Archive for the ‘Social Security Debates’ Category
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An aging population: our senior moment
Monday, December 30th, 2013
… social and economic shifts have broken the link between age and dependency… In recent decades, as the old-age dependency ratio has risen in advanced countries, the real elderly dependency ratio has declined. It has, however, stabilized and is likely to increase gradually over the next couple of decades… Preparing for and coping with changing demographics requires a more nuanced understanding of what population aging really means.
Tags: disabilities, economy, globalization, Health, pensions, standard of living
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Think outside box on CPP
Saturday, December 21st, 2013
… the financial and political pooh-bahs are wagging their fingers at the population to save more for their so-called “golden years.” These pooh-bahs are the same ones who assured us that signing a string of free-trade agreements would bring a rising tide that would lift all boats… / It is rather unfortunate that the individuals who make all the decisions regarding CPP, pooled pensions, etc., are those who are not relying on these kinds of programs to fund their retirements.
Tags: economy, ideology, pensions, standard of living, tax
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Who will advocate for social justice?
Friday, December 20th, 2013
In Canada, when a citizen becomes disabled, she is legislated into poverty. In Ontario, this poverty is so substantial that it would take a 50 per cent increase in social assistance rates just to bring the disabled up to the low income cut off, one measure of poverty. But Kathleen Wynne saw fit to give these vulnerable citizens one per cent, about 35 cents per day… she can behave this way only because Canadian citizens do not protest the abuse of those who are most vulnerable in our society
Tags: budget, disabilities, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living, women, youth
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‘A country that cannot feed its own people has no right to preach to others’
Friday, December 20th, 2013
Poverty is less a result of the inheritance of class than the inheritance of poverty… / The country may have never been wealthier, but that wealth is going to a few at the top, who pay about 50% of the taxes that they used to 30 years ago. How are poor families feeding their children? With foodbanks and by going into debt… / … by election time 2015, the number of children living at or below the poverty line in Canada will be one million… Where is the Harper government’s Policy on Poverty?
Tags: budget, featured, ideology, Indigenous, poverty, standard of living, tax, youth
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The time for pension reform is now
Saturday, December 14th, 2013
… if increases in CPP premium rates are phased in over the next three years, they can likely be implemented without a significant impact on economic growth, employees’ paycheques or employers’ payrolls. This could be done simply by raising CPP rates as the government implements the scheduled reductions to the employment insurance (EI) premium rates… While the EI rate reductions are not scheduled until 2016, they could be implemented earlier.
Tags: economy, ideology, pensions, standard of living, tax
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New poll shows surprising support for anti-poverty plan
Saturday, December 14th, 2013
Is it really possible to have a poverty-free Canada? For many experts, the answer is a clear yes, and the best way to reach that goal is through a guaranteed annual income… The survey showed more Canadians like the idea than oppose it… it’s the first time a national poll has ever asked Canadians what they think of the idea of providing everyone with a guaranteed income… a single, cash payment that would replace all current social programs, such as welfare and employment insurance.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, pensions, poverty, standard of living, tax
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Stop Stephen Harper’s destruction of our social safety net
Friday, December 13th, 2013
Social programs that took generations to build are being insidiously eroded by Conservatives obsessed with creating a leaner government at the expense of Canadians in need… Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s penchant for secrecy, disdain for Parliament, his quashing of dissent, and a ruthless strategy of pursuing a thousand small cuts rather than one big one, have allowed him to loot treasured programs without rousing the ire of Canadians.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, pensions, poverty, standard of living
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Canadians, not governments, should make pension decisions
Tuesday, December 10th, 2013
First, 23 per cent of Canadian households are ill-prepared for retirement, most of them wealthier households. A portion of the middle class is also in the same situation, as well as many young people who have not yet saved much at all. Second, Canadians with the lowest incomes are those whose financial situations in retirement are best protected by current programs. This explains why of all age groups, those aged 65 and over have the lowest poverty rates…
Tags: economy, ideology, pensions, standard of living
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Blaming the poor for their problems a cheap excuse not to be part of the solution
Wednesday, December 4th, 2013
We need better poor people. They can’t be angry or troublesome. They should be pious, polite and grateful… I’m being sarcastic… “The shame of poverty is that we allow it to exist,” says Mary Gordon… “To say that these people (mired in poverty) are somehow derelict . . . is so unjust. That position is forged in ignorance.”… And if we fail to support an idea like that, then we deserve the dysfunctional — and yes, difficult — community we get.
Tags: ideology, poverty, standard of living, women
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Disability in December
Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013
The Caledon Institute has proposed a new Basic Income for persons with severe disabilities that would replace welfare with an adequate federally delivered benefit… provincial and territorial savings would be reinvested in a wide range of disability supports… Ottawa could… create a fund that would allocate monies to the provinces and territories to encourage investment in a comprehensive system of supports. These goods and services provide essential assistance not just to persons with disabilities but also to the entire population.
Tags: disabilities, Health, ideology, mental Health, pensions, standard of living
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