Archive for the ‘Governance’ Category
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Big Tech’s net loss: How governments can turn anger into action
Democratic governments will need to wrestle with how their speech laws apply to the digital world. This is going to require bringing together the private sector and civil society in a hard discussion about the nature and limits of free speech, about who is censored online and how, about responsibilities for moderating speech at scale, and about universal versus national speech norms… the sheer breadth of the economic and social services now provided by platforms might demand a more nuanced approach to how they are governed.
Tags: featured, ideology, participation, rights
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Do you want a carbon tax, or do you want to be lied to?
… effective regulations to bring down emissions are not free. They cost people serious money, whether as taxpayers, ratepayers or consumers… One emerging conservative alternative to carbon pricing is working with business to spur the development of green technology. What that usually means is taxpayers giving subsidies to business… With emissions, you can have expensive and effective, or cheap and toothless… At least carbon taxes are transparently expensive.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, tax
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Are Canadians overtaxed? The equation is complicated
Stagnant or falling real incomes for many Canadians are the result of low rates of growth of earnings and other forms of income, not rising income taxes… A decade ago, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released a report, Canada’s Quiet Bargain, which argued that the vast majority of Canadians gain much more from public programs than they pay for in taxes. Certainly the tax data continue to bear this out.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
Ford shouldn’t waste taxpayer money on party propaganda. Here’s how to stop it
Do the government MPPs in Ontario want to face the onslaught of angry taxpayers to save Ford’s propaganda page? … The Ford government has made a commitment to respect taxpayers’ money by reducing spending and waste. Ending Ontario News Now would achieve both. While the PC government does have a majority, it is still subject to political pressure. It’s time for the opposition to turn their words into action and bring a motion to change how caucus services are funded.
Tags: budget, ideology
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
Trudeau to make it harder for future PM to reverse Senate reforms
Senators have agreed on the fly to some accommodation of the growing ranks of independents, giving them some research funds and committee roles. But the leadership of the ISG has argued that their role must be explicitly spelled out and guaranteed in the Parliament of Canada Act. And, since the change would involve allocating financial resources, they say it can’t be initiated by the Senate, only by the government in the House of Commons… “It won’t come from within the Senate. The only way to complete it, to have it finished, is to amend the Parliament of Canada Act.”
Tags: featured, jurisdiction, participation, Senate
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
Election reform bill passed in time for implementation in 2019 federal vote
Bill C-76 is an omnibus bill that will reverse a number of changes wrought by the previous Conservative administration’s widely denounced Fair Elections Act. It will restore the use of voter information cards as a valid form of identification to prove residency… It will limit spending by parties and advocacy groups during the three-month period before an election is officially called, as well as during the official campaign… It will also extend the right to vote to ex-patriate Canadians… It will ban advocacy groups from ever using money from foreign entities to conduct partisan campaigns…
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, participation, rights
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
Ontario has undermined its Ombudsman’s independence
… not everyone will agree with the reforms just announced by the Ford government… One matter… is the introduction of a new clause in the Ombudsman Act, which allows the governing party to suspend an ombudsman if they are “of the opinion the suspension is warranted”… It is not uncommon for ombud statutes to contain provisions for removal with cause, but to contemplate the suspension of an ombudsman based on the government’s opinion takes a jackhammer to the foundation of our work.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, rights, standard of living
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
Canada Revenue Agency is tough on regular taxpayers but goes easy on those with offshore accounts, audit finds
“The CRA needs to shift its Sheriff of Nottingham approach to tax-collection and have the rich pay their fair share rather than concentrate audits on hardworking Canadians because it’s easier to have them pay.” In response to the report, Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier pledged to “ensure that our tax system is fair for everyone, throughout Canada.” … The auditors found the CRA reported at least $1.3 billion in additional revenue that was never collected.
Tags: budget, crime prevention, economy, tax
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
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