Welcome to the April issue of Ola!, the monthly e-newsletter of Citizens for Public Justice with upcoming events, creative public justice initiatives, and an update on the Dignity for All Campaign to catch up on. Read on to learn more! Read more »
What does public policy in Canada look like when we prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in society—children, low-income individuals, and seniors? Some of the nation’s brightest public policy thinkers gathered to respond to this question at the recent Dignity for All Campaign Policy Summit in Ottawa. Read more »
In a healthy democracy citizens have a crucial role to play in determining public policy. People have a right – and, more importantly, a responsibility – to participate in the decisions affecting their country and their communities. That is the essence of democracy, especially a democracy that goes beyond the ballot box and rejects the politics of attack and vilification.
Citizens who question government policies and advocate for the common good, public health, protection of the Earth – or for any other cause – are as important as the Members of Parliament who have been elected to serve in the best interest of all people. Read more »
By now most Canadians have heard about the changes to seniors’ benefits announced by the federal government in Budget 2012. Beginning in 2023, the age of eligibility for Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) top-up will be increased from 65 to 67. As a result, seniors will have to work longer, draw from whatever savings they might have, hope for family support, or rely on provincial social assistance programs to get by.
Of course, these changes won’t be a problem for middle and upper-income seniors, those fortunate enough to have good pensions and healthy saving accounts. It will hurt the low-income Canadians who need income supports the most. Read more »
By Melodi Alopaeus | Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 - 10:22AM
0 comments
“Paying taxes is a noble enterprise.”
These words spoken by Neil Brooks, professor of tax law at Osgoode Hall Law School, served as a leitmotif of the Tax Fairness Summit in Ottawa, March 29-30, organized and run by Canadians for Tax Fairness.
As Brooks and other speakers at the Summit pointed out, this motif resonated a few decades ago when the concept of a social contract still held significant weight, but sounds counterintuitive in public discourse today where taxes are discussed as though they were an affliction rather than a virtuous contribution to the common good. Read more »
Welcome to the April issue of Ola!, the monthly e-newsletter of Citizens for Public Justice with upcoming events, creative public justice initiatives, and an update on the Dignity for All Campaign to catch up on. Read on to learn more! 
What does public policy in Canada look like when we prioritize the needs of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in society—children, low-income individuals, and seniors? Some of the nation’s brightest public policy thinkers gathered to respond to this question at the recent 
In a healthy democracy citizens have a crucial role to play in determining public policy. People have a right – and, more importantly, a responsibility – to participate in the decisions affecting their country and their communities. That is the essence of democracy, especially a democracy that goes beyond the ballot box and rejects the politics of attack and vilification.
By now most Canadians have heard about the changes to seniors’ benefits announced by the federal government in Budget 2012. Beginning in 2023, the age of eligibility for Old Age Security (OAS) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) top-up will be increased from 65 to 67. As a result, seniors will have to work longer, draw from whatever savings they might have, hope for family support, or rely on provincial social assistance programs to get by.
As Brooks and other speakers at the Summit pointed out, this motif resonated a few decades ago when the concept of a social contract still held significant weight, but sounds counterintuitive in public discourse today where taxes are discussed as though they were an affliction rather than a virtuous contribution to the common good. 
