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COVID-19 response should highlight what went right in Canada
Thursday, August 10th, 2023
TheStar.com – Opinion/ Contributors August 10, 2023. By Kwame McKenzie, Contributor I am concerned that while we focus on relitigating the past we will allow useful, effective pandemic innovations to wither and die. Over 53,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Canada, with more every day. It has been a traumatic time and we have just […]
Tags: economy, Health, jurisdiction, mental Health, participation, pharmaceutical
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »
Canadians deserve better than fake Pharmacare
Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023
A single-payer system can use its bargaining power to negotiate better prices and reduce costs… A fill-the-gaps approach is a short-sighted Band-Aid on a system that is bleeding out. It may appear to have lower upfront costs by only covering those who are uninsured, but it is less efficient when factoring in the administrative costs of verifying eligibility… A single-payer approach to Pharmacare is fair for all.
Tags: economy, featured, Health, ideology, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
97 per cent of Canadians have drug coverage and other lies drug manufactures are pushing
Monday, July 31st, 2023
In reality, millions of Canadians are uninsured for the medicines they need… Those lucky enough to have coverage often still face sizable deductibles and copayments… one in 10 Canadians skips prescriptions because of out-of-pocket costs. This makes patients sicker and generates at least $1 billion annually in preventable demand for medical and hospital care… it is high-cost medicines that are putting workplace health benefits at risk.
Tags: economy, featured, Health, ideology, participation, pharmaceutical, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
Ontario’s solution to the health care crisis is to hire nurses through agencies — and the cost has now quadrupled
Thursday, July 27th, 2023
What was bad last year is worse this year. That’s because there’s still no plan to tackle the root causes of burnout and turnover. Hospitals are still so short-staffed, nurses are simply thrown at the labour crisis of the day, some not even able to take pre-scheduled vacations, know when or how long they are going to work on any given day, or what kind of work they will be asked to do. Shift the lens to child care, long-term care and other forms of health care, and the same story emerges.
Tags: Health, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »
How Toronto — and Canada’s — immigration landscape shifted because of one program
Thursday, July 27th, 2023
Provincial Nominee Program has diverted economic immigrants from Ontario, B.C. and Quebec to smaller provinces among other changes… first rolled out in Manitoba in 1998 and later expanded to the rest of the country… [Since PNP] applicants are selected specifically for their increased likelihood of participating in the labour force and establishing themselves economically, an increase in their share likely improved the collective economic outcomes of recent economic immigrants.”
Tags: economy, immigration, jurisdiction, participation
Posted in Inclusion Delivery System | No Comments »
Canada Child Benefit hailed for reducing poverty, as families get boosted payments
Friday, July 21st, 2023
In 2021, 7.4 per cent of Canadians lived in poverty, down from 12.9 per cent in 2016 when the benefit came into place… the “intensity” of poverty was also reduced… “But for those in deeper poverty, the benefit probably isn’t yet big enough to lift them up and over the [low income threshold].”
Tags: featured, participation, poverty, standard of living, youth
Posted in Social Security Delivery System | No Comments »
Did the Bank of Canada just push Canada over the tipping point?
Wednesday, July 19th, 2023
Profits as a share of GDP have averaged 21 per cent since the start of the pandemic and profit margins are higher too… We need policymakers at every level to address the real causes of excess/persistent inflation — profiteering, financialization, undersupply and supply chain bottlenecks. Without that we’re all left worse off regardless of the level of inflation.
Tags: economy, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
While Ford pampers spa users, our school kids fend for themselves
Thursday, July 13th, 2023
The government’s miserly approach to funding our children’s education seems curious in such a rich province… The government is actually swimming in money — even as it hollows out key public programs, underfunding schools, shutting down hospital emergency wards and doing nothing for the homeless beyond allowing developers to build ever more condos that are quickly sold to high-income buyers… The notion that we can’t afford a strong public sector has always been a scam.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, homelessness, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Debates | No Comments »
Canada Child Benefit payments to increase this month for many families. Here’s how much it’s going up
Thursday, July 13th, 2023
Introduced in 2016, the CCB replaced the taxable Universal Child Care Benefit… The CCB is intended to provide increased support to low- and middle-income families with children. Families with an adjusted net income under $34,863 will receive the maximum amount for each child… The federal government indexed the CCB to ensure benefits keep up with inflation.
Tags: child care, poverty, standard of living, youth
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »
Black Canadians suffer racism in the justice system. Efforts are needed to address it.
Tuesday, June 27th, 2023
To be sure, the police aren’t alone in their disparate treatment of Black Canadians and other racial minorities. Police are, inevitably, singled out given their role on the front line of the justice system… racial bias is a systemic problem. And rectifying that will require not just apologies, but a concerted, thoroughgoing effort to eradicate the racism that threatens the very ideals animating and inspiring our system, and our society.
Tags: crime prevention, ideology, multiculturalism
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »