The study compares EI to unemployment insurance programs in OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries. Canada ranks last, tied with the United Kingdom, for replacement of income. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 - 11:25AM
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While the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act (PSECA) was passed by Parliament in April, it has continued to face widespread opposition from a range of organizations.
This was more than apparent when the Standing Committee on the Status of Women recently undertook a study of the Act to review the impact it will have on how pay equity compensation is awarded in the federal public service. Read more »
Since the end of the Second World War, there has been a general expectation in Canadian society that each new generation will enjoy more prosperity than the last. However, this may no longer be the case. There is a distinct possibility that young people today – the children of baby boomers, also known as Generation Y – will be the first generation to not be materially better off than their parents. Read more »
The series makes a compelling case. Part 1 looks at MPs expenses and the lack of transparency surrounding them. Only 4 MPs were willing to share their expense claims with the Toronto Star. $128 million was spent in the last fiscal year by MPs, yet Canadians will never know what most of it was spent on. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 - 2:21PM
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On Monday, June 22, Chandra and I gave a presentation on human trafficking to a group of at Kanata Community Christian Reformed Church. The evening was organized by Jacquie Mudde, Chandra’s aunt, and Lois Kerr, both of whom are involved in the Ottawa Intercity Ministries (OIM).Jacquie and Lois invited us to speak about trafficking in order to learn more about the issue, and particularly its impact on vulnerable women. Read more »
Summer is here – a time of rest and relaxation. But this doesn’t mean our voices weaken or our advocacy fades: join us as we continue to speak out strongly to achieve justice for all.
Welcome to the June edition of Ola!, the monthly newsletter of Citizens for Public Justice. Read on to discover our latest happenings! Read more »
By Chandra Pasma | Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 - 4:20PM
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Jim Travers has an article in today's Toronto Star arguing that Canadian government cannot respond to the challenges of our time because Members of Parliament and civil servants lack space to do their jobs well. As a result, we've had no significant debate over the government's response to the economic crisis and no accountability on government spending.
"Such pressing matters, such big-ticket items, were once the business of the House of Commons. A brightest-and-best bureaucracy provided policy options and parliamentarians knew enough about the problem's component parts – as well as the solution's costs – to offer a reasoned opinion on the decision reached by cabinet and a first-among-equals prime minister." Read more »
In 2006, the UN’s Human Rights Council was mandated to "undertake a universal periodic review … of the fulfillment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments.” Canada has been under review this year and delivered its response to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 9.
68 recommendations were presented to the Government of Canada. Ottawa accepted 39, rejected 14 and “partially accepted” another 15. As part of its response, Canada has refused to implement a national poverty eradication strategy that incorporates a human rights framework. Read more »
Joe Gunn takes a stab at three books, all relating to the Alberta oil sands debate, in this review. Looking at Stupid to the Last Drop, Tar Sands Showdown and Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent, Joe traces their shared themes and how the books build on each other, making a case for examining our current response to the oil sands. Read more »
Where does your food come from? Mike Bulthuis reviews Edible Action: Food Activism and Alternative Economics, which not only seeks to grow our appreciation for good, tasty food, but to encourage equal distribution of food, profit and healthy outcomes. Read more »
Economics for Everyone is an accessible, humorous, thoughtful guide to explaining economics, argues Chandra Pasma, discussing Jim Stanford’s latest work. Read more »
Mariel Angus reviews Managing Without Growth by Peter Victor, who discusses how our desire for continual economic growth may, in fact, be limiting, calling us to slow down and shift our priorities. Read more »
In her review of Freedom of Simplicity, Karri Munn-Venn shares what was the hardest part of the book for her: the actual practice of simplicity. Read more »
Sheila McKinley osu recently read A New Climate for Theology, appreciating how author Sallie McFague draws us out into a vision of life that includes both justice and sustainability. Read more »
Emily Hutten reflects on Greg Paul’s thoughtful work, The Twenty-Piece Shuffle, highlighting how Paul reminds us all of our shared journey. Read more »
In recognition of Calvin’s 500th, Jack McLaughlin takes a look at the pertinence of Calvin’s theology today by reviewing Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport. Read more »
As a youngster growing up in Saint John and being Catholic it was customary, even when the schools were closed because of snow, to go to Mass every morning during Lent.
I recently found myself again praying at noon during the month of March, this time in front of the Ontario Legislature. The Ontario budget was coming down at the end of March, and we stood there in prayer, theological reflection and vigil, advocating that poverty reduction be a major way to stimulate the economy in these recessionary times. It was a Lenten moment for me. Read more »
What is GLI? How - and who - would it help? In this article, Chandra explores the benefits of guaranteed livable income, and explores Manitoba's income security experiment that took place back in this 1970s. Read more »
CPJ member Henk Smidstra, having taken a trip through northern BC in the summer of 2008, writes about our tendency to board up our property and stick a “No Trespassing” sign on our door. But, he asks, is this truly the way Christ would have treated his neighbours in need? Read more »
What is at the heart of this economic and financial crisis? Going beyond the surface of the issue, Bob Goudzwaard explores the depth of the connection between our society and money and how we have come to idolize Money and all that it stands for. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Thursday, June 18th, 2009 - 3:23PM
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Earlier this month, the Assembly of First Nations National Chief Phil Fontaine called Canadians to join him in participating in the National Day of Reconciliation on June 11, 2009.
The day marked the first anniversary of the historical apology by the federal government last year for its role in Canada’s residential school system. While the apology was a step forward, much still needs to be done if reconciliation is to be truly realized. Read more »
By Mariel Angus | Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 - 1:03PM
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I remember walking across campus one day during my first year of university when a display caught my eye. To protest rising tuition fees, the Canadian Federation of Students had invited students to post the amount of debt they expected to be in when they graduated. The numbers were staggering: $16,000; $22,000; $29,000; $40,000. I was shocked not only by the sum of the numbers, but also of how common it was for students to face such debt. Read more »
Since the end of the Second World War, there has been a general expectation in Canadian society that each new generation will 
Summer is here – a time of rest and relaxation. But this doesn’t mean our voices weaken or our advocacy fades: join us as we continue to speak out strongly to achieve justice for all.
In 2006, the UN’s Human Rights Council was mandated to "undertake a universal periodic review … of the fulfillment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments.” Canada has been under review this year and delivered its response to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on June 9.
What is at the heart of this economic and financial crisis? Going beyond the surface of the issue, Bob Goudzwaard explores the depth of the connection between our society and money and how we have come to idolize Money and all that it stands for. 
