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Some inconvenient facts about equalization
Monday, May 28th, 2012
May 28, 2012
#1: Canada’s founders didn’t want transfers between governments… #2: Public services are often more generous in “have-not” provinces… #3: Equalization is actually a transfer of wealth from high-cost provinces to low-cost provinces… #4: Transfer programs don’t even work well for have-nots… #5: Equalization, as we know it, is not required by the Canadian constitution… Here are some suggestions for reform in the short-term and, possibly, even the eventual abolishment of equalization.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
There really is food poverty in Canada
Saturday, May 19th, 2012
May 19, 2012
… when our governments leave the feeding of the hungry poor to the indignity and frequent inefficiencies of charitable food banks, our federal leaders should not complain when the inadequacies of our food, nutrition and social policies are pointed out by the UN Special Rapporteur… Regrettably food poverty in Canada since the early 1980s has become socially constructed as a matter for charity. Thirty years later the food bank model (imported from the United States) has failed. Food poverty is a political question requiring the priority attention of our governments.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, poverty, rights, standard of living
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | 1 Comment »
Ontario openly defies Vic Toews over gun registry despite new RCMP warning
Sunday, May 13th, 2012
May 11, 2012
“We’re not going to adopt a long-gun registry here in Ontario,” McGuinty said… “But we will maintain a practice that’s been in place since 1978… if your intention was to not only eliminate the long-gun registry but a pre-existing practice, I think you need to make that clear.”… the chief firearms officer of the Ontario Provincial Police interprets section 58 of the Firearms Act as giving him the power to impose that requirement.
Tags: crime prevention, ideology, rights
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
A character study of mental illness and change
Monday, May 7th, 2012
May 6, 2012
“We do have a problem with perceptions of dangerousness among people with mental illnesses… We know that prisons, jails, are the last great asylums of North America for people with mental illness”… At the same time… a shift in public attitudes to mental health has opened vast new possibilities for progress all across the spectrum of mental health… Big philanthropy has followed suit…. “This is about managing risk. You can’t control genes, you can’t pick your parents. But genes are not absolute destiny… The extent to which stigma, illiteracy or shame stops people from checking things out is a tragedy.”
Tags: Health, mental Health, philanthropy, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Few people stay poor
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
Apr 30, 2012
Over the period 2002 to 2007, which is the latest available data, 80% of Canadians did not experience low income, defined as falling below Statistics Canada’s low-income cutoff. Roughly 8% experienced low income for one of the six years covered in the period. Only 2.1% of Canadians experienced low income for each of the six years… Canada is a mobile society characterized by both increases and decreases in income that are largely connected with natural changes in one’s life. Thankfully, the data have consistently shown an upward path for incomes and increasing opportunity for workers.
Tags: economy, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Bill C-38 shows us how far Parliament has fallen
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
Apr 30, 2012
The bill runs to more than 420 pages. It amends some 60 different acts, repeals half a dozen, and adds three more, including a completely rewritten Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. It ranges far beyond the traditional budget concerns of taxing and spending, making changes in policy across a number of fields from immigration… to telecommunications… to land codes on native reservations… It is what is known as an omnibus bill. If you want to know how far Parliament has fallen, how little real oversight it now exercises over government, this should give you a clue.
Tags: ideology, participation
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Social issues sank Wildrose during campaign, experts say
Wednesday, April 25th, 2012
Apr 24, 2012
“The lesson here is that the Alberta voter, and certainly I think the Canadian voter, has decided that issues that have already been settled are best left alone, particularly social issues”… the Wildrose Party was doomed the moment it tread into social conservatism without assuring voters it had limits. Ms. Smith chose not to draw a “clear line in the sand” and instead espoused free speech and freedom of religion, refusing to condemn candidates for making bigoted and racially charged comments… “There can’t be any doubt. People want to have a level of comfort the person they’re going to elect is a competent, fair individual and they’re not going to do any great social engineering.”
Tags: ideology, participation, rights
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Tories to double, make mandatory $100-200 surcharge for convicted criminals
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012
Apr 24, 2012
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson introduced legislation Tuesday that, if passed, would require convicts to pay an additional 30% on any fine imposed by the courts. If no fine is imposed, they will automatically be charged $100 for a summary conviction or $200 for an indictable offence. The fines are generally collected and retained by provincial and territorial governments to help cover the cost of programs and services for victims of crime. Sentencing judges are currently able to waive the surcharge should an offender demonstrate it would cause undue hardship — the new bill will also put an end to that.
Tags: corrections, ideology
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
Canada needs a new voting system
Sunday, April 22nd, 2012
Apr 22, 2012
I do not see why we should maintain a voting system that makes our major parties appear less national and our regions more politically opposed than they really are… I propose the “proportional-preferential-personalized vote,” or “P3” for short… We would elect three to five MPs per riding rather than one. The number of seats would remain the same; what would be reduced is the number of ridings. This would provide moderate proportional representation, which corrects the regional distortions of the current electoral system.
Tags: ideology, participation
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
When it comes to immigration, Tories love Big Government
Friday, April 13th, 2012
Apr 12, 2012
Nation-building through government programs? Consistent services through centralized delivery?… Aren’t the Conservatives supposed to be about decentralization, local-knows-best, respecting the BNA act, and not treading on provincial jurisdiction? In some areas, such as health care, the answer appears to be yes. But in others, it’s been a case of Ottawa-knows-best…
Tags: economy, ideology, immigration
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
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