Archive for the ‘Governance Policy Context’ Category
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Cuts to Statistics Canada a costly error, say experts
Friday, August 10th, 2012
23 July 2012
These reductions have been masked under the compelling veil of “efficiency.” In reality, the cuts promise considerable future costs because they compromise the tools used to understand the state. This, in turn, has a high probability of leading to decisions that are no longer based on evidence, and therefore are likely to be ineffective uses of public money… We have now halted the collection and analysis of our most informative longitudinal information on our labour force, on the workplace, on health and health care, and on child well-being.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living
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Europe caricatures don’t tell the story
Saturday, July 21st, 2012
July 19, 2012
[Scandinavian] countries have higher taxes than we do. That’s how they pay for the social services their people want without piling up debt. But has that stifled economic growth? According to the OECD, the average annual growth rate in Finland and Sweden, between 2000 and 2010, was equal to or higher than in Canada… Of course, reality is not the Conservatives’ concern. Winning is. And the European bogeyman is very useful for that…
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, standard of living, tax
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They shoot baby hippos, don’t they?
Wednesday, July 4th, 2012
July 02, 2012
the European countries that face serious debt problems — Greece, Spain, Italy — have never been big social spenders. The big social spenders are the northern European nations, particularly the Nordic countries, yet they have even lower debt levels than Canada. Indeed, the IMF data show that Sweden, Norway and Finland all have net surplus-to-GDP ratios… Of course, governments should never risk adding to the national debt by spending on frivolous items — like unneeded, overpriced military hardware. But investing in the well-being and development of Canadians isn’t frivolous. And Canada (and Ontario) are far from any sort of debt crisis.
Tags: budget, economy, globalization, ideology, standard of living, tax
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U.S. has tax-cut its way into debt
Saturday, June 9th, 2012
Jun 07 2012
In the wake of a financial crisis caused by excessive debt, tax cuts are highly unlikely to lead to increased economic activity. People use the money to pay down their debts rather than shop for cars, houses and appliances. As for the idea that employers are not creating jobs because their taxes are too high, think about it: Would Mitt Romney invest more of his money in American factories if only he had paid less than the 13.9 per cent rate he paid last year? Please! … Tax cuts have been a central cause of America’s deficit problems.
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, ideology, standard of living
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Norway using oil money wisely
Thursday, May 10th, 2012
May 09 2012
The paradox is that Norway does not use the benefits of its oil reserves to fund the costs of government and of social programs, including education… The Norwegian government, with citizen support, has decided to fund its social programs with high levels of taxation. At the same time, as McQuaig indicates, Norway manages “to compete effectively in the global economy.” Norway, using proportional representation and electing large numbers of women, has good forward-looking government. Canada does not. Norwegian students and citizens benefit, Canadians do not.
Tags: economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
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Taxing Times
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012
May 1, 2012
$38 billion – That’s how much less Canadians now pay in individual income tax compared to 2000… $19 billion – That’s how much less Canadians pay now in sales taxes compared to 2000. Since the Harper government cut the GST by two points in 2007, the average annual revenue loss to the treasury is about $12 billion… $18 billion – That’s how much less corporations pay now in Canadian taxes compared to 2000… 49.5% – Ontario’s marginal tax rate once the new tax hike on the highest income earners kicks in. In the 1950s, the ’60s and early ’70s the marginal tax rate (including federal and provincial) for this income range was 80 per cent.
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A New Device to Correct Political Spin
Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012
April 2, 2012
In February, Statistics Canada made access to most of its data free… The change now makes it possible for anyone to fact-check many political claims. To demonstrate how easy it is to access and use this free data, a good start is to watch the five minute CANSIM tutorial.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, standard of living
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A beginners guide to conservative philosophy
Sunday, April 1st, 2012
Mar 15, 2012
For the conservative, society is the word we apply to aggregated individuals… Conservatives want to remove limitations on free, responsible and productive citizens. To achieve this end… There must be stability and order, so that the individual is protected from the harmful actions of others; this calls forth the rule of law. The rule of law, set forth and enforced by the state, must be as extensive as is necessary for order, and as limited as necessary for responsible individual freedom… Conservatives, in other words, have a rather pessimistic view of human nature and the potential of human beings to evolve.
Tags: crime prevention, economy, featured, ideology, poverty, tax
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Ontario staggers under burden of fiscal federalism
Saturday, March 24th, 2012
Mar 06 2012
in 2009-10, Ontario, with 39 per cent of the Canadian population, contributed 39 per cent to federal revenues, but benefited from only 34 per cent of federal spending — a gap worth about $12.3 billion or 2.1 per cent of Ontario’s GDP. The report concludes that this — among other factors — demonstrates the “perverse structure of Canadian fiscal federalism.”… The operation of fiscal federalism and federal spending decisions that take money out of Ontario at a time when its fiscal capacity is below average is indeed “perverse” and should offend Canadians’ sense of fairness.
Tags: economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
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‘Secret’ G20 law to be scrapped
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012
Feb 22 2012
The Liberals are replacing the archaic “secret law” police used to place hundreds of people under arrest during the G20 summit in 2010. The Public Works Protection Act has been shelved in favour of a new bill that would apply only to securing power plants and courthouses, said Community Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur. The legislation, introduced Wednesday, was created out of recommendations of former chief justice Roy McMurtry in the wake of the G20 fiasco. It is far narrower in scope than the old law.
Tags: crime prevention, participation, rights, standard of living
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