Archive for the ‘Governance’ Category
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »
A new social contract requires new programs and higher taxation
Tuesday, July 21st, 2020
We devote a relatively low share of GDP to social expenditure: Canada spends 17.3 per cent, whereas the 10-country comparator group spent on average 25.5 per cent… Canada has a low-social-expenditure/low-tax social contract. So, there is lots of room to raise taxes to get better services… Let us ensure that this truth is part of the conversation as we write a new social contract.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
Canadians crave a reason to hope
Monday, July 20th, 2020
The problem is no one is really articulating a future-oriented vision these days… Such a vision ought to be bold, ambitious, and inclusive. It should aim to inspire… “for the future to have power over the present, it has to be different than the past.” It’s time for our political leaders to set out a better and different future. Canadians are ready to follow them there.
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Decriminalization of drugs in Canada demands bold leadership — now
Thursday, July 16th, 2020
… the most compelling case for ending the war on drugs, which is really a war on people, who are often the most marginalized and disproportionately Black and Indigenous. Add to this the overwhelming scientific evidence of the many harms arising from the criminalization of simple possession, the long-standing recommendations from many public health and harm reduction experts, the unanimous recommendation of UN agencies, and now the agreement of police chiefs across the country…
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Ontario Provides Additional Funding to Support Municipalities and Urban Indigenous Community Partners
Friday, July 3rd, 2020
Municipalities and urban Indigenous community partners will be able to use this funding for long-term, innovative housing solutions resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak. They can renovate shelters or purchase new facilities that will help with physical distancing in the short term and support longer-term, more sustainable solutions to homelessness… to provide vulnerable people with food, shelter and supplies.
Tags: budget, Health, homelessness, housing, Indigenous, poverty
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
It took a disaster for Doug Ford to abandon Mike Harris’s destructive legacy
Saturday, June 27th, 2020
Never mind the rhetoric about cutting red tape, slashing taxes, unplugging photo radar, downsizing government and downloading welfare, its underpinning is simply this: Politics shall henceforth be transactional. Not transformational. Ask not what you can do for your country or province. Ask what your government can do for you to keep more money in your pocket… But it took the COVID-19 crisis to truly unravel that revolution — at least for now.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Governance History | 1 Comment »
It’s time for proper police oversight
Monday, June 22nd, 2020
In the area of police budgets and staffing levels, municipalities are supposed to call the shots, but that is not what happens. Defund the police? In Canada, it is more a case of trying to rein in salary increases… There will be no meaningful reform unless politicians and police boards fulfil their oversight responsibilities, including legislative changes at the provincial level.
Tags: budget, crime prevention, featured, ideology, jurisdiction
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
When I was in cabinet I pushed for bold criminal justice reform. Nothing happened. Now Ottawa has another chance to do the right thing
Saturday, June 20th, 2020
It is up to the Prime Minister and his government to… show whether they are up to the task of real change or will they just take a knee. Make your voices even louder. Say that you expect our government to reflect the will, vision, and courage that thousands have shown across this country… We can make the changes that generations of Canadians have fought and sacrificed to see happen.
Tags: corrections, crime prevention, ideology, Indigenous, rights
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
The U.S. and Canada have little differences, but today, they are adding up fast
Sunday, June 14th, 2020
American society is tilted slightly more towards freedom than order. Canadian society tilts slightly in the other direction… Americans are richer overall, but the median Canadian household now earns more than its American peer. Research in fact shows that Canadian households in the bottom 56 per cent of the income distribution are better off than the same American households.
Tags: economy, ideology, immigration, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
COVID-19 has changed us forever. Has it really changed Doug Ford?
Saturday, June 13th, 2020
All his core beliefs — disruption, deregulation and deficit reduction — have been upended by a more powerful disrupter in COVID-19… A good clue to Ford’s true thinking comes from his stubborn refusal — against all evidence and advice — to restore the paid sick days he eliminated before the pandemic… Never mind the serene rhetoric on the surface, it is Ford’s underlying actions that count.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, rights, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
The conservative path to a fairer country
Wednesday, June 10th, 2020
Sound conservative values, such as fiscal responsibility, an economy that works for all, fairness, opportunity, self-reliance, respect for the rule of law and personal freedom are essential if we hope to level the socioeconomic playing field and allow communities and individuals to thrive… Through solid political and civic engagement with our democratic institutions, social and economic justice can be achieved… It is essential that marginalized communities are not just in the room, but are also in decision-making positions. This is not about quotas; it is about diversity.
Tags: economy, ideology, multiculturalism, participation
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Recent Comments