Archive for the ‘Economy/Employment’ Category

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A Web of Deceit: Untangling the Myths and False Promises of the Trans-Pacific Partnership

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2016

The commitments government trade negotiators make behind closed doors lock in a myopic and increasingly em- battled neoliberal orthodoxy — small government, big finance, weak regu- lation and a preference for privatized service delivery — that prevents future governments from changing course without great political and financial costs.

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‘Viking Economics’ Suggests Next Steps in Fight Against Capitalism

Tuesday, November 1st, 2016

Lakey has no utopian faith in parliamentary democracy. He does not argue that voting for a particular political party is sufficient… he is not naive enough to believe that the ability and desire to fight back come from increased misery. They come instead from a vision for the future and from the hope that change is possible.

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Bill Morneau is half right about precarious labour

Sunday, October 30th, 2016

A universal, quality, affordable child-care system would vastly improve the prospects for parents, whatever their job situation. Deliver pharmacare… Most temporary and part-time workers don’t have an employer-provided health plan and, as a result, many can’t afford to fill needed prescriptions. Fix Employment Insurance… The current system is not working for those who need it most.

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A government suddenly gone tone deaf

Friday, October 28th, 2016

Inequality is an evil that Freeland knows well. It was the theme of her book, Plutocrats. She enthuses over free trade because it has raised levels in the Third World and that’s a serious argument in its favour. But it did so while undermining the lives and bargaining power of working people in the developed countries: that’s serious too. Why should they pay the price while the plutocrats get richer?

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CETA Failure Reflects Public Rejection of Sweeping Trade Deals

Monday, October 24th, 2016

Given that Europe and Canada both offer reliable, respected court systems, there is little reason to insist on investor-state dispute settlement rules at all… expanded trade should not require Canada to face increased health care costs (as would result from CETA’s extension of patent protections) or Europe to confront changes to various food and safety regulations.

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Ottawa’s bold new plan for economic growth is eerily familiar

Monday, October 24th, 2016

The scheme… relies on privatization, deregulation, public-private partnerships and user fees. It would reserve profitable public infrastructure for the private sector but have governments alone foot the bill for those schemes — such as environmental remediation and First Nations projects — that are destined to lose money. It would have the government set up a new agency to convince foreign investors that Canada is open for business.

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What’s Wallonia’s Beef?

Monday, October 24th, 2016

The most important innovation in CETA is the creation of a standing tribunal and appellate body. Members are appointed by the CETA parties, not the parties to a dispute, and must meet high standards for independence and the avoidance of conflicts of interest. Appellate review should improve the quality and consistency of ISDS awards… “… while not perfect, CETA’s approach has the best claim to legitimacy in any treaty to date”

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It’s Canada vs. the protectionists in the new world trade wars

Wednesday, October 19th, 2016

… a consensus has evolved on the overall benefit of more trade, even as we watch the acrimonious debate in the U.S. and Europe. Hopefully, the outcome of this argument in our major trading partners will be as enlightened as it was for Canada. The debate abroad may even be beneficial for Canada, since the arguments our politicians make for international trade highlight the hypocrisy of the many internal barriers to trade within Canada.

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Harvesting freedom and sowing resistance: Migrant workers in Canada demand permanent immigration status

Sunday, October 16th, 2016

Workers… are being brought in from other parts of the world to do the jobs that no one wants to do, they are treated as sub-human and forced to return home, many times as injured bodies. There is nothing temporary about this program, as some workers have been working in them for as long as 25 or 30 years. We have to do better… introduce legislation which makes room for permanent status for all migrant workers.

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Wages, poverty line

Tuesday, October 11th, 2016

It is unfortunate that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejects a federal minimum wage increase as part of a poverty reduction strategy… He pits minimum wage increases against government expenditures on infrastructure and children’s benefits, as if they cannot occur simultaneously. What does Mr. Trudeau have against employers paying their share? Should not a full-time worker be guaranteed an income above the poverty line from her or his salary?

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