Manitoba’s NDP: Time to return to its social democratic roots
PDF version by Errol Black and Jim Silver In June 1969, Manitoba elected Canada’s first NDP government and Manitoba’s first social democratic government. The NDP has since become the dominant political party in Manitoba, winning 8 of the …
Closing the Divides – First things first
by Errol Black In early July the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg announced that it was seeking to obtain money to fund a study to determine the feasibility of relocating the C.P.R. yards that geographically currently divides the city. …
The Income Inequality Issue in Canada
by Errol Black A June 30 op-ed piece in the Winnipeg Free Press by Jason Clemens (MacDonald-Cartier Institute) titled, “Over simplifying income inequality,” dismisses concerns raised about the growing inequality of incomes in Canada. He proposes that “the over-simplification of …
Scott Brison’s Motion on Income Inequality
by Errol Black On April 25, 2012, members of parliament passed a motion introduced by Scott Brison: “That the Standing Committee on Finance be instructed to undertake a study on income inequality in Canada…” and “bring forward to …
Income Inequalities and Health
by Errol Black Every once in a while, Jeffrey Simpson writes a column on growing income inequalities in Canada. I have criticized some of his previous comments on the grounds that he has dodged the relevant issues. However, …
Tax Fairly, Spend Wisely
PDF version by Ian Hudson According to CBC news, 45% of Canadians wait until the last week before the deadline to file their tax returns. The mad pencil sharpening, digging through receipts and online filing is unlikely to …
It’s Budget Time Again: A glimmer of hope and a healthy dose of skepticism
PDF version by Shauna MacKinnon On April 17th Minister Stan Struthers will release details of how the Province will manage our money this year. Here is how the process will unfold. A few pre-budget day announcements will be, …
Inequalities, Trade Unions and Virtuous Circles: The Scandinavian Example
PDF version by Errol Black and Jim Silver In a recent post on this site, Thinking Alternatives, we suggested that the Scandinavian countries – Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden – provided examples of more collective, egalitarian and inclusive societies that …
Sports Franchises 7,000,000, Shelters 0: Budget 2012
by Shauna MacKinnon and Lynne Fernandez Although there seems to be a collective sigh of relief that the Conservative’s first majority-government budget was not as bad as those that came down in the 1990s, it is important to …
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