Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - research • analysis • solutions

A solution to Toronto's $2.5 billion public transit expansion

emily — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:59:06 +0000

A new report by CCPA-Ontario economist Hugh Mackenzie lays out a range of revenue generating options that could readily fund plans to expand public transit in the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton. Mackenzie assesses all of the funding options currently on the table, weighs the pros and cons of each, and considers a package of tax options that would be fair and efficient. His report comes at a time when the city and the province are considering options to move transit expansion plans forward. It offers a range of solutions that could represent a compromise position for politicians seeking a resolution to the region's political and traffic gridlock.

Read the full report: Toronto’s $2.5 Billion Question: GTA and Hamilton Public Transit Expansion Revenue Options.

You can also read Tess Kalinowski's article in the Toronto Star about this report: Who benefits from the answer to Toronto’s $2.5 billion transit question?

Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada

Lynne — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:14:05 +0000

The Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights has a new e-bulletin with some interesting updates. Given the interest lately in temporary foreign workers and their impact on Canada's labout market, Ken Georgetti's update, Migrant workers account for most new jobs: CLC is particularly relevant.

On the same topic, there was some great news coming out of Manitoba yesterday regarding the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program. Thanks to years of hard work by UFCW, The Migrant Workers Solidarity Network, and the Manitoba Federation of Labour - supported by research by the CCPA MB., the Province of Manitoba announced effective immediately, it will giving Manitoba's SAWP workers access to universal healthcare. This Winnipeg Free Press story give some details. The full CCPA Mb. report (Migrant Voices) that was released yesterday (and that was part of the push for this policy change) is available on this website, along with a WorkLife summary from the Errol Black Chair in Labour Issues.

For those who track and compare how migrant workers are treated across the country, this Migrant Workers Report Card was prepared by The Canadian Council for Refugees. It was compiled before yesterday's announcement from Manitoba (see above) about granting healthcare to SAWP workers.

New video from our Budget Forum featuring Kevin Page

emily — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:54:17 +0000

On April 25^th, the CCPA hosted a forum on the changing nature of federal budgets, featuring former Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page. As the keynote speaker, Mr. Page delivered a captivating talk about his time as Canada’s first PBO, and we are grateful to him for sharing his experience with us. Many thanks also to our terrific budget panel, featuring Peter Devries, Mario Seccareccia, Sylvain Schetagne, and David Macdonald—and to our moderator, Althia Raj.

If you weren’t able to attend our event (or you'd like to see it again!), you can now watch it online via The Canadian Parliamentary Affairs Channel (CPAC). The video is available in two parts:

Kevin Page at the Podium: Mr. Page speaks about his experience as Canada’s first Parliamentary Budget Officer, how he envisioned the new office, the challenges he faced, and the future of the PBO.

Panel Discussion: Panellists evaluate the 2013 federal budget and whether it addresses the big macroeconomic challenges facing the country.

Is wealth too powerful in Canada?

emily — Mon, 13 May 2013 01:34:25 +0000

Thursday evening at the Canadian War Museum, in a debate presented by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and moderated by historian Jack Granatstein, CCPA Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan and economist William Watson debated the motion, “Wealth has too much power in Canada.”

Read Armine's argument online here: Is wealth too powerful in Canada? YES.

Inequality is accelerating

emily — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:20:54 +0000

"Inequality is accelerating – and with it, the fragility of our economy." The latest column by Frances Russell, Tax cuts a race to the bottom, connects the dots between worsening income inequality in Canada, the insatiable political drive for more tax cuts, and the diminishing role of government in mitigating the gap between the rich and the rest of us.

Read the full article, here.

CCPA presents on income inequality to the Standing Committee on Finance

emily — Mon, 06 May 2013 19:15:11 +0000

CCPA Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan was among the witnesses who testified to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance as part of the committee’s ongoing study of income inequality. Armine discusses income inequality—giving us cause to consider what inaction could mean—and shares some recommendations on how the federal government can play an important role in offsetting growing income inequality and the problems it unleashes.

You can read the full transcript of Armine's presentation, here: Study of Income Inequality in Canada—What Can Be Done. You can also watch video of the hearing, here.

Links to Union Related Material from Broadbent Institute

Lynne — Fri, 03 May 2013 14:55:10 +0000

April 2, 2013. From Andrew Jackson at the Broadbent Institute:

The Broadbent Institute has posted five responses to the report, "Union Communities, Healthy Communities" expressing support for labour rights and strong unions by activists from other social movements.

These speak to the role of unions in support of environmental sustainability, human rights and social development.

The contributors are Laurel Rothman, Grace-Edward Galabuzi,, Alex Neve, Frances Lankin, and Tzeporah Berman with Steven Guilbeault .

Four more years of austerity

Cheryl Athersych — Fri, 03 May 2013 10:43:59 +0000

Ontario's provincial budget has been tabled and the conclusion is: Ontarians can expect four more years of austerity budgets. Read the tea leaves in this instant budget analysis by Hugh Mackenzie and Trish Hennessy here.

