Addressing poverty in the Speech from the Throne

Manitoba’s economy has outpaced the rest of the country since 2008. It now leads every province in employment. Overall provincial debt has stabilized and prospects for future growth are high. Lieutenant Governor Janice Filmon will surely be directed …

What is Access to Information and does it Matter?

By Jamie Brownlee and Kevin Walby Under Canadian law, every citizen has the right to request information from federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal governments. Gaining access to tightly controlled government information is critical in promoting social justice.

A Real Energy Strategy Can Create Jobs and Save Government Money

By Shaun Loney The energy strategy debate thus far in the federal election has focussed on the future of the oil sands and pipeline politics. The Federal Tories have trumpeted the economic benefits of oil sands development but …

Poverty: Not Present this Election Campaign

By Jim Silver If you’re following the federal election campaign you would think that poverty in Canada has been eliminated. Politicians, guided by their ever-cautious advisors and thinking only of short-term electoral advantage, rarely if ever utter the …

Trans-Pacific Partnership: CCPA Commentary

Looking for progressive responses to the newly signed Trans-Pacific trade deal? Here’s the latest from CCPA National: Trans Pacific Commentary a Big Win for Corporate Interests https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/commentary/should-canada-be-completing-trade-deal-middle-election Should Canada be completing a trade deal in the middle of …

The Tough on Crime Strategy Has Not Made our Communities Safer

By Elizabeth Comack, Cara Fabre and Shanise Burgher Crime rates in Canada have been steadily declining for more than a decade, yet prison populations have been increasing in recent years. Commentators have attributed this disconnection between dropping crime …

Focus on Food to Take Pressure off Health Care System

By Shaun Loney By some estimates, health care expenditures will account for about 80 percent of provincial program spending by 2030. This means fewer dollars for other priorities. With a problem this big, it’s important to get the …

Why Vote Childcare in 2015: What Manitobans Need to Know

by Susan Prentice Thirteen federal elections ago, in 1970, the Royal Commission on the Status of Women recommended a national childcare program. Fast-forward to 2015, and Canadian parents are more desperate than ever for affordable, quality childcare. Up …

Wealth Care vs Health Care

By Pete Hudson The debate around the private financing of Canada’s health care system has recently been revived as one of a series of video shorts on human rights issues in Winnipeg’s Canadian Museum of Human Rights. It …

Why Canada Needs a Real Housing Policy

By Tim Sale Every developed country except Canada knows that safe, affordable housing is a critical key to social, physical and emotional well-being. The list of poor outcomes associated with poor and unaffordable housing is long, and gets …