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Some time ago, a white-collar professional acquaintance of mine was temporarily laid off. She was concerned—maybe a bit embarrassed—but not too worried; she had good connections and an impressive CV. She even had some savings. But they certainly wouldn’t last long: she still needed an income.
I asked her if she had applied for EI yet, and she looked at me, shocked.
“I’d never go on EI—that’s for people who really need it,” she told me. “I’ve taken out a line of credit to tide me over.”
2 CommentsTags: Child Care·Income Inequality·Public Services·satire
As Canada’s Twitter elite (economists, pundits, partisans) broke out into a virtual policy brawl over yesterday’s NDP national affordable child care pledge, I couldn’t help but think the party might have hit a political sweet spot.
Of course there were the typical Twitter arguments between Liberals and New Democrats that break out every time one of them makes a political pledge.
But another line of argumentation unfolded on my Twitter news feed – one designed to exploit class tensions. The argument advanced by a few well-off Twitterati asserts that universally accessible, affordable programs, like child care, aren’t progressive because rich people can afford to pay for these services themselves.
3 CommentsTags: Child Care·quebec
Licia Ronzulli voting with her 1 month old daughter on September 22, 2010. by European Parliament/Pietro Naj-Oleari
A number of cities across Canada are gearing up for municipal elections. As the field of candidates becomes clear it is also becoming obvious that there is a serious gap in the numbers of men and women running for office. It seemed like a good time to ask: why don’t more women run for office?
Here’s why.
1. Work. Life.
By Timkal (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Presents for everyone!
So what are women in Nunavut going to find in their stockings this year? The bulk of federal investments in economic development in the north are funnelled through the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, which has an annual budget of just over $50 million (although that number is projected to decline over the next few years). Much of that $50 million is currently directed towards resource development—training for folks to work in the resource sector, infrastructure to get to the resources, research to tell us where the resources are.
2 CommentsTags: Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency·Nunavut
What makes for happy families? It turns out parents and policy makers could learn a lesson or two from their kids.
Lesson one: share.
OK, I’ll admit it, there is one thing you can’t share—those nine awesome months of heartburn and swollen ankles. But the day your bundle of joy arrives, the sharing benefits start. In 2006 Quebec implemented a new paternity leave program to help fathers share more of the benefits and (yes, also the dirty diaper, and the middle of the night headaches) with mothers. Result? More fathers take time out after their kids are born in Quebec than in the rest of Canada. A lot more. Three times more.
No CommentsTags: Child Care·Employment and Labour·Gender Equality·quebec
Well, that was awkward.
Oh, sorry—I’m not talking about how the federal government, in a remarkable display of self-satire, cut short debate on the Fair Elections Act (or as I like to call it: “Democracy 2.0: Abridged too far”).
And, tempting as it is, I’m not hinting at the recent PBO analysis that demonstrates, directly contradicting the Treasury Board’s 18 days estimate, how sick leave in the Federal public service is virtually identical to the 11 days per year that private sector workers take.
Nor am I referring to the Federal Budget’s youth internship programs that, at best, address the needs of 1% of unemployed youth.
No CommentsTags: Alternative Federal Budget·Child Care·Income Splitting·satire·Taxes and Tax Cuts
Apparently people get all subjective when they talk about children. Thank goodness we have economists. Not those crazy “social welfare” people who are “lobbying the state for more resources for families with children.” Real economists. With real facts. Economists like Christopher Sarlo, from the Fraser Institute, who published a real report (The Cost of Raising Children) on the real cost of raising children in Canada.
7 CommentsTags: Child Care·children
Remember that uncle who gave you a remote control car for Christmas and then played with it himself all day? Not that you wanted a remote control car. But still, who was that present for anyway?
Well, Prime Minister Harper is up north again and he’s got a wicked stealth snowmobile and a big bag of priorities for Canada’s Arctic. Top of the list: Arctic sovereignty and economic development. On his first stop of the tour this year Harper lauded the “hardy, industrious people from all over the world, who, digging for gold, ended up digging the foundations for an increasingly powerful northern economy.” To that gold-digging end, the Prime Minister’s visit to the Arctic has included the announcement of all kinds of new goodies for the north – training (to work in extractive industries), jobs (in extractive industries), roads to resources (in extractive industries).
No CommentsTags: Economy & Economic Indicators·Gender Equality·Indigenous issues
There is a nice little story tucked in to the pages of Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2013. It’s a sweet tale of Thomas and Colleen and their two children. (I like to imagine those little stick-figure stickers on the back of their mini-van waving hello to their friends in happy economic-action-plan-land). This story is called “Canadian families keep more of their hard-earned dollars as a result of the government’s actions to reduce the tax burden.”
4 CommentsTags: Federal Budget·Gender Equality·Taxes and Tax Cuts
The Finance Minister got a new pair of shoes. Canadians got a new federal budget. And women in Canada got another haircut.
Budget 2013 is all about Jobs! Jobs! Jobs! And who wouldn’t like a job. Maybe some training. Maybe even a full-time job. With benefits. And a pension plan. Oh go crazy, let’s throw in equal pay.
Not so fast girls! NO JOB FOR YOU!
Why not?
1. Women and the Extractive Industry
2 CommentsTags: Child Care·Employment and Labour·Gender Equality·Women
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