Archive for the ‘Economy/Employment’ Category
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Ontario’s Employment Standards Act is in desperate need of reform
… more than 40 per cent of work in Ontario is now done “outside of standard, full-time, permanent employment with a single employer.” An increasing number of people now work part-time, or on contract, or are classed as “independent contractors” — designations that may allow employers to deprive them of basic gains such as overtime pay, benefits, regular work schedules, a modicum of job security, and a minimum wage.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, rights, standard of living, women, youth
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Where have all the fiscal conservatives gone?
For a while, indeed, conservatives succeeded in making deficits and debt into dirty words in Canadian politics, something every government sought to avoid. Tax increases were even more taboo. How ironic, then, that this fiscal-conservative revolution was eventually undone by the Right… The Harper government has now re-borrowed the entire $105 billion worth of debt that was paid off between 1997 and 2008, and then some.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, tax
Posted in History | No Comments »
Corporate Greed? Enough Already Record profits have produced lousy jobs
The headline read “Corporate profit margins at 27-year high and likely to stay there.” Pretty heady stuff if you took it out of context. But the context is everything: pathetic growth projections, record high personal debt, stagnating wages, hundreds of billions in idle corporate cash, a multi-billion dollar infrastructure deficit, a growing real estate bubble and a Bank of Canada chief who has no idea how to fix things. And, of course, a prime minister who thinks fixing things is heretical.
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, ideology, participation, poverty, privatization, rights, standard of living, tax
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Fixing Toronto’s broken public housing system would help us all
Repairing Toronto’s dilapidated public housing stock isn’t just good social policy — it’s good business, too. A comprehensive study by the Canadian Centre for Economic Analysis shows that doing the right thing would create thousands of jobs, spur private investment, and generate billions of extra dollars in federal and provincial taxes… If upper governments won’t respond to basic human need, perhaps they’ll act in their own self-interest.
Tags: budget, economy, Health, homelessness, housing, mental Health, participation, poverty, standard of living, tax
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Don’t raise the minimum wage. Fine-tune it
Urban poverty is a tragic and growing problem in Canada. While everyone likes the idea of adults supporting themselves and their children by working, it’s just not possible on minimum wage. An across-the-board minimum wage is the problem. Perhaps the Dutch example offers some sensible guidance for Canada.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | 1 Comment »
Quebec model balances greater equality with economic progress
Quebec is more equal than other provinces, in large part because of its distinctive social and labour market policies… Quebec’s distinctive family policies have had positive effects on the economy, increasing the labour force participation rate of women and thus lowering poverty. And educational attainment boosted by provincial policies is rapidly converging with the rest of Canada… Equity and efficiency need not be opposed, but can go hand in hand.
Tags: budget, child care, economy, featured, ideology, standard of living, tax, women
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After outrage, government extends program that employed 50 people with developmental disabilities
The federal government extended a work program for 50 developmentally disabled Ottawa workers Thursday in the face of public outrage that they had been cut loose after dedicating decades of their working lives to sorting and disposing of federal documents… LAC paid $124,600 to OCAPDD, which in turn divided the money as “honorarium” payments among the workers — amounting to approximately $2,000 each per year, or $1.15 an hour.
Tags: budget, disabilities, ideology, mental Health, participation, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Trouble in Stephen Harper’s backyard
The Harper government encouraged employers in Alberta to become dependent on migrant labour, then throttled the supply. What is not understandable is the rationale westerners use to defend the flawed program… Wouldn’t [the oil price collapse] obviate the need for migrant workers? Not according to the think-tank… It dismisses the possibility of hiring jobless Albertans… It is cool to the idea of recruiting aboriginal workers or people with disabilities…
Tags: disabilities, economy, globalization, ideology, immigration, Indigenous, participation, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Canada need not be at the mercy of the marketplace
An increasing number are revisiting the idea of a basic income guarantee for all Canadians. They never thought they’d endorse universal income redistribution by the state. But they don’t see any other option. In fact there are alternatives. They haven’t been talked about since 2006 when Stephen Harper became prime minister, vowing to cut taxes, downsize government, impose market discipline on the public sector and allow the private sector to bring in thousands of pliant temporary foreign workers, but they still exist.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Canadian economy suffers from the myth of comparative advantage
… it turns out that low-wage countries not only have a competitive advantage based upon relatively low wages, they have also created a competitive edge in sophisticated industries… We specialized in resources, especially oil, and rejected China-style active industrial and trade policies that would have helped manufacturing restructure toward high value-added, innovative, intensive production that is less vulnerable to low-wage competition.
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Debates | 2 Comments »
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