MONITORCanadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, September/October 2015

THE ELECTION ISSUE Nominations for the CCPA Members’ Council Every CCPA supporter is now eligible to nominate another individual supporter in good standing to sit on the CCPA’s Members’ Council for the two-year term 2016–18. The four incumbents previously elected to represent individual CCPA supporters are Tony Clarke, Brigette DePape, Paula Mallea and Steve Staples. In addition to the names of both nominator and nominee, your nomination form must also verify the willingness of the nominee to stand for election. Ballots for the election will be mailed separately to all eligible CCPA contributors following receipt of the nomination forms. Results of the election will be reported in the December 2015/January 2016 issue of the Monitor. The deadline for receiving nominations is October 15, 2015. Please either mail, scan and email, or fax all nominations to: Larry Brown, President, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives 251 Bank Street, Suite 500, Ottawa ON K2P 1X3 Email: [email protected] Fax: 613-233-1458

NAME OF NOMINEE MUST BE A CCPA CONTRIBUTOR Address Telephone E-mail address

CONSENT OF NOMINEE Signature I hereby consent to allow my name to stand for election to the CCPA Board of Directors. I am familiar with and support the aims of the CCPA. I understand that I will forward to the CCPA a short (100 words maximum) biography for the benefit of my fellow voters, and that, if I choose to supply this information about myself, it will be attached to the ballot form.

NOMINATED BY MUST BE A CCPA CONTRIBUTOR Address Telephone E-mail address September/October 2015

NAVIGATING THE 2015 ELECTION A special feature on the issues framing the October 15 federal election, the Conservative government record, and the state of Canada's democracy.

DOING IT ALL FOR YOUR BABIES The gaps in Canada's social safety net for parents and children are easily plugged 30 HELENA TOWLE & ANN DOUGLAS

MEXICO’S HUMAN RIGHTS 52 CRISIS AND CANADA’S SILENCE ASAD ISMI

2 /CONTRIBUTORS 3 /EDITORIAL 4 /LETTERS 5 /THE GOOD NEWS PAGE 6 /NEW FROM THE CCPA 8 /BEHIND THE NUMBERS 33 /INDEX 54 /BOOKS Contributors

VOL. 22, NO. 3 Kelly Carmichael Fiona Jeffries ISSN 1198-497X is the executive director of is the author of the 2015 book CANADA POST PUBLICATION 40009942 Fair Vote Canada. Nothing To Lose But Our Fear: Resistance In Dangerous Alisha Davidson CCPA MONITOR IS PUBLISHED 6 TIMES Times (Between the Lines, is a freelance Illustrator A YEAR BY THE CANADIAN CENTRE Zed Books). Follow her on originally from Vancouver and FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES. Twitter @fionajeffries. currently living in Toronto. Her THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THE CCPA illustrations deploy narrative Rob Jowett MONITOR ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS to move the viewer through is a student in the media AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT the work in a schematic way, studies program at the into a place of questioning University of Guelph-Humber THE VIEWS OF THE CCPA. and speculation, and are in Toronto. He has been PLEASE SEND FEEDBACK TO strongly influenced by working with the CCPA at [email protected]. folklore, scientific renderings, its national office over the the natural world and the summer. EDITOR: STUART TREW patterns around us. SENIOR DESIGNER: TIM SCARTH Jessica McCormick Ann Douglas is the former president of LAYOUT: SUSAN PURTELL is the author of numerous the Canadian Federation of EDITORIAL BOARD: BRUCE CAMPBELL, books about pregnancy and Students. KERRI-ANNE FINN, SETH KLEIN, KATE MCINTURFF, parenting including, most Fenwick McKelvey ERIKA SHAKER, EMILY TURK recently, Parenting Through is an assistant professor the Storm (HarperCollins CCPA NATIONAL OFFICE: in the department of Canada, January 2015). 500-251 BANK ST., OTTAWA, ON K2P 1X3 communications studies at More about Ann at www. Concordia University. He TEL: 613-563-1341 | FAX: 613-233-1458 anndouglas.net and www. studies algorithmic media— [email protected] having-a-baby.com. WWW.POLICYALTERNATIVES.CA the intensification of software TWITTER: @CCPA Lisa Forbes within communication is a volunteer voting educator infrastructure—with a focus FACEBOOK.COM/POLICYALTERNATIVES with Winnipeg Indigenous on advanced Internet traffic CCPA BC OFFICE: Rock the Vote. management software and campaign management 1400-207 WEST HASTINGS ST., Jessica Fortner software. VANCOUVER, BC V6B 1H7 is an illustrator from Toronto TEL: 604-801-5121 | FAX: 604-801-5122 focusing on editorial, Karl Nerenberg [email protected] advertising and children’s is the parliamentary illustration. She works in both correspondent for Rabble.ca CCPA MANITOBA OFFICE: traditional and digital media. and the author of the book UNIT 205-765 MAIN ST., WINNIPEG, MB R2W 3N5 Jessica's illustrations have Harper vs. Canada: Five TEL: 204-927-3200 | FAX: 204-927-3201 appeared in publications Ways of Looking at the [email protected] such as Juxtapoz, Digital Arts, Conservative Regime. Harvard Business Review and Dylan Penner CCPA NOVA SCOT IA OFFICE: The New York Times, and she is the democracy campaigner P.O. BOX 8355, HALIFAX, NS B3K 5M1 has been considered one with the Council of TEL: 902-240-0926 of HOW's Top 10 Sites for Canadians. [email protected] Designers and featured on Communication Arts: Fresh. Helena Towle CCPA ONTARIO OFFICE: She is co-founder, editor and is an Ottawa-based disability 10 DUNDAS STREET EAST, designer of the online arts rights advocate and author of P.O. BOX 47129, TORONTO, ON, M5B 0A1 magazine Squidface & The the June 2015 CCPA report, TEL: 416-598-5985 Meddler. Disability and Inclusion [email protected] in Canadian Education: Remie Geoffroi Policy, Procedure, and CCPA SASKATCHEWAN OFFICE: has been working as a Practice, available at www. professional illustrator for 2ND FLOOR, 2138 MCINTYRE STREET policyalternatives.ca. REGINA, SK S4P 2R7 over 15 years with high- TEL: 306-924-3372 | FAX: 306-586-5177 profile international clients Simon Tremblay-Pepin and publications, including [email protected] is a researcher with IRIS, a Billboard, ESPN, GQ and the Montreal-based progressive Wall Street Journal. think-tank. Editorial Stuart Trew Really real change. Know what I mean?

