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Getting a fuller picture of poverty in Canada: why the government’s official poverty measure is insufficient
Thursday, March 23rd, 2023
The material dimension of poverty is calculated by taking low-income and material deprivation indicators into account… Examples of these necessities include a pair of properly fitting shoes and at least one pair of winter boots; the ability to eat meat, fish or another protein equivalent every second day; and the ability to buy small gifts for family or friends once a year.
Tags: ideology, participation, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
We can’t fight authoritarianism without understanding populism’s allure
Monday, March 20th, 2023
… democracy only works when it is safeguarded by a robust system of checks and balances, masses of engaged citizens and an independent judiciary. Every populist who promises to destroy the government to save it is lying for personal gain. It’s as simple as that… the fate of democracy depends on the passion of the people to defend it from its enemies. But today, the people’s passion is in the grips of hard-right populists.
Tags: ideology, participation
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Women in politics: To run or not to run?
Monday, March 20th, 2023
Research on women in politics has identified multiple obstacles that hinder women’s representation, with three factors emerging as the most prominent explanations… that voters might have gender bias… that women may not be interested to run as candidates… [or that] parties tend to choose men over women… the underrepresentation of women in politics is not due to a shortage of qualified women candidates or voter bias against women candidates.
Tags: participation, women
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Why for-profit homes won’t solve long-termcare issues: Privatizing health services is a bad idea that just won’t go away
Wednesday, January 4th, 2023
… for-profit services do nothing to address the major crisis in labour force supply, do nothing about public costs and do too little about public access to care. In fact, they do the reverse; they drain the public system of both people and money. Adding more for-profit services fragments a system already suffering from fragmentation… And the public sector is in a position to quickly offer better work for health-care workers who are at the centre of our health-care system, and more equitable access for all.
Tags: featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
Looking forward into the past: Lessons for the future of Medicare on its 60th anniversary
Saturday, December 24th, 2022
The provincial government in Ontario operates a large network of not-for-profit community clinics… lacking explicit democratic co-operative control… it may be time for communities to… voice their desire in words and action for access to the kind of holistic care pioneered by the co-operative clinics. Maybe this time, policymakers will listen.
Tags: Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health
Posted in Health History | No Comments »
We know better, so why aren’t we doing better in supporting the health of children and youth in care?
Wednesday, November 16th, 2022
The complex health and social issues faced by children and youth in care call for a comprehensive cross-sector collaborative approach to health care… children and youth with child welfare involvement are at risk of bearing a heavier burden of illness than their counterparts who do not have child welfare involvement, as a result of an inequitable system of health-care provision that fails to address their unique circumstances.
Tags: child care, Health, ideology, Indigenous, jurisdiction, mental Health, multiculturalism, youth
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »
Preventing use of the notwithstanding clause is a bad idea — and unnecessary
Tuesday, November 15th, 2022
Questions that could be asked of the Supreme Court include: When can section 33 be used? How does the word “notwithstanding” in Sec. 33 relate to the words “notwithstanding anything” in Sec. 28’s equal rights guarantee? How can the clause be amended? … Rather than stoking a constitutional crisis through disallowance, this reference would allow the federal government to de-escalate tensions and, most importantly, clarify the scope of the notwithstanding clause.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, rights
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
How the Indian Act’s ‘blackout period’ denied Indigenous Peoples their legal rights
Wednesday, October 12th, 2022
In 1927, the federal government introduced Section 141 into the Indian Act. It banned the solicitation or collection of funds to pursue a legal claim on behalf of an Indigenous person or group without the permission of the Department of Indian Affairs… Section 141 was introduced specifically to limit the ability of Indigenous peoples to act within the legal system… it applied to “every person” Indian and non-Indian alike.
Tags: ideology, Indigenous, jurisdiction, participation, rights
Posted in Equality History | No Comments »
Viral infections including COVID are among the important causes of dementia – one more reason to consider vaccination
Monday, October 3rd, 2022
More than 150,000 people with COVID and 11 million controls have been involved in a study of long-term consequences of acute COVID infection. A year after infection, there was an overall 40% higher risk (an additional 71 cases per 1000 people) of neurologic disorders, including memory problems (80% higher risk) and Alzheimer’s disease (two-fold higher risk). These risks were elevated even among those not hospitalised for acute COVID.
Tags: disabilities, Health, mental Health
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Better income assistance programs are needed to help people with rising cost of living
Friday, September 30th, 2022
If the goal of temporary assistance is to help those in need, it must have broader coverage and better tapering. The only program that qualifies at present is the GST credit, but even these payments are modest and only delivered quarterly… A more generous income assistance program should also have more frequent regular payments… a guaranteed basic income for working-age Canadians, might provide better support for those in need.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
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