Posts Tagged ‘featured’

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Liberals are considering a universal basic income, but economists have tough questions for its proponents

Thursday, September 17th, 2020

“What we’re really talking about is not ensuring everyone receives a cheque but ensuring there’s a minimum floor below which no Canadian ought to fall. So it really is a conversation about rethinking and reinventing our social safety net”… But the program won’t be popular with everyone… Problem 1: The Cost… Problem 2: The Incentives… Problem 3: The Cuts…

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Helping Others or Helping Yourself? The COVID-19 Pandemic and WE Charity Scandal Have Forced a Long Overdue Discussion About Volunteering in Canada

Thursday, September 17th, 2020

The [2001] Accord between the Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector was meant as a first step in forging a deeper relationship between Ottawa and the charitable sector. It featured a commitment by the government to engage the sector in issues of legislation and the development of policies and programs, to help build its capacity, and give it a seat at the ministerial table… it’s time to revisit the accord and consider reforms like a government ministry for the sector and a joint apparatus for government and the voluntary sector to work together.

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Basic income would be the biggest reordering of public finance in a generation

Wednesday, September 16th, 2020

… the question of how it would be paid for (the UBI Works page on suggested tax increases to fund a UBI is eye-opening, in multiple senses of the phrase). One point that is worth dwelling on early in the discussion is what a UBI would mean for a pretty fundamental element of Canadian politics: the balance between federal and provincial spending.

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The real challenge is to expand medicare, not just save it

Sunday, September 13th, 2020

While Canadians sing the praises of public care, they actually spend close to a third of their health-care dollars in the private sector — on things like prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, physiotherapy and home care… The job now isn’t just to protect medicare as it is against efforts to chip away at it, but to extend public coverage into other areas. A comprehensive pharmacare program should top the list

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The pandemic can spur long overdue change for Canada’s workers

Monday, September 7th, 2020

… it’s time to reinforce our social safety nets to ensure affordable housing, accessible child care and support for the unemployed. We didn’t need a pandemic to show us that too many workers in Canada are often living paycheque to paycheque and worried about the future of their families; that women and racialized workers often make up the majority of those doing precarious, low-paid – but essential – front-line work.

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Canada needs a national income program for people with disabilities

Saturday, September 5th, 2020

With [CERB], imbalances and biases in income security decisions were starkly exposed. Governments clearly expected people with disabilities to live on disability income benefits (such as the Canada Pension Plan Disability and provincial social assistance) of an amount… of half or less than the $2,000 a month provided by the CERB… If anything, should those people not receive slightly more than their peers?

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A just recovery

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020

… a basic income standard for the unemployed and people receiving social and disability assistance… [would improve]… their standard of living, their hope and trust in the future would grow, and their ability to participate… would increase… we need a basic services guarantee that helps every Canadian secure affordable housing, nutritious food, pharmacare, dental care, mental health care, and specialized support for people with complex needs.

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Trudeau’s using our moment of crisis to reinvent our economy. That’s exciting

Saturday, August 29th, 2020

The Liberals are not proposing radical change. Every advance they will propose is an expansion or acceleration of existing Canadian priorities and practices… The timing is right. Interest rates are at a historic low. The government’s cost of borrowing to pay for pandemic relief, a permanently stronger social safety net, and seed capital for tech-oriented startups with export potential is therefore manageable.

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Why do Canada’s wealthiest families get huge tax breaks?

Monday, August 24th, 2020

If you’re a billionaire looking to pass on your fortune tax-free to your kids, Canada is a great place to do it… Canada is the only G7 country that doesn’t have an estate tax… Of course, the absence of an inheritance tax is only one of several avenues that the elite have at their disposal to lighten their tax burden. The capital gains tax is another. And its distributional impact is huge… But change is in the air

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Liberals ease EI eligibility as part of $37-billion in new emergency income supports

Thursday, August 20th, 2020

The new Canada Recovery Benefit is for workers who are self-employed or are not eligible for EI and cannot resume work. The Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit is for workers who are ill or who must self-isolate for reasons related to COVID-19. The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit is for workers who are unable to work because they are caring for a child, dependent or family member because schools or daycares are closed due to COVID-19.

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