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Still not the handgun ban Canada needs
Wednesday, February 17th, 2021
Canada’s gun problem is overwhelmingly a handgun problem. So if the government wants to limit gun violence in this country, it can’t just take on the multi-shot, rapid-fire weapons that are too often the instrument of death in mass shootings, it must also tackle the issue of proliferating handguns. Bill C-21 falls well short. It’s an ineffective gesture on handguns at a time when cities desperately need help to curb rising deadly gun violence.
Tags: crime prevention, ideology, jurisdiction
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »
Is it time to bury the idea of a universal basic income?
Wednesday, February 17th, 2021
… the real issue with basic income is a public commitment to an adequate income floor below which no one should fall when factoring in all income sources. A range of income support programs can provide universal coverage without being uniform in delivery as the recent B.C. study indicates… Highly diverse needs by age, gender, (dis)ability, family status, education, employment status, etc. suggest that income supports should be tailored to a wide variety of living circumstances within our population.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
‘Basic income’ isn’t the ticket to a fairer society
Sunday, February 14th, 2021
… what sense does it make to give everyone the same amount when some already have property and some don’t? When some live with disabilities or other problems, and others don’t? When some live in areas with a high cost of living, and some can live quite well on a lot less? … The authors of the B.C. report make a powerful case for working towards greater equity (including less poverty) through smarter, targeted measures.
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | No Comments »
We are not visible minorities; we are the global majority
Tuesday, February 9th, 2021
Describing someone as a visible minority situates whiteness as the reference standard and the norm by which all people are judged. It is a term of disempowerment that promotes the othering of racialized peoples and implies subordination to white power structures… If we are to end white supremacy in this country, we need to change our discourse on race. This requires changing the way we think and speak about Canada’s racialized population.
Tags: ideology, immigration, multiculturalism, participation
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Compulsory licensing would allow Ottawa to authorize generic copies of the COVID-19 vaccines
Friday, February 5th, 2021
compulsory licensing would eliminate the need for constant negotiation. The government would make its decision and that would be that. The drug giants would be furious. Pfizer and Moderna might refuse to honour their pledges. They might cut back promised shipments of the vaccine.
But they are doing that anyway. And the government has been unable to use the usual methods of contract compliance to stop them. Compulsory licensing provides government with a workable alternative…
Tags: budget, globalization, Health, pharmaceutical, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Health Policy Context | No Comments »
Before COVID-19, inequity in healthcare was, in effect, a pandemic for Black communities. Here are five issues that need to be addressed
Friday, February 5th, 2021
“Race is not the determinant of health. Racism is”…it’s more to do with systemic barriers that make these illnesses more likely, such as disproportionate stress and lack of access to nutritious food… Dealing with small, daily instances of racism can overtime lead to poorer health outcomes… “This stress, whether it is daily stress or overt … can result in illness”… rates of under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed mental illness in the Black community, have “shocked” [Marshall]
Tags: featured, Health, ideology, mental Health, multiculturalism, poverty
Posted in Equality Debates | No Comments »
Legislating paid sick days is the right thing to do
Thursday, February 4th, 2021
… one of Premier Doug Ford’s first acts of government was a sweeping repeal of labour law amendments that took away equal pay for equal work, paid sick days, and the $15 minimum wage… The legislation that Ford scrapped was the result of a multi-year, province-wide review of working conditions that included workers, unions, employers, researchers and more… What are we waiting for? Provinces must step up now, fill this gap, legislate paid sick days, and make them permanent.
Tags: Health, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, rights, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
The problem with profits: As Ontario’s long-term-care homes stagger under a COVID death toll of more than 3,000, some say it’s time to shut down for-profit homes for good
Monday, February 1st, 2021
The for-profit sector isn’t one sector. It never has been, really. Instead, it’s a wild mix of large chains, family-run companies and a new breed of equity-backed turnaround projects targeted for hefty returns. The risk now, as Ontario locks in new 30-year deals with private operators for new homes… Ontario could end up creating a system that’s even worse than the one we had before.
Tags: budget, featured, Health, housing, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization, Seniors, standard of living
Posted in Child & Family Delivery System | No Comments »
Ending private long-term care would be an expensive mistake
Monday, February 1st, 2021
Rather than wasting money in buying back licences, we should be investing those funds in urgently redeveloping older homes, increasing home inspections, providing higher wages for more full-time providers and increasing hours of care. We should also be investing in home-care that keeps seniors independent rather than requiring admission to LTC.
Tags: Health, housing, ideology, multiculturalism, privatization, Seniors, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »
The Ford government needs to treat child care as the essential service it is
Monday, February 1st, 2021
Ontario was one of the first provinces last spring to offer emergency workers free, around-the-clock child care with enhanced safety protocols. But since then, the Ford government has reverted to type… Many have had enough… more than 200 centres across the province have closed since the spring – at least 133 of them permanently… A child care crisis… does not bode well… for the province to “build back better” once the health crisis lifts.
Tags: budget, child care, economy, featured, Health, ideology, participation, women
Posted in Child & Family Debates | No Comments »
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