Posts Tagged ‘economy’

« Older Entries | Newer Entries »

The key to Canada’s economic recovery is obvious. Why isn’t anyone talking about it?

Monday, September 13th, 2021

The federal budget estimates that a national child care program would add about 240,000 workers to the labour force. And since those workers are already here in Canada with Canadian credentials, integration into the labour force is seamless. An in-depth study of the economic impact of investing in early childhood education… shows that serious investment in high-quality child care boosts economic growth, reduces poverty, enhances equality, and sets the younger generation on a path to take on the world.

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


Affordable child care will help women re-enter workforce, stimulating the economy

Monday, September 13th, 2021

By subsidizing child care to women who intend to return to work, the government provides adequate social support to those who need the help the most. Such a policy will eventually help the economy to grow naturally, and will embolden consumers’ confidence to increase spending. As women return to the workforce, their increased income yields greater spending power, boosting demand for normal goods and further stimulating the economy.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »


Once COVID is finally tamed, Canada will have to tackle the ‘other pandemic’

Monday, September 13th, 2021

Neither major party is prepared to go where an increasing number of medical and legal experts — from public health officers to those chiefs of police — say they should: taking possession of drugs for personal use out of the Criminal Code entirely. And neither party is particularly eager to talk about the opioid crisis during the election campaign… It should be getting more attention from both politicians and voters.

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


Stronger EI and paid sick days are vital for workers. Labour Day is a moment for voters to judge parties on that

Monday, September 6th, 2021

… Canada needs a modern Employment Insurance system that covers all workers, including gig workers, self-employed people and the many misclassified workers who have been abandoned on the sidelines of so-called economic progress… If the pandemic has shown anything, it’s that systemic change is needed in how we view and regulate employment, and that how we treat workers (especially those in low-wage jobs) affects us all.

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


Would a wealth tax be effective?

Monday, September 6th, 2021

There is no more efficient way to reduce inequality and boost the economy than through funding public programs that people need. All within reach are things like affordable child care, ensuring high-quality and compassionate care for our seniors, funding a just transition to the zero carbon economy, or building enough affordable housing units to meet the need… A wealth tax will help us get there by making the tax system more progressive — and that will make it more fair. – vs – Canada already has a highly progressive income tax system where upper income earners pay a disproportionately large share of taxes.

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


Canada needs a social contract for mental health

Wednesday, August 25th, 2021

… the Canada Emergency Response Benefit was arguably the most important mental-health innovation of the pandemic because it decreased financial uncertainty, demonstrating how important government can be in improving mental health. The Canadian Medical Association has calculated that 85 per cent of our risk of illness is linked to social factors such as housing, unemployment, poverty, systemic racism, and lack of access to social supports and health services. These are the types of stresses that are interacting with COVID-19 to drive our mental-health and substance-use crisis. 

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


Canadian election 2021: Will the national child-care plan survive?

Tuesday, August 24th, 2021

In the event of a Liberal loss, a new government in Ottawa may not prioritize signing Liberal deals.  Regardless, any child-care relief will be delayed and recovery in the country’s biggest economic centres will stall. Families will watch their provincial neighbours enjoy the benefits of more affordable child care knowing they were used as political pawns. It’s a strategy with serious potential to backfire in the months and years to come as those three Conservative premiers face their own electorates. The holdouts could find themselves booted out of office.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »


Liberals and NDP both have solid plans for child care. The Conservatives do not

Saturday, August 21st, 2021

O’Toole says his plan provides “flexibility” so parents can choose whatever child care they want and offers “extra support to those who need it most.” … A tax credit helps with affordability, certainly — if a family can find a child-care space in their area and if they can afford to pay the rest of the cost.  It will not help create the hundreds of thousands of new spaces that are needed across the country to expand access to everyone who wants it. It will not bring down the high costs. And it will not boost wages for child-care workers, key to attracting the workforce to expand and stabilize the system.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »


Here’s what Erin O’Toole doesn’t understand about daycare

Tuesday, August 17th, 2021

There’s no doubt more money flowing to parents would help with affordability… [but] Spurring demand without building supply is not a balanced equation. That’s partly why the Liberal budget dedicated billions of dollars to agreements with the provinces to expand early learning and child-care capacity and to boost the wages of child-care workers — simultaneously lowering fees and creating more spots. The $30-billion price tag is enormous, but the Liberals — and many a public-policy researcher — argue that society will benefit handsomely over time and the net cost to Canadians will eventually be negligible.

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Child & Family Debates | No Comments »


Ontario should sign on to Ottawa’s $10-a-day child care plan

Thursday, August 12th, 2021

When Ford’s PC government came to power in 2018 it killed the Wynne Liberals’ plan to provide free licensed care for preschool children in Ontario. When Stephen Harper’s Conservatives came to power in 2006 they killed a national child-care program proposed by Paul Martin’s Liberal government — even though all provinces had signed on. So it’s very concerning to hear O’Toole talk about wanting to kill the Trudeau program and replace it with more “flexible” options. In other words, not an actual child-care system at all. 

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Child & Family Policy Context | No Comments »


« Older Entries | Newer Entries »