|
|
By Greg Fingas, on June 10, 2013, at 10:00 am Miscellaneous material to start your week.
- Jason Fekete reports that the Harper Cons are taking the side of international tax evaders against other G8 leaders trying to implement an effective enforcement system. And CBC reports that the Canada Revenue Agency has repeatedly turned down the opportunity to access information about tax cheats based on a policy of not offering enforcement rewards.
- In the wake of revelations about the U.S.’ PRISM surveillance system (summarized by Mathew Ingram), Michael Geist warned that Canadians should be equally concerned about their privacy. And that observation looks particularly apt in (Read more…)
By Greg Fingas, on April 29, 2013, at 9:45 am Assorted content to start your week.
- Lynn Stuart Parramore discusses the epidemic of wage theft by U.S. employers: Americans like to think that a fair day’s work brings a fair day’s pay. Cheating workers of their wages may seem like a problem of 19th-century sweatshops. But it’s back and taking a terrible toll. We’re talking billions of dollars in wages; millions of workers affected each year. A gigantic heist is being perpetrated against working people: they’re getting screwed on overtime, denied their tips, shortchanged on benefits, defrauded on payroll, and handed paychecks that bounce like rubber balls. A (Read more…)
By Greg Fingas, on April 27, 2013, at 9:44 am Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- David Olive writes that the dangerous effects of long-term unemployment (caused in no small part by gratuitous austerity) are just as much a problem in Canada as in the U.S.: With our persistent high levels of long-term unemployment, Canada is at risk of creating a new permanent underclass. The world’s economic policymaking elite, Ottawa’s included, hasn’t grasped that its enslavement to the “austerity chic” of severe cutbacks in government’s contribution to the economy is retarding the recovery it claims to be promoting. It’s like watching a grainy newsreel of Herbert Hoover’s (Read more…)
By Greg Fingas, on March 28, 2013, at 9:35 am Here, applying the recently-approved Somerset development as an example of why we should expect elected representatives to do more than just remind us that we’re on our own in dealing with health and environmental issues.
For further reading, see:- reports from CBC and Vanessa Brown; and- commentary from Edward Dodd and Paul Dechene.
By Larry Hubich, on March 14, 2013, at 9:58 pm
By opseudiablogue, on November 27, 2012, at 4:31 pm The safety and well-being of health care workers may be much more closely linked to that of their patients a new report states. Developed in collaboration with three major U.S. research organizations, the report “Improving Patient and Worker Safety: … . . . → Read More: OPSEU Diablogue: The safety and well-being of health care workers and patients is linked — report
By Larry Hubich, on November 18, 2012, at 8:59 pm
By Greg Fingas, on September 24, 2012, at 9:31 am Miscellaneous material for your Monday reading.
- The Economist adds a noteworthy voice to the chorus calling for greater tax enforcement to ensure the corporate elite pays its fair share: Characterising this steady financing as short-term lending is “the ultimate example of form over substance” and undermines a fundamental tenet of American tax policy, huffed Mr Levin. When an HP executive tried to insist the manoeuvre did not constitute profit repatriation, the senator wielded an internal HP document in which it was discussed—in the repatriation-strategy section. The Senate investigators said they suspected other companies were doing the same thing but
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
By Greg Fingas, on June 8, 2012, at 11:11 am Tuesday, May 8 saw another day of debate on the Cons’ omnibus budget legislation – and another day of general non-responsiveness from the Cons as to its actual effects. But that wasn’t for lack of important contributions from the opposition benches.
The Big Issue
Marie-Claude Morin raised issues about the omnibus bill’s attack on government accountability, while Laurin Liu pointed out that few of the massive legislative changes were ever mentioned before being crammed into a 425-page behemoth of a bill, and Chris Charlton noted that even the few MPs receiving a chance to speak to the bill would have
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review – May 8, 2012
By Greg Fingas, on May 24, 2012, at 11:29 am Monday, April 30 featured discussion of two opposition motions dealing with the federal government’s responsibility to ensure the safety of Canadians. And on both fronts, the Cons went out of their way to disclaim any such role for our public servants.
The Big Issue
Jack Harris started off the safety theme with a motion to the effect that Canada’s search-and-rescue capability should meet an international standard of 30-minute readiness. But perhaps Harris’ most important point (particularly in light of recent developments) came in response to a typical Con “why’d you vote against our budget? huh?” straw man: I
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Parliament in Review: April 30, 2012
By Larry Hubich, on May 3, 2012, at 6:00 am
By Greg Fingas, on April 15, 2012, at 4:32 pm Assorted content for your weekend reading.
- Danielle Martin discusses the importance of federal involvement in Canada’s public health care system: Whose job is it to co-ordinate health-care reform in Canada? Canadians expect our federal government to play that role. We want to know that wherever we live, we will have access to an equivalent basket of services. We want to know that our governments are buying in bulk whenever possible, maximizing savings. And we want assurances that some basic standards are being met from coast to coast to coast. Health care may be a provincial responsibility, but we know
. . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Sunday Afternoon Links
By Larry Hubich, on March 6, 2012, at 4:14 pm
By Larry Hubich, on January 16, 2012, at 3:44 pm The open letter below was written to Canada’s Premiers from the Presidents of Provincial and Territorial Federations of Labour:
An open letter to Canada’s Premiers:
Labour leaders call on Premiers to unite & defend healthcareThe future of Canada’s healthcare system is at a critical stage.As leaders of the provincial and territorial Federations of Labour, we are calling on the country’s premiers, who are meeting in Victoria, to put forward a united front and stand up for Canada’s universal healthcare system and the millions of Canadians who depend on it.
In December, the Harper government sent a clear message that
. . . → Read More: Larry Hubich’s Blog: Labour leaders call on premiers to unite & defend healthcare
By Larry Hubich, on November 11, 2011, at 9:18 am
By Greg Fingas, on October 7, 2011, at 10:29 am Assorted content to end your week.- Both Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page and Interim Auditor General John Wiersema are rightly ripping the Cons for their complete unwillingness to be honest about how they’re wasting public money. But then, the … . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Friday Morning Links
By Larry Hubich, on September 12, 2011, at 3:28 pm
By Greg Fingas, on August 18, 2011, at 10:51 pm 250 doctors and public health professionals think they can persuade Con MP Kellie Leitch to value ethics and health over political instructions. Which raises the question: after five years of Harper government, how is it that 250 doctors and public hea… . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: So much left to learn
By Larry Hubich, on April 8, 2011, at 9:41 am
By Larry Hubich, on April 5, 2011, at 1:20 am Health Sciences Association of Saskatchewan . . . → Read More: Larry Hubich’s Blog: Double standard rampant in Saskatchewan
By Larry Hubich, on March 30, 2011, at 11:50 am Health Care is an important issue for everyone in Saskatchewan. Our taxes are meant to provide everyone with REAL access to doctors, home care, hospitals and long term care services so that we can get the right level of care at the right time. So why… . . . → Read More: Larry Hubich’s Blog: Where’s the Funding: Rural Health Care
|
|
