Alternative Federal Budget

More than ever, Canada needs a budget that allows us to take back our fu­ture and to restore a sense of the public good — a sense that we can do bet­ter together rather than continuing on the dead-end path of austerity and market-driv­en “solutions” that don’t benefit the major­ity of Canadians.

Since 1994, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has produced such a vision. Each year, the Alternative Federal Budget (AFB) is created with the participation and support of researchers, activists, and a broad spectrum of civil society leadership — representing millions of people living in Canada.

The AFB is about demythologizing budget-making. It's about public accountability and collaboration. And it's about the millions of people living and working in Canada. This alternative vision demonstrates in a concrete and compelling way that by working together, we can do better. 

On March 12, the CCPA will release the 2013 Alternative Federal Budget. And this year, you can help!

Here's how:

• Join our Thunderclap (What's a Thunderclap? Find out here.)
• Like us on Facebook and share our posts (There will be infographics!)
• Follow, comment, and re-tweet us on Twitter, and use the tag #afb2013 to tell us about the kind of budget you want for Canada! 

According to a new study by CCPA economists Marc Lee and Iglika Ivanova, Canada’s tax system is in dire need of reform.

Fairness by Design: A Framework for Tax Reform in Canada finds that ad-hoc tax changes over the last two decades have seriously weakened the redistributive role of Canada’s tax system at a time when market inequalities call for more, not less, redistribution. The study also present a framework for a progressive tax reform strategy and recommends the establishment of a Fair Tax Commission to examine how federal taxes and transfers work together as a system and make recommendations for changes. 

Find out more in the full report, here.

Today CCPA released a paper on sector development policy by Jim Stanford. The general goal of sector development policy is to attain a more desirable sectoral mix in the economy, winning a greater share of output and employment in identified high-value or “strategic” sectors than would otherwise be the case. Sector development policy has been historically important in Canada, given our ongoing national challenge to escape the “staples trap,” and become more than just a resource-supplier to other countries. We need more industries that add value to our resources (rather than exporting them in raw form); that generate more high-income, high-quality jobs; that embody technology and innovation; and that contribute to greater success in world markets. 

This report details the negative structural consequences of the mostly unregulated resource boom and proposes a set of measures which would help to minimize those negative side-effects of resource development, and contribute to a more balanced, successful, and sustainable industry mix in Canada’s economy in future generations.

Read the full report: A Cure for Dutch Disesase: Active Sector Strategies for Canada’s Economy.