Heading into Ontario’s June 7 election, the three major political parties have made distinct expenditure promises and revenue announcements. Let’s look at these fiscal plans in historical and comparative context (see note 1). Ontario governments have traditionally supplied a comparatively low level of public services (e.g., health, education, etc.) and…
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In Ontario’s first-past-the-post electoral system, it’s not just a matter of counting votes. Here are a few things to think about that may help determine who wins—and who loses—on June 7: Geography matters Governments change when the same people vote differently, or when different people vote the same—but in a…
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Just how likely is it that a NAFTA deal can be concluded this year? Last week, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan entered the fray, saying that this Thursday (May 17) is the drop-dead date for the Trump administration to notify Congress that a NAFTA deal has been reached, if there…
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I was invited to appear before a parliamentary trade committee last week on behalf of the CCPA to discuss a possible Canadian free trade agreement (FTA) with the Mercosur countries. I must say that, while CCPA is always happy to participate in such discussions, it’s hard to understand why the…
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The build started with a single West Coast cedar tree. In the early hours of March 10, against the backdrop of forest-covered Burnaby Mountain on the shores of B.C.’s Burrard Inlet, volunteers carried in wood planks and cement corner stones and set to work. Within hours, they had constructed a…
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Is CETA a progressive trade deal? That’s the question I’ve been asked to answer on a six-city European tour to countries that haven’t yet ratified the agreement. It’s certainly the presumption of Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and others, who believe CETA should be a benchmark against which to…
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An estimated 3.2 million people turned out for Women’s Marches around the world on Saturday. The sea of protesters had barely arrived on the Washington Mall before the questions started: “Where will this protest movement go? Do they have a plan? Is this just a one-off event?” 3.2 million people…
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Photo via Evan Guest / Flickr It’s been a little over a week since we were jolted by the profoundly disturbing reality of a Donald Trump US presidency. We’ve all found ourselves in many discussions about how such an abhorrent and blatantly racist and misogynist candidate could have won the…
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We are in the midst of a historic opportunity to strengthen our democracy. Our federal government has committed to making the 2015 election the last under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system, and an all-party parliamentary committee has been consulting experts and the public on how to make our elections fairer…
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If anything’s become clear while watching the star-spangled spectacle unfold south of the border, it’s this: nature—in this case, human nature—abhors a vacuum. The context is evident. Growing inequality. Gutted infrastructure. The rise of the precariat. And in the absence of a clearly articulated plan that will address the disillusionment,…
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