HE PODIUMS OF the three major ucation affordable; and breaking up If the future is precarious for Can- federal parties tell us this elec- Wall Street firms that “are too pow- ada’s younger workers—and most tion is a choice between LEADER- erful to be reformed.” of the evidence suggests it is—they SHIP, change and Real Change. In the U.K., where Labour will soon do not appear to be all that worried (Fonts are approximated, and replace Ed Miliband, who resigned about it. (Though a recent CIBC sur- I’ll let you figure out who owns as leader after the party’s disastrous vey found that half of university stu- Teach slogan.) Obviously there will showing in the May elections, the top dents worry they won’t have enough be more to the party platforms than contender is similarly widening the money this year to cover tuition and this—and there is only so much space parameters of mainstream political living expenses.) Is it any wonder that on a lawn sign or the side of a cam- debate. Jeremy Corbyn, an MP since instead of grand proposals for elimi- paign bus—but considering the more 1983, was relatively unknown before nating poverty and inequality we get interesting, more ideological debates he jumped into the Labour leader- sloganeering about who will do the driving electoral politics elsewhere, ship race. Like Senator Sanders in the most good for “working families” or I can’t help but feel Canada is being U.S., Corbyn has been drawing large the middle class? Electoral campaigns short-changed by a rather hollow crowds to hear him speak against aimed solely at unseating the Con- continuity-versus-change dichotomy. war and austerity, and for national- servatives play into this by painting Electoral politics doesn’t have to be izing the banks. His slogan: “Prioritiz- all non-Conservative candidates as so milquetoast. In the United States ing the needs of the poor and the hu- automatically progressive—another and United Kingdom, the Democrats man rights of all.” word, like “change,” that should have and Labour Party are soul-searching In comparison, Canadian federal more meaning than it does in the Ca- for new leaders, with self-declared politics is not just bland; it can feel nadian context. socialists posing credible challeng- almost detached from reality. We ask The economy is not doing well, not es to the safer establishment candi- ourselves, through polls, is the econo- here or anywhere. “Slow growth is on dates. Long-serving Vermont Demo- my doing well or is it heading for the the menu for as far as the eye can see,” crat Bernie Sanders has more Face- rocks? The answers gauge the mood writes CCPA economist Armine Yal- book “likes,” and regularly draws big- of the public and could determine nizyan in a recent article about how ger and younger crowds, than the how people vote in the next election. the Conservative government rode likelier presidential candidate, Hillary But how do we begin to understand the commodity boom for too long, Clinton. Cornel West backed Sand- where economic policy is failing us while Canada’s non-resource sectors ers on CNN in August, calling him when our would-be leaders and a good struggled or fell apart. “It’s not enough a “prophetic politician” for speaking part of the national media are satis- for Harper to boast about his record, “the truth about working poor peo- fied with talking points about stabil- or his opponents to fret about it… The ple being afterthoughts” to a ruling ity versus change? job situation is tenuous, even more so U.S. oligarchy. Not all the blame lies with party for our kids. What’s the plan to deal There is more than a little change strategists. Polls aren’t bulletproof with that?” in the Sanders platform: $1 trillion but they can be instructive. It’s not This is a long election campaign. for “crumbling” infrastructure, with entirely clear, for example, that peo- Hopefully it is long enough to prove a promise of creating 13 million de- ple know what kind of change they’re me wrong; that we will see the plans cent paying jobs; “reversing climate looking for. A recent Abacus Data sur- and they will offer substantive solu- change” by transforming the energy vey showed that over half of most tions to very serious social, economic system; taking subsidies away from age groups think it’s definitely time and environmental problems. Sanders corporations and giving them to work- for a change in federal government, and Corbyn may not win their leader- er-owned co-ops; legal reforms that but that only 27% of so-called millen- ship bids, but they show us that peo- will make it easier to unionize; pay nials (aged 18 to 29) think the country ple elsewhere are responding to—and equity for women; trade policies that is headed in the wrong direction, and are genuinely energized by—truly demand U.S. corporations create jobs 59% think the economy’s doing well. progressive politics. at home; making post-secondary ed- 3 an improvised explosive for those of us who have Liberal leader Justin Letters device. volunteered to sacrifice Trudeau, let the people of our own lives, if necessary, Canada serve that role. Even Michael Welner, the in order to ensure that the Instead of finding token forensic psychiatrist who Monitor can remain free to Aboriginals, teachers, interviewed Mr. Khadr for publish its reports, even if journalists, social workers seven hours in 2010, found those reports are a slap in and engineers, let the him to be unrepentant, the face. people find someone self-serving, elusive and that will have legitimacy determined to “do and say M. Elliott, Petawawa, Ont. in speaking for them. whatever he believes he And, as is the Canadian must in order to help his custom, let the group’s case.” This is a man who Canada needs an Senator be recommended has yet to denounce al- egalitarian Senate Insulted by Khadr article by the prime minister to Qaeda, or show any true the Governor General for remorse for his actions. Canada’s entanglement admission to the Senate. As a member of the Those who support Mr. in Senate reform is built Existing Senators cannot Canadian Armed Forces Khadr need to at least on a set of premises complain because that and veteran of the war consider that they are that are arguably wrong. is exactly how they got in Afghanistan, I find having the wool pulled Canada can have Senators, appointed. it disturbing that the over their eyes, not only by elected by the people, Monitor would spend the him, but the whole Khadr The benefits of without any Constitutional effort and resources to family. Parliament tweaking the amendments; we can support a man, a terrorist, appointments process The Free Omar Khadr change the nature of the who could just as easily to automatically accept Now campaign would see Senate without a veto have killed me or one of the representative fit to send him home to from the Senate; and we my deployed brothers/ of duly chartered rejoin his family, the same do not need a Senate that sisters ("Reprieve for Omar Senate socioeconomic family whose father was is primarily a guard dog for Khadr," July-August 2015). constituencies not a high-level member of provincial rights. His case is unique, and the only avoids opening the al-Qaeda network and facts and Supreme Court How? Instead of the Constitution, personal friend of Osama findings are important, categorizing Canadians but also assures Bin Laden. The same family but the issue needs to be based on where they live, better, democratically that used to live in the Bin approached with tact and we need to think about responsible, non-partisan Laden compound. They respect. Printing an article how they live, which, for Senators with a pan- want to reunite poor Mr. that was clearly supportive most Canadians, is the Canadian (not provincial) Khadr with his mother, of Mr. Khadr was neither foremost aspect of their point of view. Gender who has been openly tactful nor respectful, lives. bias will be effectively supportive of the 9/11 particularly to those of eliminated. Canada needs attacks, or his sister, who Basic to the study of us who have had to deal to demonstrate some has stated she wished her political science are the with war and terrorism imagination, co-operate own children would be socioeconomic groups firsthand. and create an egalitarian martyred, and who openly that define the diversity of Senate. Even if you give Mr. Khadr mourned the death of self-interests in a country. the benefit of the doubt Osama Bin Laden on social People self-define as B. Kerman, Brantford, Ont. regarding accusations media. First Nations, teachers, he threw the grenade farmers, tradesmen The Monitor article is that killed U.S. Army Sgt. and tradeswomen, Digging the Monitor an insult to all of us who Speers (which I do not), youth, seniors, soldiers, serve and work hard for the fact remains he was an scientists, etc. Why not our country at home and Sitting in the Huntsville active member of al-Qaeda arrange it so that such abroad. Imagine returning library enjoying the who conducted terrorist groups can seek like home from a war, only revamped CCPA Monitor, activities and operated as members from across to see a man who was a May/June 2015. An an unlawful combatant. Canada for the purpose member of the group that excellent transformation. The video found in the of electing a Senator to was trying to kill you being Keep up the great work. compound where he was represent them? treated as a celebrity. I only captured is evidence, S. Austin, Huntsville, Ont. wish the Monitor would Instead of some blue clearly showing a smiling offer the same amount of ribbon “search committee,” Mr. Khadr assisting with Send us your letters to respect and consideration as recommended by the wiring and placing of [email protected]. 4 The Good Egyptian diesel generators. to Bratman, the results Canada’s rivers, lakes and EmpowerGAZA, an “strongly suggest that streams.” / Ecojustice News Page organization founded by getting out into natural three Canadian doctors— environments” could ndia and Bangladesh Compiled by Dr. Benjamin Thomson, be an easy and almost have exchanged more Elaine Hughes Dr. Tarek Loubani and Dr. immediate way to improve I than 150 parcels of Dalal Dahrouj—hopes moods for city dwellers. disputed land on their to raise US$1.2 million Add a good night’s rest shared border after ($1.57 million) over the to the mix, and you might signing a 1974 Land next 18 months to help even ward off Alzheimer’s. Boundary Agreement. pay for clean, sustainable Scientists have long The move ends a border and uninterrupted solar suspected that sleep conflict in existence since energy for four of Gaza’s flushes harmful toxins the countries gained edicine Hat, five largest hospitals./ from the brain. A team independence from Britain Alberta claims to Rabble.ca at UC Berkely, led by Dr. in 1947. As of August 1, M have eliminated Matthew Walker, has found some 50,000 stateless homelessness, with some oronto designer Yi a definite link between the people will leave their provincial assistance, as Jiang has developed level of the sticky protein respective enclaves and city council pledged to do T a 7kg foot pedal– called beta-amyloid in choose which country they in 2009. “It costs about powered washing machine the brain, uninterrupted want to live in. / Associated $20,000 a year to house the size of a water cooler sleep and memory loss, Press someone. If they’re on that can wash and rinse suggesting that poor sleep the street, it can cost up a small load of laundry may indeed increase the ran has reached a deal to $100,000 a year,” said in about four minutes. risk of contracting the with the U.S. and five Mayor Ted Clugston. “This The machine, called disease. / New York Times, I other nations that will is the cheapest and the Drumi, costs under Associated Press see the country limit most humane way to treat $200 and earned Jiang its nuclear activities in people.” / CBC News a Dyson Foundation icrobeads will soon be exchange for the end award of $3,600. The classified as a toxic to damaging oil and n an exceptionally designer hopes to sell M substance under the financial sanctions. The windy day this summer, them to people in smaller Canadian Environmental deal, a legacy item for U.S. O Denmark’s wind apartments or in areas Protection Act. Millions of President Obama, is the turbines generated 116% where electricity is harder the tiny particles, found product of 20 months of of the country’s electricity to come by. / CBC News in cleansers, lotions and negotiating, but faces a needs, and up to 140% as toothpaste, are daily rough ride in Congress demand dropped into the s if we didn’t suspect flushed into waterways this month. European night. Surplus electricity it already, a nice walk where they absorb governments are already was sold to Germany, A and good night’s pollutants such as PCBs scrambling to remove Norway and Sweden. sleep can do wonders for and polycyclic aromatic sanctions—to open up Siemens Canada shipped your health. A team led carbons present in the business opportunities for its first wind turbine by Stanford University marine environment. The their companies in Iran. blades to Sweden in 2014. graduate student Gregory beads—often measuring The result could be that The company’s Tillsonburg, Bratman took 38 healthy no more than one even if the deal does not Ontario plant that builds city dwellers and sent half millimetre in diameter— survive a vote in the U.S., them employs 400 people of them for a 90-minute are consumed by fish international ties with Iran who produce 18 49- and walk in a quiet, park-like and birds, and eventually could still be normalized. / 55-metre high blades per setting while the other half find their way into the New York Times, Guardian week, with plans to ship walked for 90 minutes near human food chain. In U.K. to Quebec, Alberta and heavy traffic. Afterwards, praising the move, Devon Saskatchewan. / Guardian both sets of walkers got Page, executive director U.K., Green Energy Futures brain scans to check of Ecojustice, cautioned: blood flows, and answered “Let’s make sure we get ince Gaza’s only local identical questionnaires to this ban right the first power station was gauge mood. Broodiness time and ensure that we S bombed last summer, levels and blood flow to are banning all manner of most of the Palestinian the brain decreased for the microbeads—including territory’s electricity park strollers but stayed so-called biodegradable now comes “rationed” about the same for those ones—from entering from expensive Israeli or in the city. According 5 Kirkwood. “Canadian looked into those numbers to pay, jobs, and safety, New from companies—particularly and found them to be men and women still the CCPA Canadian mining bloated. don’t get equal treatment companies—are among in Canada,” says Kate “In its submission to B.C.’s the worst in the world McInturff, CCPA senior environmental assessment when it comes to ISDS.” researcher and author of process, Petronas the new study The Best The topic of ISDS (see estimates that about 3,500 and Worst Places to be a feature in the July-August workers would be required Woman in Canada 2015. 2015 issue of the Monitor) at ‘peak construction,’” “We need to take stock of was high on the agenda says Lee, author of the the gaps so we can close of a meeting in Toronto new CCPA-BC report them.” this August between LNG and Employment in Strong treaties, uncertain Reiner Hoffmann, head of British Columbia. “After a The study, which attracted investor protection Germany’s Trade Union short construction period, considerable public and Confederation (DGB), and however, the plant will only media attention this A new report by CCPA Scott Sinclair, director employ 200 to 300 full-time summer, ranks Canada’s researcher Hadrian of the CCPA’s Trade and permanent workers.” 25 largest metropolitan Mertins-Kirkwood Investment Research areas based on a In any case, the choice documents the 55 known Project. Hoffman, Sinclair comparison of how men should not be just about cases of Canadian and Hassan Yussuff, and women are faring LNG. In August, Lee investors using investor- president of the Canadian in five areas: economic submitted proposals to state arbitration to sue Labour Congress, security, leadership, health, B.C.’s Climate Leadership foreign governments discussed the pending personal security, and Team, appointed in May in international trade Canada–European Union education. It is intended this year to help develop tribunals. Comprehensive Economic to provide an annual a new “climate action and Trade Agreement measure of the gaps that A Losing Proposition: plan” for the government. (CETA), its ISDS process, exist between men and The Failure of Canadian The briefing note by the and the deal’s impacts on women in communities ISDS Policy at Home Climate Justice Project, public services and labour across Canada and serve and Abroad finds the which Lee heads, makes rights. as a reminder that, with the investor-state dispute the case for “a new wave right choices and policies, settlement (ISDS) process The DGB has asked of bold climate action, these gaps can be closed. is used most frequently Sinclair to write a critical including a reinvigorated by Canadian resource analysis of CETA, to be carbon tax as a key driver The study includes companies to challenge published prior to a mass of change, supported by examples of local initiatives resource management and demonstration against more stringent regulations underway in each city environmental protection the deal and a similar and standards, and public (with a special focus this measures in developing agreement between the investments to reshape year on Saskatoon) to help countries. The study United States and EU— our communities. close the gender gap, from comes out on the heels of the Transatlantic Trade and a group of food servers in “Rather than being a an investor lawsuit filed Investment Partnership Edmonton who got tired burden, climate action by Canadian mining firm (TTIP)—on October 10 in of being asked to wear should be seen as a new Gabriel Resources against Berlin. miniskirts at work, to an economic agenda and approval delays for its organization in Quebec industrial strategy,” writes extremely controversial City that ensures that Deaf Lee in his submission. Rosia Montana gold mine LNG will not help new women have access to “Shifting to a zero-carbon in Romania. climate action plan perinatal care. B.C. is both technologically “ISDS is supposed B.C. Premier Christy Clark possible and will create “Looking at which city fares to protect foreign stated this summer that far more employment the worst and best in terms investors from arbitrary the Pacific NorthWest opportunities than of gender equality isn’t government actions, but LNG project headed by expansion of fossil fuel about winning the cup, in practice it is being Malaysian state-owned production.” it’s about identifying what used by multinational Petronas would create works in one community corporations to bully 4,500 jobs, and that the and bringing it home to democratic governments LNG industry as a whole Best and worst places another—so that every into backtracking on would create 100,000 to be a woman city in Canada is a good actions taken in the public jobs. Marc Lee, senior place to be a woman,” says “The reality is Canada has a interest,” says Mertins- economist with CCPA-BC, McInturff. gender gap. When it comes 6 Income risks for Wealth gap thoughtful overview of overreach, which occurs retirement starts young the key issues in the effort when officials grasp at to build an affordable, the latest, unproven Two recent and widely Did you know that the inclusive, anti-oppressive, technologies, such as the quoted studies—from wealthiest Canadian accountable and high- F-35 Strike Fighter, which McKinsey & Company and families in their twenties quality national child carry huge cost risks and the C.D. Howe Institute— have an average net care program that meets uncertainties.” strongly suggest that no worth of over $500,000— the needs of kids from major policy changes are more than middle class coast to coast to coast. needed to better ensure families manage to save Our Schools/Our Selves Saskatchewan’s Canadians have adequate over a lifetime? If these is a quarterly journal on roadworks problem retirement income in the millionaire babies stay education available in the future. But are they right? at the top, they’ll spend A new report from the online CCPA bookstore for Not according to Michael the rest of their lifetime CCPA-Saskatchewan raises $15. Wolfson, a Canada accumulating even greater serious concerns about Research Chair and former wealth, leaving their middle how the province builds assistant chief statistician class contemporaries Smarter, affordable roads. Blank Spaces: at Statistics Canada. behind in their gold dust. defence The Accountability and Oversight Gap in Wolfson’s CCPA-Ontario CCPA Senior Economist Most of Canada’s major Saskatchewan’s Contract report, What, Me Worry? David Macdonald explores military hardware is old, Roadbuilding System by Income Risks for Retiring the role this head start degraded, unreliable and Taylor Bendig identifies Canadians, is a must- plays in growing inequality often unavailable. With a systemic neglect and read for policy makers in his report The Wealth federal election looming, carelessness within the and anyone else trying to Advantage: The Growing this crisis in defence ministry’s contracts with understand the vital role Wealth Gap Between procurement presents private roadbuilders. public policy should play Canada’s Affluent and both a challenge and an Bendig’s review of over in securing our retirement the Middle Class. “It opportunity for Canada’s 250 ministry contracts future. It includes a sharp seems unlikely that next government—to shows a pervasive pattern critique of Statistics the tremendously well- rebuild the military from of negligence, as basic Canada’s decision to stop educated middle class the ground up and to do so accountability measures funding the LifePaths youth of today could in a way that addresses the such as price breakdowns, database that is ideal for overcome the half-a- country’s actual needs. contract completion predicting pension needs million dollar head start dates, late penalties and in future. the wealthiest Canadian A new CCPA report by performance deposits are families enjoy in their Michael Byers, Smart LifePaths data shows used sporadically if at all. twenties,” he concludes. Defence: Plan for that “a large proportion of “It is time to re-examine Rebuilding Canada’s The report also finds that middle-income Canadians measures like the 50% Military, calls for a more vague and open-ended (possibly 50%) will likely lower tax rate on capital objective and reasoned highway construction face a significant reduction gains that may, in some approach to defence contracts leave the in their living standards in small measure, slow this procurement, outlining government particularly retirement—a drop of 25% growing gap.” 23 recommendations vulnerable to paying for or more in their net income that would save billions work “that is unsatisfactory replacement rate by age in spending on military or excessively expensive.” 70,” according to Wolfson’s A child care plan equipment, increase Among Bendig’s report. “This evidence that works for everyone capabilities on most recommendations are strongly supports some fronts, and maintain that the ministry should form of expansion of CPP/ The summer issue of Our jobs in the Canadian enhance its internal data QPP or, in the absence Schools/Our Selves comes defence, aerospace and gathering and organization of federal leadership, the at an opportune moment, shipbuilding industries. systems, and implement development of provincial taking stock of where a proactive disclosure initiatives, such as the we are in the child care “There are two big regime. Ontario Retirement debates (and where we problems with defence Pension Plan process need to be) in the lead-up procurement in Canada,” unfolding in the province of to a national election that says Byers. “One is Ontario.” is very much about how mismanagement, including For more reports, commentary we care for our children. new layers of bureaucracy and infographics from the CCPA’s Researchers, activists introduced by the Harper national and provincial offices, visit and analysts provide a government. The other is www.policyalternatives.ca 7 Behind the Numbers

