Student Performance in PISA 2018: Nettlesome Questions for Canada
Schools Face Three Nettlesome Challenges Beyond COVID Author John Richards looks at data from OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and finds declining scores in core subjects and wide gaps in achievement between advantaged and disadvantaged students. The OECD’s PISA has become a universally respected means to assess student outcomes in reading, mathematics, and […] Licence to Capture: The Cost Consequences to Consumers of Occupational Regulation in Canada
Consumers Lose as Occupational Licensing Expands A trend toward increased occupational licensing in Canada drives up costs for consumers and inhibits competition. Authors Robert Mysicka, Lucas Cutler and Tingting Zhang explore how a growing number of occupations in Canada require members to be licensed or otherwise regulated and how, in many cases, the added costs consumers […] Schirle, Skuterud – The Moms Are Not All Right
From: Tammy Schirle and Mikal Skuterud To: Canadians Concerned about the Labour Market Date: July 15, 2020 Re: The moms are not all right Last week’s release of the June Labour Force Survey gave Canadians reason for optimism – the numbers made it clear that many workers are finding their way back to work. It is now evident that […] John Richards – The Employment Key To Healthy Indigenous Communities (iii)
From: John Richards To: Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, and provincial ministers of education Date: July 10, 2020 Re: The Employment Key to Healthy Indigenous Communities (III) We have surveyed the Community Well-Being Index (CWB) results for First Nation communities, and the centrality of employment for community success in the first two parts of this Intelligence Memo series. […] John Richards – Education the Critical Piece for an Indigenous Urban Agenda
From: John Richards To: Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, and provincial ministers of education Date: July 8, 2020 Re: Education the Critical Piece for an Indigenous Urban Agenda Since 1981, Ottawa has published the Community Well-Being Index (CWB), an exercise in rating social conditions in individual First Nation and Inuit communities. Using census data, the CWB is […] Stéphanie Lluis – Regional Differences In Job Growth Shows Ottawa Must Think Regionally
From: Stéphanie Lluis To: Canadians Concerned about the State of the Labour Market Date: July 2, 2020 Re: Regional Differences in Job Growth Shows Ottawa Must Think Regionally The massive and sudden drop in employment caused by the pandemic has been followed by uncertainty about when, where, and how quickly the economy is re-opening. Collectively, these factors create a coordination problem in the labour […] Schwellnus, Koelle – Supporting Incomes While Promoting A Speedy Labour Market Recovery
From: Cyrille Schwellnus and Michael Koelle To: Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance Date: June 30, 2020 Re: Supporting incomes while promoting a speedy labour market recovery In response to the jobs crisis triggered by COVID-19, a number of countries, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand and most of Western Europe, have established or expanded job retention […] Boessenkool, Robson – Thoughts On Forestalling The Coming Childcare Crisis
From: Ken Boessenkool and Jennifer Robson To: Federal and provincial childcare funders Date: June 24, 2020 Re: Thoughts on forestalling the coming childcare crisis As the economy continues to re-open, albeit differently across jurisdictions and over time, many sectors are going to struggle with necessary and ongoing rules on physical distancing and disinfecting. These new […] Ottawa Should Use CERB Extension Time Wisely: Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support
June 23, 2020 – Ottawa should use the Canada Emergency Response Benefit’s eight-week extension to update its Employment Insurance administrative architecture and roll out a training benefit program, says the C.D. Howe Institute’s Crisis Working Group on Household Income and Credit Support.
At their recent meeting, working group members discussed the proposed amendments to the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) Act. The group also identified the need for training support benefits for CERB recipients, management of uncertainties to improve decision-making by households, and increased coordination with provincial governments to ease the transition back to work.
The group recommends:
Removing the…Janice Mackinnon – The Cerb Decision: Reform Or Replace?
From: Janice MacKinnon To: Policymakers in Ottawa Date: June 12, 2020 Re: The CERB decision: reform or replace? The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) begins to wind down next month, and the government must decide what happens to its most popular, and expensive, income support measure. There are two possible paths: either the CERB – reformed […] Lemieux, Schirle, Skuterud – Initial Impacts Of Covid-19 On The Labour Market
From: Thomas Lemieux, Tammy Schirle, Mikal Skuterud To: Employment and Social Development Canada Date: June 12, 2020 Re: Initial impacts of COVID-19 on the labour market The COVID-19 pandemic forced the Canadian economy into a medically-induced coma in March, and by mid-April about one third of the Canadian workforce had applied for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB). While […] Mahboubi, Ragab – Restructuring Social Assistance In Ontario
From: Parisa Mahboubi and Mariam Ragab To: Canadian Businesses and Governments Date: June 9, 2020 Re: Restructuring social assistance in Ontario Social assistance systems, and how they interact with individuals’ participation in the labour force, are an integral component of healthy and financially stable communities. In Canada, nearly 50 percent of all social assistance recipients reside in Ontario […]