It’s traditional in many cultures to usher in the New Year with wishes for prosperity. But after a year of slow growth when the province actually lost jobs, fewer BC families can expect to see those wishes come true.
To see such weak job market performance four years into a post-recession recovery is unusual to say the least. It leaves British Columbians rightly wondering if the provincial government’s flagship economic initiative, the BC Jobs Plan, is failing to deliver.
Economy and economic indicators
This report assesses the impact of the BC Jobs Plan two years in. The government's six-month progress reports have declared it a success, but the numbers tell a different story. Along with the report, we've created this shareable infographic. (Click to enlarge)
Our report BC Jobs Plan Reality Check: The First Two Years analyzes the impact of the BC Jobs Plan, launched in 2011 because of the slow recovery from the 2008-2009 recession. As shown here, the plan is failing to deliver: we need 94,000 more jobs just to return to pre-recession employment levels.
Click for a larger image
(Vancouver) Statistics Canada data reveals that BC’s labour market stalled in 2013, despite the much-hyped BC Jobs Plan launched over two years ago. A new report looks at how and why the plan is failing, and calls for a more diversified and sustainable approach to job creation.
"If it is wrong to wreck the climate, then it is wrong to profit from that wreckage." —From the mission statement of the Fossil Free movement.
Rarely are we invited to consider ethical questions of right and wrong in matters of economic development, particularly in times of economic fragility, when jobs and investment are in high demand. Yet if the above quote is true for a corporation, pension fund, or other institutions, then it is equally true for a society or economy as a whole.
Hennessy’s Index is a monthly listing of numbers, written by the CCPA's Trish Hennessy, about Canada and its place in the world. For other months, visit: http://policyalternatives.ca/index
CCPA Senior Economist David Macdonald gives a presentation to the government's Standing Committee on Finance during their 2013 pre-budget consultations.
Like plague in the 14th century, the scourge of debt has gradually migrated from South to North. Our 21st-century plague isn't spread by flea-infested rats, but by deadly, ideology-infested neoliberal fundamentalists. Once they had names like Thatcher or Reagan; now they sound more like Merkel or Barroso; but the message, the mentality, and the medicine are basically the same.
Halifax, NS – The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Nova Scotia is pleased to release our latest report Working Together For Fairness. The report critically analyzes the current government’s record in five policy areas over the past four years and makes recommendations for progressive next steps.
This report critically analyzes the current Nova Scotia government’s record in five policy areas (health care, jobs and the economy, poverty, occupational health & safety, and Nova Scotia Power) over the past four years and makes recommendations for progressive next steps.
The report was funded by the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour based on issues identified as priorities by workers and their families.
For more about this report, please contact our Nova Scotia Office.