Month: February 2013

If there is a new government in BC on May 15th, it will be confronted with issues that make the transition particularly challenging. The financial issues are a given.  Debt has gone up.  Possibly, given the economic recession we faced, it should have gone up even further.  The dramatic rise in long term contractual obligations… View Article

In her report on BC’s 2013 budget CCPA-BC economist Iglika Ivanova concluded that the province’s financial statement focused on balancing the budget at the expense of British Columbians’ present and future wellbeing. The following are a few examples of this. Last Tuesday’s budget continues a 12 year record of systematically undermining the province’s social infrastructure…. View Article

A year ago (February 2012), the province’s Ombudsperson released a comprehensive report addressing the crisis in BC’s home and community care system, including 176 recommendations for a creating a more accessible and accountable system. The centrepiece of the provincial government’s response was the announcement that it would create an Office of the Seniors Advocate, following… View Article

As mentioned in last week’s Speech from the Throne and Tuesday’s 2013 provincial budget, BC’s population is aging. It’s projected the seniors population in BC will double over the next 25 years – meaning more than 30% of our population will be over the age of 65 by 2036. While the budget does mention aspects… View Article

The debate on Bill C-377 has moved to the Senate. As many Policy Note readers probably know, Bill C-377 would impose onerous and unfair financial and operational disclosure obligations on unions and other labour organizations, in the lofty name of “transparency and accountability,” but with the actual malicious aim of weakening Labour and publicizing the… View Article

We will be posting more commentary on the budget in the coming days; this is our news release from today’s budget lockup. Budget may be “balanced,” but lack of action on poverty, climate creates  serious social, environmental defecits (Victoria) The 2013 BC budget focuses on balancing the budget at the expense of British Columbians’ present… View Article

By Seth Klein and Shannon Daub [Note: Samara Canada has been gathering ideas for reforming Parliament. All the ideas they have collected are being posted on their blog, which you can find here. What follows is our contribution.] Here’s the big dilemma: Whatever reforms are made to Parliamentary practice and conduct, the simple truth is… View Article

A new CCPA (National) report by Marc Lee and myself argues that Canada’s tax system needs a “fairness” overhaul and presents a framework for progressive tax reform. Those of you who have been following our tax work so far will find this study a great complement to the BC Tax Options Paper. Tax policy is… View Article

Today’s Speech from the Throne reads more like a list of what this government sees as its main achievements than a true framework for going forward. New initiatives are few and far between, sandwiched between pages of self-congratulatory recap of the natural gas strategy, the jobs plan and highlights from the last budget. All in… View Article

As many of you have likely heard, late last week we at the CCPA lost a great friend, and Canada lost one of its greatest advocates for children: See here and here. The sudden and untimely passing of Clyde Hertzman comes as a terrible shock. Clyde was the life partner of our former Chair and… View Article