Archive for the ‘Social Security’ Category
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The Trudeau Liberals just prioritized one of Richard Nixon’s favourite conservative policies: ‘mincome’
Tuesday, May 31st, 2016
Had he beaten Pierre Trudeau in the 1968 election, Stanfield promised that a guaranteed annual income was the first plank in his party’s plan to ensure “decent life and equal opportunity for all Canadians.” The conservative reasoning for “mincome” was simple; by cutting poor people a monthly cheque the federal government would suddenly be freed to dismantle the welfare state. “It’s a proposal to help poor people by giving them money, which is what they need, rather than requiring them to come before a government official, detail all their assets and liabilities … and then be given a handout
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security History | No Comments »
Social assistance poverty gap skyrocketed
Tuesday, May 10th, 2016
In 2014, despite modest adjustments to social assistance rates and other supports such as the Ontario Trillium Benefit implemented by both the McGuinty and Wynne governments, the poverty gap for singles stood at a stark 59 per cent. Though smaller than the gap for single individuals receiving Ontario Works, the poverty gap for all family types has followed a similar pattern, growing dramatically over time. The poverty gap for the additional family types studied is between 30 and 40 per cent.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, housing, ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
Ontario’s soaring poverty gap ‘starkest’ for single adults as welfare rates stagnate
Tuesday, May 10th, 2016
… it doesn’t make sense to make large increases to welfare rates without fixing the system’s hundreds of complicated rules that work to trap recipients in poverty. “It could work… as long as it… can look at the interaction with social housing, the minimum wage and other supports low-income people rely on.” Also in the mix are provincial plans… to pilot a Basic Income, a form of guaranteed annual income, and a housing benefit outside social assistance that promise to offer opportunities to help all low-income people, including those on welfare.
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
Guaranteed income the answer
Saturday, May 7th, 2016
… administration of Ontario Works and ODSP… costs are just the tip of the iceberg to administer a system that keeps people in abject poverty, is punitive and provides little incentive for people to improve their economic circumstances… a GAI system similar to the federal Old Age Security… would reduce administration costs drastically, would restore dignity to low-income individuals and families and would provide more incentive to improve economic circumstances.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, mental Health, participation, poverty, standard of living, tax
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
Fumbling at the top
Sunday, May 1st, 2016
Community and Social Services Minister Helena Jaczek, was warned directly that there were “significant” problems with the system before it was launched back in November, 2014. Nonetheless, the government went ahead anyway – a move that eventually cost $52 million in fixes on top of the system’s $240 million price tag… This is the kind of thing that voters remember.
Tags: budget, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
Re-framing poverty as a matter of rights
Thursday, April 21st, 2016
The changes we are seeing are not the result of a system that protects people from poverty, nor are they the product of a human rights approach to poverty. None of these strategies explicitly state that they will be accountable for meeting the needs of people living in poverty by addressing and protecting their social and economic rights… By insisting that human rights are inalienable and universal, we affirm the minimum standard of dignity for people in Canada. And it is not only government, but also business, civil society and individuals that share in the responsibility for promoting and protecting human rights…
Tags: featured, Health, housing, ideology, mental Health, participation, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | 1 Comment »
The Canada Child Benefit needs to be fully indexed to inflation
Friday, April 15th, 2016
… an Achilles heel in the Canada Child Benefit: It won’t be indexed to the rate of inflation until 2020… There are basically two components to adequacy. The first is the current value of any given benefit. The second is the relative value of the measure – its real value over time. Indexing social benefits respects this second component of adequacy by protecting benefits from inflation… steps should be taken immediately to protect its value.
Tags: budget, child care, featured, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Rising life expectancy of the rich should not threaten pensions for the poor
Wednesday, April 13th, 2016
… an increase in the eligibility age for retirement programs is likely to have a disproportionate impact upon lower-income earners who are most likely to be in poor health and to have worked for a lifetime in physically demanding jobs. Such a change would force them to work longer given a lack of other sources of income, such as employer pensions and investments… the relationship is quite linear, meaning that life expectancy rises steadily as income rises.
Tags: disabilities, economy, Health, ideology, participation, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
Canada Child Benefit is basic-income guarantee, says families minister Jean-Yves Duclos
Friday, April 8th, 2016
The streamlined, income-based and tax-free Canada Child Benefit the Liberals unveiled in the March 22 federal budget can be considered a form of basic-income guarantee, Duclos told the Star in an interview Thursday, because of its simplicity and equitability… A guaranteed minimum income… was never mentioned in the Liberal platform. But Duclos, who is responsible for developing the national poverty-reduction strategy… has said he would be open to the idea.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Re-framing poverty as a matter of rights
Tuesday, April 5th, 2016
At the core of a rights-based approach is the ability to claim economic and social rights. Among rights advocates, the critical challenge in the Canadian context is the position taken by the courts that economic and social rights are non-justiciable. This means an individual in Canada cannot make a claim for her or his right to adequate housing in the courts. Rather, it is left to legislatures and local councils to decide.
A key role for civil society and individuals in this approach is to build a culture of human rights that can support the political will to deliver on decisions that fulfill the commitments of international promises
Tags: featured, Health, homelessness, ideology, poverty, rights
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
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