February 2015

Introducing the Jack Layton and Charles Taylor Awards

on Feb 11, 2015
Posted by Rick Smith

Every day across this vast country of ours, groups of people get organized and work together to make their neighbourhood, city, province and nation a better place.

Often invisible and unheralded, these efforts are actually the wellspring of social progress.  As anthropologist Margaret Mead notes in her well-loved quotation, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”  

The group striving to establish a park along a threatened river; the young person driven to run for public office for the...

Historic Supreme Court ruling strengthens workplace justice

on Feb 10, 2015
Posted by Andrew Raven and Andrew Astritis

The Supreme Court of Canada recently released its highly anticipated decision in Saskatchewan Federation of Labour v Saskatchewan. In bold and sweeping Reasons for Judgment on behalf of a 5-2 majority, Justice Rosalie Abella overturned the Court’s previous jurisprudence and recognized a constitutionally protected right to strike under section 2(d) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Section 2(d) of the Charter guarantees the freedom of...

Budget 2015: It is Time to Invest, Not Cut

on Feb 7, 2015
Posted by Andrew Jackson

In the run-up to the delayed federal budget, there is a strange disconnect between fiscal policy and our changing economic circumstances. Balancing the budget seems to remain the key political priority, as if nothing had changed.

But the collapse of oil and other resource prices has changed a lot. Most notably, the Bank of Canada has, unexpectedly, cut interest rates to take out “insurance” against a serious slump in our resource-dependent economy. TD Economics forecast slow growth of...

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