Archive for the ‘Economy/Employment’ Category
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How workers are being sacrificed to a doctrine that intentionally keeps unemployment high
Saturday, December 24th, 2022
The economy risks serious recession from an interest shock that was neither necessary, nor effective in reducing inflation… Hundreds of thousands of Canadians could lose their jobs, and many their homes. Why? They’re being sacrificed to visibly reassert a doctrine that keeps unemployment deliberately high – not just to control inflation, but more importantly to control workers.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, standard of living
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Financing Employment Insurance Reform: Finding the Right Balance
Friday, December 16th, 2022
… the federal government is facing pressures to avoid increasing EI premiums as many businesses are still recovering from the pandemic and are likely to face another economic downturn. And while some have called for the federal government to contribute financially to the program to limit premium increases, others have expressed concern about burdening taxpayers and adding to the federal debt.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, participation, standard of living, tax
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Let’s Fix Bill C-228 Before It’s Too Late
Monday, December 12th, 2022
Bill C-228 will affect that delicate balance by impeding access to capital in a way that will not foster expansion of cost-efficient plans, like defined benefit plans. It won’t fortify pension security or even maintain current levels of future benefit accrual. This is a terrible bill. It will not strengthen our pension system. It will weaken it.
Tags: ideology, pensions, rights, standard of living
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Ottawa Should Soften Bite Of Benefit Clawbacks For Low-Income Families
Wednesday, November 30th, 2022
… the “participation” tax rate (PTR)… is the cumulative effect of all taxes and loss of fiscal benefits on the entire prospective earnings from work. For a stay-at-home parent, it represents the financial penalty paid out of the total income derived from getting a job… The paper recommends the federal government: Implement “benefit shields”… Allow income averaging… [and] Replace the federal childcare expense tax deduction with a refundable credit
Tags: jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
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By the numbers: Here’s the living wage in 10 Ontario regions
Thursday, November 17th, 2022
In Ontario, the minimum wage is now $15.50 per hour, having risen from $15 in October. According to the OLWN, in 2021, the highest living wage was $22.08 for residents in Toronto… “It doesn’t account for debt repayment or saving for education… “we’re talking about the barest living wage for workers to thrive, to have a family, to participate in our society”
Tags: economy, ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
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For millions of Ontario workers living on a knife’s edge, paid sick days would be a huge boon. It would also benefit everyone else
Sunday, November 13th, 2022
Employer-paid sick days are desperately needed to improve the mental health and well-being of workers, especially low-income, racialized and non-unionized workers who are least likely to have paid sick days or workplace benefits of any kind… Legislating employers to provide an adequate number of paid sick days is necessary to protect workers from unjust termination and unsustainable financial strain.
Tags: Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, standard of living
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Four ways the fall economic statement could help prepare all of us for the coming recession
Thursday, November 3rd, 2022
People are anxious. The world is talking about recession… What can the government do about any of it? Help those struggling to choose between heating or eating, or even between food or shelter, by asking a bit more from those who saw a windfall in corporate profits and shareholder dividends. Here are four ways to do just that…
Tags: budget, economy, housing, ideology, tax
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Correcting Course: Employment Insurance Needs a Redesign to Counter Recessions and Achieve Equity
Tuesday, October 11th, 2022
As a primary pillar of Canada’s social safety net, Employment Insurance (EI)… has also gone off track from its original main goal: to provide insurance against unpredictable job losses… The authors make three main policy recommendations: (i) Implement uniform or more universal entrance requirements. (ii) Sharply reduce the number of EI regions. (iii) Improve the responsiveness of the benefit duration formula to labour market downturns and recoveries.
Tags: economy, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living
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EI Needs A Redesign To Be Recession-Ready
Thursday, October 6th, 2022
… Gray and Busby… propose implementing uniform or more universal entrance requirements across Canada… variations in the length of benefit entitlement periods would be driven by changes in unemployment rates instead of levels in given regions… [and that] the number of regions be sharply reduced… these changes may require a small increase to EI premiums.
Tags: economy, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living
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The new villain? Workers fighting for better wages. Don’t fall for it
Wednesday, October 5th, 2022
This is an important chapter in the history of workers’ struggles for decent work, a moment of fighting not only inflation but long-standing systemic inequalities. It has the potential to pit unionized worker against non-unionized worker, and private sector worker against public sector worker. Or it has the potential to pave the path toward decent work, through fairness and equity
Tags: economy, ideology, standard of living
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