(Victoria) Finance Minister Mike de Jong said today the true measure of a society is its willingness to “truly make a difference” in the lives of the most vulnerable. “If you accept the Finance Minister’s measure of a society, BC is failing miserably,” says Iglika Ivanova, Senior Economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ BC Office. “What this budget offers to BC’s most vulnerable is a drop in the bucket.
Government finance
Canada’s economy has disappointed in 2015, dipping into a recession in the first half of the year. BC’s economy is expected to perform better than other provinces but that’s largely because of weakness elsewhere (especially in resource-dependent provinces). Private sector forecasters have lowered their projections for this year’s economic growth in BC to 2.2% (from 2.7% this time last year). Projections for next year are more optimistic (2.7%) but they should be taken with a grain of salt, given the record of overly optimistic forecasts in the last few years.
OTTAWA—Today the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released The Harper Record 2008-2015, a detailed account of the Conservative government’s economic, environmental, social, foreign policy and democratic records through the 2008 crisis, Great Recession and ongoing economic recovery.
This book, which builds on the 2008 collection The Harper Record, continues a 25-year tradition at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives of periodically examining the records of Canadian federal governments during their tenure.
Regina — A new report from the Saskatchewan Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives raises serious concerns about accountability and oversight in the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure (MHI) contract road-building system. Blank Spaces: The Accountability and Oversight Gap in Saskatchewan’s Contract Roadbuilding System by Taylor Bendig identifies systemic neglect and carelessness within the Ministry’s contracts with private roadbuilders. Mr.
This report identifies systemic neglect and carelessness within the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure's contracts with private roadbuilders. The author's review of over 250 Ministry contracts illustrates a pervasive pattern of negligence as basic accountability measures such as price breakdowns, contract completion dates, late penalties and performance deposits are only used sporadically if at all.
Inside this issue:
It is unfortunate that the sitting government has to waste valuable political capital maneuvering around obstructionist balanced budget legislation (BBL), but the media and opposition continue to place recent budget analyses in its distorting frame. Contrary to established economic theory and practice, BBL always equates balanced budgets with prudent fiscal practice.
This publication examines the Nova Scotia government’s investment in the early years, and finds that it is shamefully inadequate. The report makes it clear that that the lack of financial support for Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) neglects a significant and growing body of evidence that this investment pays dividends in spades: it is critical for labour force development, will help retain and attract people to our communities, and provides an overall boost to the economy.
Listen in as Trish Hennessy sits down with CCPA-ON economists Sheila Block and Kaylie Tiessen to deconstruct the 2015 Ontario budget in this 13-minute shareable podcast.