The Ontario PCs have released a new video with finance critic Peter Shurman suggesting the Liberals cannot balance their budget on schedule by restraining health care to 2 per cent and education to 1 per cent. The timing appears a bit off. … Continue reading →
Continue readingTag: don drummond
OPSEU Diablogue: The best of Diablogue in 2012
It’s time for us to take our seasonal break and wish the best of the season to all our readers and posters. Next year will be challenging for health care activists as hospitals continue to shed services to balance their … Continue reading →
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: 10 Insights from the Action Assembly Weekend
“Either I pay taxes or have my mother live with me,” said Neil Brooks with a sly smile. Brooks, co-author of The Trouble With Billionaires (with Linda McQuaig) underlined the value of taxes during the keynote address at this year’s … Contin…
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Rachlis tireless in myth-busting around health care sustainability
It’s good to see Dr. Michael Rachlis on the opinion pages of today’s Toronto Star. Rachlis has been tireless in his myth-busting around the sustainability of health care. As he points out today, total health care costs as a percentage … Continue reading →
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Three Cheers for the Fraser Institute!
At times, the Fraser Institute produces such helpful material. I hope they make their well-heeled funders, such as the multi billionaire Koch brothers, proud. However, I’m sure the Kochs are more concerned missteps by their progeny Mitt and Ryan are derailing their chance to buy the US presidency. So back
Continue readingOPSEU Diablogue: Reality checks in – austerity plan based on exaggerated deficits
In February we attended a forum hosted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives looking at the manufactured crisis the Liberals are using to bring in a far-reaching austerity agenda. At the time, we noted that Finance Minister Dwight Duncan has … Continue reading →
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Ontario Budget Emulates Drummond
Perhaps the most striking feature of today’s Ontario budget is how close it comes to last month’s Drummond report. Drummond’s recommendation for 2017-18 was $134.7 billion of provincial revenue, $117.5 billion of program spending and $15.3 billion of interest payments. By comparison, today’s budget envisions $135.9 billion of revenue, $118.9
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links
This and that for your Tuesday reading. – Erin notes that the revenue gap being used as an excuse to demand massive cuts in Ontario is nearly entirely closed with a more plausible set of underlying assumptions and projections – and that’s without taking the look at revenue which was
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Debunking Drummond
The Drummond report claims that Ontario is headed for a $30-billion deficit. This figure has been widely and uncritically reported. For example, The Globe and Mail, printed four articles featuring this number in its February 18 edition. The Ontario government projected a balanced budget with a $1-billion contingency reserve by
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Thomas Walkom points out that the McGuinty Libs’ choice to emphasize austerity rather than stabilizing Ontario’s economy may lead down exactly the same destructive path travelled by Greece and other countries: (T)he crises in Spain, Portugal and Greece occurred because government spending cuts
Continue readingFalse positive: private profit in Canada's health care: Drummond and For-Profit Health Care
Considering the 1,500 dollars a day Don Drummond was paid and the research staff at his disposal you would figure that his analysis would be more subtle and better informed. It is not news that Don Drummond supports for-profit health care but his rationale is shockingly simplistic. The following is the
Continue readingThe Progressive Economics Forum: Drummond Misdiagnoses Ontario’s Economy
The Harvard International Review has posted an interview with Don Drummond. I have posted the following response: It is good Drummond confesses that his free-market policy prescriptions failed to improve productivity, but old habits apparently die hard: “We have an Employment Insurance scheme that basically dissuades people from going where
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Afternoon Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – No, it isn’t much surprise that poll respondents may think we’ve moved to the right as a country: after all, Con propaganda (largely echoed by the media) has been declaring that for years. But as Warren Kinsella notes, that perception bears no resemblance
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
Assorted content to end your week. – Susan Riley brilliantly slams the message that austerity is necessary for everybody but those who already have the most: Is anyone else getting tired of being lectured about austerity by wealthy consultants in expensive suits who charge $1,500 a day for their advice
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Erin nicely summarizes Don Drummond’s report on Ontario’s finances. But it’s worth noting that leaving aside Drummond’s own choice not to follow the instruction, anybody looking for a thorough analysis of Ontario’s fiscal realities should be able to discount the report in
Continue readingCalgaryGrit: The Drummond Report
The eagerly anticipated Drummond report has been released – if you’re into horror stories, by all means curl up by the fire and read the full 562 pages here. In it, Drummond offers 320 recommendations. The initial reaction by many pundits is that this puts NcGuinty in a bind, since
Continue readingCalgaryGrit: Stories of the Week
After spending the week talking about Liberal leadership on this blog, a brief look at what else is making news. 1. The Harper government has made noise about pension reform, prompting a round of howls from the opposition benches about Harper throwing grannies out on the street. I’ll reserve judgment
Continue readingthe reeves report: Don Drummond predicts health care will consume Ontario budget by 2030
Don Drummond speaking at the CD Howe Institute Therapy or Surgery? A Prescription for Canada’s Health System examines the state of health care provision in Canada, and offers a staunch defence of the public model. And while the report does indicate that many facets of the current system should remain
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Afternoon Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Thomas Walkom suggests that the systematic eviction of Occupy camps from Canadian cities may only help the movement to evolve from its first form: City administrations in places like Toronto, Halifax and Vancouver are inadvertently handing demonstrators something they desperately need —
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