Without change in public policy, Canada's gender gap will persist

emily — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:50:36 +0000

The coming weeks will see women and men graduating in nearly equal numbers from schools across Canada. By the time those women and men reach their 30s, they will see the gap between their incomes and their share of paid work widen. This pattern will continue throughout their working lives. The women of the class of 2013 can look forward to lower rates of promotion at work, less stable work, and diminished retirement security. They will occupy less than a quarter of the senior leadership positions in the public and political sectors.

A new study, by CCPA research associate Kate McInturff, finds that Canada's progress in closing the gap between women and men in the areas of political and economic empowerment has slowed nearly to a standstill. Unless we do something differently, we won't be able to promise equality to the class of 2013 or any other graduating class for the next 228 years.

Read more about Canada's gender gap—and how we can close it—in the full report: Closing Canada’s Gender Gap: Year 2240 Here We Come!

Full List of Canadian Companies Authorized to use Temporary Foreign Workers

Lynne — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:03:12 +0000

The Globe and Mail has published a list of all Canadian companies authorized to use the Temporary Foreign Workers program. Companies on this list are not necessarily using TFWs, but the fact that the list is 475 pages long tells us something about the popularity of the program.

Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights

Lynne — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:50:54 +0000

The Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights (CFLR) is a national voice devoted to promoting labour rights as an important means to strengthening democracy, equality and economic justice here in Canada and internationally.

CFLR provides a forum for its members to promote and publish their independent research, policy papers and articles which are consistent with the objectives of the Foundation.

CLFR also promotes its work within the broader labour rights communities – unions and other labour organizations, labour relations programs within Canadian universities and colleges, labour law schools and legal firms and other progressive think tanks.

Canadian Foundation of Labour Rights International Conference

Lynne — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:22:39 +0000

Toronto (27 March 2013) – More than 160 people gathered in Toronto to discuss the critical role labour rights and unions play in reducing income inequality, advancing democracy, and promoting the social well-being of all Canadians.

The three-day conference, "Labour Rights and Their Impact on Democracy, Economic Equality and Social Justice," was organized by the Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights (CFLR) and sponsored by the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW Canada) and the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF).

The keynote speaker was acclaimed U.K. author and social epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson. He is Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology at University of Nottingham, Honorary Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at University College London and Visiting Professor at University of York. He is the co-author of the award-winning book, The Spirit Level.

The conference foundation paper entitled Union Matters is a comprehensive report reviewing international literature showing the critical role unions play in reducing income inequality. It is an excellent resource for those doing research on the societal-wide value of unions.

Alternate Routes journal

Lynne — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:05:58 +0000

The Alternate Routes journal publishes methodologically-sound political economy research that is of interest to labour researchers. The article Toby Sangster referred to on the TURC listserver is in this issue: Great-Recession Proof? Shattering the Myth of Canadian Exceptionalism. You can go to the home link from this page and register for the journal. At the moment, this most recent issue is not on-line, but older issues are and you can see where to buy the journal.

New fact sheets: health care, housing, social support for BC seniors

Sarah Leavitt — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 00:15:45 +0000

Our seniors care researcher Janine Farrell has created a series of fact sheets on issues for seniors in BC, distilling CCPA-BC research in this area into key points and suggested questions for candidates in the provincial election.

Caring for BC's Aging Population: Improving Health Care for All (English)

Caring for BC's Aging Population: Improving Health Care for All (Spanish)

Caring for BC's Aging Population: Improving Health Care for All (Chinese)

Affordable Housing Options for Seniors Living in BC (English)

Enhancing Social Support for Seniors Living in BC (English)

Youth and Unions

Lynne — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:55:20 +0000

Are unions doing a good job of connecting with young workers and teaching them about their rights in the workplace? A TURC (Trade Union Research Collective) member provided us with this article on the challenges of getting youth engaged with the labour movement - something we all need to figure out.

Read the full article, Do unions still matter to young people? on CBC's website.

Labour Symposium in Ontario

Lynne — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:41:53 +0000

CCPA Ontario is holding a one-day symposium featuring leading union researchers and communicators on Monday April 22, 2013.

Speakers include: Janet Schaffer, AFL-CIO; Brynne Sinclair-Waters, OFL, Jim Stanford, CAW, and more.

Unfortunately all the spaces are taken, but we later hope to have links on this website to some of the papers so that folks across the country can learn from this event.

Push back on Bill C-377

Lynne — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:41:45 +0000

TURC members have been responding to Armine's posting about the debate heating up in the Senate on Bill C-377. It is heartening that the odd Senator has the sense and the conviction to push back on this proposed legislation. This link will take you to Senator James Cowan's address to the Senate where he responds to several controversial Conservative policies, from Bill C-377 to muzzling of scientists to funding cuts for a variety of important initiatives. His analysis of Bill C-377 is detailed and robust.

This link will take you to Conservative Senator Segal's speech wherein he rails against Bill C-377.

Canadian Airlines also use TFWs

Lynne — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 14:15:36 +0000

It turns out that the banking sector is not the only one to take advantage of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP). The airline industry is also happily lowering costs with TWFs at the same time as it dukes it out with unionized Canadian workers. This despite the fact that worldwide demand for pilots is growing.

