Archive
Will proposed new Senators be an aristocracy of the distinguished?
Nov 2, 2015
Ruth Ellen Brosseau is a Member of Parliament against the odds. A single mother and the assistant manager of a pub, she was elected in 2011, as Wikipedia describes her, as a “paper candidate” because the NDP had no viable nominee in the riding.” But here’s the thing. She worked hard, she impressed her constituents… View Article
The federal election is over. Now can we really talk about how to improve gender equality?
Nov 2, 2015
After an election campaign in which women’s equality became a rhetorical tool in a divisive attempt to instill fear and xenophobia in voters and control women’s religious choices, Canada has opted for a more hopeful federal government. But where does that leave women in BC? We know the primary causes of women’s inequality: disproportionate financial… View Article
Spotlight on health care austerity: seniors’ residential care
Oct 30, 2015
Let’s break down changes in health care spending by age group. You might think that as overall health care spending in BC has gone up, we would see bigger jumps for those over age 65. But this is not the case – indeed, quite the opposite. This figure shows the change in health care spending per… View Article
Austerity comes to BC’s health care system
Oct 29, 2015
For many years, BC’s health care system escaped the austerity imposed on other parts of the public sector. No longer. While total dollars allocated to health care are still increasing somewhat, those increases are not sufficient to keep up with cost drivers in the system, leading to a real reduction in health care services. This needs… View Article
We have a new federal government. What now?
Oct 22, 2015
Monday’s election results brought a palpable sense of relief to Canadians who had tired of the divisive and nasty politics of the Harper Conservatives, and they point to important lessons for progressives (which we outlined in this previous post). But a majority government is certainly a lost opportunity. A minority outcome would have been far… View Article
Relief, cautious optimism and disappointments – lessons from the 2015 federal election
Oct 22, 2015
By Seth Klein and Shannon Daub It’s only been a few days since Canadians turfed the Harper Conservatives from office. But it feels like a month’s worth of catharsis, in the form of profound relief that after almost ten years of policies harmful to the environment, public services, social cohesion and democracy, the mean man… View Article
Why my dad and I will vote for health
Oct 15, 2015
As a family physician, the most important way I can help (and not harm) my patients, is to vote for healthcare in this election…. View Article
A petro state, a fracking frenzy and one woman’s battle for justice: Andrew Nikiforuk’s latest should be required reading for MLAs
Oct 14, 2015
Andrew Nikiforuk’s new book, Slick Water: Fracking and One Insider’s Stand Against the World’s Most Powerful Industry, captures like never before how fossil fuel companies must do more and more to coax oil and gas from the ground. And how that each time more effort is made, the social and environmental costs mount…. View Article
Can the federal parties’ child care proposals pay for the $10 a Day Plan?
Oct 14, 2015
We’ve been glad to see child care emerge as a key issue in this federal election, with three major parties (Greens, Liberals and NDP) vying to tackle the problems with the status quo: inadequate spaces, unaffordability and inconsistent quality. We analyzed the party platforms on child care in more detail in a previous post. Now… View Article
Child care and the federal election: where have the parties landed?
Oct 9, 2015
By Lynell Anderson and Iglika Ivanova Canada is one of the few advanced countries that doesn’t yet have a national child care system. We invest less in early childhood programs than any of our peer countries and fall far short of meeting the minimum public investment benchmarks recommended by UNICEF and the OECD. There’s no… View Article
The “new vision” is not so new: Let’s act on it
Oct 8, 2015
David Suzuki recently asserted that we have failed “to imagine a better way” than our current economic paradigm. I agree: We have to start identifying ourselves as citizens, not consumers. Suzuki presents a compelling case that illustrates how letting go of our addiction to an economic model that relies on growth will actually enrich our… View Article
The Leap Manifesto is ambitious, but it’s not the end of capitalism
Oct 7, 2015
Only “Radical” Next to Parties’ Modest Climate Plans The Leap Manifesto: A Call for Canada Based on Caring for the Earth and One Another was launched by a group of prominent Canadians on September 15. So far, over 25,000 Canadians have added their names to the declaration. In the face of the ho-hum party platforms… View Article
Albertans support climate action and a carbon tax: lessons for the next federal government
Oct 6, 2015
Congratulations to the Pembina Institute on a poll they conducted with EKOS Research, assessing support for climate action among Albertans. The results are fascinating and hopeful. You can find the full results here, and a good postmedia summary here. But a few highlights: A large majority of respondents (70%) support investing in renewable energy sources… View Article
Closing small business tax loopholes
Oct 2, 2015
The NDP, Liberals, Conservatives and Greens are now all proposing to cut the small business tax rate from 11% to 9% (albeit on slightly differing timelines), an unnecessary and unwise policy, as outlined in previous CCPA posts. It may make for good politics, but it’s a policy with no economic merit. It’s not all bad… View Article
What’s Wrong with Site C
Oct 1, 2015
In a #SiteC tweet no doubt designed to complement an unabashedly political debate taking place in the legislature this week, the Liberal caucus stated that Site C is the most reviewed project in BC’s history, it will create 10,000 jobs and will provide affordable, reliable clean power. The tweet is partially true. The problem though… View Article
Fraser Institute vastly overstates impact of regulatory delays in developing a BC LNG industry
Sep 22, 2015
Today’s report from the Fraser Institute, LNG Exports from British Columbia: The Cost of Regulatory Delay, states that “revenue losses from regulatory delays imposed upon the BC LNG export market would be on the order of $17–23 billion (US) per year.” This, they say, is equivalent to 9.5% of 2014 BC GDP. A closer examination… View Article
Some strengths and weaknesses in the Green Party platform
Sep 18, 2015
My recent post comparing the NDP and Liberal election positions to date drew some criticism for leaving out the Green Party. So hoping to rectify that with this post on what I see as some strengths and weaknesses of the Green plan. On Sept. 9, The Green Party became the first of the major parties… View Article
Leaping into a new carbon-free economy
Sep 17, 2015
Tuesday Sept. 15 saw the release of an exciting new document – The Leap Manifesto: A Call for a Canada Based on Caring for the Earth and One Another. In essence, the manifesto is a positive vision for Canada. It calls upon the next government to move Canada off fossil fuels quickly, insisting that baby… View Article
Who’s not coming to school this September?
Sep 8, 2015
Today is the first day of school and newspapers, Twitter feeds and Facebook pages are filled with photos of backpack-carrying children and well wishes from their community for a new school year. This celebration speaks to the importance we all place on learning, and on our collective effort to educate our children. It’s one of the most important… View Article
One year after the BC teachers’ strike, what’s happening for kids with special needs?
Sep 7, 2015
by Seth Klein and Tyson Schoeber It’s been a year since the longest strike in the history of BC’s public school system. A key outcome of that dispute was increased understanding of the phrase “class size and composition.” During the strike, the public came to appreciate that teachers were fighting not just for better wages,… View Article