HALIFAX – The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Nova Scotia released its 2012 alternative provincial budget today. In contrast to the Nova Scotia government’s 'back-to-balance' plan of across-the-board cuts, the Nova Scotia Alternative Budget 2012: Forward to Fairness makes strategic investments; and finds creative ways to save money and increase revenue.
Alternative budgets
This document shows Nova Scotians that minor changes in government spending could have a major impact on the health and wellness of its population. The NSAB projects a potentially balanced budget by 2014 without sacrificing services that Nova Scotians rely on—and its prescriptions would move Nova Scotia in the right direction: forward to fairness.
On March 15th, 2012, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives held a press conference to release its flagship report—the Alternative Federal Budget 2012: A Budget for the Rest of Us.
This year's Alternative Budget puts forward a public investment plan that promotes a better quality of life for all Canadians, not just an elite few. It shows we can invest in public programs, job creation, and infrastructure to the benefit of all Canadians and still balance the books.
Un institut de recherche demande au fédéral de laisser tomber ses plans de compressions des dépenses
OTTAWA – Le Centre canadien de politiques alternatives exhorte le gouvernement fédéral à déposer un budget qui redonne aux Canadiens confiance dans l’économie, les institutions publiques et la démocratie.
Avec la publication de l’édition annuelle de son Alternative budgétaire pour le gouvernement fédéral (ABGF), le Centre canadien de politiques alternatives aborde les préoccupations du Canada en présentant un plan d’investissement public qui favorise une meilleure qualité de vie pour tous les Canadiens et non seulement pour un élite restreinte.
OTTAWA—The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) urges the federal government to table a detailed budget that restores Canadians’ trust in the economy, public institutions, and democracy.
With the release of its annual Alternative Federal Budget (AFB), the CCPA addresses the concerns of mainstream Canada by putting forward a public investment plan that promotes a better quality of life for all Canadians, not just an elite few.
Ce communiqué est composé de trois documents:
This release is comprised of three documents:
OTTAWA—The twin claims by political leaders that the damage done by the recession to the Canadian economy and labour market have been repaired and that Canada survived the recession much better than other countries are both false, says a study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The study, by economist and CCPA Research Associate Jim Stanford, finds that, after adjusting for population growth, neither GDP nor employment growth have yet to recoup the ground lost during the 2008-09 downturn.
This study finds that, despite claims to the contrary, the damage of the recession is still very much with Canadians and that the labour market is still much weaker (measured by the employment rate) than it was before the recession. After adjusting for population growth, neither GDP nor employment growth have yet to recoup the ground lost during the 2008-09 downturn. Real per capita GDP remains 1.4% lower as of the third quarter of 2011 than it was at the beginning of 2008.
The Nova Scotia Department of Finance recently launched an interactive “Back to Balance” website, giving community members an opportunity to try their hands at government budgeting.
The site is technically sophisticated and informative. Users can move sliders to adjust the levels of various taxes and expenditures, and pop-up bubbles provide feedback on the implications of these decisions. Because the site adds up the costs and revenues associated with each choice, it helps people appreciate the relationship between the government services we get and the taxes we pay.