Archive for the ‘Equality’ Category
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Canada’s new electoral divide: It’s about the money
Sunday, May 8th, 2011
May. 04, 2011
With Canada still shaking off the effects of the recession, the Conservatives were clearly looking to herd economically worried voters into their column at the start of the campaign. The party was aiming not just at the haves, looking to safeguard their affluence, but at the just-hads, aching to reclaim their recently lost prosperity… the rise of the NDP, which siphoned off progressive-minded Liberals, clearly spooked a sizable number of blue Liberals, causing them to bolt to Mr. Harper in the last weekend of campaigning…
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »
Millionaire nation: Canada tops G7 rich list
Saturday, May 7th, 2011
May 6, 2011
the sustained housing boom and surging Canadian dollar have produced some very lofty housing prices relative to much of the developed world. This divide is especially stark when considering the U.S. real estate implosion following the subprime crisis… While there is a greater proportion of millionaires in Canada than any other major economy, the average millionaire household has assets of about US$1.9-million. This is pretty middle-of-the-pack compared with the United States at US$3.7-million and Switzerland, which tops the list of all counties with US$4.2-million per millionaire household.
Tags: economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
First Nations Children: The back of the bus
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
Apr 26 2011
Canada’s failure to address the growing gap in education funding for on-reserve schools will hold every Canadian back. It defies imagination how the human argument — the calls for social justice or children’s rights — continues to fall on deaf ears and fails to elicit a human response from those who seek to lead this country… The funding formula for First Nations education has not been revised in 22 years; it has not kept pace with costs in 13 years. Now that we are in the midst of a federal election campaign, it is time for all political parties to commit to an equitable approach to education funding.
Tags: ideology, Indigenous, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Canada’s rich are not the enemy
Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
Apr 26, 2011
BMO Harris Private Banking recently conducted an online survey of 459 Canadian millionaires. Of these, a scant 6% report that they inherited the bulk of their wealth. Ninety-four percent state that they are largely self-made, either as businesspersons or professionals. Eighty percent affirm that they enjoy greater wealth than their parents. And 76% believe it is important to give back to their communities… This is something we should remember as we endure the catcalls of class warfare during this election campaign and beyond.
Tags: ideology, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Canada’s EI regional lottery
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011
Apr 19 2011
Canada’s employment insurance program is a postal code lottery — your winnings (if any) largely depend on your address. In this respect, the program is unique internationally. A recent study done for the Mowat Centre Employment Insurance Task Force compares Canada with 17 OECD countries. It is only in Canada that your region plays an integral part of the EI regime. Simply put, where one lives has a direct and profound effect on the three most important questions a recently unemployed person may ask.
Tags: economy, ideology, rights, standard of living, tax
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
First Nations education is a national crisis
Monday, April 18th, 2011
Apr 18 2011
…the country’s “perfect demographic storm.” First Nations are the fastest-growing segment of our society, and over 50 per cent of that population is under the age of 23… If First Nations caught up with provincial education standards, they would inject an estimated $179 billion into Canada’s GDP by 2026, both in labour support and by reducing strains on social services… It’s not always the case that moral imperatives and fiscal responsibilities match up so readily— but we’d say supporting First Nations education is an obvious solution.
Tags: economy, Indigenous, poverty, rights, standard of living, youth
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
A political voice for indigenous Canadians
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
Apr. 12, 2011
The First Peoples National Party (FPNP) wishes to bring the value of inclusion to Parliament, by promoting a vision for Canada in which all peoples have a say in our future. The FPNP was formed to provide a voice, particularly for those who currently have no representation in our elitist party system: Indigenous Canadians… A country that excludes its indigenous peoples from all levels of government and education exhibits not only a colonial mentality, but commits a slow and steady cultural genocide
Tags: ideology, Indigenous, multiculturalism, participation, rights
Posted in Equality Policy Context | 1 Comment »
A new development model gains steam in aboriginal communities
Monday, April 11th, 2011
Apr. 11, 2011
Mining, forestry and energy still provoke battles, but experience is leading to more enlightened resource deals that go beyond the traditional model, which sees a company simply handing out royalty cheques… corporations increasingly realize the futility of battling aboriginals in courts of justice and public opinion… first nations are also finding creative ways to get around the red tape of the Indian Act, which forces them constantly to seek Ottawa’s approval. A string of relatively recent laws allowing communities to opt out of certain sections of the Indian Act… offers more freedom to do business.
Tags: economy, Indigenous, standard of living
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Shortchanged for decades: Ontario must raise its voice
Wednesday, April 6th, 2011
Apr 06 2011
… they’ve accepted being shortchanged for decades, on everything from equalization payments to employment insurance benefits, and from money to settle new immigrants to the number of House of Commons seats granted the province. (Ontario was to receive an additional 18 federal seats to help provide some balance, but they haven’t arrived.) … despite a sharp decline in Ontario’s manufacturing sector, heavy job losses, soaring energy costs and a nagging provincial deficit. Ontario is in profound need of assistance. Yet it’s rarely offered a helping hand.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Pierre Trudeau saved Canada
Monday, April 4th, 2011
Mar 25, 2011
Trudeau left his lasting mark following the Referendum by pushing through, by sheer determination, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms… Approval of it has remained consistent at the 90% level over the last two decades… In that vision, individual Canadians possess defined rights, and no province or region has a special status. In this bilingual, pluralist Canada, it would not all turn on Newfoundland’s cod, Alberta’s oil, or, most decisively, Quebec’s language. We would be masters in our house, but our own house would be all of Canada.
Tags: ideology, multiculturalism, rights
Posted in Equality History | 2 Comments »
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