Madmen politics
Thursday, March 24th, 2011
March 24, 2011
I’m wondering if this whole business of negative ads, in between elections, could be a sleeper issue for a political party… Apparently the TV networks used to have a rule against running political ads between elections — a rule that’s obviously been abandoned… Any outright ban on negative ads would probably collide with Charter rights over freedom of expression. Senator Dawson’s bill doesn’t propose a ban — he just wants those outside-campaign ads to be included in the legislated limits on advertising during election campaigns.
Tags: participation, rights
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
For female politicians, equality is hard work
Sunday, February 6th, 2011
Feb 04 2011
Women make up only 22 per cent of the House of Commons, but they account for a larger share of membership in cabinet (26 per cent) and in the Senate (35 per cent)… In terms of Commons committee chairs in the current Parliament… Only three women serve at the top of committees, where, it’s often said, the real work of Parliament is done… For the past several elections, roughly 15 per cent of the women who ran for office ended up winning. In the 1970s and 1980s, that figure was closer to six per cent.
Tags: ideology, participation, women
Posted in Equality Debates | 1 Comment »
Liberals promise child-care revival
Thursday, February 3rd, 2011
Jan. 3,2011
Federal Liberals are vowing to revive the national child-care program that Prime Minister Stephen Harper scrapped exactly five years ago this week… Dryden said that the $100 payments don’t even come close to meeting the child-care costs of the average Canadian family, which he put at roughly $8,000 a year… Though the party has unveiled a $1-billion program to help families caring for sick and elderly relatives – the so-called Family Care proposal – all the Liberals’ promises in the realm of education are being held back for announcement during a campaign.
Tags: child care, ideology, participation, women
Posted in Child & Family Debates | No Comments »
Is Canadian democracy in real danger?
Monday, November 22nd, 2010
Nov 21 2010
Harper doesn’t seem to see the Senate as an obstacle any longer, now that he’s put 35 of his own appointees in the Upper Chamber and it is able to carry out his wishes — killing the climate-change bill last week… Equally alarming to some is the way that the Commons is being treated as a safe venue to take cheap shots at political rivals – since statements in the chamber are protected from libel or slander rules.
Tags: ideology, participation
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Liberals unveil $1B home care plan
Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
Oct 05 2010
It’s… a reply to the question of what Liberals would do with approximately $6 billion they said can be saved by freezing the Conservatives’ planned cuts to corporate taxes in the next few years… Ignatieff’s “Family Care” policy plan has two parts: one would give six months of employment insurance benefits to caregivers, while the other would provide up to $1,350 a year to people who are providing home care to the elderly or ill.
Tags: disabilities, Health, housing, standard of living, women
Posted in Child & Family Debates | No Comments »
Ignatieff vows to scrap tax cuts for business
Monday, March 29th, 2010
Mar 29 2010
…by freezing the rate at its current 18 per cent, the Liberals say Ottawa would ultimately have $6 billion in extra annual tax revenues. This would help a Liberal government bring down the budget deficit to a planned $18 billion or so annually in a few years and also pay for what Ignatieff said would be a very few new spending programs.
Tags: tax
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Canadian women’s rights in decline, report says
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Feb 23 2010
The UN is convening a special session in March to mark 15 years since the huge Beijing conference on women in 1995, which laid out plans of action for all participating nations – including Canada.
Women have lost ground due to the elimination of funding for advocacy groups, the scrapping of a national child-care program and a widening wage gap between men and women, the report notes.
Posted in Equality Debates | 7 Comments »
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