I’ve recently co-authored a journal article¹ with Ali Jadidzadeh that asks the question: Do higher social assistance benefit levels lead to greater take-up? The short answer is yes, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t increase benefit levels. Here are 11 things to know about the study. 1. The study looks only at employable adult…
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Fast Facts: Roughly 4 million Canadians were receiving Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) in August and early September. The move from a $400 to $500 weekly amount in Employment Insurance (EI) and Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) will improve benefits for 1.8 million CERB recipients. 776,000 CERB recipients will receive no…
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“We must not let the legacy of the pandemic be one of rolling back the clock on women’s participation in the workforce, nor one of backtracking on the social and political gains women and allies have fought so hard to secure.” (Speech from the Throne, September 23, 2020) This call…
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Overcoming this pandemic that we’re living in requires the work and resolve of every order of government, every community, and each one of us—throne speech 2020 is a test of that resolve. It sets the stage for whether the federal government is going all in to ensure that no one…
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When you add up the total wealth growth of Canada’s richest 20 billionaires since the March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, their wealth has ballooned by $37 billion. Data from Forbes’ annual billionaires list and their “real-time billionaires” listing shows that Canada’s top 20 billionaires have amassed an average of just under…
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As the back-to-school terrain and announcements shift, fear and anxiety continue to rise. Second-guesswork, anxiety and wanting what’s best for your child are the great parental equalizers. What parents are able to do to mitigate that, however, is not equal—not by a long shot. It shouldn’t be lost on anyone…
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This analysis has been updated following federal legislative changes. Read the update here. Fast Facts: More than 4 million Canadians will be affected when the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) winds down on September 27. 2.1 million CERB recipients will be eligible for CERB’s replacement, Canada’s revamped Employment Insurance (EI)—but…
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Moments like these—pandemics, depressions, wars—often mark historic turning points when fundamental changes become possible.
Usually the streets would be lined with thousands of workers and their families walking in solidarity in honour of Labour Day, but parades are yet another casualty of COVID-19. Instead, workers are taking their solidarity actions online, calling for a just recovery for all. A just recovery is crucial because…
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Two giants have left us—Mel Watkins a few months ago, and now John Loxley. John (pictured, left, with Andrew Jackson and Watkins, his John Kenneth Galbraith Prize co-winners in 2008) was an inspiring and fiercely dedicated leader. His scholarly work, though impeccable, was not of an ivory tower vintage,…
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