To Improve Equality, It’s Education And Opportunity That Matter: Globe And Mail Op-ed
Published in the Globe and Mail on November 23, 2013
By Finn Poschmann
The coming byelection in Toronto Centre, contested by two champions of greater equality, Chrystia Freeland and Linda McQuaig, has proven a jumping off point for a new round of handwringing over the rich and poor, and the distance between them.
Toronto Centre, you see, contains Rosedale and Regent Park, meaning the rich and poor live rather close together. There’s nothing new about that: Writing a century ago, a visitor to Ottawa remarked on the Rockcliffe neighbourhood, where the well-to-do jostled uncomfortably closely with residents of less tony Vanier.
In the first half of the 20th century, income inequality was on the…
Time to negotiate a schools act for First Nations: Globe & Mail Op-Ed
Published in the Globe & Mail on November 7, 2013
By John Richards and Michael Mendelson
No legislation destined for the present Parliament is more important or more controversial than the First Nations Education Act. Proposed legislation is normally tabled first in the House of Commons. The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs recently took the highly unusual step of releasing a draft bill online.
What is this bill about? In effect, it defines for reserve schools the equivalent of a provincial schools act.
It defines the responsibilities of school principals. It requires that band councils designate a “school inspector” and a “director of education” – equivalent to a school board superintendent. It…
What You Don’t Know Can’t Help You: Lessons of Behavioural Economics for Tax-Based Student Aid
Postsecondary tax credits cost the federal and provincial governments billions of dollars each year, but are not distributed equitably and may have no proven effect in boosting enrolment, according to a report released today by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “What You Don’t Know Can’t Help You: Lessons of Behavioural Economics for Tax-Based Student Aid,” […] Why is BC Best? The Role of Provincial and Reserve School Systems in Explaining Aboriginal Student Performance
British Columbia leads the provinces in educational outcomes for young Aboriginal adults, while Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta lag badly, according to a report released today by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Why is BC Best? The Role of Provincial and Reserve School Systems in Explaining Aboriginal Student Performance,” author John Richards finds that innovative approaches […] Absent With Leave: The Implications of Demographic Change for Worker Absenteeism
Demographic forces are helping drive up the Canadian workforce’s reported absence rates owing to illness, according to a study released today by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Absent With Leave: The Implications of Demographic Change for Worker Absenteeism,” authors Finn Poschmann and Omar Chatur find, over the long-term, absence rates have climbed, identify potential causes […] Alberta’s Best Schools – 2013
A new in-depth report reveals Alberta’s best schools using student results on Provincial Achievement Tests in math, reading, science and social studies in grades 3, 6 and 9. In “Identifying Alberta’s Best Schools,” Professor David Johnson compares student outcomes on an “apples-to-apples” basis at Alberta schools where students come from similar socio-economic backgrounds, revealing “good” […] The Main Challenge of Our Times: A Population Growing Younger
The real demographic challenge for Canadian policymakers is adapting to a population growing “younger,” after taking increased life expectancies into account, says a report released today by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “The Main Challenge of Our Times: A Population Growing Younger,” authors Marcel Boyer and Sébastien Boyer propose an alternative approach to population aging, […] Improving Immigrant Selection: Further Changes Are Required Before Increasing Inflows
Before increasing new immigrant intake targets, Canada should focus on improving immigrants’ labour market outcomes through reforms to the selection process, according to a report released today by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Improving Immigrant Selection: Further Changes Are Required Before Increasing Inflows,” author Christopher Worswick cites recent evidence of poor outcomes for recent immigrants […] Restrictive provincial ratios bog down access to apprenticeships: Globe and Mail Economy Lab
Published in the Globe & Mail on May 13, 2013
By Robbie Brydon and Benjamin Dachis
Few topics have generated as much federal attention in the past few months as encouraging workers to fill the oft-cited shortage in skilled trades. But if the provinces do not reform their regulations restricting entry to the skilled trades, the federal effort may be wasted.
Workers in the skilled trades – carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and many more occupations – are a crucial component of the Canadian labour force. According to the most recent data, 2.1 million Canadians worked in a trade for some period in 2005.
In the trades, experienced workers take on apprentices and teach them practical knowledge, while…
Aboriginals and the census: Time for a closer look at definitions: Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Published in the Globe and Mail on Mail on May 8, 2013
By John Richards
The most important social policy agenda facing Canada is to relieve the poverty and social distress among Aboriginals. And the old joke remains relevant: If you don’t know where you are, you’re not likely to get where you want to go. The census is crucial in learning “where we are.”
According to the National Household Survey (NHS) data released Wednesday, 1.4 million Canadians identified in 2011 as Aboriginal, 61 per cent as Indian/First Nation, 32 per cent as Métis and 4 per cent as Inuit.
The Aboriginal population is much younger than the non-Aboriginal population and its fertility is higher. Forty-six percent of the Aboriginal…
Access Denied: The Effect of Apprenticeship Restrictions in Skilled Trades
Outdated provincial regulations are needlessly limiting the number of apprenticeship opportunities available to trades workers, according to a report today from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Access Denied: The Effect of Apprenticeship Restrictions in Skilled Trades,” authors Robbie Brydon and Benjamin Dachis say that reforming those tight regulations is crucial to meeting demand for skilled […] Still Unemployed After All These Years: Canada Can Help the Persistently Jobless: Huffington Post Op-Ed
Published in the Huffington Post on March 8, 2013
By Philippe Bergevin
According to numbers released Friday by Statistics Canada, employment rose by 51,000 in February across Canada. This is more than most economists predicted, and a confirmation of the strength of the Canadian labour market. Since the recovery from the last recession began in summer 2009, there are almost a million more Canadians with a job, and at 7%, the unemployment rate is close to its long-term average.
That strength is in sharp contrast to what has been happening in other countries — the United States, for instance, has yet to simply recoup jobs lost during the recession. And we’re in much better shape coming out of this…