Search results for “site/Pat Armstrong”

  • The fateful summer of 1962

    Foes of Medicare turn Douglas’s dream into a nightmare As a witness to the birth of Medicare in Canada, and as someone who played a small part in bringing it to life during the stormy summer of 1962 in Saskatchewan, I am sickened now by the spectacle of its slow…

  • The Latin American Revolution (Part IX)

    Argentina was rescued from neoliberalism by Néstor Kirchner At the end of October, Argentina lost its economic saviour who made the country part of the Latin American Revolution. Néstor Kirchner, former President of Argentina and husband of the current President, Cristina Fernandez-Kirchner, died on October 27 from a heart attack.…

  • Why Canadians need universal pharmacare

    The current system for buying prescription drugs in Canada is a hybrid system of multiple public and private drug plans. This system is totally dysfunctional, for many reasons. The diversity of drug plans means that Canadians are covered for their drugs according to which province they live, or where they…

  • Three decades lost

    Less than 1% reduction in child poverty in Nova Scotia since 1989 CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL REPORT Halifax – In Nova Scotia there are 40,710 children or close to 1 in 4 children (24.2%) who live in poverty based on the most recent data. The 2019 Report Card…

  • Debt Free BC?

    It is pretty clear that the election-inspired promise of a debt free BC is not to be taken seriously. There is no credible market analysis indicating that the royalties from B.C. LNG exports would be sufficient to do that in 15 years, as the Premier would have it. The potential…

  • The Neocolonization of Africa (Part II)

    U.S. and China’s rivalry over Africa’s riches intensifies In my report on France’s invasion of Mali published in the March issue of The Monitor, I wrote that, “According to U.K. journalist John Pilger, ‘A full-scale invasion of Africa is under way. The United States is deploying troops in 35 African…

  • Economic Security Project (BC)

    Wage cuts and contracting out of health support jobs harming workers and health care system: reports

    CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL REPORT CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL REPORT (Vancouver) On the first anniversary of BC’s health care strike, two new studies show that wage cuts and contracting out in BC’s health support services are having negative impacts on workers, workplace morale, and the quality…

  • Moratorium Needed on Punishment Legislation

    More crowded and costly prisons wrong way to deter crime Prior to the 2006 federal election campaign, where the Conservatives, Liberals and New Democrats touted their “tough on crime” credentials in the shadow of the “summer of the gun,” prison systems across Canada were already facing significant challenges. In our…

  • Seniors Care

    Seniors Fact Sheet: Housing

    <Click here to download this fact sheet (PDF)> Affordable Housing Options for Seniors Living in BC Introduction BC’s provincial government has said it is committed to ensuring seniors can remain in their homes and “age in place.” Yet, the lack of adequate and affordable housing in BC means many seniors…

  • Recession, Recovery and Transformation: Revisiting the Role of Government

    Couchiching Summer Conference 2010: Watershed Moment or Wasted Opportunity? Speech to the Couchiching 2010 Summer Conference Watershed Moment or Wasted Opportunity, a 3 day conference on the significance of this recession and the nature of the recovery.  Armine presented on the “Role of the Government” panel, with Tom Flanagan and…

  • Fiscal Debate in Québec: Myth busting and flak

    Some myths are just so hard to debunk. For instance, people in Québec generally assume that they are the most taxed in North America. IRIS tackled the well-rehearsed allegation in a recently published socio-economic notice. The reply resounded of what Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky have presented in Manufacturing Consent as flak.…

  • Pourquoi l’égalité des sexes vous rendra riches et populaires

    L’élimination de l’écart salarial entre les sexes transformerait notre monde pour le mieux, tant pour les hommes que pour les femmes. Imaginez avoir plus de temps pour faire ce que vous aimez, avec les gens qui vous sont chers. Imaginez avoir un travail sûr et décent dans une économie en…