ARMINE YALNIZYAN Recently, the United Nations Refu- gee Agency noted that 59 million peo- ple were displaced in 2014 by violence and persecution, the highest number RELYING ON of displacements on record and the fastest single year of growth. These numbers do not include the displace- THE PERMANENTLY ment of peoples because of climate change, which is a growing phenome- non as well. Nor do they include rising TEMPORARY numbers of international students and professionals who go abroad to seek greater opportunity. Pushed or pulled, human beings t’s only been a few weeks since Dis- market, inadequate workplace train- are on the move as never before. So ney, that most iconic of American ing and a desire to cut costs. is capital. companies, moved to displace all its The Disney affair that so riled Amer- For the past three decades, nations homegrown techies with low-cost icans is almost a perfect mirror image have tried to become magnets for mon- foreign temporary workers. But the of a 2013 story that alarmed Canadi- ey in the hopes of drawing investments company had to beat a hasty retreat ans about practices at the Royal Bank that create growth and jobs. For the Iin the face of an outpouring of criticism. of Canada and other big banks. We’ve next three decades, nations with ag- Amid the deluge of commentary this since learned that the hiring of tempo- ing populations will need to be mag- story triggered about where America is rary foreign workers is routine in the fi- nets for both capital and labour, just headed, blogger and finance professor nance sector and beyond. to maintain standards of living. Noah Smith turned his eyes north and The distinction between policies The stakes are high. We are estab- gave Canada a mighty shout-out in a that encourage permanent or tempo- lishing the terms of the game for dec- column for Bloomberg he titled “Can- rary newcomers is critical to Canada’s ades to come, for migrant workers and ada: Tomorrow’s Superpower.” future and the future of a world dogged citizens alike. There is perhaps no more Smith rightly pointed out that immi- by aging populations. fundamental test of policy success or gration policy is one of the fundamen- All the advanced industrialized na- failure than how labour force needs will tal Canadian strengths that bode well tions are aging. Japan is first, but South be met in the coming years. Will new- for our future. But in his haste to ex- Korea, China and virtually all of Europe comers be invited in as guest workers plain what’s right about our policies, are close behind. Canada is among or as citizens in the making? This is a he skipped over the part of the story the most rapidly aging societies be- new issue for Canada, and an increas- where we’ve begun to ape something cause of our postwar baby boom. Our ingly contentious one. that’s wrong about the American way: labour shortages are currently limit- Numerous policy announcements a growing reliance by business on tem- ed to booming pockets of the econ- meant to quell concerns have done porary “guest” workers. omy, but they will become endemic little to change the trends. No one Canada’s immigration reforms have as boomers begin to retire in droves, has answered the core question: Why pivoted from family reunification to which will happen long before the ro- are temporary foreign workers good economic immigration, with a focus bots take over. In the meantime, eco- enough to work, but not good enough on new permanent residents who have nomic migrants are becoming the tail to stay? high educational skills and/or high that wags the dog of economic devel- Professor Smith is right—Canada net worth. opment and the evolution of nations. has the potential to become a super- Most people don’t realize that our power, a country the world regards with intake of foreign workers has almost respect and envy for its economic, so- doubled since 2006—right through the cial and political strength. But it won’t recession, amid rising unemployment get there by relying on the permanent- rates and with no recovery for young ly temporary. workers. Almost all of our net new im- Almost all of our net new ARMINE YALNIZYAN IS A SENIOR ECONOMIST AT THE migration growth is driven by the esca- CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES. FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @ARMINEYALNIZYAN. lating use of temporary foreign work- immigration growth is ers, rather than permanent economic migrants. Canadian businesses have driven by the escalating turned to these workers for a variety use of temporary foreign of reasons, including legitimate short- ages in certain pockets of the labour workers. 8 SUZANNE SMYTHE ty, affordability, design and usability, public access, relevance, digital liter- acy and consumer safety. These prin- ciples form a comprehensive digital in- WHERE IS CANADA’S clusion framework developed in 2010 by the ICMA, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the Technol- DIGITAL INCLUSION ogy & Social Change Group at the Uni- versity of Washington, with the under- standing that a digital inclusion frame- STRATEGY? work is as necessary for infrastructure development as transit, housing or an economic development plan. When Alex moved to a cheaper apart- hen Alex first arrives at the fordability). The strategy relies on the ment, he qualified for a six-month drop-in computer class at hope that a competitive telecommuni- “new Internet subscriber” rate of $30 his local neighbourhood cations market will result in compet- a month. A friend lent him a very old house, he’s never used a key- itive Internet rates and incentives to but functioning laptop computer and board or surfed the Internet provide services to rural and remote with support from the neighbourhood before. But he’s determined communities. house tutors he got an email and Face- Wto learn so he can apply for government The digital policies of other feder- book account. services he needs as a recently unem- al parties are only slightly more ambi- Alex was connected! At least for a ployed person with disabilities. tious. The NDP’s proposals for “bridging time. He read local and internation- Alex (not his real name) attends the the digital divide” call for widespread al news, reconnected with family and weekly drop-in classes faithfully, work- availability of high speed Internet and friends, practised his writing and typing ing with a volunteer tutor who patient- the auction of wireless spectrum, the skills, learned about health issues and ly walks him through the complex pro- invisible but limited airways that trans- made medical appointments. But when cess of applying for disability bene- mit data, to subsidize affordable Inter- he opened a spam email and his com- fits online. Maggie (also not her real net access for rural and remote com- puter crashed he had nowhere to go name) is another regular at the class. munities. The Liberals are calling for for help, and he missed an email mes- She was referred by a provincial em- improvements in the accessibility of sage to attend a long-awaited medical ployment office for help applying for government services and better pri- appointment. jobs. Maggie has no Internet connec- vacy and security. But all this is rath- tion at home and needs hours of one- er piecemeal. to-one support to be able to fill out the In other jurisdictions we find more online job application systems some comprehensive digital strategies that employers use. Sometimes she misses link local and federal policies based on Women learn computer skills a response from an employer because seven principles of access: availabili- Photo by Spark Creative Ltd she can’t get into her email account. These everyday experiences of digi- tal access parallel those of many oth- er low income Canadians who are be- ing kept (or pushed) offline by unaf- fordable high-speed Internet fees, low speed targets, and data capping, as well as cuts to adult and commu- nity literacy programs that were once hubs of digital learning. The irony is that amid these struggles, the feder- al government has announced inten- tions to take ever more government services online. The complexities of access experi- enced by people like Alex and Maggie are lost in this Digital Canada 150 strat- egy, released in 2014, which narrowly defines digital access as the availa- bility of an Internet connection (note that availability does not include af- 9 A digital inclusion IGLIKA IVANOVA framework is as necessary as transit, B.C. CAN AFFORD $10/DAY housing or an economic

development plan. his July, British Columbia’s pre- Child care experts in B.C. have devel- mier recalled the legislature from oped a plan that would transform the its regular summer break to pass existing patchwork of programs into a special laws paving the way for universal, high quality, affordable child a potential liquefied natural gas care system that integrates early learn- The lower Internet rate expired and (LNG) project. Imagine if the pro- ing and care. It would reduce fees to Alex faced a $58 monthly bill he could Tvincial government put as much en- $10 a day, create enough spaces for all not afford. He cut back in other areas ergy and effort into solving the child families who want them, and increase of his small budget to keep his connec- care crisis. the quality of care. This $10-a-day child tion, as many other Canadians must do. If we take the evidence for granted care plan has gathered support across Alex’s experience suggests that being (and there is a lot of compelling evi- the province, from businesses, local “connected” is not a one-off event. Dig- dence), a focus on child care would governments and academics. ital access is an ongoing effort that re- yield a number of social and economic When B.C.’s political leaders are quires a comprehensive vision and an benefits. High quality early childhood asked about $10-a-day child care, they integration of the seven principles of education promotes healthy child de- wring their hands and tell us we simply access, oriented to the needs of low- velopment and increases education- can’t afford it. How could this be true er income, less-educated Canadians. al achievement for all children, with when B.C. is one of the richest provinc- A coalition of anti-poverty and advo- particular benefits to the most vul- es in one of the world’s richest coun- cacy groups is calling attention to this, nerable. It also promotes social inclu- tries, and when we have been running arguing that the Internet is not a lux- sion, advances gender equality by al- budget surpluses for over two years? ury, but a right. These groups are ask- lowing mothers to return to work, and In a recently published CCPA study, ing the CRTC, in its current consulta- strengthens the economy. I show that the $10-a-day child care tion on basic communication servic- Yet B.C. and Canada are laggards by plan is entirely affordable either as a es, to subsidize Internet access for international standards, investing far federal-provincial partnership or as a low-income Canadians, similar to a less than what is required to ensure B.C.-only program like the one in place policy U.S. President Obama recent- all children can thrive. Small enhance- in Quebec since the 1990s. Drawing on ly announced. ments to the status quo (like B.C.’s Early research from the Quebec experience, When federal parties put forward Years Strategy) are just not cutting it— I find that in B.C. $10-a-day child care more developed digital strategies in we need a change in priorities. would be largely self-financing through the election season (and let’s hope The call for public investment in a the considerable boost to provincial they will!) they should take into ac- national child care program is not new and federal government revenues that count that these everyday digital ex- and is supported by a diverse group of putting more women into the work- clusions affect our economy and our organizations, from child care advo- force would deliver. social fabric, too. cates to physicians organizations, early I propose small, affordable increas- How does Alex manage his health childhood development experts, busi- es in personal and business taxes to care if he can’t afford an Internet con- ness groups and economists. Two and raise the additional revenues B.C. would nection? How does Maggie find work if a half years ago, TD Bank’s chief econo- need to provide quality early education she does not know how to use the on- mist argued child care should be a top and child care for all children in B.C. line job application systems and can’t spending priority for governments af- For the vast majority of people, these afford a computer? Designing digital ter deficits are eliminated. changes would mean paying between strategies that address these problems Guess what? B.C. returned to sur- $20 and $80 more per year in taxes. This will take us further down the road to a plus in 2013–14. And during the most is a bargain for what we’d get with uni- connected Canada. recent provincial budget consultation, versal, quality child care: healthy child

SUZANNE SMYTHE IS AN ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN a bipartisan committee of 15 MLAs development, improved social inclu- ADULT LITERACY/ADULT EDUCATION IN THE FACULTY unanimously recommended that B.C. sion, more gender and income equal- OF EDUCATION AT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY AND A RESEARCH ASSOCIATE WITH THE CCPA-BC. FOLLOW “provide funding and support for the ity and economic prosperity. HER ON TWITTER @SUZANNESMYTHE. development and implementation of IGLIKA IVANOVA IS AN ECONOMIST WITH THE CCPA-BC. a child care plan” (see recommenda- FOLLOW HER ON TWITTER @IGLIKAIVANOVA. tion 40 in the report). Unfortunate- ly, the idea was ignored in the final 2015 budget. 10 SCOTT SINCLAIR AND STUART TREW TA. Canada will also find it harder, un- der the TPP, to implement policies to add value to natural resources prior to export, as evident from Japan’s pres- TPP SHAKEDOWN sure on B.C. to eliminate its controls on raw log exports. But the far greater part of the TPP’s IN MAUI 30-odd chapters has little to do with tariffs or international trade as most would understand it. Because of un- usually tight secrecy, the text of the shakedown is defined as extor- But with the notable exception of the agreement is still hidden from public tion by means of force, threats supply-managed sectors (dairy, poul- view and might not surface before the or intimidation. That’s a pretty try, eggs), the impacts on exports and election. But what we know from sparse accurate description of what’s growth will likely be pretty small. Even leaks is already cause for concern. happening to Canadian negoti- pro-TPP studies, which make sketchy For example, leading North American ators at the hands of their U.S. assumptions to boost their results, oncologists recently called out pharma- Acounterparts in these possibly final predict only a tiny change in GDP for ceutical companies on the prohibitive weeks of controversial Trans-Pacific Canada. cost of cancer drugs, which routinely Partnership (TPP) talks. That’s because, with a few excep- exceed US$100,000 a year. Connect- Predictably, the Canadian big busi- tions, tariffs are already so low. Cana- ing the dots, one of the chief underly- ness community is urging the federal dian import tariffs average just 3%. TPP ing reasons brand name drug compa- government to do whatever it takes— member countries with which Cana- nies can charge such exorbitant prices including cutting the throats of dairy da does not already have a free trade is that international trade agreements and poultry farmers who work hard for agreement make up only 3% of total already require long periods of monop- an honest living—to make the TPP hap- exports and 5% of imports. Outside oly protection. The TPP’s intellectual pen. Beyond public sympathy for the of NAFTA—Mexico is also part of the property rights chapter would further plight of those farmers, most Canadi- TPP—the bulk of this trade is with Ja- interfere with cost-saving reforms, de- ans have almost no idea what’s going on. pan, where trade-weighted tariffs av- laying the availability of cheaper gener- We should be honest about what the erage just 2%. ic medicines and boosting drug costs. TPP is and isn’t, what it promises and What’s more, Canada has a trade The TPP deal may penalize Canada what it can deliver. deficit with these non-FTA countries of for its highly praised “notice-and-no- For the Obama administration, the $5–8 billion annually; 80% of Canada’s tice” system governing copyright in- TPP is about power and influence in top exports to these countries are raw fringement. These regulations, in ef- Asia as a counterweight to China’s or semi-processed goods, while 85% growth. They want U.S. corporations of imports are of higher value-added to dominate supply chains in the re- goods. We can therefore expect tar- gion, and so the TPP is about creat- iff removal through the TPP to wors- Anti-TPP protesters outside the July ing binding rules—on regulatory pol- en the erosion of the Canadian manu- negotiating round in Hawaii icy, drug patents and copyright, how facturing sector underway since NAF- Photo by SumOfUs state-owned enterprises can and can- not operate, etc.—that will make that scenario more likely. While Canada is peripheral to these geopolitical goals, distinctive Canadian policies that impede U.S. interests (e.g., supply management, domestic copy- right and privacy laws, etc.) must go. Canada has its own interests in the region, but they do not depend on the TPP. For example, Canada already does a lot of trade with the Pacific Rim, and will continue to do so whether there’s a TPP or not (or whether our country is inside the TPP or not). Trade liberalization under the TPP would hurt some Canadian indus- tries including autos and electronics and help others like beef and pork. 11 fect since the first of the year, strike the Bay of Fundy, or the ongoing chal- a balance between curbing online pi- Canada has its own lenge to the ban on oil and gas frack- racy and the rights of Internet users, ing in Quebec. who in the U.S. face tougher penal- interests in the region, Pro-TPP business groups, many of ties for non-commercial infringement but they do not depend them with exclusive access to the TPP of copyright. texts and a direct line to Canadian ne- The U.S. is also insisting on rules to on the TPP. gotiators, know these issues will be prohibit countries from requiring that contentious in Canada, so they are hap- personal information be safeguarded py to beat around the supply manage- on national databases. Privacy regula- ment bush. It makes it appear the only tions in B.C. and Nova Scotia have been thing in the way of an allegedly fantas- targeted by U.S. negotiators. As Edward these restrictions might have on Cana- tic trade deal is a handful of self-inter- Snowden’s revelations about NSA spy- dian Crown corporations such as the ested dairy and chicken farmers. ing make clear, there are good reasons CBC or Canada Post. This line arguably helps the feder- why Canadian governments might re- Leaked text also confirms the TPP al government, which would normal- quire tax, health care or financial data includes an investor–state dispute set- ly be reluctant to bring an unsavoury to be stored locally. tlement (ISDS) mechanism modelled deal to the electorate on the eve of a In some areas Canada didn’t need on NAFTA chapter 11. As Monitor read- federal election. That’s because it lets shaking down. For example, the feder- ers will know, Canada is already the the government avoid an awkward al government has joined with the U.S. most-sued developed country in the question: If Canada does not need the to press TPP countries for strict con- world under this quasi-judicial system TPP to prosper, why would Canada al- trols on state-owned enterprises, so of corporate rights. Extending the ISDS low itself to be shaken down so badly that they act according to “free mar- regime to the TPP region, we can look just so President Obama can have his ket principles” (i.e., are profit-oriented) forward to more surprises like the re- “pivot to Asia?”

only. If not for another TPP leak from cent Bilcon case, where a U.S. compa- SCOTT SINCLAIR IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE CCPA’S TRADE Wikileaks during the Maui negotiating ny successfully challenged an environ- AND INVESTMENT RESEARCH PROJECT. STUART TREW IS THE EDITOR OF THE MONITOR. A VERSION OF THIS round this summer, no one would have mental assessment that ruled against a ARTICLE RAN ON THE NATIONAL NEWSWATCH WEBSITE. been publicly discussing what impacts massive quarry and marine terminal on

HUGH MACKENZIE Michael Wolfson clearly analyzed the limitations of the McKinsey and Ham- ilton studies in a CCPA-Ontario report earlier this month (What, Me Worry? FRASER INSTITUTE MISSES Income Risks for Retiring Canadians, available at www.policyalternatives.ca). The Fraser Institute study’s main con- THE MARK ON RETIREMENT clusion—that CPP premium increases largely replace private retirement sav- ings—is fundamentally irrelevant to the SECURITY pension debate, even if it is true. It is ir- relevant because the pension debate is about retirement income adequacy, not contribution rates. he best measure of the political ͸ We should stop worrying about re- However, the Fraser Institute study saliency of expanding public pen- tirement income because the average doesn’t even establish that past CPP sions might be the progression of senior in Canada is able to maintain a premium increases have replaced pri- conservative think-tank studies reasonable standard of living in retire- vate savings. It relies on a statistical purporting to show that there is ment (Malcolm Hamilton, C.D. Howe model of retirement savings whose no need for an expanded Cana- Institute, May 2015) results fall far short of any reasonable Tda Pension Plan (CPP) or for the new standard of statistical significance. Only about 17% of Canadians are fi- Ontario Retirement Pension Plan.In ͸ The authors themselves warn readers nancially unprepared for retirement the past few months, we have heard: that their results, “must be interpret- (McKinsey, February 2015). ed cautiously. CPP changes between CPP expansion is a bad idea because ͸ These studies suffer from significant 1996 and 2004 did not occur in a vac- the required contributions would re- methodological weaknesses and in- uum; they coincided with many fac- sult in a near-equivalent reduction in consistencies, and massively oversell tors that may have affected the sav- other retirement saving (Fraser Insti- their results. ings behaviour of households in un- tute, July 2015). predictable ways.”

