One of our most solidly entrenched assumptions, going back even to childhood, is that when we deposit our money in a bank, it is safe and available for our use at any time. So, back in March when we learned that the European financial powers-that-be were arranging to rescue the troubled banks of Cyprus by appropriating the money entrusted to them by depositors, we were shocked.
Economy and economic indicators
TORONTO—A detailed statistical review of the 13 statistical graphs contained in the Conservative changebook platform document finds that not one of them conforms to the normal requirements of academic or professional practice.
That’s the conclusion of a detailed review of the platform by Jim Stanford, economist and Research Associate with the Ontario office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
In his 2010 Throne Speech, Premier Brad Wall talked of the “new road” Saskatchewan has taken -- a road that, in his opinion, would delivered unmatched prosperity. This “new road,” however, marked as it is by the signposts of neoliberal ideology, is perhaps better described as the “Alberta road,” as the province wrestles with many of the same contradictions that have plagued Alberta’s resource-driven boom of the past decade.
The Winnipeg Free Press (September 7 editorial: Tick, tick, tick) correctly notes that Manitoba’s debt is a non-issue with voters. Maybe Manitobans get their information from more reliable sources than the Canadian TaxPayers Association who simply throws out numbers without putting them in context. The Association’s latest initiative is a debt clock that calculates, by the second, the interest accruing on the provincial debt.
Regina – A new policy brief from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Saskatchewan Office, The Great Wall Ties Chairman Calvert’s Five-Year Plan: Employment Growth in the New Saskatchewan, challenges the provincial government’s spin regarding job creation.
“Many of the Saskatchewan Party government’s much-vaunted employment records reflect seasonal fluctuations,” notes author Erin Weir, an economist with the United Steelworkers union. “The underlying rate of workforce growth has been almost identical during the premierships of Brad Wall and Lorne Calvert.
Is the Wall government playing a shell game with provincial employment numbers? The government regularly issues press releases - repeated by the media - claiming record job creation. However, how well does the Wall government stack up against the historical job creation record of other Saskatchewan governments?
Hennessy's Indexis a monthly listing of numbers, written by the CCPA's Trish Hennessy, about Canada and its place in the world. Scroll down for a PDF version. For other months, visit: http://policyalternatives.ca/index
1.57 Trillion
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
34
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
$11.8 billion