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Omnibus or ominous?
Thursday, June 14th, 2012
Jun. 12 2012
Why bother with parliamentary debate at all when the needs of the economy are “urgent”? / Arguments about expediency and efficiency hardly justify pushing through the omnibus bill without proper debate. Our parliamentary system is not intended to provide efficiency, of which the best examples can be found in one-party dictatorships, but rather to provide the opportunity for proper consideration of issues affecting us, and protecting us from autocratic governance.
Tags: budget, ideology, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
The unseemly nature of the welfare state
Wednesday, June 13th, 2012
Jun. 12 2012
You can track government programs by economic cost and consequence. You can also track them by moral cost and consequence. The latter was once the more important of these considerations. In the 19th century and well into the 20th century, the New World embodied the word “industry” – meaning not a category of commerce but a virtue of hard-working people. This moral perspective on the worth of work had practical consequences.
Tags: economy, ideology, tax
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Native patience runs thin four years after residential-school apology
Tuesday, June 12th, 2012
Jun. 11 2012
… patience with discussions about poverty, housing, resource-sharing and education is wearing thin among first nations… the federal government is fighting in court to quash demands from first-norganizations to fund aboriginal child welfare at the same level as provincial governments. On education, demands that first-nations schooling be funded at the same level as provincial schools have been met with process – a task force… and promises for legislation down the road.
Tags: Indigenous, rights, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Canada should look to U.S. for health reforms
Monday, June 11th, 2012
Jun. 10 2012
In the United States, nine physician groups have identified 45 tests or procedures that are commonly used, but are of no proven medical benefit… in Ontario, where the government has lowered the fees of specialists to reflect technological advances… the OMA [has issued] dire warnings of service cuts, and of physicians fleeing the province… Doctors in Canada would be wise to follow the lead of their counterparts south of the border, and help lead the discussion.
Tags: budget, Health, standard of living
Posted in Health Delivery System | 1 Comment »
Senator probes declining drug trials in Canada
Saturday, June 9th, 2012
Jun. 08 2012
There has been a significant drop in the number of trials conducted in Canada in recent years, as companies go elsewhere to test the effectiveness of new compounds in large-scale, expensive experiments… “It is a significant economic loss, but it is also a loss in support for medical research teams and a loss for patients… If drugs are not tested in clinical trials in Canada, it may take much longer for Canadians to benefit from new therapies.”
Tags: economy, globalization, Health, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Fight obesity by fighting poverty
Wednesday, June 6th, 2012
Jun. 06 2012
Data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development show Canadians among the least fit people in the industrialized world… Its researchers have looked at studies from many countries and figured out what works and what doesn’t… The best results came from targeted work with at-risk individuals (not the entire population)… The core reason for poor health habits is overwhelmingly linked to income. The poorer you are, the poorer your health. Deal with income inequalities and the population will be healthier. Appoint another panel, and nothing will happen.
Tags: Health, ideology, poverty
Posted in Health Debates | 1 Comment »
John Turner: a great defender of Parliament
Wednesday, June 6th, 2012
Jun. 05 2012
He lamented the centralization of power in the Prime Minister’s Office, and the erosion of the importance and independence of standing committees “that used to be a real element of democracy in the House of Commons.” He condemned the Conservative’s omnibus budget bill, reminding the audience that “the budget used to be related to taxation,” and arguing the government’s strategy is to hamper debate. He also cited the inheritance of Magna Carta, the charter of liberties, that a rulers’ will is not arbitrary, and that the privileges of parliamentarians need to be protected.
Tags: ideology, participation, rights
Posted in Governance History | 4 Comments »
Politicians, not Catholics, deserve Ontario’s wrath for funding religious schools
Sunday, June 3rd, 2012
May. 30 2012
to tell Catholics they can have their own schools but not their own beliefs surely defeats whatever purpose these schools are still supposed to serve. That leaves – should leave – two choices. One would be to let Catholics run their publicly funded schools according to their value system. The other would be for government finally to accept that, sometimes, progress involves a few headaches, and start treating Catholics the same as everyone else – free to practice their faith as they see fit, including with religious schools, but not on the public dime.
Tags: budget, ideology, rights, youth
Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »
EI: An inequitable system that distorts the labour market
Friday, June 1st, 2012
May. 30, 2012
One potential – and likely intended – impact of the proposed changes is to signal to younger, more geographically mobile workers who are contemplating careers in seasonal work that their future opportunities are diminished, and that it would be advisable to take steps leading to full-year employment… There are at least two alternative reforms that economists tend to favour. One possibility is the creation of a separate regime that would be designed especially for seasonal workers… A second possibility would be to implement an experience rating that would apply to both the firm… and the worker.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, rights, standard of living, youth
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Premiers collaborate to tackle new heath-care assignment
Friday, June 1st, 2012
May. 30, 2012
Canada’s premiers are joining forces to reform the delivery of health-care services, in a bid to rein in ballooning costs and better meet the needs of an aging population. The initiative marks the first time the country’s provincial and territorial leaders are collaborating on a pan-Canadian health-care strategy. It comes in the wake of the federal government’s no-strings funding formula for health care, one that leaves it up to the provinces to shape social policy.
Tags: budget, Health, mental Health, standard of living, tax
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
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