12 That may be the only understate- Inflation protection ment in the paper. The best result from The inefficiency In addition to these advantages, in the their primary model of retirement sav- current Canadian annuity market it is ings explains only 25.9% of the vari- disadvantage for the not possible to replicate through in- ation in savings rates; depending on RRSP option versus a dividual savings the inflation protec- the age group, the statistical power of tion provided through the Canada Pen- their study ranges from 21% to 25.9% pension is staggering. sion Plan. Indexed annuities are sim- of the savings variation. Their alterna- ply too expensive. These key advan- tive model’s explanatory power peaks tages for the CPP, and by extension at 5.3% for the youngest age group, the ORPP, relative to individual retire- and is even lower for other age groups. ment savings are additive: each con- As noted above, the most troubling ings an even bigger issue in this coun- tributes separately and independent- aspect of the Fraser Institute study is try. In a 2014 CCPA report, I estimated ly to a massive efficiency advantage its explicit assumption that savings that 36% of a Canadian’s savings over for the CPP/ORPP. in the form of CPP contributions are their working lifetime would be soaked In my 2014 report, I compared the equivalent to private RRSP savings. In up by mutual fund managers’ fees. cost of a given level of retirement in- making that critical assumption, the come through a defined benefit pen- Fraser study inadvertently highlights Longevity risk sion plan with the cost of providing the the fundamental reason why CPP ex- A pension plan is better positioned to same income through RRSPs. The cost pansion is a better deal for Canadians. manage longevity risk—the risk that advantage for the pension plan is dra- RRSP contributions are not equiva- you will outlive your retirement sav- matic. The percentage of pay required lent to retirement savings through con- ings—in two respects. The most ob- as a contribution to fund the RRSP op- tributions to a universal, defined bene- vious advantage is that it is far more tion would be between 2.4 times and 2.5 fit pension plan like the CPP. CPP con- expensive for an individual to guaran- times the percentage of pay required tributions are significantly more effec- tee a retirement income than it is for a to fund the pension option. tive in generating retirement income pension plan. It is far more cost effec- This is a conservative estimate of than RRSP contributions. tive to pool longevity risk over a large the advantage, given that the compar- The CPP advantage is attributable population than to protect against that ison was biased in favour of the RRSP to four key factors: investment returns, risk as an individual. In my 2014 CCPA option. The RRSP option took no ac- fees, longevity risk, and inflation pro- report, I estimated that even to reduce count of the inflation protection cost tection. the probability of running out of retire- advantage for the pension option and ment savings to 25% would require 18% was based on a 25% probability of out- Investment returns more retirement savings. living retirement savings, not the 0% A large fund like the CPP is able to take The other longevity risk manage- probability provided through the pen- advantage of investment opportuni- ment advantage for pension plans is sion option. ties simply not available to individu- more subtle, but equally significant. The inefficiency disadvantage for the als investing privately through mutu- In general, prudent investment man- RRSP option is staggering and begs for al funds. A study in the United States agement requires that the closer you an explanation as to why we are having comparing the investment returns of are to retirement the more conserva- this debate at all. The answer clearly large defined contribution funds (401(k) tive your investment portfolio should lies in a conservative ideological oppo- plans) with those of Individual Retire- be. As they age, investors trade higher sition to public policy responses when ment Accounts (the American equiv- returns for greater certainty. Because a a private alternative is available. alent to RRSPs) have found that large pension plan pools the retirement sav- As a look behind the Fraser Institute fund returns exceed those of IRAs by ings of people at all different life stag- study’s casual assumption that private 1.8% annually. That might not sound es, pension plans age on average very savings and CPP contributions are like a big difference. But over a work- slowly, if at all. As a consequence, pen- equivalent in generating retirement in- ing lifetime the same savings rate re- sion plans can take advantage of the come demonstrates, ideological prefer- sults in over 47% larger investments in benefits of investment risk pooling to ence comes at an extremely high cost the large funds than in individual funds. seek higher investment returns. to individual retirement savers and to A recent analysis by the Canadian Ontarians and Canadians generally.

Fees pension performance measurement HUGH MACKENZIE IS A CCPA RESEARCH ASSOCIATE. organization CEM found that large de- FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @MACKHUGH. The corrosive effect of investment man- fined benefit plans earned 1.5% annu- agement fees on retirement savings ally more than large defined contribu- was recently highlighted as an issue tion plans, and that most of that differ- by the U.S. Securities and Exchange ence (about 1.3%) was attributable to Commission. The significantly higher differences in asset mix, or investment mutual fund fees paid by Canadians portfolio risk. make their impact on retirement sav- 13 SIMON ENOCH tively, Saskatchewan has hitched its wagon to the promise of “clean coal.” The provincial and federal govern- ments have sunk close to $1.5 billion SASKATCHEWAN’S CLIMATE into SaskPower’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, which will take the carbon from one coal-fired plant CHANGE CRUCIBLE and sell it to assist in the extraction of unconventional oil deposits. As Mark Bigland-Pritchard and Brian Banks out- line in their study of the project, the askatchewan’s summer has been one million tonnes of CO2 captured a snapshot of our climate future. With per capita amounts to only about 7% of all GHGs Massive wildfires exploded created by SaskPower’s coal-fired gen- across the north of the prov- emissions three times eration, and less than 2% of the prov- ince, forcing the evacuation of the Canadian average, ince’s total emissions. over 13,000 people—dubbed Moreover, for each tonne of carbon Sby some as Saskatchewan’s first “cli- we urgently need to take dioxide used to recover oil, about 2.7 mate change refugees.” Smoke from tonnes are eventually emitted from the fires was so intense it caused air responsibility for our combustion of the extra oil recovered. quality warnings in Saskatoon and Re- As a climate change strategy, CCS is gina, choking residents with smoke as contribution to climate a bust. far south as Minnesota. change. Saskatchewan is actually well posi- The fires were stoked by intense heat tioned to take advantage of the transi- and drought across the Prairies. In Sas- tion to renewable energy technologies. katchewan, the persistent drought has With the best solar profile in the coun- seen river levels drop to dangerous try, and some of the highest on-shore lows, while the province is set to re- wind speeds, the province could be a cord its worst harvest in years. Hydrol- Despite the ferocity of these events, renewable energy leader. What we need ogists warn this might become routine, Saskatchewan’s premier has avoid- is a federal government that can put in as run-off from the snow-pack in the ed connecting the fires with climate place the right framework and incen- Rockies diminishes to a trickle due to change, insisting they are discrete one- tives to make pursuing such a strate- the effects of global climate change. offs rather than the start of a “new nor- gy politically and economically viable. mal.” Perhaps this isn’t surprising, giv- Ending subsidies to fossil fuels, a na- en the premier’s long record of down- tional price on carbon, improvements playing Canada’s contribution to cli- to the national electrical grid to fa- mate change, his steadfast opposition cilitate hydro-sharing, and a federal to hard greenhouse gas emission tar- cost-sharing program for green ener- gets and his unrepentant boosterism gy are just some of the policies that for oil, gas and coal. could help move fossil-fuel depend- With Saskatchewan’s annual per cap- ent provinces like Saskatchewan into ita greenhouse gas emissions well over the green energy future. three times the Canadian average, and Sustainable Canada Dialogues, a almost 10 times higher than the world group of over 60 scientists, engineers average, it is urgent that we begin to and economists, estimates that Can- take responsibility for our own contri- ada has the potential to shift entirely bution to climate change. In order to to renewable sources of electricity by do this, we will need strong leadership 2035 and eliminate 80% of its green- at the federal level. house gas emissions by mid-century Saskatchewan is highly dependent if we put the right federal policies in Our Schools/ on coal for electricity: half of the prov- place. The group concludes the most ince’s generation comes from coal- significant barrier to achieving this fired plants, which make up the bulk shift is not technical or economic, but Our Selves of the electricity sector’s GHG emis- the absence of federal leadership and sions. Rather than transition away from lack of political will.

Summer issue available coal and try to match renewable ener- SIMON ENOCH IS THE DIRECTOR OF CCPA- gy leaders like Iowa and South Dako- SASKATCHEWAN. FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @SIMON_ ENOCH. now in the CCPA bookstore ta, which currently generate 28.5% and 25.3% of their power from wind respec- 14 ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA FORTNER

Navigating the 2015 Election The Monitor looks beyond parties and policy to assess the state of Canada's democracy on the eve of the vote. Election special Dylan Penner Why vote?

F VOTING CHANGED anything, they’d attempted to mislead people about Health care advocates are knocking make it illegal.” the location of their polling stations on doors to let people know how medi- This sentiment, ascribed to in order to prevent them from vot- care is endangered by the end of the Emma Goldman, captures the ing. The people who received the calls Health Accord. Veterans groups are essence of why many people do were more likely to vote for parties out in numbers, too. not vote. For those who agree other than the Conservatives, and Indigenous-led groups are likewise “Iwith it, consider the very real efforts the source of the information used encouraging people to vote this year, governments take to suppress the for these calls was the Conservative holding voter ID clinics and voter reg- vote, even in Canada. Clearly some- Party database. Rather than assist au- istration drives (see the article by one thinks elections matter enough to thorities in finding the ringleaders of Lisa Forbes in this issue). The Cana- keep the wrong people from the polls. this election fraud, the Conservative dian Muslim Vote, a relatively new It therefore seems reasonable that in- Party has refused to disclose who had group, has been doing significant or- creasing voter turnout should affect access to the database, leaving the ganizing, all the more important giv- both the outcome of elections and perpetrators still at large. en two-thirds of Muslim Canadians the political possibilities afterward. The 2011 election fraud was then didn’t vote in the 2011 election. Black In the last election, 6,201 votes used as a pretext to introduce the Votes Matter, drawing inspiration across 14 ridings meant the differ- so-called Fair Elections Act, which from the Black Lives Matter move- ence between a majority and minor- makes it more difficult to vote and ment, aims to mobilize African-Ca- ity government for Harper’s Conserv- to prosecute potential electoral mis- nadians as an expression of commu- atives. In 2011, over 9.4 million eligi- deeds. The Council of Canadians, Ca- nity power. ble Canadian voters did not cast a nadian Federation of Students and The Council of Canadians is canvass- ballot, including two out of three several voters continue to challenge ing in a number of ridings, encourag- young people. the electoral reforms in court. Unfor- ing people to take a Voters’ Pledge—a There are two main deterrents to tunately, our request for an injunc- promise to not only vote, but to bring voting: a lack of motivation and ac- tion—which would permit voters to at least two other first-time voters cess barriers. use the Elections Canada–issued Vot- with you to the polling station. In the first case, it’s not about ap- er Information Card as proof of ID in This is only a fraction of all the athy, but about issues. Many don’t October—was denied. The full Char- election activity happening, but like see elections as relevant to their dai- ter challenge to the Fair Elections Act a Venn diagram, the priorities of each ly lives. Younger voters especially will be heard after the election. of these campaigns converge on get- tune out when they don’t see the is- So how do you counteract low mo- ting more people to vote. sues that matter to them reflected in tivation and active voter suppres- Regardless of the outcome, commu- the political discussion. These mo- sion? Several groups, the Council of nity organizing and increasing voter tivational barriers to voting can be Canadians, labour unions and envi- turnout are fundamentally a step to- summed up by the view that the po- ronmental organizations included, ward a more direct form of democra- litical parties are “all the same”—an have put extra energy and resourc- cy, a more participatory politics that understandable reaction to a narrow- es into door-to-door campaigns on continues to influence policy out- ing of the political spectrum on sev- the importance of voting. Our goal side of elections. The ultimate goal eral issues. is to get tens of thousands more vot- is a stronger movement, with deep- The second deterrent related to ac- ers to the polls this year than in 2011. er grassroots, clearer common goals cess is more straightforward. Voter Anti-poverty organizations are ral- and more capacity to challenge and turnout has been in decline for dec- lying people on low incomes to vote change the status quo. ades, but the current government has for change. Anti-austerity campaigns contributed directly by taking voter are gaining steam, particularly the ef- suppression to a whole other level. fort to save at-home mail delivery, In 2011, an orchestrated “robocall” which is turning the issue into a bal- campaign across hundreds of ridings lot box question in multiple ridings. 16 Election special Fiona Jeffries After October 19 Being present for the election will take work, sticking around afterwards is more important

