Fiscal austerity and lost Canadian jobs
Bill Scarth is a highly respected mainstream Canadian economist at McMaster University. In a piece just published by the C.D. Howe Institute, a generally conservative think-tank, he argues that the...
Canada's over-hyped jobs recovery
The Conservative Party recently launched the “We're Better off with Harper” campaign with the claim that “with over one million net new jobs created in the recovery, Canada's economy is...
Fact check: putting the Conservatives' "million net new jobs" into context
The Conservative Party recently launched the “We're better off with Harper” campaign with the claim that “with over one million net new jobs created in the recovery, Canada's economy is...
Canada's economic performance is nothing to celebrate
For all of the self-congratulatory rhetoric of the Harper government, the fact remains that Canada’s economic recovery has been built on very fragile foundations. Growth has been fueled by the...
Refugee decision a victory for compassion and common sense in Canadian health care
On June 18, 2012, I joined dozens of health care providers and concerned citizens in Saskatoon for the 1st National Day of Action against the cuts to the Interim Federal Health...
Canada needs an action plan to fight long-term youth unemployment
Young people lag behind in Canada's economic recovery, with rates of unemployment and underemployment still significantly above pre-recession levels. The danger is that this will have a permanent scarring effect...
Putting the Supreme Court ruling on Aboriginal title in context
Thursday’s stunning Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruling, extending the scope of Indigenous rights to include the right to permanently control “land conferred by aboriginal title”, has the potential to transform the...
Book review: Unions Matter
Matthew Behrens, Editor (for the Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights). Unions Matter: Advancing Democracy, Economic Equality and Social Justice. Toronto. Between the Lines. 2014. This excellent book on why unions...
Dodge, Carney and the return of pragmatic economics
Central bank governors are not normally known for being outspoken or critical of prevailing economic policies. Not the case, it seems, for Mark Carney and David Dodge, former governors of...
Youth unemployment: a dismal situation requires bold action
The dog days of summer may yet be upon us, and already youth unemployment is a hot topic of conversation. But talk is cheap. The fact is too many young...
