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Billionaires get richer while millions struggle. There’s a lot wrong with this picture
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2020
growing inequality — and public concern about it — is being exacerbated by the pandemic. That makes this a particularly good time to revisit the many policy tools Ottawa has to do something about it. Tax reform tops the list. Canada can do more to prevent and pursue companies that hide billions from the taxman in offshore tax havens and close the many loopholes that let the very wealthy lower their tax bill.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »
The real challenge is to expand medicare, not just save it
Sunday, September 13th, 2020
While Canadians sing the praises of public care, they actually spend close to a third of their health-care dollars in the private sector — on things like prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, physiotherapy and home care… The job now isn’t just to protect medicare as it is against efforts to chip away at it, but to extend public coverage into other areas. A comprehensive pharmacare program should top the list
Tags: budget, featured, Health, ideology, rights
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
This Labour Day, resolve to make life better for underpaid, undervalued ‘heroes’
Monday, September 7th, 2020
If the mantra of “build back better” means anything, we must revalue low-paid but essential work and tackle the scourge of precarious work, gig economy jobs and temp agencies that leave workers scrambling just to earn minimum wage. We need to legislate paid sick days for all workers… and dramatically expand affordable childcare so that women aren’t held back.
Tags: child care, Health, ideology, jurisdiction
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Trudeau gets it wrong on Canada’s other health crisis
Monday, September 7th, 2020
Only Ottawa could take the big step of decriminalization and make addiction a health issue, not one for the justice system… it’s a political calculation on the part of the Liberals, who no doubt fear there are more votes to be lost than gained by taking that route… But if Trudeau truly wanted to follow the science, he would take a different approach to Canada’s other pandemic.
Tags: crime prevention, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
Ontario and Ottawa keep failing on reforms to solitary confinement
Saturday, August 29th, 2020
The debilitating effects of solitary confinement on prisoners’ mental health are well known. There’s a reason the UN defines stints in solitary beyond 15 days as torture. It should be used only as a last resort and not, as it so often is, to put a troubled inmate out of sight and out of mind, or as a way to maintain security in the face of under-staffing or lack of appropriate mental health care inside institutions.
Tags: corrections, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, rights
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »
New income support system must go beyond tinkering with EI
Tuesday, August 11th, 2020
… pushing hundreds of thousands of people into poverty would risk stalling the recovery that’s now underway. About half the jobs that were lost in the depths of the lockdown in April have already come back, and we can expect unemployment to keep falling. But if the purchasing power that was pumped into the economy through CERB is suddenly cut off, that could plunge the country into a prolonged recession.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
After court ruling, Ottawa should suspend refugee agreement with U.S.
Monday, July 27th, 2020
Canada can no longer outsource decisions on who deserves asylum to an American system that is far from safe… “the accounts of the detainees (in the U.S.) demonstrate both physical and psychological suffering because of detention, and a real risk that they will not be able to assert asylum claims.” … as the Safe Third Country Agreement… applies only at official ports of entry, many thousands of would-be refugees crossed on foot at other points, flooding Canada’s refugee system.
Tags: globalization, immigration, jurisdiction, rights
Posted in Inclusion Delivery System | No Comments »
We can’t let COVID-19 destroy economic gains for women
Saturday, July 25th, 2020
To ease the load on women, governments need to find a way to get schools back full-time as soon as possible… Second, for women to participate fully in the workforce, affordable, quality childcare, under new safety protocols, is essential… $2.5 billion is required to meet the need. In an era of crisis, when money has seemed to be no object, it would be dollars well spent.
Tags: budget, child care, economy, Health, participation, standard of living, women
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Police shouldn’t be answering mental-health calls
Thursday, June 25th, 2020
At this point… there’s no excuse for politicians to refuse to act… there are models elsewhere that could usefully provide direction. One that’s receiving lots of attention… involves teams of medical professionals and crisis workers responding directly to calls involving people in mental crisis, and rarely has to resort to police backup.
Tags: mental Health, multiculturalism
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
Clean clothes, decent food: Ontario’s inmates deserve this much
Monday, June 22nd, 2020
… decent water to drink; food that’s not expired or mouldy; clean clothing delivered on time and not covered in feces, urine and blood stains; books from outside; adequate time for phone calls so inmates aren’t left to fight among themselves for the chance to talk to family, friends and lawyers; some video visits; access to rehabilitation programs and exercise. Those are pretty basic standards that any jail in Ontario should be able, and expected, to deliver.
Tags: budget, corrections, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »
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