N SO MANY ways, this election feels ply means representative democra- can elect whatever government you incomparably urgent. For at least a cy is contingent upon our being ab- want as long as they implement our year, our news media, public debates, sent from the arena of formal politics policies.” Greece now faces the dev- political strategizing meetings and and the life-affecting debates and de- astating situation of a government private conversations have been sat- cisions that take place therein. elected on an anti-austerity platform urated with stories of the destruc- “Now for many of us busy, over- being tasked with implementing an Ition this government has reaped. Many worked folk this appears to be a good even more severe austerity program of us are going to expend ourselves deal. After all, sitting through long de- than the one forced on past regimes this month with the hope of produc- bates and getting trained to go over by European creditors. (Ed. note: Syr- ing change in Ottawa on October 19. government accounts is time-con- iza leader Alexis Tsipras resigned as We will be thinking of this govern- suming and tedious,” Caffentzis wrote, Prime Minister in late August and ment’s cruel refusal to seriously in- in 2012, of the U.S. Occupy Movement. called new elections for September.) vestigate the epidemic of missing and “But in periods of crisis when you no And herein lies the recurrent dan- murdered Indigenous women in Can- longer trust who is presenting you ger, an established pattern in the his- ada, or its disastrous embrace of an again in your absence and when you tory of electoral politics. Disappoint- economic model that favours pollut- no longer trust the whole apparatus ed and demoralized, people need time ing extractive industries, its scandal- of representation, the need to make to replenish their political energies. ous suppression of scientific knowl- your presence felt physically returns, Once they have, they are asked to edge, and a dogmatically free trade– i.e., to go back to basics and originally throw those energies behind another focused and warrior-oriented foreign present yourself as a body in motion party that promises to be present so policy, to name just a few examples. at a historic juncture ready to swerve that they—the voter—can be absent Manifestly terrible policies have the relations of power in your favour.” from the decision-making process. created a surplus of grief, fear and Enormous political capacities and The lesson here is that electing an- despair that will be especially strong energies were mobilized to achieve other party is not irrelevant, but nei- among refugees and recent migrants Barack Obama’s extraordinary elec- ther is it much more than the tip of (who find it more difficult to bring toral victory. The public elation was the political iceberg. Beyond mobi- their loved ones to Canada); environ- palpable, powerful, but fleeting as a lizing people to get to the polls there mental, Indigenous and free speech financial crisis escalated. The ensu- should be a long-term strategy of as- activists slandered and threatened ing rightward drift of the Obama ad- sembly that moves us closer to re- with persecution; and besieged work- ministration was possible because of claiming the political realm more ers fighting for just wages and equal the timid response of an American broadly. In so doing, we can begin to rights. left that was depleted from its epic develop the capacity and energy for With so many grievances, it is easy effort to elect a president. broader systemic change, not just to be swept up by calls to mobilize the In Greece, we can point to last year’s electoral change. vote in order to elect a new govern- equally astonishing electoral victory In a world in which we have devel- ment. At the same time, we should of Syriza, a left-wing coalition that oped the capacity to present ourselves, not lose sight of the broader setting campaigned on a popular anti-aus- rather than being represented in our for this election. The reality of pro- terity platform. Faced immediately absence, the question of what party tracted and deepening (global) crisis with the difficult task of renegotiat- happens to be in power would matter forces us to reconsider the prevailing ing the terms of Europe’s austerity much less than it does today. Because idea that elections remain the hori- program on behalf of the Greek peo- no matter who forms government af- zon of politics, but it is not the only ple, the new government found itself ter October 19, what it does with that reason to do so. impaled by the elected and unelect- power in Parliament should depend, As political philosopher George ed representatives of global finance. to a much larger extent than it does Caffentzis explains, electing a rep- Irish journalist Collette Brown now, on what we do outside of it. resentative is not a politics of pres- summed up Syriza’s conundrum in a ence but of absence. By that he sim- tweet: “Troika message to Greece: you 17 Election special

SING SES TH S N E A VER MEN O O T G REC RD

HE PAST YEAR has seen the re- Tlease of a number of books, reports, websites and social media campaigns all promising, in their own ways, to provide the definitive history — or cri- tique — of the Harper government in majority since 2011. As all elections are in large part a test of the government’s record, the Monitor editorial board thought it would be useful to present a sampling of key issues as expressed in various stocktaking exercises. We could never hope to capture everything, so we chose the following excerpts and commentaries for their variety, and for links to issues of social, economic and environmental justice. As with all articles in the Monitor, the opinions expressed in these excerpts do not neces- sarily reflect those of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. 18 ority of economic policy), its consist- ent emphasis on business-friendly pol- WHERE DOES THE HARPER GOVERNMENT RANK icies like tax cuts, free trade deals and IN POSTWAR ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE? government downsizing (instead of SOUND concretely fostering real investment, Job Creation | Average annual growth ECONOMIC exports, and growth), and the need- in employment | 1.0% 9 MANAGERS? less austerity policies adopted after 2011 have all contributed to this eco- Employment Rate | Change in nomic failure. employment as share of working age 8 EXCERPTED FROM THE REPORT RHETORIC AND REAL- population | -1.4 points ITY: EVALUATING CANADA’S ECONOMIC RECORD UN- DER THE HARPER GOVERNMENT, RELEASED BY UNI- FOR IN JULY 2015. Unemployment Rate | Official T IS COMMONLY asserted this feder- unemployment as share of labour force 4 I al government has strong “econom- 7.1% ic credentials,” and Conservative can- didates will likely emphasize econom- Labour Force Participation | Change ic issues in their quest for election or in labour force participation as share of 9 working age population | re-election this fall. There is a growing ENERGY AND -1.0 points gap, however, between these claims of CLIMATE IN THE Youth Employment | Average annual good economic management and the HARPER DECADE 8 statistical reality. In fact, the Canadian growth in under-25 employment | -0.3% economy has been performing disap- Job Quality | Average score, CIBC pointingly (to say the least) for several Employment Quality Index (1988=100) 9 years now and, by the time we head to 87.2 the polls, may officially be in recession. T’S POSSIBLE 2015 will be a landmark To try to understand just how off-kilter GDP Growth | Average annual growth year if a new binding global treaty on 9 this government’s claims are of sound I in GDP adjusted for inflation |1.6% climate is signed in Paris this Decem- economic performance, Unifor econ- ber. In contrast, federal policy over the Real Per Capita GDP Growth | Average omists conducted a detailed empiri- past decade has stalled meaningful cli- annual growth in real GDP per capita cal examination of the economic re- 9 mate action. Prime Minister Harper’s 0.4% cord under the watch of each prime record is not just one of neglect, but minister in Canada’s postwar histo- of moving the yardsticks backwards Business Investment | Average annual ry (1946 to the present). We base the in both the international arena and growth in real business non-residential 8 comparisons on 16 conventional and domestically. investment | 2.5% commonly used indicators of econom- ic progress and well-being, all availa- In its minority days, the Harper govern- Exports | Average annual growth in real ble from Statistics Canada and oth- ment felt obliged to at least pay lip ser- exports of goods & services | 0.3% 9 er public sources, which fall generally vice to climate change. In 2007, John into three categories: Baird, then environment minister, re- Labour Productivity | Average annual leased Turning the Corner: An Action growth in real GDP per hour of labour 8 Work: Job creation, the employment ͸ Plan to Reduce Greenhouse Gases and 0.9% and unemployment rates, labour force Air Pollution, which promised "tough participation, youth employment, and Personal Incomes | Average annual industrial regulations." job quality. growth in real personal income per capita 8 No such regulations have yet to appear Production: Real gross domestic 0.9% ͸ for oil and gas, the source of one-quar- product (GDP) growth (absolute and ter of Canada's industrial and commer- Inequality | Average share of top 1% per capita), business investment, ex- 8 cial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. in personal income | 12.7% ports, and productivity growth. At best, one can point to the transpor- “Social Wage” | Average annual growth in ͸ Distribution and debt: Real person- tation sector, where the Harper gov- real federal non-military program spending 6 al incomes, inequality, federal public ernment has adopted the Obama ad- per capita | 0.6% services, personal debt, and govern- ministration's higher fuel efficiency ment debt. standards for vehicles. Measures to Household Debt | Change in personal As you can see from the table, based address pollution from coal-fired elec- debt as share of GDP | +20 percentage 9 on these 16 core indicators, this gov- tricity generation, on the other hand, points ernment has clearly presided over the carve out existing plants from any ac- weakest era in Canada’s postwar eco- tion until 2030. Government Debt | Change in nomic history. The government’s failure federal net debt as share of GDP 7 to put Canadians to work (the first pri- +0.9 percentage points 19 If anything, climate policies have pro- which had a habit of pointing out the vided the prime minister a wellspring credibility gap between government of rhetorical attacks. During the 2008 rhetoric and action, was shut down. election campaign, Harper took aim at The government’s record is thus one Liberal leader Stephan Dion's propos- of relentlessly tearing down barriers al for a carbon tax, calling it a "tax on ANTI-TERRORISM to new fossil fuel development. This is everything" that would "screw every- OR ANTI- perhaps best characterized by the 2012 body across the country." With new DEMOCRATIC? omnibus budget bill, which, among oth- attention on climate change in 2015, er things, dismantled environmental the prime minister recently returned regulations that might affect oil sands to script, calling carbon pricing a "tax growth and accelerated the approv- grab," thus framing the preferred cli- al process for new pipeline and tank- mate action instrument of many in er projects. HEN BILL C-51, the Anti-Terrorism Act small-government, anti-tax terms. 2015, was tabled in Parliament this In the courts, the Harper government W Within months of achieving a majori- spring, Canada’s leading human rights has fought tooth and nail against legal ty government, Prime Minister Harper organizations called for the bill to be challenges brought by First Nations af- pulled Canada out of the Kyoto Accord, withdrawn. The International Civil Lib- fected by oil sands development. How- a move that undermined the first glob- erties Monitoring Group, Amnesty In- ever, fierce opposition from First Na- al treaty aimed at constraining carbon ternational, the British Columbia Civ- tions may be the undoing of Harper's emissions. More recently, in the lead-up il Liberties Association, the Canadian oil sands ambitions, as their rights are to the Paris climate conference, Can- Civil Liberties Association, the Cana- constitutional in nature and cannot be ada could not be bothered to meet a dian Muslim Lawyers Association, La overrun by fiat. deadline for submitting GHG reduc- Ligue des Droits et Libertés, and the tion targets. More potent than oil sands and pipe- National Council of Canadian Muslims line protests, the collapse of oil pric- have stated from the outset that the One of the Harper government's top es starting in July 2014 dealt a critical serious human rights shortcomings in foreign policy goals has been to seek blow to Harper's economic plan. Sau- Bill C-51 are so numerous and insepa- approval of the Keystone XL pipeline di Arabia's decision to no longer con- rably interrelated that the bill should through the United States. Amid popu- strain production, and thus let world be withdrawn in its entirety. lar resistance and delays from the Oba- oil prices fall, has exposed Canada's ma administration, the Harper govern- We believe that any national securi- weakness as a high-cost producer. ment battled for new pipelines to the ty law reform should instead, first, be B.C. coast to supply the Chinese mar- Another looming shift will come from convincingly demonstrated to be nec- ket. Former natural resources minis- action on climate change, with an esti- essary and should then proceed only ter Joe Oliver defined this as "an ur- mated four-fifths of Canada's proven oil in a manner that is wholly consistent gent matter of Canada's national in- reserves needing to stay underground. with the Canadian Charter of Rights terest" in an open letter that smeared The fossil fuel divestment movement is and Freedoms and the country’s in- concerned citizens as radicals in the having an impact, making fossil fuels ternational human rights obligations. service of U.S. interests. into the new tobacco, and challenging We believe that the government never a business model incompatible with a If anything, Oliver's letter in early 2012 made the case for Bill C-51 beyond the habitable planet. appears to have backfired, triggering simple assertion that it “needs” addi- widespread opposition in B.C. to pipe- Energy and climate have been central tional powers to protect public safety. lines and tankers, most notably En- to the story of the Harper decade. In But it has provided no explanation as to bridge's Northern Gateway project. the end, history may decide this gov- why Canada’s spy agency (CSIS) needs The Harper government's response ernment’s central strategy of making unprecedented and troubling disrup- has been to up the ante, approving the Canada an "energy superpower" was tion powers. It has not made a credi- project, while using Canada Revenue a failure. ble case for the vast, opaque and unac-

