As scandals about abuse of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program break with increasing regularity, the spotlight still overlooks the exploitation that workers face just to get jobs under that program.

A new report from the Metcalf Foundation reveals that migrant workers regularly pay thousands of dollars in recruiting fees — equal to as much as two to three years’ wages in their home currency — to work in minimum wage jobs in Ontario. 

The Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) have published  a major report undertaken by PwC Canada to assess the contribution to Canadian public finances of  their members. The report is based on data provided by sixty three participating member companies representing 40% of  Council members.

Not to put too fine a point on it, the report is clearly intended to leave the impression that corporate Canada is heavily taxed and a major funder of government programs and services. It has been released in the wider context of studies questioning the effectiveness of deep cuts to corporate tax rates which have resulted in mounting piles of “dead money” accumulating on corporate balance sheets.

The last National Gathering of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was held in Edmonton, Alberta late last month.

Thousands of residential school survivors gathered to share stories of their experiences in the schools, as well as the impact it has had on their lives afterwards.

During the gathering, the province of Alberta announced that residential school history will now be added to the province’s curriculum. When the audience’s cheers in reaction to the news quieted down, a key question lingered: how is it possible that this is not already part of collective knowledge across the country?