By Melodi Alopaeus | Wednesday, August 1st, 2012 - 2:23PM
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The case for corporate taxes gained some ground recently. For decades now, government and business leaders have been telling us we need to keep corporate taxes as low as possible in order to attract and retain investment, and spark new industries, research and development, and, most importantly, more jobs. We’ve run with this idea, particularly as a strategy for post-recession recovery, without giving enough consideration to whether it actually works. Read more »
The charitable and nonprofit sector plays a critical role in Canada, providing essential services and supports to people and creating vibrant communities. Yet growing demands – and decreasing resources – are challenging the sector’s ability to meet the needs of Canadians. At the federal level, an outline of a new “community agenda” is beginning to emerge, one that would introduce new funding arrangements to non-profits and provide tax incentives to encourage greater charitable giving. This agenda is all about individuals, families, communities, charities and businesses stepping up … as government steps away. Read more »
Bill C-38 is supposed to implement provisions made in the March 29th federal budget. But as CPJ wrote last week, this omnibus Bill includes much more. Over one-third of this legislation deals with environmental issues, much of which was not mentioned in the Budget Speech itself. Here, there are enormous implications for Canadians and the environment. Read more »
The word “budget” is defined as “an estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time”. And one would expect government budgets to be just that: an outline of planned tax and spending measures for the coming year. Most would not expect a budget bill to contain major new policy changes and give the government of-the-day sweeping new powers. At least, not until recently. 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, the average Canadian household has at least heard of Occupy Wall Street. This global movement has some excited, some irritated and many baffled. While the protests represent diverse concerns, the movement takes a courageous stand against a common problem: growing social inequality. Read more »
Heading into Election 2011, nobody could have predicted the vastly different political landscape that Canadians would wake to on Tuesday morning. Some were jubilant and others deflated. There was the historic rise of the NDP and the election of the first ever Green MP, the demise of the Liberal Party, and of course, Stephen Harper’s previously elusive majority government.
While it will be some time before we know for certain how this new government will play out, it is clear that things have changed and we are now working within a new context. However, one important factor has not changed: CPJ’s commitment to offer our faithful response to God’s call for love, justice and stewardship. Read more »
My cousin is a teacher in Egypt. Recently, following the referendum on constitutional changes there, she shared a photo of a school employee proudly displaying a pink finger. This pink finger indicated that the woman had voted for the first time ever in her life.
I was thinking about that pink finger during the first week of our federal election campaign. The right to vote is such a privilege and responsibility – one not shared by every country around the globe. It’s a sign and symbol of the health and vitality of our democracy. And while millions have been clamouring for democracy recently in the Middle East and Northern Africa, our election provides a window into the state of our own democracy. Read more »
By Chandra Pasma | Thursday, March 17th, 2011 - 1:38PM
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The Globe and Mail has an excellent op-ed today by Peter Shawn Taylor and Ben Sand highlighting the conclusions of a Frontier Centre for Public Policy study on tax expenditures. They argue that tackling the deficit requires a good, hard look at tax expenditures.
Tax expenditures are a different form of government spending. Rather than writing a cheque, the government chooses not to collect certain tax income. The RRSP tax deduction or the Charitable Donations credit are two examples. Taylor and Sand report that “Ottawa annually gives away more than $100 billion worth of tax expenditures on personal taxes through various deductions and credits.” Read more »
The case for corporate taxes gained some ground recently. For decades now, government and business leaders have been telling us we need to keep corporate taxes as low as possible in order to attract and retain investment, and spark new industries, research and development, and, most importantly, more jobs. We’ve run with this idea, particularly as a strategy for post-recession recovery, without giving enough consideration to whether it actually works. 
Bill C-38 is supposed to implement provisions made in the March 29th federal budget. But as CPJ wrote 
The word “budget” is defined as “an estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time”. And one would expect government budgets to be just that: an outline of planned tax and spending measures for the coming year. Most would not expect a budget bill to contain major new policy changes and give the government of-the-day sweeping new powers. At least, not until recently. 
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, the average Canadian household has at least heard of Occupy Wall Street. This global movement has some excited, some irritated and many baffled. While the protests represent diverse concerns, the movement takes a courageous stand against a common problem: growing social inequality. 