Agency audits to intimidate critics in MARC LEE IS A SENIOR ECONOMIST IN THE B.C. OFFICE countable all-of-government informa- the environmental movement and be- OF THE CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES, tion sharing regime that Bill C-51 cre- AND CO-DIRECTOR OF THE CLIMATE JUSTICE PROJECT. yond (the CCPA was also singled out FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @MARCLEECCPA. ates. And it has provided no evidence for audit). for how “no-fly” lists with appeal pro- visions that lack due process actual- Contrary views were silenced. National ly improve aviation security and pub- Energy Board reviews of fossil fuel me- lic safety. ga-projects no longer welcome public input, and in any event are not subject Throughout the parliamentary hear- to scrutiny with regard to their climate ings on Bill C-51, not a single witness impact. The National Roundtable on offered a concrete example of how the the Environment and the Economy, draconian measures therein would bet- 20 ter protect public safety. Legal experts technology released a report, In from have also pointed out that some pro- the Margins: A Call to Action on Pover- In a move that surprised visions in Bill C-51 actually undermine ty, Housing and Homelessness, that ex- anti-terrorism activities. For example, tensively documented the state of pov- and disappointed anti- the new criminal offence of advocat- erty in Canada and provided 72 recom- poverty advocates, ing or promoting the commission of mendations for how the government terrorism offences “in general” may might work to eliminate it. the government cut all frustrate detection of potential threats On November 17, 2009, the House of when speech gets driven underground; funding to the National Commons adopted a motion resolv- it could also chill community efforts to ing to develop an immediate plan to de-radicalize extremist views. Yet these Council of Welfare in end poverty in Canada. This marked serious concerns have not been ad- the 20th anniversary of the 1989 unan- 2012. dressed in any way. imous resolution of the House to end While Canada’s national security agen- child poverty in Canada. Then, in 2010, cies are granted ever-increasing pow- another House of Commons committee ers and scope, no effort has been made produced a Federal Poverty Reduction to provide for a system of robust and Plan: Working in Partnership Towards And so, at the initiative of organizations independent accountability, despite Reducing Poverty in Canada, based on working toward poverty eradication, urgent calls for reform. For instance, an extensive consultation process in- and in an effort to keep the need for a Canada stands stunningly alone among volving department officials, social pol- federal plan on the radar, the All-Party our closest allies in intelligence shar- icy experts and people with the expe- Anti-Poverty Caucus (APC) was estab- ing in failing to ensure parliamentary rience of living in poverty. lished in 2012. The APC was made up of oversight of national security. Bill C- 51 This momentum was halted by the MPs and Senators from all major par- has only compounded the accountabil- 2012 federal budget. In a move that ties, along with civil society organiza- ity problems that already exist by mak- surprised and disappointed anti-pov- tions, community leaders, research- ing it harder for individuals to hold gov- erty advocates across Canada, the gov- ers and other stakeholders. Together, ernment officials to account for rights ernment cut all funding to the National they continued the good work that has violations. Council of Welfare. It was the only fed- already been done on concrete solu- FROM A JOINT STATEMENT ISSUED JUNE 29, 2015 BY THE HUMAN RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES ORGANIZA- eral agency with a mandate to address tions for poverty reduction—work the TIONS LISTED IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH. issues facing low-income Canadians. APC hopes to continue following the fall election. For 43 years, the National Council of Welfare had been producing research Providing even further guidance, in and policy recommendations on pov- 2015, the Dignity for All campaign— erty in Canada, including annual re- launched in 2009 by Canada Without WHERE ports on social assistance and the so- Poverty and Citizens for Public Jus- IS FEDERAL cial impacts of poverty. Although the tice—developed its own model for a LEADERSHIP ON federal government had not previous- federal poverty eradication plan. It was POVERTY? ly acted directly on the recommenda- developed through extensive consul- tions of the council, its work was widely tation with community and social pol- used, and it played an important advi- icy organizations, and includes recom- sory role at the federal level. The clos- mendations on six key areas: income ing of the council was a discouraging security, housing and homelessness, OLLOWING THE 2008 recession, it was signal to those waiting for real federal health, food security, early childhood F clear to everyone that addressing the action on poverty eradication. education and care, and jobs and em- state of the Canadian economy was a ployment. This framework for action By 2012, the majority of the provinces matter of importance. When the Con- was structured so that it could be im- and territories had developed or were servatives gained a majority in 2011, mediately implemented by whoever developing poverty reduction plans there was nothing to prevent them forms the next government. (British Columbia is the only province from developing and implementing a without one). While their ambition As a consequence of the failure of the plan to end poverty in Canada as part is welcomed, and the provinces are current government to act on pover- of the government’s foundational Eco- uniquely positioned to address com- ty, 4.8 million Canadians struggle on. nomic Action Plan. plex socioeconomic issues specific to Aboriginal peoples, female lone par- There had been some important their jurisdictional responsibilities, the ent families, newcomers to Canada, groundwork done by parliamentari- lack of federal leadership limits what and racialized Canadians continue to ans up to the 2011 election. In 2009, Canada’s subnational governments be most affected by poverty. The Unit- a subcommittee of the Senate com- can achieve. ed Nations has repeatedly told Can- mittee on social affairs, science, and ada that, given the country’s wealth, 21 the poverty rate is unacceptable and ernment waged its nine-year war on It has been an amazing, enlightening a national plan or strategy is required. science. And that’s where I come in. and frightening project. I’ve learned an We have the opportunity, heading into awful lot about what makes the Con- In the spring of 2013, I started to no- the next federal election, to make sure servative government tick; the themes tice the constant stream of media re- this happens. and trend lines—basically, the bending ports about cuts to science funding, and breaking of scientific enterprise in DARLENE O’LEARY IS A SOCIOECONOMIC POLICY the muzzling of departmental scien- ANALYST WITH CITIZENS FOR PUBLIC JUSTICE, A Canada—are all too apparent. MEMBER-DRIVEN, FAITH-BASED PUBLIC POLICY OR- tists and other anti-science policies GANIZATION IN OTTAWA. coming out of Ottawa. I’d been watch- The muzzling of scientists is one of the ing this stuff since the Conservatives most famous and certainly best-docu- were first elected in 2006, but some- mented trends over this period. One of thing seemed different. Could it be the my favourite illustrations is the case of policies implemented in the notorious Department of Fisheries and Oceans 2012 omnibus budget bill were start- (DFO) scientist Mark Bothwell and his DECISION-BASED ing to show real world impacts? I be- work on rock snot. gan paying even closer attention, keep- FACT-MAKING In May 2014, Bothwell and U.S.-based ing track of all the media reports I saw. collaborators published an article in a In May 2013, I published on my blog a scientific journal about algae blooms. first edition of what would eventual- When Canadian journalists tried to in- ly become a very long list of anti-sci- terview him about his work, their re- ence actions taken by this government quest was bounced between 16 differ- IM WOODGETT, DIRECTOR of research at as part of what I called The Canadian ent government communications op- J Mount Sinai’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum War on Science. The post went viral, eratives, producing 110 pages’ worth Research Institute in Toronto, recently with comments and emails pouring of emails, and taking so long the arti- tweeted, “Canada invests <2% of GDP in suggesting items I’d missed. With- cle had to be put out without a peep in science. If only there was an election in a few weeks, I’d updated the post from the DFO scientist. They didn’t in the offing.” with another 20 to 30 items in addi- know any of this at the time; it came For the science community in Canada, tion to the original 50 or so. I updated out later that year in a media access the Stephen Harper years have been it again in October 2013 and October to information request. 2014, and plan to once more during the pretty dismal, marked by a long litany Why the fuss about rock snot? Al- campaign. (The list currently contains of cuts, fossil fuel industry–driven reg- gae blooms are connected to climate about 300 items, by the way.) ulatory changes, the muzzling of gov- change, of course. ernment scientists and sidelining of en- vironmental concerns, climate change The twisting of the National Research inaction, information restriction and Council’s mandate from an organiza- control, demonization and intimida- tion that mixed basic and applied re- tion of environmental groups, and just Government blocks media access to search to a “concierge for industry” plain anti-science nastiness. scientist whose research contributed to model demonstrates another aspect our understanding of algae blooms, seen of Conservative science policy—the Of course, with the Conservatives here in Lake Erie in 2011. desire to make everything serve “the standing a decent chance of forming a government again, it’s hard to know how important the issues related to science and evidence are compared to, say, security or the economy. Civ- il society groups such as Evidence for Democracy and Our Right to Know, as well as the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, have worked hard to make sure the cuts to science—and harm to scientific integ- rity in this country—are top of mind on October 19. All these different and complementa- ry science advocacy campaigns need good information—about how evi- dence-based decision-making is a good thing, but also precisely how the gov-

22 economy.” Canadian industry has al- over five years to detain migrants. Mi- ways been weak in R&D investment; grants are the only population with- this was clearly a strategy to have the in Canada who can be jailed simply Canadian government pay for develop- on administrative grounds, without ment work that Canadian companies being charged with a specific crimi- should be (but aren’t) doing themselves. nal offense. Finally, for our purposes—I could go In 2014, the UN High Commissioner on—there is the money that has been for Human Rights’ Working Group on taken away from scientific and en- Arbitrary Detention strongly chas- vironmental infrastructure through tised the Canadian immigration de- budget cuts. tention system, writing that Canada “should refrain from detaining irreg- The Polar Environment Atmospher- ular migrants for an indefinite period ic Research Laboratory (PEARL) and of time and should ensure that deten- Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) are in- tion is used as a measure of last re- ternationally renowned research sta- sort, that a reasonable time limit for tions providing vital knowledge about detention is set.” environmental pollutants and the way climate change is affecting the North. The University of Toronto’s internation- When the government announced it al human rights program released a le- was cutting its ties to PEARL, such a gal study in 2015 finding that Canada’s stink was raised that funding was at increasing detention of non-criminal least partially restored. The ELA lost foreigners in maximum security pris- all federal money; it was saved only ons amounts to arbitrary, cruel and in- through a joint effort of the Ontario humane treatment that violates inter- government and the International In- national obligations. Chart taken from a 2014 report by the End stitute for Sustainable Development. Immigration Detention Network. Immigration detention is one of the As depressing as this litany of woe fastest growing forms of incarceration can be, I still have hope that my list, in Canada. Over the past 10 years, the and the work of Evidence for Democ- government has detained an annual CBSA officers have broad powers to de- racy and others, can play an important average of 11,000 migrants, including tain migrants if they believe, based on role in the upcoming election. Canadi- up to 807 children detained each year. mere suspicion, the person is a flight ans can debate the record of the cur- In some cases, young Canadian chil- risk, a danger to public safety, inadmis- rent government when it comes to the dren such as Alpha Anawa have been sible on security grounds, or is not ad- economy or national security. On evi- born in Canada Border Services Agen- equately identified. Contrary to popu- dence-based decision-making and sci- cy (CBSA) custody, spending their en- lar perception, 94.2% of refugees are entific integrity, the record is clear: a tire lives behind bars. detained on grounds other than be- titanic disaster. “Immigration detention is getting way ing an alleged security threat. JOHN DUPUIS IS A LIBRARIAN AT THE STEACIE SCIENCE out of hand. They are locking us up and & ENGINEERING LIBRARY AT YORK UNIVERSITY IN TO- Canada is one of the only Western RONTO AND RUNS THE BLOG CONFESSIONS OF A SCI- forgetting about us,” said Francis David- countries to have indefinite detention, ENCE LIBRARIAN, WHICH YOU CAN READ AT SCIENCE- son, a four-year detainee at the Central BLOGS.COM/CONFESSIONS. often with limited access to family, le- Correctional in Ontario who has been gal counsel and third-party monitoring taking part, with other detainees, in reg- agencies. The U.S. and EU countries ular hunger strikes. “I have seen four have a “presumptive period,” meaning people held in detention with me pass that if removal cannot happen within away while in CBSA custody, there is a certain number of days, detainees no end to detention and I am worried WELCOME TO must be released. In the U.S., this pe- the next one will be me.” CANADA, YOUR JAIL riod is 90 days. In Canada, some immi- CELL AWAITS There have been at least 12 docu- gration detainees have been jailed for mented deaths in immigration deten- nearly 10 years without charges or tri- tion custody since 2000. They include al, including South African anti-apart- Sheik Kudrath, Joseph Fernandes, Jan heid icon Mbuyisa Makhubu. Szamko, Kevon O’Brien-Phillip, Shawn Canada is also becoming one of the Dwight Cole, Prince Maxamillion Aka- HE HARPER GOVERNMENT jailed more few Western countries to practise man- mai, Joseph Dunn, Lucia Vega Jimen- T than 87,317 migrants without charge datory detention. In 2009 and 2010, ez, Abdurahman Ibrahim Hassan, and between 2006 and 2014, and spent the federal government justified the a number of unidentified detainees. more than a quarter of a billion dollars months-long immediate detention of 23 over 500 Tamil asylum seekers aboard in-custody tension and violence due Twenty-nine public servants subpoe- the MV Ocean Lady and MV Sun Sea, to different lived experiences. naed to give evidence by the MPCC

including women and children, by fear EXCERPTED FROM A REPORT BY NO ONE IS ILLEGAL– received letters from the Department mongering and falsely claiming they VANCOUVER ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S RECORD of Justice that were described as in- ON IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE POLICY, were “terrorists,” “illegals,” and “irreg- timidating and aimed at discouraging ular arrivals.” public servants from appearing as wit- nesses before the commission. Then, in Due to the sweeping 2012 “Refugee Ex- December 2009, Prime Minister Harp- clusion Act” (Bill C-31, officially known er prorogued Parliament in the midst as Protecting Canada's Immigration of the investigation. This prorogation System Act), many more refugees, in- SACKING THE obstructed the work of a parliamenta- cluding children, face mandatory in- WATCHDOGS ry committee, occurring just weeks af- carceration upon arrival if designat- ter the government had been forced ed as irregular arrivals. Five different to hand over unredacted versions of groups of Romanian refugee claimants documents relevant to the allegations. were designated as such by the federal government. The consequences of an After nearly two years of court chal- irregular arrival designation, for each lenges and a consistent lack of co-op- INCE ITS ELECTION in 2006, the federal person over 15 years of age, include be- eration on the part of the federal gov- government has directed consider- ing forced into prison for two weeks to S ernment, public hearings commenced able energy toward undermining inde- one year, and being forced to make a at the MPCC. Richard Colvin, formerly pendent agencies with responsibility refugee claim from jail. a senior Canadian diplomat in Afghani- for overseeing its activities. Two main stan and a key witness before the com- According to a recent report from the tactics have been used to impair the mission, was publicly attacked by the End Immigration Detention Network, ability of watchdog agencies to prop- federal government, which accused fewer migrants are being released from erly police the conduct of the Cana- him of lying and basing his evidence detention each year, with a national re- dian government: inadequate provi- on Taliban propaganda. In the midst of lease rate average of just 15%. In On- sion of funding, and direct interference the commission’s hearings, the federal tario, less than 10% of migrants are re- with the activities of these agencies government did not renew Peter Tins- leased, compared with 27% in the West. and their leadership. This has affect- ley’s appointment as MPCC’s chair, rais- ed entire sectors of Canadian public The decision to detain or release is ing fears that the decision was politi- life, including human rights, the envi- made by Immigration and Refugee cally motivated. ronment, the economy, agriculture and Board members—civil servants who nuclear power. Tinsley’s treatment is not isolated. The are not required to be trained in the law. heads of other oversight agencies who Board member release rates vary arbi- A particularly egregious example of the have taken positions contrary to the trarily between 5% and 38%, and there federal government’s myriad efforts federal government have suffered se- is no comprehensive judicial oversight to obstruct an independent oversight rious professional and personal con- of these decisions. A recent CTV News agency is its approach to the investi- sequences. Some have been fired, pre- report revealed that government law- gation into Canadian Forces’ treatment maturely removed from their post or yers were forcing detained Tamil refu- of Afghan detainees by the Military Po- openly criticized by the government. gees to pay back thousands of dollars lice Complaints Commission (MPCC). Many, contrary to the norm, have not in debt to smugglers in order to be re- The MPCC was established in 1998 as been re-appointed for a second term. leased from jail. an independent civilian oversight agen- Adrian Measner and Deanna Allen, Migrant detainees are held in one of cy, responsible for examining com- respectively president and vice-presi- three CBSA-run immigration holding plaints about military police conduct. dent of communications at the Canadi- centers in Toronto, Laval and Vancou- The decision to commence the investi- an Wheat Board, were sacked—Meas- ver, or else in one of over 40 provincial gation was made by Peter Tinsley, then ner in 2006 and Allen in 2008—after prisons, including maximum security chair of the MPCC. The federal govern- publicly criticizing the government’s prisons. Over one-third of all migrant ment consistently obstructed the in- plan to change Canada’s “single desk detainees are held in provincial pris- vestigation by withholding requested marketing system” to a “dual market- ons. Canada is one of the only West- information and documents, and seek- ing system” over the widespread ob- ern countries to mix populations of mi- ing to suppress evidence gathered in jections of wheat farmers. grants facing administrative offenses the course of the MPCC’s hearings. with people facing the criminal justice It also challenged the jurisdiction of Linda Keen, president of the Canadian system, increasing the potential for the MPCC, resulting in a ruling that Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), restricted the scope of the MPCC’s was fired in January 2008. Her firing -oc investigation. curred after she closed down the Chalk River nuclear reactor for not meeting safety standards. Some suspect Keen’s 24 firing was related to her vocal support ity and social justice in Canada. One of for more rigorous standards and better The heads of several its first acts upon taking office was to funding for the CNSC. Duane Bratt, a lower corporate tax rates, a gift to big political science professor at Mount oversight agencies business worth $60 billion since 2006. Royal College in Calgary, studied the who have taken Canadian corporate tax rates are now controversy. He concluded that there among the lowest in the world and rob was “strong evidence that the isotope positions contrary to Canadians of much needed funds for crisis was the opportunity to fire Keen, social programs, job training and in- not the cause.” the federal government frastructure… Yves Côté, ombudsman for the Depart- have suffered serious The Parliamentary Budget Officer says ment of National Defence and Cana- that even a modest one per cent in- dian Forces, was advised in January professional and crease in corporate taxes would put 2008 that he would leave his position an extra $1.3 billion annually back into partway through his mandate. This personal consequences. federal coffers, but Harper refuses to announcement came after Côté had listen. The government also allows be- written several scathing reports and tween $100 billion and $170 billion dol- publicly criticized the government for lars a year to leave Canada, untaxed. its treatment of military families and of changes to environmental protec- The Canadian Centre for Policy Alter- veterans. tions that ran counter to recommen- natives reports that in order to bal- Paul Kennedy, head of the Commis- dations by Vaughan. ance the budget (having lost so much sion for Public Complaints against the income from lowering corporate taxes), Howard Sapers, the correctional in- RCMP (CPC), was advised in Novem- the Harper government has deeply cut vestigator of Canada, will not have his ber 2009 that his appointment would federal spending in a way that has led to term renewed when it expires in 2015. not be renewed. Kennedy had repeat- weaker economic growth and a weak- Since his appointment in 2004, Sapers edly called for more funding and more ening job market in precarious times. has spoken out about the federal gov- independence, and conducted a num- Over successive budgets, cuts have ernment’s handling of the prison sys- ber of high profile investigations into been implemented, one on top of the tem, including the treatment of inmates RCMP practices. The CPC’s funding other. The cumulative effect of these from racialized communities, including was cut in 2009, considerably limiting cuts by 2016 will be $14.5 billion a year… Aboriginal inmates, people with mental the scope of its investigations. illness and the use of solitary confine- The most affected government depart- Pat Stogran, then the veterans om- ment. Sapers held the position for 11 ments serve the most needy in our so- budsman, was told in August 2010 that years. While it is true this is a relative- ciety. Human Resources and Skills De- he would not be reappointed for a sec- ly lengthy tenure, there has been wide velopment, now called Employment ond term. This came after Stogran ad- speculation that the government’s de- and Social Development Canada, will vocated for better services and bene- cision to replace Sapers is driven more have lost one-quarter of its workforce fits for veterans, and decried Veterans by a desire to silence his criticism of by 2016. A program supporting home- Affairs Canada’s “penny-pinching insur- the government. lessness initiatives has had a 62% cut ance company mentality.” EXCERPTED FROM THE REPORT DISMANTLING DE- to its staff. Eight Veterans Affairs offic- MOCRACY: STIFLING DEBATE AND DISSENT IN CAN- es across the country that served dis- Pierre Daigle, the subsequent veterans ADA, RELEASED IN JUNE BY THE VOICES COALITION abled and unemployed veterans have ombudsman, was publicly criticized (WWW.VOICES-VOIX.CA). been closed. by the federal government in 2012 for writing letters to the chief of military Core funding for national disability or- personnel on behalf of two veterans ganizations no longer has a “protect- wrongfully dismissed from their em- ed envelope,” meaning there is more ployment with the Department of De- BUDGET competition for less money. Much of fence. The government accused him CUTS: HOW NOT the funds that went to grassroots or- of having overstepped his jurisdiction, TO ADDRESS ganizations that advocated on behalf and described his reports into the dis- INEQUALITY of the disabled was re-routed to apolit- missals as “unbalanced.” ical service providers or cut altogether. Scott Vaughan, federal commission- Cuts have affected social housing right er of the environment, stepped down across the country. Nearly 200,000 in 2013, two years before his term was low-income Canadian households de- to expire. His early resignation has HE HARPER GOVERNMENT has taken de- pend on federal rent-geared-to-income been attributed to his deteriorating T liberate steps to widen the income to pay their rent. The Harper govern- relationship with the minister of en- gap and undermine decades of pro- ment is taking millions a year from the vironment, who introduced a series grams aimed at achieving social equal- budget of the Canada Mortgage and

