Charities are vital to Canada’s recovery, but time is running out
As leaders in Canada’s community services sector, we have been paying close attention to concerns about variants, slowing vaccination rates, and fourth waves because we know that Canada’s most vulnerable populations and the organizations that serve them continue to struggle—and there is a long road ahead. Through the pandemic, our frontline staff and volunteers have […]
Real estate nation: putting the economy at risk and disadvantaging a generation
OTTAWA—It’s been a decade since the commercial bank borrowing rates influenced by the Bank of Canada shifted permanently downward as the central bank adopted a policy that came to be known as “low for long.” Central bank officials holed up down the street from Parliament were forced to keep their trend-setting interest rate well below […]
More than $41.4-billion in spending goes without Commons committee review
Amid committee filibusters, six House committees and a joint House and Senate committee did not review main spending estimates under their purview before the deadline last month leading to $41.4-billion of federal expenditures not receiving parliamentary committee scrutiny. Main estimates, which totalled $342.19-billion for 2021-22, are the government’s spending plan for the fiscal year and […]
Helping Canadians get back to work: effective skills-training approaches for a post-pandemic recovery
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread economic disruption and has thrown many Canadians out of work. While this unprecedented challenge has no quick-fix solutions, there is evidence that some skills training programs can ease the transition back into employment for those who have lost their jobs. Although government-sponsored training programs are sometimes viewed with […]
Keeping the bailiff from repossessing your car: the case for a basic income
A basic income for all Canadians, an unconditional, guaranteed income floor below which no one’s income can fall, is an idea that has been growing in refinement and acceptance since the early 1900s. It has some enthusiastic opponents, but unlike other policy ideas, the enemies of basic income come from both the right and the […]
Feds seek approval for another $24-billion in spending for 2021-22
The first supplementary estimates of the year were tabled on May 27, outlining another $41.2-billion in federal spending, of which $24-billion requires approval from Parliament. Employment and Social Development Canada is set to get the biggest boost, with almost $12.9-billion in additional statutory and voted funding set out, bringing the department to $95.3-billion so far […]
Canada’s foreign policy requires urgent, significant investment
Aptly named ‘A Recovery Plan for Jobs, Growth, and Resilience,’ the 2021 federal budget gives the lion’s share to domestic spending. Funds earmarked for foreign policy suggest continuity with pre-pandemic budgets at a time of profound changes at the international level. On April 28, The Hill Times ran a piece criticizing the low level of […]
Despite budget moves, EI changes not permanent, big enough: MPs, experts
Experts and advocates hoping that temporary employment insurance change would snowball into longer lasting, more permanent restructuring and reform say they’ve been left wanting and still waiting by the federal government. Changes to the employment insurance system were signalled in Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough’s (Delta, B.C.) supplemental mandate letter. In the Jan. 15, 2021 letter, […]
Federal budget includes commitment to explore employee ownership–and that’s a good thing
Hidden amongst the many newsworthy items in last month’s federal budget is a small, little-discussed section with the potential to reshape many Canadian industries. In it, the government committed to exploring options to remove barriers to employee ownership trusts in Canada. While that may sound pretty boring, we can look to the recent sale of […]
Urging Canada to do its fair share for international climate finance
“How can I use farming to get out of my desperation?” asks Mehsane Sahle, a small-scale farmer in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia. A mother of three in her late 50s, Mehsane’s livelihood depends on the crops and livestock she can raise on her small plot of land, but with poor soil, erratic rainfall, and […]
