems. Liberals are almost exclusively concerned with harm and fairness… Conservatives have a wider moral palate. They are also concerned with loyalty, authority and sanctity
Tags: ideology
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Is it time for tougher standards on political marketing and advertising in Canada?
Apr 13 2012
It’s a case of double standards or, more to the point, one standard for the private sector, none for politics. Canada’s political parties don’t have to adhere to the advertising code that protects Canadians from false, misleading or offensive pitches in the private sector. Give someone a black eye in commercial advertising, in other words, and face formal sanction. Give your political opponent a black eye, though, and you could just end up with more votes.
Tags: ideology, participation, rights
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Harper’s cynical assault on democracy
Apr 11 2012
Fatigued by years of seeing successive governments ignore pleas for more accountability and respect, many citizens will never re-engage in politics. But others still believe the system can be changed, that our democratic process can be improved… In effect, we must become “nags.” Encouragingly, we don’t need to work in isolation. Samara, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting citizen engagement within Canadian democracy, will soon launch Democracy Talks, a national program to help revitalize our democracy.
Tags: ideology, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
When it comes to immigration, Tories love Big Government
Apr 12, 2012
Nation-building through government programs? Consistent services through centralized delivery?… Aren’t the Conservatives supposed to be about decentralization, local-knows-best, respecting the BNA act, and not treading on provincial jurisdiction? In some areas, such as health care, the answer appears to be yes. But in others, it’s been a case of Ottawa-knows-best…
Tags: economy, ideology, immigration
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
NDP demands tax credits worth hundreds of millions to support Liberal budget
Apr 10 2012
Horwath unveiled her job creation tax credit plan… The idea is to reimburse employers for 10 per cent of the salary paid to a new hire during the first year of employment, up to a maximum of $5,000. The government is facing a $15.2 billion deficit and needs NDP support in order for the budget to pass. If not, the province could soon plunge into another election. The other two NDP proposals include an extra tax placed on the rich and $418,000 salary caps for public sector executives, such as hospital chiefs… The NDP also want to see natural resources pulled from the ground in northern Ontario processed in the province.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
More than a budget, this a blueprint to make over Canada
Mar 29 2012
The Prime Minister intends to use his parliamentary majority to redefine the role of government and rewrite Canada’s social contract. It would have helped to know all this before last year’s election. But Harper never said a word about reducing the government’s commitment to Old Age Security, capping Ottawa’s contribution to medicare or loosening environmental regulations. He never told Canadians a Conservative government would keep paring public services after the budget was balanced…. And the role of government in people’s lives will continue to shrink. They’ll have to lower their expectations, save more, demand less and stop looking to Ottawa to shield them from the rigours of the marketplace.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
A Fix for Ugly Politics
April 3, 2012
There is a very simple way to quickly put an end to robo-call scandals, dramatically increase voter participation, reduce negative political advertising and strengthen democracy — without spending any additional money. The solution: compulsory voting in elections… robo-call mischief only works in close races with low turnout where it makes a difference if a small number of voters can be dissuaded from voting by illegal or at least immoral means… Mandatory voting could also seriously reduce attack ads, since part of their intent is voter suppression… And because they have to vote, more citizens spend more time examining public issues and the parties’ positions on them, boosting democratic engagement.
Tags: participation, rights
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Budget aims to remake Canada in Stephen Harper’s image
Mar 30 2012
What matters in the budget is not the immediate impact of $5.2 billion in annual spending cutbacks announced by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty. Rather, it is the attempt to gradually transform Canada, from a country in which private and social needs live in uneasy balance to one where the urge for profit dominates. To Harper, private needs must have primacy.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Political obsolescence is in the eye of the beholder
Mar 29 2012
Now, labour-hostile governments are all anyone under 40 has seen… I don’t blame the neo-liberals (also known as neo-cons) for having taken their shot… Their formulas turned out to lead directly to the crash of 2008 but, in the manner of true believers in all eras, they said we hadn’t done enough of what they prescribed. Our lack of faith in their creed was the problem; it was time for more austerity, deregulation etc… It suggests an opening for something different and genuinely new. Like what — activist, redistributive government?
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Recent Posts