Archive for the ‘Policy Context’ Category
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Ontario needs an increase in the minimum wage
… a minimum-wage increase alone won’t eradicate poverty. The working poor need stable full-time jobs, not the transitory jobs that the law commission report says isolate and diminish lives… Still, for workers who are forced to count their pennies, every little bit helps. That’s why the Wynne government should favour an increase in the minimum wage. It’s the place to start.
Tags: poverty, rights, standard of living
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Infrastructure and Hernando De Soto
… he makes the case that for much of the world, capitalism fails to take hold because the basic structure of property and property rights doesn’t support it. Unless it is possible for an individual or organization to own land outright without threat of seizure, these land assets cannot be used to generate more capital.
Tags: economy, ideology, rights
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Stephen Harper’s war on pensions
… their view of the economy is that nothing should be permitted that might protect those without private means from the need to work — at whatever wage is on offer. No employment insurance. No welfare. No pensions. No unions. If those at the top end can save enough to retire comfortably, that’s fine. But in the world view of the Harper Conservatives, those who are not so fortunate should just keep on working, at minimal wages if necessary, until they drop.
Tags: ideology, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context, Policy Context | No Comments »
Not Enough Inflation
… it discourages borrowing and spending and encourages sitting on cash. Since our biggest economic problem is an overall lack of demand, falling inflation makes that problem worse. Low inflation also makes it harder to pay down debt, worsening the private-sector debt troubles that are a main reason overall demand is too low… by letting short-run economic problems fester we’re setting ourselves up for a long-run, perhaps permanent, pattern of economic failure.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, globalization, ideology, standard of living
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What Price, Austerity?
$11.8 billion – Estimated federal government spending cuts by 2014-15, due to the last three austerity budgets… / 90,000 – Estimated job losses in both the public and private sector by 2014-15, as a result of a succession of federal government austerity budget decisions… / 1.4 million – Number of unemployed workers in Canada, almost six for every unfilled job in the country… / 338,000 – Number of temporary foreign workers in Canada at the end of 2012.
Tags: budget, economy, globalization, ideology, standard of living
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Temporary foreign worker flood to continue
Canada should not be importing poor guest workers, period. If we need workers, we should bring them as immigrants. Ottawa should learn to process immigrant applicants as efficiently as it has been ushering foreign temps in… What we’ve just seen from Kenney is yet another of his smoke-and-mirror shows. We could still end up with a high number of temporary foreign workers, who, besides being exploited, will continue to squeeze Canadians and permanent residents out of scarce jobs.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, immigration, participation, rights, standard of living
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Jason Kenney tinkers with foreign worker scheme, low-wage goal remains
Tellingly, the reforms don’t include measures to enforce these oft-broken rules. Nor do they address other loophole ridden visa schemes such as the intra-company transfer program (ICT)… the ICT program allows firms to import foreign employees without even minimal oversight. More to the point, Kenney didn’t deign to mention the real villain of the piece, which is the ability of employers to outsource Canadian jobs to low-wage countries.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, rights, standard of living
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A Filmflam Budget [job training]
The Canada Job Grant is an unworkable proposal which will likely never get close to being fully implemented. There is a real danger that $300 million will be cut out of provincial financing for training, but only a tiny fraction of that will be spent on the Canada Job Grant. The net result would be a substantial decrease in training and skills spending in Canada, exactly the opposite of the supposed purpose of the Budget.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living
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Don’t let temporary foreign workers drive down wages: Carney
Relying too much on temporary employees from abroad distorts wage adjustments that lead to Canadians getting better pay and delays changes that make companies more efficient, Carney said… He told the committee that the keys to increased growth in Canada are improved business investment and a better export performance.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, immigration
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How to fix the foreign worker program
Apr 22 2013
No doubt Ottawa will crack down on employers who bring in foreign workers to replace their Canadian employees (which existing rules already prohibit). But it will take more than that to mollify a roiled public. At minimum, the government must: Require employers to demonstrate that they have conducted a serious search for Canadian applicants… Revoke the two-tiered wage policy… Cut the intake of foreign workers to the level required to meet acute labour shortages… Toughen the penalties for employers who abuse the program… Enforce the rules.
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, ideology, participation, rights, standard of living
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