Archive
Why corporate power is a problem at the climate crossroads
Nov 27, 2015
By Shannon Daub and Bill Carroll As world leaders head to Paris for next week’s UN climate conference, the spotlight is being turned on the fossil fuel industry’s tremendous economic and political clout. The COP21 talks are sponsored by some decidedly climate-unfriendly multinationals, prompting the watchdog group Corporate Accountability International to launch a petition —signed… View Article
Want to create good, sustainable jobs for Canada? Try co-ops.
Nov 26, 2015
In the coming months and years, the new federal government will make important decisions about jobs: how we create them, protect them and make them more sustainable. Many Canadians believe there’s a trade-off to be made between employment and environmental sustainability. But that doesn’t have to be the case — particularly if we look at… View Article
5 signs the BC economy is weak and what this means for Budget 2016
Nov 25, 2015
Yesterday, the provincial government released its 2015/16 Second Quarterly Report: an update on where provincial finances are at six months into the fiscal year and where the economy is heading. The news is not very good. … View Article
Why are so many people needing food banks when the BC economy is growing?
Nov 17, 2015
Last week, Statistics Canada released new data showing the BC economy did better than expected in 2014, growing by 3.2% in real terms. This is a strong economic performance, the fastest on record since the recession ended. The new growth numbers were published just as the annual Welfare Food Challenge organized by Raise the Rates captured headlines… View Article
Five LNG whoppers
Nov 12, 2015
British Columbians have heard many “too good to be true” claims about the benefits the province will receive by launching a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export industry. The CCPA-BC’s LNG Reality Check series has been examining these claims, and what we have uncovered is a pattern of misinformation about LNG – coming primarily from the… View Article
We need a “war-time” approach to tackling the climate challenge
Nov 10, 2015
“So far as it is possible, Canada’s effort in this war must be a planned and concerted national effort… In order to have the tremendous quantities of supplies available at the right time, and in the right place, it is imperative that the economic life of Canada be reorganized, but not disorganized. The economic forces… View Article
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