Archive for the ‘Economy/Employment’ Category
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »
Slumping oil price undercuts Stephen Harper
The central pillar of Harper’s economic strategy — being an aggressive fossil fuel exporter — has crumbled in a world awash with petroleum… Even if there were an appetite for Alberta’s viscous oil, it would be landlocked… The provincial premiers, tired of waiting for leadership from Ottawa, have hatched their own plan to build a low-carbon economy by putting a price on pollution, developing renewable energy and capping greenhouse gases.
Tags: economy, ideology, jurisdiction, tax
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Why Stephen Harper should love carbon taxes
If Ottawa simply photocopied the BC model, it would mean higher taxes on gasoline and other fuels, but lower taxes elsewhere. Ottawa could cut payroll taxes, such as Employment Insurance premiums, which are widely seen as a tax on jobs and a disincentive for companies to hire. It could cut income taxes, too… with a carbon tax, a government could do the seemingly impossible. It could cut income taxes and other taxes, without cutting spending.
Tags: budget, economy, globalization, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
The Beer Store’s secret sweetheart deal with LCBO revealed
Rising LCBO profits went straight to the government treasury to fund hospitals, schools and infrastructure. By contrast, The Beer Store’s profits go straight into the coffers of its private (no, not government) owners, whose corporate parents are now based abroad… For years, The Beer Store has maintained close to 80 per cent market share because of its control over volume sales of major brands in its chain. The LCBO has been held back to just over 20 per cent, but insiders believe it would make major inroads without the protectionist pact that benefits the big brewers.
Tags: budget, globalization, ideology, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Should Toronto have a higher minimum wage than the rest of Ontario?
The numbers point to something that most Ontarians already know: the cost of living varies wildly across the province. What doesn’t vary at all is the minimum wage. It’s set at $11.00 for all of Ontario. But with economic inequality soaring in Toronto, in part due to a mix of low-wage jobs and high housing costs, some economists and policy researchers are starting to believe that employers in expensive cities should be forced to pay workers more.
Tags: economy, housing, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Ottawa’s manufacturing fund a mirage
What is clear is that the money is not flowing. There is a striking mismatch between the government’s professed desire to “push Ontario to the forefront of high-tech manufacturing” and its inability to deliver. There is a strong suspicion that the disbursements — when they finally do come — will be concentrated in the months before next October’s election… The message they are sending to Ontario’s manufacturers: Keep waiting.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living
Posted in Delivery System | No Comments »
The ‘Jobs or Environment’ Choice Is ‘False’ Says Mega-Union
… Unifor thinks Canada can and should produce fossil fuels. But the 40,000 oil and gas workers it represents are best served by a carefully regulated sector that expands in sync with Canada’s energy needs, respects strict climate guidelines and where possible avoids exporting raw fossil resources to foreign markets — “If we can show that Canadians from coast to coast, working at all stages of the value chain, find common cause in a vision of sustainable full employment… that’s a model for the whole country.”
Tags: economy, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
How to heal the deep scars from the financial crisis
… we should not expect the economy to “automatically” return to its prerecession growth path. The scars of hysteresis are real, and powerful. As a result, monetary and fiscal policies need to be more expansionary than would otherwise be appropriate for this stage of an economic recovery – precisely to counteract the forces of hysteresis and to push the economy back to its pre-recession level of productive potential.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Supreme Court of Canada ruling makes honesty the law for businesses
In a unanimous ruling, a panel of seven Supreme Court justices rewrote centuries-old common law to clarify bewildering Canadian case law about the legal duty of businesses to act in good faith with companies and people with whom they have contracts. Some areas of contractual law, such as employment, franchise and insurance agreements, already require a duty of good faith, but no such standard exists in the broader arena of commercial contracts.
Tags: crime prevention, ideology, rights, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Corporate Canada needs to pony up to reduce youth unemployment
Unfortunately, a significant minority of employers are taking advantage of the very slack job market for youth through exploitative unpaid internship positions that are generally illegal unless they are part of a formal academic program… Corporate Canada can clearly afford to do more, and it is in their own best interests to do so since labour force growth will soon grind to a virtual halt and young workers with good qualifications and work experience will be widely sought after.
Tags: economy, privatization, standard of living, youth
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
To ensure prosperity, Canada needs ‘ecofiscal’ policies
Relative to other developed countries, Canada makes little use of ecofiscal policies… several important issues require attention – potential threats to business competitiveness, fairness to lower-income families, the benefits from recycling ecofiscal revenues, and dealing with the diverse regions and their priorities… Nov. 4 marks the launch of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission – created to help Canadians seize this opportunity.
Tags: economy, globalization, Health, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Recent Comments