February 2013

Ahead of 2013 budget, Flaherty should be serious about investing in public infrastructure

on Feb 21, 2013
Posted by Andrew Jackson

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is said to be considering extending funding for public infrastructure investment in his forthcoming budget, as urged by the Official Opposition, the provinces and municipalities. Let’s hope, for the sake of jobs and the environment, this is a significant, long-term initiative.

On the eve of the 2013 federal and provincial budget season, public sector austerity is still the order of...

Federal Government Must Ensure Citizens Have Equal Access to Services

on Feb 19, 2013
Posted by Andrew Jackson

Canada is one of the most decentralized federations in the world. Public services (notably health, education at all levels, social services such as elder care, and local services) are delivered and financed primarily by provincial and municipal governments.

The Canadian Constitution states that the provinces should have sufficient resources to provide “reasonably comparable services at reasonably comparable levels of taxation.”

Most Canadians would likely agree with the principle that a child in a less well-off province such as PEI...

Getting the facts straight: EI changes hurt unemployed workers

on Feb 15, 2013
Posted by Angella MacEwen

In the last federal budget (Chapter 3.3), the federal government tried to sell its changes to Employment Insurance by describing how some hypothetical workers would benefit.

Unfortunately, the scenarios they chose were so unrealistic that most workers wouldn't recognize them. 

Instead, let's see how the changes that have been made impact real-world working Canadians....