The work and family lives of Canadians have evolved over the past three decades. It's time our family policies grew up, too.
Children and youth
OTTAWA—The current federal government's approach to family policy is falling short of the needs of parents, says a study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
A new report released today by the CCPA-NS in partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL), highlights the complexity of youth employment, attraction and retention in Newfoundland and Labrador, and points to critical pathways for more effectively addressing these issues.
This report draws on the experience and insights of youth and employers, and serves as a check-in on the extensive research previously undertaken to develop a Youth Retention and Attraction Strategy for the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It identifies clear tensions between the needs and expectations of young workers and employers’ ability to create opportunities and working environments to deal with such challenges.
The Elf on the Shelf ® is a special scout elf sent from the North Pole to help Santa Claus manage his naughty and nice lists. When a family adopts an elf and gives it a name, the elf receives its Christmas magic and can fly to the North Pole each night to tell Santa Claus about all of the day's adventures. Each morning, the elf returns to its family and perches in a different place to watch the fun.
Since 1999, Nova Scotia Child Poverty Report Cards have recorded changes in child poverty rates to track progress on the House of Commons' 1989 pledge to end child poverty by the year 2000. This 25th anniversary of the pledge must be a time for serious reflection on family and child poverty across our country. Nova Scotia Child and Family Poverty Report Cards have tracked progress on this commitment since 1999. The year 2000 came and not only was child poverty eradication far from achieved, it had actually increased quite substantially since 1989.
Halifax—This 25th anniversary of the House of Commons pledge to end child poverty is a shameful one in Nova Scotia, and indeed Canada. Not only have we broken the promise to end child poverty for the children who were living it in 1989, but a higher percentage of our children now live in poverty than was the case in 1989.
First published in the Winnipeg Free Press, November 2014
This week hundreds of educators, academics and activists gather in Winnipeg for the fourth national childcare conference. They are united by a vision of a universal early childhood education and child care system in Canada. Here in Manitoba, we have made steady progress toward this goal. A strong federal partner at the table would take things to the next level.
How much of a woman's income goes to child care in Canada's big cities? Our report, The Parent Trap, developed an affordability index to compare child care fees to the median income of women aged 25 to 34 different cities across the country, revealing the most and least affordable cities for child care in Canada. Where does your city rank?
This study examines the median unsubsidized child care fees in Canada’s biggest 22 cities for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. It also develops an affordability index that compares those fees to the median income of women aged 25 to 34 in that city, revealing the most and least affordable cities for child care in Canada.