The ‘We Are Canadian’ Video Is Serving Nationalism with a Twist
The new “We Are Canadian” slogan might resonate with many voters who still see Canada as a country built on collective effort — on socialized health care, multiculturalism and government intervention for the common good. But for the modern CPC, which leans heavily on the language of personal responsibility, rugged individualism and minimal government, this shift in national sentimentality could be a liability… if “We Are Canadian” is any indication, the broader electorate may be moving in a different direction — one that values community over the individual.
Child & Family
The push for a national caregiving strategy
A fundamental goal of a national caregiving strategy must be to change the narrative about care work and fully articulate the value it provides society and what we stand to lose in economic and human terms if we don’t support carers. A fundamental part of this work involves acknowledging and addressing the outsized burden of care carried by women and racialized people… a national caregiving strategy will make the issue of care politically and socially unignorable and will drive recognition that care work is skilled, dignified, necessary, and worthy of proper compensation.
New child care fees take effect in Ontario on Jan. 1: Here’s what families need to know
As of Jan. 1, 2025, fees are capped at $22 per day for children under the age of six — but only if your licensed child care provider is enrolled with the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system… According to a Statistics Canada report, parents in 2023 paid an average of $7,557 annually for the main full-time (30 or more hours per week) child care arrangement for their child five years of age and younger… an average of $630 per month for full-time child care, or $30 per day.
Education
Why doesn’t Doug Ford care about funding colleges and universities? Because you don’t care either
Shortly after taking power in 2018, with colleges and universities starved for money, the premier further reduced their cash flow by ordering every campus to cut tuition by 10 per cent… But those tuition dollars weren’t his to cut — the money was remitted by students. More to the point, his government didn’t consider making up the difference to keep universities and colleges whole, leaving them in a deeper fiscal hole.
In my next teacher-parent meeting, my focus will be the teacher. Here’s why
Since Premier Doug Ford came to power in 2018, school board funding has dropped a stunning $1,500 per student, on average, when adjusted for inflation. The increase in class sizes and the introduction of mandatory online courses have resulted in the province having 5,000 fewer teachers than it would otherwise… With Ontario asking teachers to do more with less and blaming them for the shortfalls of underfunded schools, recruitment and retention will only become more challenging.
Employment
This is war. Time for a wartime funding mechanism: Victory bonds
… tax cuts and spending cuts [are not] what the nation needs most now, and neither will build the economic strength needed to defend our interests and sovereignty… Raise the floor, raise the ceiling and make EI last longer so it can do the job it was designed to do, acting as an automatic economic stabilizer to sustain purchasing power… prohibit the purchase of [businesses, resources and vital services] by non-Canadians… [and] create a “wartime” funding mechanism: victory bonds… an infusion of cash could fund desperately needed spending in the public interest.
What would it take to end chronic homelessness? Now we know
Addressing chronic homelessness begins with offering stable, deeply affordable housing… a costed ten-year plan to end chronic homelessness in Ontario… [would call for] a new cumulative investment of $11 billion over the next decade… The Ontario government is currently spending a little over half of what is needed… It’s time the government stepped up with a real strategy, real targets, and real accountability for ending chronic homelessness
Equality
There is no way this Ontario agency should have such a large surplus. Here’s what it needs to do
Legal Aid Ontario’s surplus offers a chance to address systemic issues by raising eligibility thresholds to reflect real living costs. Current thresholds barely align with poverty levels, excluding many in need. Setting realistic criteria would expand access to justice. Expanding legal aid coverage is crucial, especially in family, immigration and housing law, where representation can prevent crises like evictions, deportations and custody losses. A well-funded system must treat these as essential, not secondary, issues.
Following two blistering years of all-time high compensation, Canada’s 100 highest-paid CEOs pocketed $13.2 million, on average, in 2023—the third biggest haul since we’ve been tracking CEO pay. On average, these 100 CEOs were paid 210 times more than the average worker’s wage in 2023—from its high of over 240 times more pay in the previous two years… This report notes several trends and busts key myths about CEO pay and their worth:
Health
Why, then, are doctors with identical training and qualifications confined to practising in just one province or territory? … Despite national standards for training and qualification, the power to grant a licence rests with 13 separate provincial and territorial regulatory colleges. This fragmented system creates artificial barriers, limiting the mobility of our highly skilled physicians across Canada.
Health care advocates need to keep up the pressure on Mark Carney
… on March 9, Carney said, “In America, health care is a big business. In Canada, it’s a right.” He did not say it is universal and public. When he mentioned pharmacare and dental care he tagged it with “for those who need it.” That sounds just like a fill-in-the-gaps program, and not a universal program. Big Pharma’s key demand is that eligibility be restricted to “those who need it” and exclude those who have private plans… It’s clear that Big Pharma… is plotting how the program can be modified.
Inclusion
Unpaid labour: Why volunteers can’t sustain essential services
ThePhilanthropist.ca – 2024/04 April 15, 2024. Joanne McKiernan There’s a shortage of meal-delivery volunteers, writes Volunteer Toronto’s Joanne McKiernan. The reality of prioritizing basic needs in challenging times, she says, means we cannot rely on volunteers for the same types of roles, time commitments, or skills exchange as in the past. There’s a shortage of […]
Doug Ford needs to follow the evidence on supervised consumption
… harm reduction doesn’t simply prevent overdoses and infectious diseases; it eases pressure on Emergency Response Services and our crowded ER’s… all residents deserve to live in peace and security… However, community safety is not a zero-sum game. It is possible to keep our neighbourhoods safe and clean while implementing comprehensive treatment services that save lives — even if it means moving those services to more appropriate locations and improving the way we deliver them.
Social Security
A basic income can be a strong investment in mental health
Research shows how poor mental health is a direct consequence of poverty. Money not only helps meet people’s material needs but also alleviates their worries. Reducing poverty translates into significant savings for the economy and the public purse. Canada could save $4 to $10 for every dollar spent on mental health supports. Poverty is not caused by personal failings. It is the social environment people live in that has the greatest impact on life trajectories.
Why the Canada Disability Benefit won’t end disability poverty, and how it could
It won’t be a game-changer, but it could help many if eligibility and access expand and clawbacks are not allowed to erode possibly its entire value… Though the benefit will not fill the poverty gap for hundreds of thousands of people, it could still reduce their depth of poverty… If it is intended to fill the poverty gaps in provincial and territorial social-assistance programs, the benefit amount should reflect that… Poverty is a policy choice – one that is inconsistent with Canada’s human-rights obligations.
Governance
The ‘We Are Canadian’ Video Is Serving Nationalism with a Twist
The new “We Are Canadian” slogan might resonate with many voters who still see Canada as a country built on collective effort — on socialized health care, multiculturalism and government intervention for the common good. But for the modern CPC, which leans heavily on the language of personal responsibility, rugged individualism and minimal government, this shift in national sentimentality could be a liability… if “We Are Canadian” is any indication, the broader electorate may be moving in a different direction — one that values community over the individual.
In the Ontario election, we’re not talking about money—which the province urgently needs
Ontario is a rich province. We have the resources, but the provincial government needs to act with resolve in collecting revenue and investing it… Ontario also raises less revenue than almost all provinces on a per capita basis. Every year, it raises $2,400 less in revenue per person than British Columbia and $4,100 less than Quebec… Ontario’s low revenues mean less funding for public services
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