Read how a Canadian company, Porter Airlines treats its unionized workers. This story has another layer to it: one of Porters major investors, OMERS, runs the pension plan for Ontario municipal and school board employees. So we have an absurd situation where union members’ pension funds are invested in an anti-union company which supports the use of TFWs. OMERS refuses to consider more than return on investments; it will not “poke its nose into operational matters”.

Finally, both SunWing and CanJet use temporary foreign pilots when there are Canadian pilots who are out of work. Ironically, one Canadian pilot had to go to Pakistan to fly there, making him a foreign worker in another country. By bringing lower-paid temporary foreign pilots, Canadian companies are driving down wages in Canada and forcing Canadian pilots to work far from their homes and families in sometimes dangerous situations.

The Budget in Focus: A forum featuring former PBO Kevin Page

kerri — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:26:17 +0000

Join us in Ottawa Thursday, April 25 for a forum on the changing nature of federal budgets featuring former Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page.

The Budget in Focus: A forum on the changing nature of federal budgets

Thursday, April 25th, 2013
9am to Noon
Sheraton Hotel, Penthouse suite, 17th floor, 150 Albert Street, Ottawa

Schedule:

9:00 am: Introductions (by David Macdonald, CCPA)

9:15am - 10:30am: Kevin Page, former Parliamentary Budget Officer

Speaking about his experience as Canada’s first Parliamentary Budget Officer, how he envisioned the new office, the challenges he faced, and the future of the PBO.

10:30am - 10:45am: Coffee break

10:45 – Noon: Panel discussion on Budget 2013: An evaluation of Budget 2013’s primary measures and how it addresses (or not) the big macro-economic challenges facing Canada.

Moderator: Althia Raj, Ottawa Bureau Chief, Huffington Post Canada

Panelists:

Peter Devries, Consultant in fiscal policy and co-author of 3dPolicy.ca blog
Mario Seccareccia, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Ottawa
Sylvain Schetagne, National Director of Social and Economic Policy, Canadian Labour Congress
David Macdonald, Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Event poster (click to view larger image):

Armine Yalnizyan on the business of outsourcing in Canada

emily — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:11:32 +0000

In recent years, Canada has seen an explosion of low-skilled temporary foreign workers. Though outsourcing is not new, the practice is under renewed scrutiny—especially given the recent alleged in-sourcing of workers at RBC and the HD Mining case in British Columbia. On this morning’s episode of CBC Radio’s The Current, CCPA Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan does a great job of contextualizing the outsourcing problem in Canada and its troubling consequences, including a disappearing middle class.

Listen to Armine, here.

BC's public sector: decades of cuts have done their damage

Sarah Leavitt — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:50:41 +0000

In BC, 20 years of cuts to the public sector have had serious consequences. A report released today by our BC office shows how an understaffed public sector (the smallest in Canada) has left British Columbians vulnerable:

Read the news release: BC's public sector the smallest in Canada; public services short-staffed

Read the report: Reality Check on the Size of BC's Public Sector

The 28 cent difference

Cheryl Athersych — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 03:16:12 +0000

Working women in Ontario are doing all they can to get by: they're working hard, they're driving enrolments in bachelor and master's degree programs at our universitites. But when it comes to pay, the gap between men and women remains. Women in Ontario earn 28% less than men. And we know that racialized women, Aboriginal women and women with disabilities disproportionately find themselves on the lower end of the income scale in Ontario - reflecting systemic discrimination in the labour market. None of this is inevitable.

Learn more about the pay gap between men and women in Ontario with this new CCPA-Ontario report by legal expert Mary Cornish and find out how we can close the gap. For starters, take a look at this simple, shareable flow chart:

(Click to enlarge)

A valuable resource: gender and work database

Lynne — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 19:49:01 +0000

For anyone doing research on work and gender, here is a valuable resource: the Gender and Work Database is housed at York University and maintained by a team of respected researchers. The GWD is suitable for researchers with varying levels of expertise and with different needs, and you'll find modules on health care, migration, precarious employment, technology, unions and unpaid work. You can also access a library, statistics, and thesaurus.

Visit the database here.

New information on federal job and service cuts

emily — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 11:22:55 +0000

After four austerity budgets and lots of hide and seek, there are finally some answers about what services federal departments are going to cut. CCPA’s Senior Economist David Macdonald has examined over 180 departmental Reports on Plans and Priorities in order to estimate employment cuts down to the program level and determine where federal spending cuts hit the hardest. He finds that cuts have disproportionately focused on service delivery, and that the total number of federal public service jobs cut over the entire austerity period (March 2012 to March 2016) will be 28,700—with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada experiencing the largest loss of positions. By 2016, the total number of people working for the federal government will have fallen by 8%, almost double the 4.8% figure reported in Budget 2012.

Read the full analysis here.

Beyond the three R's: BC needs to plan for zero waste

Sarah Leavitt — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:12:51 +0000

Our newest study, co-published with the Wilderness Committee, shows how "zero waste" policies would protect BC's environment and climate and create jobs. Read the report and download the infographic here: policyalternatives.ca/zero-waste.