Archive for the ‘Governance’ Category
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »
In the provinces, restraint without the hard edge
Apr. 28, 2012
The post-recession hangover of deficits and higher debt means provinces, like Ottawa, have entered a period of spending restraint. Politics is about management these days, not vision or grand schemes or social advancement. It’s about trying to operate in leaner times… So there’s little to suggest that the agenda that seems to drive the national Conservative Party has much appeal at the provincial level… If a difference exists, it would be that the federal Conservatives really want to cut, whereas provinces feel they have no choice.
Tags: budget, ideology
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Social issues sank Wildrose during campaign, experts say
Apr 24, 2012
“The lesson here is that the Alberta voter, and certainly I think the Canadian voter, has decided that issues that have already been settled are best left alone, particularly social issues”… the Wildrose Party was doomed the moment it tread into social conservatism without assuring voters it had limits. Ms. Smith chose not to draw a “clear line in the sand” and instead espoused free speech and freedom of religion, refusing to condemn candidates for making bigoted and racially charged comments… “There can’t be any doubt. People want to have a level of comfort the person they’re going to elect is a competent, fair individual and they’re not going to do any great social engineering.”
Tags: ideology, participation, rights
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Dalton McGuinty and Andrea Horwath have cut a sensible deal to avert an election.
Apr 23 2012
The wealth surtax is projected to affect a mere 0.2 per cent of taxpayers and will raise $470 million next year. But the money won’t go to new programs as the NDP wanted. McGuinty plans to use it, conservatively, to pay down the deficit. “We all gave a little bit,” said McGuinty, calling the surtax a “sensible compromise” to make minority government work. It’s more than that; it’s good policy. But the only reason he’s agreeing to it now is that recent polling has shown it to be a popular idea. Support for higher taxes for the very wealthy runs in the 80 per cent range. There are few things that any government, anywhere can do to generate public support numbers like that.
Tags: budget, child care, disabilities, featured, Health, ideology, tax
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Ottawa should do the math: Productivity trumps head counts
Apr. 23, 2012
…the problem with government isn’t so much payroll as productivity. Make a single percentage-point increase in efficiency in the federal work force annually for 10 years – and you would save 40,000 jobs: once again, with no loss in either quality or quantity. (Alternatively, as some people would see it, the government could increase services by 10 per cent with no increase in payroll.) … The public sector is Canada’s largest industry by far, administering one-third of the country’s entire economy. Excused from the need to get productive, it constitutes a constant drag on economic growth.
Tags: budget, economy, standard of living
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
Ontario’s budget by the numbers
Mar. 29, 2012
The Government of Ontario tabled its annual budget on March 24, asking everyone from affluent seniors to corporations to help the government tackle its deficit. Find charts and graphs below detailing the province’s revenue, spending, debt, proposals and projections for the years ahead. [See Infographic.]
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
Your 2012 federal budget explained
Apr. 02, 2012
Stephen Harper’s 2012 federal budget was released on March 29, offering a roadmap for Canada under the direction of the Conservative’s first majority. Use this infographic to explore the revenue, expenses, proposals and projections from the budget. Read all of The Globe’s in-depth coverage by clicking here.
Tags: budget
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
Thousands descend on Queen’s Park to protest McGuinty budget
Apr 21 2012
More than 15,000 protesters from labour unions and community organizations across the province rallied outside Ontario’s Legislature Saturday afternoon to vent their fury over the minority Liberal government’s austerity-focused budget. “We’re sending a signal to Dalton McGuinty that the budget he’s introduced is grossly unfair”… “They need to step back. Touching pensions, it’s just not the right way to go”… “All we want to see is a little bit of fairness. The very least we can ask for is that the very top earners in Ontario put in a little bit more when times are tough.”
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, participation, pensions, tax
Posted in Governance Debates | 1 Comment »
Canada needs a new voting system
Apr 22, 2012
I do not see why we should maintain a voting system that makes our major parties appear less national and our regions more politically opposed than they really are… I propose the “proportional-preferential-personalized vote,” or “P3” for short… We would elect three to five MPs per riding rather than one. The number of seats would remain the same; what would be reduced is the number of ridings. This would provide moderate proportional representation, which corrects the regional distortions of the current electoral system.
Tags: ideology, participation
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
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 »
Recent Posts