Archive for the ‘Governance’ Category
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There’s a simple way to stop politicians selling access for cash
Download a copy of the excellent rules governing donations at the federal level – whose cornerstone principle is that only citizens should be allowed to donate to political parties… Pass it into law in your province… And for even stronger medicine, copy Quebec’s fundraising rules. They’re the country’s strictest. Corporate and union money is forbidden, and the individual donation limit is just $100 per year.
Tags: featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, privatization, rights, standard of living
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
Third parties — mostly unions — spent $6M to influence 2015 election; minister vows crackdown
Democratic Institutions Minister Maryam Monsef is vowing to reduce the impact of money on federal politics amid new evidence that advocacy groups are becoming much more active in trying to influence the outcome of elections… “We will ensure that spending rules — both during and between elections — are in keeping with our democratic commitment to make voters, not dollars, determine the outcome of elections.”
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, participation, rights, standard of living
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Wynne promises new fundraising rules after Toronto Star probe
“The government will bring forward a plan in the fall and that will include new rules on third-party advertising . . . it will also include transitioning away from corporate and union donations, (and) lowering the annual donation limit,” she said, referring to the existing $9,975 contribution cap that is routinely exceeded due to loopholes. Corporations, unions and individuals can donate much more than their yearly limit by giving additional cash during byelections and by bankrolling candidates during party leadership campaigns.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, privatization, rights, tax
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The Social-Policy-Is-Back Budget
March 2016 marked a significant turning point in the country. Social policy is back! It comprises, once again, a vital component of Canada’s DNA. We are particularly pleased with the announcement of the Canada Child Benefit… We do have a concern, however, regarding… the distributional impact of the middle class tax cut is problematic.
Tags: budget, child care, economy, featured, housing, ideology, Indigenous, pensions, tax
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Escalating fundraising demands part of ‘the system’ at Queen’s Park
Corporate and union contributions that Wynne persists in publicly defending create a demonstrable conflict of interest for cabinet ministers, which is why they were banned for federal parties in 2006, and are no longer legal in four other provinces… top cabinet ministers at Queen’s Park are given financial targets… never written down, conveyed instead by the Ontario Liberal Fund through confidential meetings and phone calls.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, participation, privatization, standard of living, tax
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
How Canada can take the lead on open government
… if the benefits of open dialogue are clear, much of the work in the Open Government movement remains narrowly focused on making data available. That may be about to change and Canadian governments are at the forefront, helping to push Open Dialogue into the spotlight… The province of Ontario is using open dialogue in five projects with the goal of creating a new approach to public engagement that will be more open and transparent.
Tags: featured, globalization, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | 1 Comment »
Cut consultants, ads and travel even more
the government pays consultants and other private companies about $8 billion a year for professional services such as legal advice, engineering expertise, temporary office help and translation. In its first budget the Liberal government declared itself “committed to eliminate poorly targeted and inefficient programs, wasteful spending, and ineffective and obsolete government initiatives.” … discussions are continuing with federal bureaucrats to trim the use of consultants even further… the government described its modest $221-million budget initiative as “a first step.”
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, tax
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
For Trudeau, it’s just a start, though it’s a good start
The big story of Tuesday’s milestone federal budget is Canada’s remarkably altered set of priorities. Variations on a theme of investing in people, they include cities, where more than 80 per cent of Canadians live. They include ending abysmal living conditions in aboriginal communities, which are an international disgrace. And the budget marks the return to a role for Ottawa as a major provider of social housing.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, housing, ideology, Indigenous, jurisdiction, standard of living, tax
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Morneau expects to raise $3-billion a year by cancelling more tax credits
Mr. Morneau said a review of so-called tax expenditures will begin this year and he’s optimistic that it will produce billions in new revenue… The budget gave the CRA $444-million over five years to fight tax evasion and avoidance, and booked $2.6-billion in expected new revenue from this added enforcement activity… “… our objective is to make the tax code simpler and our objective is to ensure that there’s tax fairness.”
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, standard of living, tax
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How federal budget 2016 aims to help middle-class wallets, and target wealthy Canadians: ‘A classic soak the rich scheme’
… the budget proposes to do away with income splitting for couples with children under the age of 18 for the 2016 tax year and going forward… Pension income-splitting is not affected by the changes… the government is taking away some key tax planning vehicles that allow the wealthy to rebalance their portfolios without incurring a deemed disposition, meaning they will face immediate tax consequences.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living, tax
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