By Melodi Alopaeus | Thursday, December 8th, 2011 - 4:07PM
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Some weeks I find politicking especially hard to stomach. The recent response to the situation in Attawapiskat makes it one of those weeks.
When the community of Attawapiskat declared a state of emergency, they weren’t asking for a cyclical public debate about who is to blame. They weren’t asking to be a tool to shame or prop up certain political parties. And they certainly weren’t asking to be painfully reminded of Canada’s colonial attitudes in the arrival of a third-party manager.
They were asking for survival. For water, blankets, shelter. Read more »
Eleven years past the federal government's deadline of eradicating child poverty by the year 2000, 1 in 10 children continue to live in poverty. Why hasn't more progress been made? Read more »
This web feature is Part III in a series examining CPJ’s recommendations for the 2012 federal budget. Part I examined the need for a sustainable economic recovery that includes all Canadians. Part II considered the importance of affordable housing. Check back next week for the final installment on thinking green!Read more »
Every year, the Finance Committee of the House of Commons receives submissions from Canadians on the federal budget, conducts hearings across the country, and submits a report outlining recommendations for the next federal budget. CPJ submitted a brief with our recommendations on Building a Sustainable Recovery for All Canadians. Our recommendations were carefully selected to emphasize job creation and sustainable recovery while not significantly increasing the federal deficit through a reallocation of existing priorities. Read more »
By Chandra Pasma | Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 - 10:13AM
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When I was expecting my daughter, I was asked on more than one occasion if I had put my name on a list for childcare yet. Here in Ottawa, the waiting lists for some childcare centres can be more than a year – requiring parents who need childcare to signup before their child is even born. Parents who can’t afford the fees (which for young children can outstrip university tuition!) can wait even longer for a subsidized childcare space.
Meanwhile, just across the river in Gatineau, all parents have access to $7 a day childcare. Approximately 50% of children under 5 receive this care, which can take place in many different settings from home-based care to a regulated daycare centre. While other Canadians gaze jealously in the direction of Quebec, the argument is often made that a government-funded childcare program is expensive and unwieldy and doesn’t facilitate “true choice.” Read more »
By Chandra Pasma | Tuesday, June 14th, 2011 - 3:30PM
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Don Drummond had a bit of a strange op-ed in the Toronto Star on Sunday. On the one hand, he acknowledged the debate over the option of corporate tax cuts and called for the impact of cuts to be monitored so that we know whether or not they are actually delivering on their goals. On the other, he reviewed and dismissed all of the arguments against corporate tax cuts as negligible. Read more »
All the political parties like to claim that they are family-friendly and offer policies that support families. One of the most crucial issues confronting Canadian families is early childhood education and care. Currently, only a small percentage of children have access to a regulated childcare space. Costs are prohibitive for many families, who rely on two incomes just to pay all the bills. Meanwhile, the benefits of access to high quality childcare and early learning programs are well-known: children learn better when they learn earlier, and affordable childcare can help to lift families out of poverty and strengthen the economic security of families, especially women. So what do the party platforms offer on childcare? Read more »
CPJ believes that vigorous and sustained action by the federal government is necessary to combat poverty in Canada. Through the Dignity for All campaign, we’ve called for a federal plan for poverty elimination that complements provincial and territorial plans; a federal anti-poverty Act that ensures enduring federal commitment and accountability for results and sufficient federal investment in social security for all Canadians. In this look at the party platforms, we look at what the political parties are offering to do on poverty if they form the next government. Read more »
By Jenny Prosser | Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 - 7:39AM
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It has been over twenty years since Canadian parliamentarians first agreed that something needed to be done about child poverty in this country. They have passed resolutions, they have done studies, they have released reports, they have introduced (and cut back or cancelled) various social policies and yet the problem persists. Indeed, it can seem an insurmountable problem. Read more »
Eleven years past the federal government's deadline of eradicating child poverty by the year 2000, 1 in 10 children continue to live in poverty. Why hasn't more progress been made? 
CPJ believes that vigorous and sustained action by the federal government is necessary to combat poverty in Canada. Through the Dignity for All campaign, we’ve called for a federal plan for poverty elimination that complements provincial and territorial plans; a federal anti-poverty Act that ensures enduring federal commitment and accountability for results and sufficient federal investment in social security for all Canadians. In this look at the party platforms, we look at what the political parties are offering to do on poverty if they form the next government. 