25 2013, are to continue until there is no to ignore it. And as Leitch well knows, As a consequence funding for this group by 2016. the Harper government cut all funding to that charity, whose aim is to eradi- Independent Living Vernon in British of these policies, cate poverty in Canada, back in 2007. Columbia is losing most of its fund- Canada Without Poverty is also one inequality has grown ing from Employment and Social De- of the organizations being audited by velopment Canada. The organization the Canadian Revenue Agency for be- and the income gap provides community access programs, ing too political in its advocacy on be- employment planning, crisis interven- has deepened during half of the poor. tion and peer support to disabled and the Harper years. Today, unemployed people. It has already had Other important Canadian civil society to rent out part of its offices and the institutions and organizations working the bottom half of the number of staff has been cut back. on social equality that have had their The agency fears that these funding funding cut partially or entirely by the population owns just 6% cuts will strip the disabled of their in- Harper government include: Canadi- of the wealth. dependence. an Council on Learning, Canadian As- sociation of Independent Living Cen- As a consequence of these policies, in- tres, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Net- equality has grown and the income gap work, Centre for Equality Rights in Ac- has deepened during the Harper years. commodation, Canadian Volunteerism Today, the bottom half of the popula- Initiative, Canadian Council on Social Housing Corporation. By 2016, there tion owns just 6% of the wealth. Since Development, and the Federal Youth will have been a 52% cut over six years 2005, the top 10% saw their wealth grow Employment Program. and 100,000 units will be affected. At by 42% while the bottom 10% saw their AN EXCERPT FROM THE REPORT BROKEN COVENANT: current defunding rates, by 2030, near- median net worth shrink by 150%. This HOW STEPHEN HARPER SET OUT TO SILENCE DISSENT ly 85% of the entire federal housing demographic is actually poorer today AND CURTAIL DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION IN CANA- DA, BY MAUDE BARLOW, NATIONAL CHAIRPERSON OF budget will have been cut. than it was a decade ago. Meanwhile, THE COUNCIL OF CANADIANS. by 11:41 a.m. on January 2 this year, Cuts to literacy organizations across Canada’s 100 highest paid CEOs pock- the board will remove the only litera- eted what most Canadians will work cy programs in some communities. The all through 2015 to earn. Due to Ste- federal funding for the P.E.I. Literary phen Harper’s policies, Canada has Alliance has ended after years of sup- the fastest growth in income inequal- porting this amazing network. “When GOING ity in the OECD… we are gone,” said Catherine O’Bryan, BACKWARDS ON the alliance’s executive director, “there The National Council of Welfare served GENDER EQUALITY won’t be anybody promoting literacy as an independent advisory body to on the Island, or pointing out how im- the federal government on poverty and portant it is to provide programs for the issues facing low-income Canadi- people with low literacy skills.” Nearly ans since 1962. Its members included half of all Islanders have such low lit- low-income people, anti-poverty advo- LTHOUGH CANADA WAS among the eracy levels, they are ill-equipped to cates, labour unions, teachers, youth, A OECD countries least affected by deal with today’s complex world, re- First Nations and others working for the 2008 global financial crisis, the fed- ports the alliance. social justice. The council conduct- eral government has adopted a course ed independent research on poverty The cuts hurt communities and peo- of austerity measures—cutting public and inequality, published hundreds of ple. In a presentation to a Nova Sco- sector jobs and services. Current pro- reports, and developed a national an- tia standing committee on communi- jections suggest that there will be an ti-poverty strategy that informed gov- ty services, the Nova Scotia League for 8% reduction in federal public sector ernment policy. Its modest $1.1 million Equal Opportunities talked about the jobs by 2015, when the impact of post- budget was axed in the 2012 omnibus triple whammy of being poor, unem- 2008 austerity measures are felt in full. budget bill and the organization was ployed and disabled, and passionate- This will have a disproportionate im- forced to close its doors. ly argued the case for funds to contin- pact on women because the public ue its work. For years, Service Canada Kellie Leitch, former parliamentary sector is one of the places where gaps has been a major contributor of core secretary to the minister of human in income and employment are small- funding that allowed organizations like resources, said other NGOs, such as er. Women working in the public sec- theirs to pursue initiatives such as pro- Canada Without Poverty, would take tor earn an average of 4.5% more than viding wheelchairs to children, commu- up the slack. This is sheer nonsense. their peers in the private sector. Wom- nity-based transportation, and scholar- Canada Without Poverty does not have en seeking comparable work in the pri- ships for young people. But deep cuts any official role in advising the Harper vate sector see an estimated $2,000 re- to federal funding, which started in government. The government is free duction in their annual income. 26 In 2009, the federal government passed en’s retirement incomes are lower on no supervision at all, many having re- the Public Sector Equitable Compen- average than men’s this means that ceived no treatment or rehabilitation. sation (PSEC) Act. The PSEC Act sig- the bulk of the benefit goes to senior Large numbers of prisoners are being nificantly reduces the ability of public men. This tax policy is also highly re- double-bunked, leading to appalling sector employees to make formal com- gressive, with the top 10% of income conditions of overcrowding, disease plaints about sex-based discrimination earners benefiting the most (receiv- and violence. Correctional officers rec- in their pay. It redefines sex-based pay ing $820/year on average compared to ognize the danger of overcrowding: vio- inequality as a bargaining issue for pub- $0.10/year for the bottom 10%). lence in the prisons has increased and lic sector unions and a matter to be de- The federal government is currently use of force by guards has escalated. cided with respect to market forces. In committed to extending income split- 2012, the government passed Bill C-38, Myth 2: Tough-on-crime policy is about ting to dual-parent households with which makes parallel changes to the helping victims. children under the age of 18. Projec- Federal Contractors Program, leaving tions suggest this will have an equally Actually, incarceration after a crime has compliance with the Employment Eq- regressive impact, increasing inequal- been committed does not help the vic- uity Act for contractors of the federal ity overall and significantly decreasing tim, and does nothing to prevent crime government to the discretion of feder- women’s labour force participation. and subsequent victimization in the fu- al cabinet ministers. ture. Victims’ advocate Lorraine Ber- This is a troubling trajectory, and pro- Federal investments in job creation zins, who worked in federal peniten- grams such as this, as well as the PSEC in the private sector have focused on tiaries for 14 years and has been a vic- Act, run counter to the first objective training and jobs in industries that are tim of serious crime including a hos- of the Beijing Declaration and Plat- amongst the most male-dominated: tage-taking, says the tough-on-crime form for Action, which calls for mac- mining, oil and gas, and construction. agenda causes harm, goes against all roeconomic polices that reduce gen- Women make up 18% of mining, oil and the evidence about what keeps com- der-based inequality. gas workers and 12% of construction munities safe, and costs a lot of money. TAKEN FROM PROGRESS ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS: MISS- workers. The pay gap in these sectors ING IN ACTION—A SHADOW REPORT ON CANADA’S IM- She says victims are more concerned is also larger than in many other indus- PLEMENTATION OF THE BEIJING DECLARATION AND about prevention and rehabilitation PLATFORM FOR ACTION, PREPARED BY A NETWORK OF tries, with women earning 63% of what NGOS, TRADE UNIONS AND INDEPENDENT EXPERTS, than they are about tough sentenc- their male peers earn in the oil and gas AND RELEASED BY CCPA IN 2014. ing. Another victims’ advocate, Arlène industry and 68% of what their peers Gaudreault, says victims are being ex- earn in construction. ploited by the federal government and used as a tool for partisan purposes. In 2009, the federal government an- She says tackling the root causes of nounced a temporary extension of Em- crime, including poverty and inequal- ployment Insurance coverage for eligi- FIVE MYTHS ABOUT ity, is the way to reduce victimization. ble unemployed workers. These chang- THE TOUGH-ON- es did not address the specific barrier CRIME AGENDA Myth 3: Tough-on-crime policy is good to eligibility faced by women. Women use of taxpayer dollars. are more likely to be employed in tem- In the first five years of the Conserva- porary and part-time work and contin- tive government’s mandate, there was ue to be disadvantaged by high thresh- an 86% increase in federal prison costs olds for eligibility. During the recession, (from $1.6 billion to $2.98 billion). Be- the gap in men’s and women’s eligibility YTH 1: Tough-on-crime policy is tween 2002 and 2012, Statistics Can- for employment insurance widened sig- about promoting public safety. M ada says criminal justice spending nificantly from a 2.3% gap in 2008 to a According to the federal prison om- overall increased by 23%. In addition 14% gap at its worst. That gap has since budsman, long prison sentences com- to the colossal costs of incarcerating narrowed to its pre-2008 levels. Wom- bined with a shortage of rehabilitation more prisoners, there are the increased en’s benefits, like women’s incomes, programs are a direct threat to public costs of policing, prosecuting, judging, are consistently lower than are men’s safety. Correctional Service Canada paroling, supervising and so on. Mean- benefits, with women’s Employment agrees that rehabilitation in prison is while, the government has largely re- Insurance benefits amounting to $60 essential to the successful reintegra- jected more effective and less expen- less per week than men’s on average. tion of offenders into the community. sive policy options. In 2008, the federal government intro- Yet programs are currently being elim- For example, house arrest has a high duced a tax policy allowing seniors to inated for the sake of alleged budget- success rate and costs less than incar- “split” their pension incomes—this ef- ary restrictions. Among other things, ceration. While offenders who serve fectively allows the senior spouse with this means fewer offenders are being their sentences in prison reoffend at the higher taxable pension income to released on parole (and therefore un- a rate of 30%, only 15% reoffend if they transfer some of that income to the der supervision), and others are be- serve their sentences outside the jail. lower-income spouse. Because wom- ing released directly to the street with Fifteen such sentences save the sys- 27 tem $1 million a year, but the govern- nal and visible minority inmates is in- ment has moved to restrict the use of creasing exponentially. The most rapid house arrest. The objective, it says, is increase is among women and particu- to punish violent repeat offenders, so larly Aboriginal women. they added a number of offences to CORPORATE Myth 5: People who break the law de- the list of those that do not qualify for POWER, serve long, punitive sentences. house arrest. They include bribery, for- DEREGULATION AND gery and perjury, none of which has a This government would have us believe THE THREAT TO violent element. that offenders are violent, incorrigible PUBLIC SAFETY and bound to repeat criminal offences; In another case, the government’s own that they are unlike the rest of us and five-year, $7.5 million study showed that without exception a danger to society. a program called COSA (Circles of Sup- In fact, offenders are your family mem- port and Accountability) saved $4.60 in ANADIANS EXPECT THEIR governments bers, your friends and your neighbours. policing, prison and other costs for every to take the necessary regulatory They usually have big problems of their C dollar spent on the program. COSA pro- measures to protect their health, safe- own, and it is by attacking these prob- vides trained volunteers to help sex of- ty and environment. They do not trust lems that we will promote public safety. fenders reintegrate into communities. corporations, focused as they are on The program achieved a dramatic re- Right now, about half of federal inmates making profits for their shareholders, duction in repeat sex crimes, showing are screened for mental health prob- to regulate themselves. anywhere from 70% to 83% lower re- lems. A majority of them have been Probably few people are aware of the cidivism rates. Thus, victimization was abusing alcohol or drugs. Large num- extent that self-regulation has taken being reduced while money was saved. bers of inmates were physically and/ hold in Canada. We only discover it Despite its professed concern about or sexually abused as children. About when the process breaks down, as it sexual predators, the federal govern- 60% of inmates have not finished high did on July 6, 2013 in the Quebec town ment removed its funding for COSA. school, and nearly 40% have not fin- of Lac-Mégantic. The train derailment ished Grade 8. All of these are risk fac- Myth 3: Heavier enforcement controls and explosion that early morning left tors for criminal behaviour and sen- crime rates. 47 dead, revealing a deeply flawed rail sible policy would suggest that we safety regime in which a series of reg- The crime rate has been falling all over should be tackling these outside the ulatory failures multiplied the chanc- the western world since the 1990s, in- prison setting. es of a catastrophe. cluding in Canada, and other countries Those who commit crimes, “are all hu- have recognized that over-incarcera- Though corporations often say they man beings, they’re all different. Some tion is not the way to address crime. like regulatory certainty, most have of them are going to respond positive- The United States even recently came a kneejerk aversion to rules that cut ly if you give them better opportuni- to its senses, spurred by the stagger- into profits and interfere with busi- ties, better choices…. We have to have ing costs of incarcerating thousands ness. They will push governments to hopeful redemption for those individu- of non-violent, victimless offenders. To- deregulate their activities, and have als to get them on the right path.” Pris- day, there is a bipartisan move to repeal had varying levels of success in that on should be reserved for “truly dan- mandatory minimum sentences and to regard in Canada. gerous” individuals. “We’re not talking release prisoners on an amnesty pro- hundreds or thousands here, we’re talk- Deregulation is the process of reducing gram. New York State reduced its in- ing a relatively small number of people.” or eliminating existing regulations, pre- carceration rate by 15% over 10 years Whose opinion is this? That of former venting the development of new reg- and saw its violent crime rate drop by Toronto police chief Bill Blair. Mr. Blair ulations, and diminishing the capaci- 40%. Texas also reduced its imprison- is not known to be “soft on crime.” Voic- ty of government agencies to develop, ment rate and recorded a reduction in es like his should be listened to. administer and enforce regulatory pro- crime of 10% over five years. PAULA MALLEA IS A CCPA RESEARCH ASSOCIATE WITH grams. Conservative ideology asserts Canada used to be admired interna- DEGREES IN CANADIAN LITERATURE, CANADIAN HIS- (without much evidence) that by low- TORY AND LAW FROM QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY. SHE WAS tionally for its approach to corrections, CALLED TO THE BARS OF UPPER CANADA AND MANI- ering costs to business deregulation particularly its treatment of young of- TOBA, AND PRACTISED CRIMINAL LAW FOR 15 YEARS IN increases profits, which leads to more TORONTO, KINGSTON AND BRANDON. SHE EXPLORES fenders and its progressive rehabilita- THE HARPER GOVERNMENT’S CRIME POLICY IN MORE investment, which in turn leads to fast- tive programs. Today, Canada is mov- DETAIL IN A FORTHCOMING ANTHOLOGY CO-EDITED er economic growth and job creation. BY TERESA HEALY AND STUART TREW, WHICH WILL BE ing in the other direction—establish- AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD AT WWW.POLICY- True to form, the Harper government ing mandatory minimum sentences, in- ALTERNATIVES.CA. has aggressively deregulated over its carcerating more offenders, making it mandate, with an emphasis on helping harder for them to obtain parole and the oil patch get projects and pipelines ensuring that the conditions of their in- built faster. It has simultaneously out- carceration are harsher. Of great con- sourced its primary responsibility to cern is that the proportion of Aborigi- 28 regulate in the public interest, devolv- ing ever more power to companies to make their own judgments about the risk to public safety. To help advance its deregulation agen- da the Harper government severed the traditional independence of the pub- lic service as a dispassionate source of evidence-based policy advice. The new role of civil servants was to imple- ment, without question, decisions al- ready made on the basis of ideological preconceptions and industry demands. In 2011, the government set up the Red Tape Reduction Commission, modelled on former Ontario premier Mike Har- ris’s similarly named commission in the 1990s. The federal commission’s con- clusions were incorporated into reg- ulatory policy, the Cabinet Directive on Regulatory Management (CDRM), which took effect in the spring of 2012. The rail industry is also no slouch on Lac-Mégantic's downtown core lays in While lip service is paid to health, safe- Parliament Hill. In 2008, lobbyists re- ruins as fire fighters continue to water ty and the environment, short-term wrote the rail operating rules with smoldering rubble on July 7, 2013. costs to business (red tape) were, in Transport Canada’s blessing, paving the THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz practice, the sole test for determining way for companies to run their freight whether a proposed regulation would trains with just a single operator. Sev- be accepted. The Prime Minister’s Of- eral years later, despite union objec- fice is the ultimate gatekeeper, deter- tions and resistance within Transport of flaws in the rail regulatory regime—in mining which proposed regulations go Canada, the industry exerted its influ- practice, companies were largely free to forward and which do not. ence to make sure the Montreal, Maine regulate themselves—fell on deaf ears. The CDRM broke new ground with its and Atlantic Railway (MMA), a company In the aftermath of Lac-Mégantic, the so-called one-for-one rule, mandat- with an atrocious safety record, could federal government has taken meas- ing departments to repeal at least one run its unit oil trains, through Lac-Mé- ures to try to restore public confidence existing regulation for every new rule gantic and other communities, with a in the regulatory regime. It has also proposed to Treasury Board. The one- single operator. sought to obscure the full extent of for-one rule progressively lowered the In the months leading up to the acci- regulatory failure—a failure that orig- ceiling on the number of regulations dent, the rail lobbyists repeatedly peti- inates in the collusion between pow- without properly considering the safe- tioned politicians and bureaucrats, ar- erful corporate interests and an ideo- ty implications. Treasury Board Presi- guing that strengthened regulations for logical fixation on deregulation as the dent Tony Clement boasted Canada the transportation of oil were unnec- pathway to a strong economy. was the first industrialized country to essary. As internal government docu- legislate such a rule. As the distance grows between us and ments show, the Harper government the accident, as media attention and How did the confluence of corporate appeared willfully blind to the growing memories fade, and as its fundamental power and ideologically driven dereg- danger posed by the monster surge in causes remain hidden there is a dan- ulation play out in the lead-up to the oil-by-rail, fixated instead on its goal to ger the myth of the “good corporate cit- Lac-Mégantic disaster? make Canada an “energy superpower.” izen” will be resurrected as a justifica- The oil industry is unquestionably the The government failed to heed repeat- tion for letting company shareholders most influential business lobby in Ot- ed warnings about unsafe tank cars determine the balance between safe- tawa. In light of rapidly expanding bi- and the volatility of the oil inside them. ty and profit. tumen and shale oil production, but It ignored cautions by the National Re- Without a reversal of these priorities— long pipeline approval delays, its peo- search Council regarding single-person public safety before private profits—an- ple furiously pressed the flesh to en- train operations, and starved Trans- other tragedy is just a matter of time. sure the flow of oil-by-rail was not dis- port Canada of the regulatory resourc- BRUCE CAMPBELL IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF rupted, or costs increased, by more and es needed to cope with the oil-by-rail THE CCPA. tougher regulations. boom. Reports from the auditor general 29 Election special DOING IT ALL FOR YOUR BABIES THE PITCH TO “HARD-WORKING CANADIAN FAMILIES” OPENS A MUCH BROADER POLICY DEBATE ON CHILDREN, THE CONSTITUTION AND OUR INCOMPLETE SOCIAL SAFETY NET

