Search results for “site/Pat Armstrong”

  • Solidarity should be common sense

    A few months back, Jim Stanford – in a provocative article entitled “When in doubt, blame unions” – noticed a troubling trend. Stanford observed that the current recession seemed to unleash a wave of public resentment against labour unions – as people, fearful of their own economic security – turned…

  • Democratic Media Reform in Canada

    Campaigns, coalitions aim to democratize media system Faced with a corporate-dominated mediascape and perceived editorial indifference or hostility, trade unions and other progressive Canadian organizations have responded pragmatically when they need to influence public opinion.  They have adopted media relations strategies, often run by specialized staff, to gain whatever space…

  • Making Women Count

    Canada lacks coherent response to end violence against women: Study

    READ THE FULL REPORT HERE. OTTAWA— Progress on ending violence against women in Canada is stalled by the absence of a coherent national policy and consistent information about the levels of that violence says a study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). “The difficulty of collecting…

  • Financial markets must be regulated to avoid another Minsky moment: report

    CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL REPORT OTTAWA—In a report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), two prominent economists warn of the ongoing the inherent instability of financial markets. The report, by Doug Peters, former Secretary of State (Finance) and former TD Bank Chief Economist, and…

  • Sociology: I Can’t Quit You

    True confession time, people. I commit sociology. And not just as a one-off. You might say—all right, I will say it—that I’m a repeat offender. In fact, I’m practically addicted. Scarcely a minute can go by without my synapses looking for their next fix. That might not be a politically correct admission.…

  • Climate change: Joe Oliver deems fears “exaggerated”

    Federal Natural Resource minister Joe Oliver stopped by Montréal on 11 April to promote tar sands and closed the door to any strict greenhouse-gas ceiling. He claimed that, according to scientists, our fears regarding climate change are “exaggerated.” He refused to retract his statement the following week before the federal natural resources…

  • Tall Tales at Tax Time: Meet Thomas and Colleen

    There is a nice little story tucked in to the pages of Canada’s Economic Action Plan 2013. It’s a sweet tale of Thomas and Colleen and their two children. (I like to imagine those little stick-figure stickers on the back of their mini-van waving hello to their friends in happy…

  • Prosperity for All

    An Alternative Economic Path for Newfoundland and Labrador Download 1.33 MB 52 pages This report finds that public spending cuts could deeply damage Newfoundland and Labrador’s economic and social well-being, and presents evidence showing how the province can avoid the kind of austerity measures destabilizing economies the world over.

  • Every revolution is about power

    So what does a sustainable economy really look like, and how do we get there? Climate change essentially means a huge mitigation effort on greenhouse gases culminating in something close to zero emissions by mid-century at the latest. This means phasing out fossil fuels entirely; or minimally, if it comes…

  • Alternative Federal Budget

    Beyond the crisis

    Ten propositions for a resurgence of the progressive movement The Hon. Ed Broadbent was the lunchtime speaker at an Alternative Federal Budget Roundtable held in Ottawa in November 2009. This is the text of his speech. Proposition One Virtually all governments in the developed democracies agree on one thing: our…

  • Old Age Security system needs strengthening: report

    CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL REPORT OTTAWA—Canada’s Old Age Security system needs improvement in order to help ensure the economic security and dignity of Canadians in retirement, says a new report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). The report, by pension expert and CCPA Research…

  • Public or private – how the choice for P3s gets made

    Did you ever wonder how Partnerships BC justifies using 35 year contracts for public private partnerships rather than borrowing the money publicly and doing things like hospitals and roads as public projects? Well now you can find out.  PBC has published its methodology on a website.  They have even asked…