The canadian economy continues to lead the OECD in many respects. The federal government, after a near-decade of surpluses, expects another surplus even larger than its own predictions. Employment is relatively high in spite of a crisis in manufacturing. Yet ordinary canadians are worried, and with good reason. Their society is becoming more unequal by the day, and the public policies which combat inequality and sustain social security continue to be eroded.
Economy and economic indicators
Canada is in the enviable position of having posted a budget surplus for nine consecutive years.
While these resources could be used to remedy the eroding access to basic services like health care, education, and even clean water and housing, the Conservative government has chosen to adopt massive tax cuts that will further increase the gap between rich and poor, while substantially expanding its military capacity without explanation or debate around this significant change in Canada’s international role.
The income gap between the rich and the rest keeps growing, in good times and in bad. Learn more about it in this video.
TORONTO – One year after the Crash of October 2008, Ontario’s recession is looking eerily like the Great Depression and governments need to do something about that, says a report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Close Encounters of the Thirties Kind, by social policy expert John Stapleton, is a blow-by-blow account of the similarities between Ontario circa 1930s and today.
OTTAWA - Canada's economy is still mired in recession and a long way from recovery, despite months of "green shoot" speculation, says a report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
Canada's Long Road to Economic Recovery, by Jim Stanford and David Macdonald, examines Canada's economic indicators and concludes more public investment will be key to Canada's recovery.
Memo from the Prime Minister’s Office to Canada’s unemployed: it sucks to be you.
After waiting an entire summer for Harper’s minority government to finally agree to fix Canada’s inadequate Employment Insurance (EI) system – which the government did only when its electoral back was up against the wall – unemployed Canadians are still mostly out of luck.