Posts Tagged ‘standard of living’
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When politicians tell us health-care spending is unsustainable, they never seem to mention this
Monday, August 17th, 2026
… the single largest private-spending category in Canada is prescription drugs. We remain the only high-income country in the world whose universal healthcare system lacks a universal drug plan…. the notion that our health-care system is at risk because governments are spending too much is misleading in a country where seniors cover the cost of long-term care beds, parents pay out of pocket for their children’s dental work and patients spend too much on the medications they need to be healthy.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, pharmaceutical, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | 4 Comments »
Canada’s oil giants are cashing in on conflict. Consumers are paying the price
Sunday, August 9th, 2026
It is neither inevitable nor reasonable that one industry should profit so obscenely from a war that is killing thousands, dislocating millions, and undermining the livings standards of billions. This situation reflects a deliberate policy choice: to give a few corporations power to charge whatever the market will bear for an essential commodity, regardless of cost of production or harm to society.
Tags: economy, featured, privatization, standard of living, tax
Posted in Debates | 6 Comments »
Carney government restores some health coverage it had cut for refugees
Sunday, August 9th, 2026
“The July 2026 update is expected to impact a very small proportion of current IFHP beneficiaries and will largely maintain the approximately $200 million in projected annual savings associated with the May 2026 program changes, while better aligning coverage for these select services with how they’re typically delivered through publicly funded provincial and territorial health care systems”… “When we ensure that everyone has access to the care that they need, we build healthier communities, and that’s what actually makes Canada strong.”
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, immigration, standard of living
Posted in Health Debates | 2 Comments »
Who were the Luddites? Their legacy ripples through politics, cultural commentary and literature
Thursday, August 6th, 2026
Along with the political radicals and the labour campaigners over the course of the 19th century, they took part in a prolonged struggle waged for rights, dignity and justice. That struggle partially succeeded, forcing the ruling classes to compromise rather than continuing to rely on brute force.
Tags: economy, ideology, rights, standard of living
Posted in History | 21 Comments »
Which country is richer, Canada or the U.S.? If median wealth is the measure, it’s Canada
Thursday, July 30th, 2026
The danger in the unfavourable Canada-U.S. comparisons is the distorting effect they can have on political decisions about economic strategy. Those run the gamut from irresponsible tax cuts to privatization of public services to extravagant spending on infrastructure projects — all meant in part to address the gap between rich and poor by increasing personal disposable income… “Public policy should focus on measures that truly effect our well-being, like real median income, fairness and quality of life.”
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Policy Context | 15 Comments »
While youth struggle, Canada is giving billions to its wealthiest demographic
Sunday, June 14th, 2026
The juxtaposition between generous benefits for wealthy seniors and stringent, insufficient benefits for struggling young families makes it clear the federal government urgently needs to reduce and rebalance its books as the national debt is expected to surpass $3 trillion over the next five years… Meaningful reforms need to consider… reimagining retirement savings vehicles, plans, and employer incentives to give younger workers solid ground to build financially secure futures upon.
Tags: economy, featured, pensions, Seniors, standard of living, tax, youth
Posted in Equality Policy Context | 158 Comments »
Ontario’s child support system failing families to the tune of $2.1 billion, auditor general says
Sunday, May 17th, 2026
Families are owed $2.1 billion in overdue child and spousal support from Ontario’s Family Responsibility Office because of enforcement problems, a new auditor general’s report has found… More than 116,000 families rely on the FRO, which enforces court orders for the payment of child and spousal support… Families are being left without answers while the Ford government continues to look the other way.”
Tags: jurisdiction, poverty, standard of living, women, youth
Posted in Social Security Policy Context | 82 Comments »
How structural inequality fuels Black youth recruitment into cycles of violence
Wednesday, May 13th, 2026
The same conditions that leave Black boys vulnerable to recruitment into exploitative and violent economies leave Indigenous youth vulnerable too… if it costs close to $97,000 a year to keep a youth in custody, how might those resources be better invested in supporting young people? … the target of abolition work is not prisons, but a society that makes prisons necessary… how do we build communities where fewer young people are vulnerable to recruitment before they encounter violence at all.
Tags: crime prevention, Indigenous, multiculturalism, participation, poverty, standard of living, youth
Posted in Equality Debates | 16 Comments »
New Ontario water and sanitation law could pave the way for the financialization of public water
Wednesday, May 13th, 2026
Whether the WCA leads to outright privatization, its proposed reforms are consistent with an insidious global push to make municipal water and sanitation systems more amenable to private investment. This essentially transforms them into tradeable assets. This process, known as financialization, would erode the public health and social mandate of public water infrastructure, undermining the capacity of communities to cope with growing ecological and financial stresses.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, privatization, standard of living
Posted in Governance Policy Context | 41 Comments »
Toronto will host the world’s investors this fall. But will any investment end up in health care, education or transit?
Wednesday, May 6th, 2026
What’s most disappointing about the prevailing preoccupation with making Canada an industrial and energy superpower is that this vision of Canada’s future ignores necessary investments in social goods — namely, health care, education, affordable housing and public transit. All of those are essential to Canada’s future prosperity. And all are underfunded… Striving for greater industrial sovereignty is a worthwhile ambition. But it can’t come at the expense of social investments that underpin Canadians’ well-being.
Tags: budget, Education, Health, ideology, standard of living
Posted in Governance Debates | 31 Comments »
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