« Older Entries | Newer Entries »
What if the long-expected boomer retirement boom never happens? The trend is in that direction
Wednesday, July 10th, 2019
… with lifespans now much longer than was the norm a few decades ago, both working and earning incomes for an eventual retirement are no doubt looked at differently than used to be the case. As well, workers with higher levels of education are more apt to be in the labour market as they age, as compared with those with lower levels of education… older workers may find themselves working, but on contracts or in part-time jobs, which may not be their first choice.
Tags: economy, participation, pensions, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Beware gurus with plans to reinvent conservatism
Thursday, July 4th, 2019
Protectionism, then, does not protect our workers against other countries’, nor even workers against consumers, though that is nearer the truth. In reality, it protects some Canadian workers against other Canadian workers. Which workers fall into which group is decided not by how hard either works or the quality or price of what they produce, but by which can most successfully lobby politicians… The conflict… between the interests of consumers and producers, is ultimately illusory.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
The world needs more Greta Thunbergs
Friday, June 28th, 2019
Ms. Thunberg began by offering some sobering perspectives on the greatest plague facing mankind, such as the fact that roughly 100 companies are responsible for emitting just over 70 per cent of our total carbon-dioxide emissions. And the fact that the richest 10 per cent of the world’s population emit about half of the planet’s total emissions and the wealthiest 1 per cent emit more than the poorest 50 per cent… “People who have a lot of power. People who consume enormous amounts of stuff, who often fly around the world, sometimes in private jets.”
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, Health, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Canada has taken an important step in the fight against right-wing extremism
Thursday, June 27th, 2019
Right-wing extremism embraces a jumble of disparate causes, including single-issue flashpoints such as abortion rights, white supremacy and anti-government nostrums. What it shares with terrorism is an ability to use the internet and social media to propagate its cause… CSIS… is increasingly preoccupied by… “the violent threat posed by those looking to advocate/support/engage in racially motivated, ethno-nationalist, anti-government and misogynist violence. “
Tags: crime prevention, globalization, ideology, participation
Posted in Governance Delivery System | No Comments »
To bolster health, would basic income — not pharmacare — make more sense?
Tuesday, June 25th, 2019
… shouldn’t the priority of policy-makers be to ensure that all Canadians can afford necessities such as food and housing, not just prescription drugs? … Affordable sickness care is important, especially if you’re sick. But the way to keep people healthier longer is to ensure that they have a decent income, a roof over their heads, healthy food, a good education, a sound physical environment and sense of belonging.
Tags: economy, Health, ideology, mental Health, participation, pharmaceutical, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Yes, to national pharmacare – because we already paid for it
Tuesday, June 25th, 2019
We are paying, in effect, three times: through federal research grants, through disease-focused charities, and then at the pharmacy. A national pharmacare program could change this if… the cost of a drug over the life of its patent was calculated to recognize the public support its development received. Manufacturers would submit a funding history with a tentative pricing. A fair rate of return would be permitted for the life of a patent based on that information.
Tags: budget, Health, jurisdiction, mental Health, pharmaceutical
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
The Ontario government is wrong to offload autism services onto families
Monday, June 24th, 2019
If the health and well-being of children with autism are really the priority here, then the government should build a needs-based autism service program; invest in the human capital of experts and families with lived experience; utilize available public infrastructure and capacity at regional centres; coordinate services and supports across systems; and bring all of these pieces together by helping guide children and families along their journey toward the best life possible
Tags: disabilities, Health, ideology, mental Health, youth
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »
Canadian corporations may have avoided $25-billion or more in taxes in 2018: PBO
Friday, June 21st, 2019
Canadian companies transferred more than $1.6-trillion in 2018 to low-tax countries known as offshore financial centres and conduits to these nations, according to a new report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer… if just 10 per cent of that amount was transferred to avoid taxes, that would mean Ottawa lost out on $25-billion in federal revenue. Billions more would have been lost in provincial corporate taxes.
Tags: budget, crime prevention, economy, featured, globalization, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living, tax
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
First Nations prepare for influx of new members amid removal of sex-based discrimination from Indian Act
Saturday, June 15th, 2019
Canada’s largest First Nation is introducing a citizenship code to take control over its membership lists as the federal government prepares to enact legislation that could create tens of thousands of new status Indians while removing the last vestiges of sexism from the Indian Act… The concern of the First Nation is that many people who can trace a distant ancestor to the community will turn up after Bill S-3 takes effect to claim a portion of scarce resources…
Tags: budget, ideology, Indigenous, jurisdiction, rights, women
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Report goes all in on pharmacare, and that may be a mistake
Saturday, June 15th, 2019
The bottom line is that Canada’s inconsistent drug coverage can’t be fixed without government intervention of some kind. That includes lowering the nation’s drug bill by creating a government system of bulk purchases, limiting drug co-pays and regulating premiums.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, pharmaceutical, standard of living
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
Recent Comments