Archive for the ‘Inclusion Debates’ Category
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Sorry, politicos, our diversity’s one thing you can’t take credit for
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
Mar. 13, 2010
A 2008 poll showed that in big Canadian cities like this one, 65 per cent of residents agreed that taking immigrants from diverse backgrounds was an enriching and defining part of our Canadian identity – not just okay, mind, but enriching and defining. The proportion of Canadians under 35 who felt positively was even higher – 75 per cent – which suggests that comfort with immigration and diversity will only grow over time.
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No longer the great white north [demographics]
Thursday, March 11th, 2010
March 11, 2010
– The expansion of Canada’s non-European population is not a bad thing for Canada. It just might be a good thing.
– Those Canadians of white European descent who disagree that this is a good thing mustn’t be dismissed as racists. Their anxieties are not irrational, and deserve a fair hearing.
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Prudent strategy for tough times
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Mar 09 2010
A particularly disappointing note in an otherwise forward-looking plan for the province is the absence of a progressive agenda to help Ontario’s most vulnerable… This throne speech sketches out a prudent plan for an increasingly knowledge-based economy for the province. But in the transitional years ahead, we cannot afford to leave behind the Ontarians who need an extra hand – or it will only hold us all back.
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We view immigration in a positive light
Monday, March 8th, 2010
Mar 08 2010
The Harper government’s shift from permanent immigrants to temporary foreign workers is starkly at odds with public opinion. An overwhelming majority of Canadians – 76 per cent – want immigrants who come here to stay, build a life here and become contributing citizens…
Despite our own economic troubles, we remain a welcoming people. We recognize the need to shore up our aging workforce with newcomers. We continue to see immigrants as an asset, diversity as a source of strength and language training as a sensible investment.
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With these Games, Canada has made a statement to itself
Monday, March 1st, 2010
Mar. 01, 2010
The Games taught us that we need to focus on what we do best and then be unsparingly disciplined about continuing to be the best. Investing in our best people is not elitist – it encourages the rest of us to improve what we do… In short, the Olympics taught us to invest in excellence and invest for the long term. That way, all of our children will do better.
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Task force has a few blind spots [financial literacy]
Monday, March 1st, 2010
Mar 01 2010
Some of the questions in the report suggest a limited understanding of the financial constraints many Canadians face: “What can we do to counteract people’s inclination to live for today instead of planning for tomorrow?”…
It is clear from the tone of the report that its authors don’t mean to be judgmental. They just don’t know much about the Canada in which money management means making the welfare cheque last till the end of the month, debt is the only alternative to eviction, and retirement planning makes no sense because people’s income will go up when they become eligible for Old Age Security.
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Restraint for everything but sports
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Feb 23 2010
…the corporate world only supports public investments when it comes to sports and war, from which it makes money. But it wants to hold the line on public investment in health care, education, child care, social supports, etc.
So it’s tried to convince us these things aren’t affordable, or that we don’t want to pay for them – as we did in the past.
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Standing on guard for linguistic duality
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Mon Feb 22 2010
The 1969 Official Languages Act changed the optics on mastering French in a significant way. With middle-class English-language children flocking to immersion schools to get a head-start up the bilingualism ladder, command of French acquired the status of a value-added commodity for anglophones and francophones alike…
Today it is politicians like Moore, who was educated in the immersion school system of Western Canada, and the MPs whose minority-language communities have been expanding their educational frontiers since the advent of the Official Languages Act who really stand on guard for Canada’s linguistic duality.
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File a tax return, raise your income
Saturday, February 20th, 2010
Feb 20 2010.
There are many reasons for missing out on benefits: Lack of awareness, lack of reading or mathematical skills, bad experiences in other countries, fear of abusive spouses who demand the benefits. Many low-income earners may lack a computer to use online tax software that is free to those earning less than $25,000. Many lack a bank account to receive a direct deposit or to cash cheques cheaply.
Posted in Inclusion Debates | 3 Comments »
Diverse, talented city a laggard on innovation
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
Published On Mon Aug 17 2009.
the City of Toronto is undergoing significant structural changes that will force it to adapt from a manufacturing-based economy into a creativity-driven, knowledge economy. These changes are forcing government, businesses and individuals to reconsider priorities and rise to new challenges.
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