Posts Tagged ‘economy’

« Older Entries | Newer Entries »

Is starving Ontario’s hospitals and schools really something to brag about?

Tuesday, March 26th, 2024

In the last five years, the Ministry of Finance has brought in close to 30 measures to reduce its own revenues. All told, those changes drained no less than $7.7 billion from the provincial treasury in 2023-24… The overarching goal is not to use public dollars efficiently, it’s to drive economic activity into the private sector so investors can turn a profit. This is why the current Ontario government has no qualms about privatizing surgeries and diagnostic procedures — even though private procedures can cost more than double what they cost in a public hospital.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »


Time to put the capita back in GDP per capita

Thursday, March 7th, 2024

The more societies set the stage to maximize their macroeconomic potential, the more they can make the impossible possible…the challenge isn’t about finding a better metric; it’s about putting the focus on the capita in GDP per capita. Because money doesn’t make an economy. People do. They — we! — are the true measure of an advanced economy.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Debates | No Comments »


Canada should support G20 plan to tax billionaires

Thursday, March 7th, 2024

In an unprecedented development, the G20 has announced it is exploring the idea of co-ordinating efforts to ensure the world’s billionaires pay annual taxes worth at least 2 per cent of their wealth… By co-operating, the world’s leading economies could curb the ability of the superrich to play countries off against each other, and incentivize nations to tax their own billionaires… It’s a plan Freeland should support, even enthusiastically champion.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Equality Policy Context | No Comments »


What Brian Mulroney got wrong on free trade with the U.S.

Tuesday, March 5th, 2024

Mulroney, Reagan and Thatcher sang a siren song. Get governments out of the way! Let the market rule! Economic globalization, with its program of free trade, privatization and deregulation and everyone would benefit. Corporations surely did… And Canadian CEOs did too… the richest CEOs are paid 246 times more than the average worker.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in History | No Comments »


Against incredible odds, Canada is getting universal pharmacare

Monday, March 4th, 2024

… this week, the tide seems to have finally turned in favour of the people — with the introduction of a pharmacare bill that defies decades of industry pushback… For years, these powerful industries marshalled enormous resources to derail progress on a national pharmacare plan, pressuring the government to reject the principle of universality, keep our current mixed public-private system in place, and limit drug coverage to the uninsured.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Health Debates | No Comments »


Beyond the cafeteria: The economic case for investing in school meals

Monday, March 4th, 2024

In the long-term, universal free school lunches can also improve children’s health, academic performance and subsequent economic outcomes throughout life…  Our new research summarizes the strong economic rationale for investing in school meal programs in Canada. Universal school meals can not only provide immediate relief to families, but also build a legacy of improved public health and economic prosperity for generations to come. 

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Education Delivery System | No Comments »


How the public sector is fighting income inequality (and why it’s still not enough)

Wednesday, February 28th, 2024

The public sector’s impact on gender pay equity is very concentrated among middle- to middle-low income earners who were making around $20 an hour in 2023. At that income level, women in the public sector make roughly the same as men in both the public and private sectors, achieve pay equity. It’s a rare phenomenon… Also, the gender pay gap widens in both sectors at higher-income levels.

Tags: ,
Posted in Equality Delivery System | No Comments »


Canadians could have a balanced budget and better tax system: C.D. Howe Institute Shadow Budget

Tuesday, February 27th, 2024

Beyond reducing the debt burden to a level that is prudent and more fair to younger Canadians, the authors advocate tax changes to reward work and investment… The Shadow Budget proposes restoring the GST to 7 percent over time, lowering the rate for the middle personal income tax bracket to 15 percent in 2027, and lowering the general corporate income tax rate by one percentage point in 2025 and another in 2026.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Governance Debates | No Comments »


Child poverty is on the rise in Canada, putting over 1 million kids at risk of life-long negative effects

Friday, February 23rd, 2024

In addition to being a human rights issue, addressing child poverty makes economic sense. This is why addressing child poverty needs to remain a priority for all Canadians. Governments, employers and communities… can do this by: Adopting a national living wage policy…; Reducing food insecurity… through nationally available school food programs; Increasing school readiness by providing universal access to quality early childhood development programs across Canada.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Social Security Debates | No Comments »


Why is Ontario embracing private health care? The Scandinavian experience shows it hurts both the quality and choice of care

Tuesday, February 20th, 2024

A new report examines trends in Sweden, Norway, the United States, France and Great Britain, where the pursuit of profit by financial capital is systematically devouring public funding, eroding quality of care and degrading working conditions. Sound familiar? It should: The tapeworm economy has arrived in Ontario, and we need to control it… The escalating profitization of care gobbles up funds that could improve care.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Health Delivery System | No Comments »


« Older Entries | Newer Entries »