Majority government, majority social policy
Sunday, May 22nd, 2011
May 21, 2011
Tax relief usually is welcome when people actually have the financial resources in the first place (employment or investment income, private pensions, retirement savings and other assets) to keep more of their money in their pockets. For the many lowincome seniors, and nonseniors alike in Canada, additional tax relief is immaterial to improving their income security. The GIS increase announced in March means that most seniors who receive the maximum benefit are still living far below the poverty line.
Tags: budget, ideology, pensions, poverty
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »
Communities need to get involved, says philathropist
Monday, January 17th, 2011
January 16, 2011
Successful businesses take risks, and invest in research and development — and community groups should do the same, says Tim Brodhead, a star in Canada’s philanthropic firmament. Brodhead, president of the McConnell Family Foundation, believes community groups need to be innovative when tackling social problems such as poverty and homelessness. And to do that they need to take risks, envision new programs and dream up innovative projects that might take them into unfamiliar territory.
Tags: budget, featured, participation, philanthropy, standard of living
Posted in Inclusion Debates | No Comments »
Public health-care solutions pay dividends
Sunday, January 16th, 2011
January 13, 2011
… B.C. is a better choice for enterprise than Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angles and other commercial centres, in part because of its public health care system… KPMG arrived at these rankings in part because public non-profit health care is a great deal for the private sector, as employers save considerably by not having to pay for most medical benefits… Ontario’s economic development agency highlights how the province’s health care system reduces operating costs… Toyota’s decision to select Ontario over other North American locations was based in large part because of public health care.
Tags: globalization, Health, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | No Comments »
Lower taxes mean a weaker society
Monday, December 20th, 2010
December 19, 2010
… children are not getting the nutrition and basic building blocks to allow them to develop to their full potential. We are not taking care of the people who need help… Taxes are what enable governments to provide the services we all need. Businesses look for the stability of a society and the quality of its workforce as much as tax breaks. We need to bring back the concept of wealth distribution through the income tax system if we are to have a healthy, happy society. I want to return to a caring and equitable Canada.
Tags: standard of living, tax
Posted in Inclusion Debates | No Comments »
Jet fighters wrong priority
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
July 20, 2010
We are appalled at the Harper government’s decision to spend billions of dollars on military jets… (it) calls to all decent Canadians to speak up for a change in priorities in these economic hard times. Women, children, and senior (seasoned) citizens are increasingly vulnerable as a result of cuts to social programs. The homeless and people with mental-health challenges are at risk for their very lives because of the do-nothing or do-too-little measures taken on their behalf.
Tags: budget, homelessness, mental Health, poverty, women
Posted in Social Security Debates | 1 Comment »
Path to healing includes all Canadians
Friday, July 9th, 2010
July 8, 2010
By rebuilding our families, we will rebuild our communities. By rebuilding our communities, we will rebuild our nations. The healing of our families, our communities and our nations is an enormous task, and it is a task which only we can do for ourselves. No one can do it for us. But, without the truth of what happened being discussed by all Canadians, even if we must discuss such terms as “genocide” and “ethnic cleansing,” then the reconciliation required for proper healing will remain a distant and difficult goal.
Tags: Indigenous, participation
Posted in Inclusion Debates | No Comments »
War on drugs a costly failure
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
June 29, 2010
After 40 years of failure in dealing with drug abuse as a criminal problem, it’s time to listen to the experts and recognize it as a health issue… Using a scientific approach, determine what works to reduce the damage done to individuals and societies, and what doesn’t. Then do those things that are effective and quit doing those that are ineffective — or worse, destructive. The fact that this proposal is controversial shows how completely illogical the drug policy debate has become.
Tags: crime prevention, featured, Health, ideology
Posted in Health Debates | 1 Comment »
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