Archive
ILO points to low union density and low minimum wages as causes of economic collapse
Jan 8, 2011
One more major international organization has published a report commenting on the damage done by growing inequality in society. In December the International Labour Organization (ILO) published its second Global Wage Report. The first such report examined trends in global wages in good times. This one examines what happened in the economic collapse. Looking at… View Article
A Challenge to BC’s Leadership Candidates: Dare to Be Bold and to Tell Us the Truth
Jan 4, 2011
Some thoughts on what I’d love to hear in the current leadership contests: As a number of fundamental crises become more apparent (ecological and economic, not to mention the democratic deficit), the public is looking for bold ideas and bold leadership. Sadly, too many political strategists (as they will confess in private company) operate on… View Article
The IPP Lobby’s Top Ten
Jan 4, 2011
The Vancouver Sun’s Gordon Hamilton reports that the IPP lobby, BC Citizens for Green Energy, has released a Letterman-like top ten reasons for the development of more of their run-of-river and other ‘green’ power projects. Though not as funny as Letterman, the BCCGE’s top ten could bring out a laugh, except for the serious environmental and… View Article
Olympics – ‘Rousing Financial Success’?
Dec 19, 2010
Though not a true believer myself, I can think of a number of positive impacts from the 2010 Olympics. There was, without question, a community spirit seldom if ever seen in Vancouver. There was a renewed commitment to excellence in sport. However, one thing I couldn’t imagine anyone suggesting is that it was a “rousing… View Article
Missing the Vote: Democratic Reform in BC
Dec 16, 2010
I’ve long thought that we should lower the voting age to 16, so thanks to Mike deJong for raising it in the BC Liberal leadership campaign. I speak from some experience, as I voted shortly after I turned 17 in the Ontario provincial election. I was a frosh in residence at Western and no one… View Article
UNICEF shames Canada for inequality among children
Dec 16, 2010
In an earlier blog Shannon Daub reported on Mark Milke’s assertion that inequality was a lot of humbug. UNICEF has published a report that shows that it is children who bear the burden of inequality and that children are not to blame for it. When many of us think about UNICEF we think of an… View Article
How fossils fuel campaigns
Dec 15, 2010
Kevin Falcon’s tour of northeast BC, heart of the province’s oil and gas industry, and his dissin’ of BC’s (modest but important) climate measures was one of those moments when one realizes that things could actually get a lot worse in BC politics. Falcon cut his cabinet teeth as minister for deregulation, and is positioning… View Article
Opportunity will solve poverty, we can all get stinking rich if we work hard enough, and my pet unicorn is real
Dec 14, 2010
Mark Milke argues in today’s Vancouver Sun that massive and growing inequality is not a serious problem. In his mind, anyone concerned about the growing gap between the rich and the rest of us must simply suffer from a bad case of envy. It is unfortunate that the Sun chose to run this piece the… View Article
Something for the toolbox
Dec 12, 2010
CCPA Research Associate Marvin Shaffer has written a book that deserves to be in the toolbox of people questioning decisions around government projects. The title of the book – Multiple Account Benefit-Cost Analysis: A practical Guide for the Systematic Evaluation of Project and Policy Alternatives – won’t have it jumping off the shelves in time for… View Article
Global Pathology
Dec 10, 2010
[Note: I will be giving a presentation on this subject this Sunday, December 12th, from 12:30 to 1:30 at the Unitarian Church (Hewett Hall), 49th and Oak, Vancouver] ———- Johann Goethe wrote: “Viewed from the height of reason, all life looks like some malignant disease and the world like a madhouse.” His view may seem… View Article
What’s Canada’s Carbon Debt?
Dec 10, 2010
Martin Khor, of the South Centre, has done an interesting analysis for the (doomed) Cancun negotiations on climate change. The talks have broken down on north-south lines, with southern countries wanting to keep the Kyoto framework that puts the onus on northern (advanced, industrialized) countries to reduce emissions and give carbon space to southern countries… View Article
The Vision Thing
Dec 6, 2010
For many years now, the year 2010 has had an almost mythic quality to it. More than just a decade-ending round number (we never collectively named that decade; I like “the naughties” myself), it had deep meaning for BC because THEY WERE COMING. The Olympics. Vancouver 2010. In the early days, utopian olympianism ruled the… View Article
Reduction in unionization helped break the economy
Dec 5, 2010
Do unions have any role in today’s society? Right wing organizations like the Fraser Institute say no but a report from an unlikely source suggests otherwise. The International Monetary Fund, no left wing organization, has published a paper suggesting the decline of unionization is one of the causes of the financial crisis and an increase… View Article
The Economist Magazine calls out BC
Dec 1, 2010
Well, I never thought I’d see this rebuke of Canada and BC in The Economist Magazine of all places. But the current issue of the conservative magazine singles out BC for its high rate of child poverty. You can find it here. The piece highlights cuts to welfare, and notes, “One of the keenest slashers… View Article
Poverty reduction update
Dec 1, 2010
Lots of developments on the Poverty Reduction front over the last two weeks. Here are a few updates: First, last week brought news that Danny Williams is stepping down as premier of Newfoundland and Labrador. Personally, I’m sad to see him go. Rarely mentioned in the news reports last week about his record of accomplishments… View Article
Globe misses the mark on food
Nov 23, 2010
Today’s Globe and Mail features an article about the farming crisis in Canada. On close inspection the “crisis” is that Canada has not kept up its share of the global marketplace; that is, it is about our failure to increase exports. Low farm incomes are mentioned with nostalgiac dismay but nothing of the large transnational… View Article
A Paradigm Shift is Happening
Nov 21, 2010
A “paradigm shift” was the theme of Dr. Marti Glenn, one of the keynote speakers at the 2010 International Congress of The Association for Prenatal and Perinatal Psychology & Health, which took place from November 11-14 at Asilomar, California. Dr. Glenn, who is the Dean of the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute, began by saying that,… View Article
Reducing the space for democracy – one speaker from the CCPA’s 30th anniversary
Nov 21, 2010
Last week I was lucky enough to join 250 people in Ottawa for a daylong conference to honour the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Nine different speakers and two intelligent moderators focused the audience on the democratic and economic challenges we face as a Canadians and some solutions we need to… View Article
Our taxes really aren’t too high says Liberal backbencher
Nov 17, 2010
A follow up to Blair Redlin’s post on municipal taxation. It appears that at least one backbench MLA in BC’s Liberal government also thinks businesses are getting a pretty good deal from our local governments. West Vancouver – Capilano MLA Ralph Sultan has an opinion piece on his website in which he says “Vancouver reigns… View Article
Rights-based legal aid: a proposal for BC
Nov 9, 2010
CCPA-BC’s new study on legal aid in BC explores the impact of cuts to the system and proposes a new rights-based approach that would cut both economic and social costs. Listen to interviews with the authors on CBC’s Early Edition, Jim Harrison’s show on CHNL in Kamloops and Adam Stirling’s show on CFAX in Victoria…. View Article