Toronto to get $203M, Vancouver and Montreal to split about $108M more under city-specific housing plan
Tuesday, October 27th, 2020
Fifteen Canadian cities will share $500-million in federal money as part of a plan to quickly build 3,000 new units of affordable housing across the country… the amounts allocated to the cities are based on factors such as the number of people in severe housing need.
Tags: budget, economy, homelessness, housing, standard of living
Posted in Inclusion Policy Context | No Comments »
Liberals ease EI eligibility as part of $37-billion in new emergency income supports
Thursday, August 20th, 2020
The new Canada Recovery Benefit is for workers who are self-employed or are not eligible for EI and cannot resume work. The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit is for workers who are ill or who must self-isolate for reasons related to COVID-19. The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit is for workers who are unable to work because they are caring for a child, dependent or family member because schools or daycares are closed due to COVID-19.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Trudeau says businesses, non-profits, charities all eligible for wage subsidy
Monday, March 30th, 2020
The federal government has vastly expanded the 75-per-cent wage subsidy for small businesses to include large companies as well as charities and non-profits to encourage them to keep workers on the payroll during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told his daily news conference Monday that the generous subsidy will be open to any business or organization that has suffered a 30-per-cent drop in revenue as a result of the coronavirus.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Liberal tax cut will cost $1.2-billion more annually than promised: PBO
Tuesday, January 28th, 2020
Canadians with incomes between $103,018 and $159,694 will receive the largest benefit, with a $347 tax cut. Canadians earning $159,695 to $227,504 are next with a $257 tax cut. Individuals with incomes between $51,510 and $103,017 will receive $337. Those with incomes between $15,001 and $51,509 will receive $211 and individuals with income below $15,000 will save one dollar, on average, compared to the status quo.
Tags: budget, ideology, tax
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
Canadian corporations may have avoided $25-billion or more in taxes in 2018: PBO
Friday, June 21st, 2019
Canadian companies transferred more than $1.6-trillion in 2018 to low-tax countries known as offshore financial centres and conduits to these nations, according to a new report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer… if just 10 per cent of that amount was transferred to avoid taxes, that would mean Ottawa lost out on $25-billion in federal revenue. Billions more would have been lost in provincial corporate taxes.
Tags: budget, crime prevention, economy, featured, globalization, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living, tax
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Canada’s new immigration rules put premium on young people
Monday, August 27th, 2012
21 August 2012
New immigration rules will target workers aged 18 to 35… Canada will rely on young immigrants to soften the fiscal pain of a demographic crunch… Driving the change is the concern that the ratio of working-age Canadians to retirees is shifting dramatically… “If you were going to design an immigration system that was going to help employers keep wages low, this is pretty close to what you’d want”…
Tags: economy, globalization, immigration, pensions, standard of living, youth
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Budget bill gives Conservatives broad power over EI rules
Thursday, May 3rd, 2012
May 3, 2012
The measure is contained inside the budget implementation bill and would give cabinet the power to change employment insurance rules later through regulation without the approval of Parliament… The budget bill contains a small section that allows cabinet through regulation to define “suitable employment.” Ottawa isn’t saying what it has in mind… this and other EI changes in the budget bill – which also include replacing existing appeals bodies with a single “Social Security Tribunal” – are of such significance that they should be studied independently.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, rights, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Pension reform raises questions about effect in provinces
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
Feb. 02, 2012
Several provinces require citizens to prove they receive the federal Guaranteed Income Supplement for low-income seniors to qualify for their own programs aimed at helping poor seniors… If Ottawa raises the current eligibility age of 65 for Old Age Security and the GIS… it would impact these other programs… The GIS is a top-up program tied to Old Age Security… [which] can only be claimed by seniors with incomes under $16,368… “The interaction with provincial programs will exacerbate the impact on low-income seniors”
Tags: budget, ideology, pensions, poverty, standard of living, tax
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
Research belies PM’s warning about OAS
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
Jan. 31, 2012
“The analysis suggests that Canada does not face major challenges of financial sustainability with its public pension schemes,” and “there is no pressing financial or fiscal need to increase pension ages in the foreseeable future.”… That’s because, as Canada heads into the boomer crunch, it spends far less than the OECD average on public pensions. Further, Canada’s relatively high levels of immigration will partially offset the distortions of an aging population…
Tags: pensions, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | 1 Comment »
Prime Minister Harper unveils grand plan to reshape Canada
Friday, January 27th, 2012
Jan. 27, 2012
Mr. Harper portrayed his agenda as a fix for a generation – a fix he claimed is necessary to confront the challenges of an aging population. Canada’s demographics, he warned, pose “a threat to the social programs and services that Canadians cherish.” Preserving those social programs will likely mean cuts elsewhere… he plans to make Canada’s old-age security program sustainable. What that means is unclear. He did not spell out whether seniors will have to wait longer to receive the benefit or whether clawbacks would be increased for higher income earners.
Tags: budget, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
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