Archive for the ‘Governance Debates’ Category

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When governments trample on our rights, the courts must be free to weigh in. Full stop

Tuesday, September 30th, 2025

Can courts still declare whether a law that’s subject to the notwithstanding clause is unconstitutional? Doing so would have no effect on the law’s operation as long as the notwithstanding clause applied, but as a judicial declaration, it would constitute an authoritative statement, alerting the press and general public to active government efforts to violate Canadians’ rights.

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The three fiscal taboos Canada can no longer afford

Saturday, September 6th, 2025

Federal health and social transfers have also long outlived their usefulness: where once conditional transfers might have been needed as a catalyst for national standards, today they are among the main obstacles to health care reform; Restoring the two points to the GST… would leave it no higher than it was 20 years ago, and far lower than in most countries with similar taxes; … those at the top paying more in tax, overall… on their stock options… capital gains… dividend tax credits

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What do we get for our low taxes and supposed affordability measures? A less healthy, fractured country

Thursday, July 17th, 2025

If Canada were in the European Union… we would be in the bottom fifth for taxes… Recent polling shows Canadians are overwhelmingly supportive of a wealth tax… Now, a new group of Canadians called ”Patriotic Millionaires” are calling for higher taxes on the wealthy… While it may be true that the only certain things in life are death and taxes, it is also true taxes help us live better — and healthier — lives.

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It’s time to talk about what COVID did to Toronto, and to us

Thursday, June 26th, 2025

The isolation, loss, distrust and disruption that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic continue to make their mark on us today… neither the heroism, collective sacrifice or loss, nor the mistakes… We can’t move forward without finding a way to talk about — and process — what went right, what went wrong and what we all suffered during COVID-19… There is still so much misinformation out there about what actually happened during the pandemic. We desperately need a collective airing of the facts.

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Mark Carney unveils Liberal party’s election platform, promises $129 billion in new spending

Saturday, April 19th, 2025

The platform defines capital spending as “anything that builds an asset” owned by the federal government, another level of government, or a private company… not “spending” but “investing” that will prompt private sector investment to grow the economy… Carney also repeated his promise that his government would not cut health and social transfers to provinces, and would preserve programs like national child care, dental care, pharmacare and an emerging school food program. 

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Canada can be the first choice for high-skill talent fleeing Trump’s America. But we have to act fast

Saturday, April 19th, 2025

We have the political stability, multicultural harmony and robust R&D activity in our world-class universities, teaching hospitals and networks of entrepreneurial tech startups to attract top talent from beyond our borders. But Canadian universities — epicentres of advanced research in a multitude of fields, and the intended destination for many potential U.S. immigrants — are coping with a funding crisis…

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Platform Crunch: Tax cuts are alive and well in this federal election, but who benefits? (Hint: Look up, way up)

Friday, April 18th, 2025

The richest 40 per cent of Canadians would enjoy three-quarters of those promised savings (for either party), while the lowest-income earners in Canada would, on average, enjoy zero benefit. Not great preparation for a tariff war that would hit low-income families the hardest… The expenditures are so large and these parties are so concerned with having no deficits that they’ll require massive cuts elsewhere to balance the budget. We are yet to see a detailed list of those cuts…

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The ‘We Are Canadian’ Video Is Serving Nationalism with a Twist

Monday, March 17th, 2025

The new “We Are Canadian” slogan might resonate with many voters who still see Canada as a country built on collective effort — on socialized health care, multiculturalism and government intervention for the common good. But for the modern CPC, which leans heavily on the language of personal responsibility, rugged individualism and minimal government, this shift in national sentimentality could be a liability… if “We Are Canadian” is any indication, the broader electorate may be moving in a different direction — one that values community over the individual.

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In the Ontario election, we’re not talking about money—which the province urgently needs

Wednesday, February 26th, 2025

Ontario is a rich province. We have the resources, but the provincial government needs to act with resolve in collecting revenue and investing it… Ontario also raises less revenue than almost all provinces on a per capita basis. Every year, it raises $2,400 less in revenue per person than British Columbia and $4,100 less than Quebec… Ontario’s low revenues mean less funding for public services

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‘Against The People’ and the truth about ‘populist’ Doug Ford

Friday, January 31st, 2025

In every public policy area, “the voices of the public, civil society organizations, local governments and the provincial public service Ford has aggressively marginalized as red tape”… Consistently, Ford is following the Conservative strategy of “creating a crisis” and then corporatizing and privatizing the solution, transferring wealth to the wealthy and keeping wages low.

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