Archive for the ‘Economy/Employment’ Category
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Canada’s international trade
1. The Harper government gave Chinese investors “market access” to Canada — a right to buy what they want in our economy — without getting the same for Canadian investors in China… 2… the terms let China keep all its existing laws, policies, or practices that discriminate against Canadian investors. 3… foreign companies… can seek uncapped amounts of public compensation from governments directly before international tribunals.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, privatization, rights, standard of living
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Tory budget surplus came at cost to public safety ‘
The Harper government has aggressively deregulated, devolving ever-more freedom to companies to make their own judgments of risk versus profits. The new company-led Safety Management System was supposed to complement traditional regulatory oversight, but without adequate regulatory resources, the companies were effectively regulating themselves… Is it worth government compromising its responsibility to protect the public for the sake of a trivial and – most economists agree – meaningless budgetary surplus?
Tags: budget, crime prevention, economy, ideology, privatization, standard of living, tax
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Don’t call it a scandal: Volkswagen corruption is a syndrome
Predatory capitalism has been triumphing since 1989, throwing much of the world out of balance, on the side of private sectors. They are dominating government and much of society… Remember the 1989 concept of “the end of history,” the widely accepted claim that human society had reached perfection, thanks to our relentless greed? Well, watch out: Unless we get our act together, here it comes.
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, ideology, privatization, standard of living
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We are ignoring food security at our peril
The first issue is poverty. According to Food Banks Canada, which is the national umbrella for food banks, there has been a 25 per cent increase in food bank visits between 2008 and 2014. These charities are used by 841,000 Canadians every month (310,000 of whom are children); they received 14 million visits in 2014… One of the negative consequences of the large trading agreements that our federal government has embraced has been a loss in our food processing industry.
Tags: Health, ideology, poverty, standard of living
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Corporations are not people — and it’s people who pay taxes
Corporations cannot be wealthy; it’s better to think of them as a form of wealth… a large fraction of small businesses — or at least, small businesses that generate a large fraction of income in this sector — are in effect instruments used by high-earning professionals to minimize their tax burden… there’s little evidence to support the claim that governments should be giving special tax treatment for small businesses in the first place: they generally pay lower salaries, offer worse benefits and weaker employment security, and are less productive than large corporations.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, tax
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Politicians can’t shake the myth of small business
The lower the “small-business rate,” the greater the incentive for individuals to incorporate their activities to take advantage of lower rates, which is completely at variance with the job-creation thesis of those who defend low small-business rates… In tax and economic policy, there is no justification for rates being different for “small” and “large” companies. In an increasingly global world, where Canada needs more international “champions” in industry, the difference makes little sense.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, tax
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What the leaders need to understand about Canada’s shifting economy
… a weaker Canadian dollar will nurture economic growth in neglected parts of the economy. As activity shifts away from the oil-producing provinces and back towards manufacturing-based economies, Ontario in particular will see a renaissance. After watching its share of Canada’s GDP shrink to a three-decade low not long ago, the province is now poised to start leading the country in growth.
Tags: budget, economy, globalization
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Few will support Naomi Klein’s revolution, thankfully sparing us from national suicide
The Leap Manifesto’s 15 demands are a comprehensive assault on the whole concept of economic growth: a radical program for the abolition of carbon-based energy use… and the fragmentation of society into small units even as almost all economic activity was collectivized… I share her skepticism about much of the status quo and like her spirit and even a few of her ideas, but if she thinks this giant hot air balloon of fetid sophomorisms will fly, she has in her perceptions gone on to a gentler place. I have long advocated ways of making capitalism more benevolent; it could be done and is the only way forward.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, participation, standard of living
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Ontario faculty make the case for better and fairer labour laws
… faculty associations across Ontario continue to make powerful presentations about the need for labour law reforms to protect the growing number of contract academic workers in our universities… The presentations are part of the ongoing consultations around potential changes to the Employment Standards Act and the Ontario Labour Relations Act… the law ensure that part-time, contract workers do not face less favorable treatment compared to their full-time colleagues.
Tags: economy, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | 1 Comment »
Harper’s economic record the worst in Canada’s postwar history
In short, the Conservatives’ austere, business-led strategy has produced stagnation for the economy, and incredible uncertainty for Canadians. Families worry rightly that the traditional dream of shared prosperity is slipping away from them, and from their children… The Conservative trickle-down vision, focused on enriching corporations and the investors who own them, has failed bitterly. We need an alternative vision, both hopeful and pragmatic…
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, privatization, standard of living
Posted in History | 2 Comments »
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