The key to Canada’s economic recovery is obvious. Why isn’t anyone talking about it?
Monday, September 13th, 2021
The federal budget estimates that a national child care program would add about 240,000 workers to the labour force. And since those workers are already here in Canada with Canadian credentials, integration into the labour force is seamless. An in-depth study of the economic impact of investing in early childhood education… shows that serious investment in high-quality child care boosts economic growth, reduces poverty, enhances equality, and sets the younger generation on a path to take on the world.
Tags: child care, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living, women
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Here’s what Erin O’Toole doesn’t understand about daycare
Tuesday, August 17th, 2021
There’s no doubt more money flowing to parents would help with affordability… [but] Spurring demand without building supply is not a balanced equation. That’s partly why the Liberal budget dedicated billions of dollars to agreements with the provinces to expand early learning and child-care capacity and to boost the wages of child-care workers — simultaneously lowering fees and creating more spots. The $30-billion price tag is enormous, but the Liberals — and many a public-policy researcher — argue that society will benefit handsomely over time and the net cost to Canadians will eventually be negligible.
Tags: child care, economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, tax, women
Posted in Child & Family Debates | No Comments »
Finally, everyone agrees that Canada needs better child care. But what should it look like?
Sunday, March 28th, 2021
High-quality child care gives children an early, productive start on their educations and a more certain path to prosperous careers… It’s an equalizer … It increases the labour force participation of women by giving mothers more certain options to go to work… Tax incentives or fee limits to help families pay the child-care bills are a moot point if there aren’t enough spaces to go around.
Tags: budget, child care, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living, women
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
Ottawa has its hands all over the economy — and that’s just fine with business leaders
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2020
“The concept is to bring a strong portfolio of public investments and private investment in a kind of renewed partnership between government, Canadian companies and pension funds and financial institutions in Canada to fully position our leadership in the world, (in areas) where we think Canada as a middle-sized country could make a difference”… they should have a strategy that pushes companies to be more competitive in the areas we are already good at.
Tags: budget, economy, globalization, ideology
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Want to tackle COVID-19 in low-income neighbourhoods? Let’s start with paid sick leave
Saturday, December 12th, 2020
… taking a day here to get tested or a couple days there to self-isolate eats up half the two-week entitlement… Plus, the benefit does not always offer enough money to make up for lost wages… But tweaks won’t do much about the power relationship between boss and employee. That fix can only come through provincial governments enshrining stronger worker protections and employer-paid sick leave into law…
Tags: economy, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, rights, standard of living
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Canada’s economy has weathered a pandemic and an unpredictable president. It can handle some post-election chaos
Wednesday, November 4th, 2020
… the last four years of doing business with the United States has been rife with risk… one problem after another for Canada’s cross-border relations… NAFTA negotiations, tariffs, unpredictable “Buy American” policies, antagonism… [Yet] As a country of exporters, we are reliable and resilient. In the face of protectionism, global trade battles, unpredictable leaders and pandemics, we keep on trucking.
Tags: economy, globalization, participation, standard of living
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Forget a guaranteed basic income. There’s a better way to make sure Canadians have enough money after COVID-19
Saturday, September 19th, 2020
We already have many well-entrenched programs serving many parts of the population quite well… To replace many of them with a single cheque would not only be legally difficult, but would also give the federal government a blunt instrument to deal with the complex and ever-changing problems of poverty, low income and inequality… It’s become painfully obvious that ensuring that there are enough affordable, high-quality child-care spaces is essential for a recovery.
Tags: child care, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation
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Here’s why Ottawa’s pandemic aid isn’t finding its way to Black-owned businesses
Monday, June 29th, 2020
Black businesses are not getting the kind of financial support that the rest of the country’s private sector is getting from governments these days — despite the commitments from federal politicians to extend a hand to everyone who needs it, and repeated vows to act quickly on systemic racism… Liberals want to consult more with community leaders… The problem is, the damage from the pandemic is moving far faster than bureaucracy, and for Black communities, it’s devastating.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Here’s one simple — and relatively cheap — thing Ottawa needs to do to kick-start our economic recovery
Saturday, June 20th, 2020
Business closures have pounded women across the country, hitting service-oriented sectors that tend to be female-dominated harder than others. Parents who were able to arrange to work from home quickly realized that caring for young children at the same time is unsustainable… “There’s no way our economy can reopen, reboot and recover if 40 per cent of its labour market cannot engage the way it did before”
Tags: budget, child care, economy, featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, women
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Argue against the CERB all you want — this is why you’re wrong
Thursday, June 18th, 2020
If the government’s experts are able to repair EI’s weaknesses and blend that system with pandemic income supports to nurse a full recovery, they’ll be providing a crucial backstop for the middle class for years to come. But for now, the focus on emergency help for the pandemic’s most vulnerable victims is a necessary priority.
Tags: budget, economy, Health, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
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