Why are we forever chasing the dream of a universal drug plan?
Tuesday, June 18th, 2019
… derailed by opposing political agendas, fierce resistance from private insurers, public ambivalence and voter apathy… universal pharmacare isn’t merely about equity and ideology, but efficacy and efficiency… The challenge is to make those savings feel real, not notional… that cost-benefit tradeoff must be spelled out clearly to persuade people that the savings end up in their pockets.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living, tax
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
Canadian companies failed to pay billions of taxes owed, new CRA report reveals
Tuesday, June 18th, 2019
Canadian corporations failed to pay between $9.4 billion and $11.4 billion in taxes in 2014, according to the first comprehensive analysis of the country’s corporate “tax gap” — the difference between taxes legally owed and those collected — being released today by the Canada Revenue Agency. That means 24 to 29 per cent of all the corporate income tax legally due in Canada didn’t get paid that year.
Tags: budget, crime prevention, economy, featured, globalization, jurisdiction, tax
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Pharmacare today, like medicare 50 years ago, makes sense
Friday, June 14th, 2019
In terms of cost overall, most experts agree that a universal, single-pay system would save money for Canadians… But a universal public program would also shift costs from individuals and employers to governments… Canadians would pay more in taxes for universal drug coverage. But this tax increase would be more than compensated for by the out-of-pocket, administrative and cost savings associated with the move to public pharmacare.
Tags: budget, economy, Health, ideology, mental Health, participation, standard of living, tax
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
New report provides the Trudeau Liberals with a blueprint for pharmacare
Friday, June 14th, 2019
There’s true pharmacare, as laid out by the advisory council chaired by Ontario’s former health minister, Eric Hoskins. Then there’s a paler version that seeks only to fill in the gaps by providing coverage for those who currently have none… Canadians already pay more for drugs than they do for doctors’ services and… drug costs are rising at an unsustainable 6.5 per cent per year. That has a big impact on both workplace plans and government drug benefits for seniors and the poor.
Tags: budget, economy, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living, tax
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
All Ontarians will pay the price for Doug Ford zapping public sector wages
Wednesday, June 5th, 2019
As much as some Conservatives might dislike debt, or disdain deficits, or begrudge public servants’ salaries, or resent teachers’ summers off, the laws of our land set a higher standard for the systematic suspension of collective bargaining rights. The courts have ruled that you must have good reason(s) — unless, of course, Ford once again intends to overrule any courts that dare to overrule his government by invoking the Charter’s notwithstanding clause.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, rights, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Ford government to cap pay raises for public servants in bid to control spending
Wednesday, June 5th, 2019
TheStar.com – Politics June 5, 2019. By Robert Benzie, Rob Ferguson, Kristin Rushowy, Queen’s Park Bureau In a bid to rein in spending, Premier Doug Ford is threatening to impose a cap on pay hikes for 1 million public servants. Ford’s Progressive Conservatives on Wednesday tabled legislation that would limit annual wage increases to 1 per cent when […]
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, rights, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Ottawa should act on report on murdered and missing women, with all its flaws
Tuesday, June 4th, 2019
Ensuring such basic things as safe housing, clean drinking water and affordable food for Indigenous people should be beyond debate; it’s shameful that we’re still falling so short. There are already stacks of recommendations in these areas, and the government would be well-advised to focus first and foremost on issues more closely connected with the issue at hand: the violence visited on Indigenous women and girls far out of proportion to their share in the population.
Tags: crime prevention, featured, ideology, Indigenous, participation, rights, women
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »
Federal government to launch Equality Fund to entrench women’s rights and gender equality
Sunday, June 2nd, 2019
… the Equality Fund… will be used to raise even more money from philanthropists and community organizations, and then divvied up among underfunded organizations that advocate for women’s rights and gender equality… The government money is the stimulus, but the longevity of the fund and its ability to act quickly and with flexibility come from the power of the non-governmental organizations, philanthropists and foundations involved in the collaboration.
Tags: budget, featured, globalization, ideology, participation, philanthropy, rights, standard of living, women
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »
Let’s end the period taboo: Making menstrual products available is about dignity, nothing less
Tuesday, May 28th, 2019
Even with the products being tax exempt, they are unaffordable and inaccessible to some. Affordability and access need to be separately considered… Despite hoarding menstrual products in every nook and cranny possible, we all get caught from time to time without access to products. This is about helping women who are caught be able to finish their day without bleeding through their pants. It is about dignity.
Tags: budget, ideology, women
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Doug Ford’s reversal on city cuts is just a brief ceasefire before the war resumes
Tuesday, May 28th, 2019
In public policy terms, it means needed services are preserved for now. In political terms it means everyone involved lives to fight another day. But make no mistake: they will fight another day. Less than a year from now. And that battle early next year could be even messier and harder than this one that just finished.
Tags: budget, economy, Health, ideology, participation
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
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