ARD-WORKING CANADIAN FAMILIES de- serve a break,” declares a Conserva- tive Party online fundraiser. “We’ll give families more money to help with the high costs of raising kids,” say the Lib- erals in their Fairness for the Middle “HClass election program. “Middle-class families are working harder than ever, but can’t get ahead,” said Thomas Mulcair in the NDP’s August 2 cam- paign launch. “We believe we must stop design- ing our communities around the car and start designing them around families and children,” says the Green Party’s “family-focused program.” The emphasis on families in the 2015 election is intense, but not new. In 2011, the Conserva- tives were already “Here for hard-working Ca- nadian families,” the NDP’s platform was called “Giving your family a break,” and the Liberal plan focused on “Your Family. Your Future. Your Can- ada.” What’s different, perhaps, is the pivot to- ward families with children. New child benefit cheques hit mailboxes in July, there are propos- als out there for an honest-to-goodness national child care plan, as well as the promise of tax-split- ting for couples—if they have children. These two articles—by Helena Towle and Ann Douglas—and the Index also deal with children and parenting, but fit awkwardly into the narra- tive being spun by the major political parties. They are about the ways families are let down by Canada’s social safety net, how precariously employed families are left out of pitches to the struggling middle class, and how constitution- al challenges to introducing new national pro- grams are not true obstacles to improving the lives of all children—from birth until they, too, are asked to vote. ILLUSTRATION BY ALISHA DAVIDSON 30 Helena Towle Collaborative education, a centralized approach?

ROM ENERGY PIPELINES to Senate re- in Canada, they still have a long way form to child care and proposals to go before they are truly inclusive. for a national pharmacare plan, Because each province or territory is the constitutional division of pow- composed of unique populations with ers between federal and provincial unique needs, it makes sense that, to governments is as much at play in some degree, their education policies Fthe 2015 election as any other issue. At would differ. However, when the same heart, is the question of when and how diagnostic label is used, access to ser- the federal government should work vices and programs should also be the with the provinces to solve issues of same, regardless of jurisdiction. Un- national concern. It is tied up in de- fortunately, the variation in inclusive bates about the redistributive role of education policies, their implementa- the federal government, the purpose tion, and the way that they are funded of taxes, and ideological differences means that, currently, a student with among provinces with (it sometimes a disability in one part of the coun- feels like) extraordinary powers to frus- try may receive a considerably differ- trate co-ordinated programs. ent amount of support than a student My particular interest in this nation- with the same type of disability in an- al debate, and the electoral opportuni- other region. ties it creates, relate to my research into Transition planning is one area that the differences between provincial ed- varies from one province to another be- ucation programs for people with disa- cause the age at which a student must bilities. Although the conversation sur- leave school is not the same every- rounding centralization is complex in where. For example, students must the application of social services, this is have graduated high school by 22 in an area that would clearly benefit from Saskatchewan, but 20 in Prince Ed- a centralized perspective. This would ward Island. Transition planning is im- be in line with Canada’s international portant because it is the surest path obligations, while taking into account to creating positive outcomes for stu- the medical diagnosis that defines ac- dents with disabilities, including ac- cess to services is standardized across cess to affordable housing and poten- the country. tial employment opportunities. Canada has signed international cov- Some provinces such as Manitoba enants (e.g., Convention on the Rights have a specific transition plan policy of Persons with Disabilities) that re- with detailed checklists and guidelines, quire it to meet the needs of people while others (Saskatchewan included) with disabilities within the general ed- only have a chapter in their inclusive ucation system. In other words, all stu- education policy that addresses tran- dents, with all needs, should be taught sition planning. All students and their in the same classroom. Education in parents or guardians are entitled to Canada is under provincial/territori- the resources and support they need al jurisdiction, which means that each to ensure their child has the opportu- child’s right to education is protected nity to be integrated into the educa- by the province or territory in which tion program of their choosing. There they live. Although the policies that de- is no one-size-fits-all solution, but that fine inclusive education in each prov- should not mean there is also no na- ince and territory are a vast improve- tional baseline or standard. ment from the segregation and insti- There is nothing stopping the federal tutionalization that children with dis- government (this one or the next) from abilities have historically experienced developing an action plan, with co-op- 31 eration from all relevant parties, to Ann Douglas achieve full inclusion in the provin- cial education systems for all chil- dren with disabilities. Student-cen- Precarious employment tered delivery can be objectively met through teacher and education ad- is a parenting issue ministration training about disabili- ty: in the same way that medical doc- tors are given the same tools to diag- nose a person with a disability, teach- EMEMBER WHAT IT was like back tion on which to build a life, wheth- ers, the key to student success, should when your child was a new- er you’re a parent or a child. be given standardized federal training born—how you used to gaze In fact, according to PEPSO, pre- that creates expertise for a growing into his eyes and dream of the carious employment has an impact population. In 2006, Statistics Cana- day when he’d be old enough on the decision to become a parent— da found that over 121,000 children to juggle multiple part-time, workers in precarious jobs are almost between the ages of five and 14 had Rtemporary jobs in the hope of some- three times as likely to delay having a disability related to learning. day, maybe, being able to afford his children than workers with stable, Currently, most provincial and ter- own place? full-time jobs—and the ability to ac- ritorial policies have an opt-out op- Okay, you didn’t actually have that cess income supports following the tion. In other words, a part of the ed- dream. And neither did I. birth of a child. Parents with precar- ucation policy says that if the school And yet, increasingly, that’s what ious jobs are less likely to meet the feels it has made exhaustive attempts the workplace has to offer our kids— eligibility requirements for mater- to include a student with disabilities jobs with no benefits and no future. nity/parental benefits through Em- in the classroom, without success, Not only are young workers finding ployment Insurance than parents it may change the child’s education it difficult to access employment (al- with more reliable employment, for plan and move the student to another most one in five are unemployed), example. classroom or school for special needs. many are being forced to settle for un- Precarity, with its unpredictable As long as options for alternative pro- deremployment in the form of low- hours, also affects access to child care, grams and segregated classrooms are wage, insecure jobs, a situation that and it can make it tougher still to available, students with disabilities may see them boomeranging back cover the miscellaneous expenses of will lose out whenever an educator home to take up residence in the base- childhood—everything from sports believes the support they are provid- ment because they can’t make ends registrations to prescriptions for med- ing is inadequate. meet without a little extra help from ications—when you’re not quite man- Collaboration is what creates a tru- the Bank of Mom or Dad. aging to scrape by from paycheque to ly inclusive classroom, based on re- Consider the latest data from the paycheque. spectful and reciprocal relationships research group Poverty and Employ- The time constraints are not just among teachers, parents, students and ment Precarity in Southern Ontar- about the money. How do you make education administrators. Despite io (PEPSO). Earlier this year, PEPSO plans to be there for your child’s birth- variance across provincial education reported that barely half of workers day or to volunteer at your child’s systems, improvement of inclusive aged 25 to 65 in the Toronto-Hamilton school when you have no idea what education is a common need across labour market have access to stable, hours you’ll be working tomorrow, Canada and should be on any list of full-time jobs paying anything more let alone next week? Ditto for sign- social programs, including child care than a basic wage. That means the ing up for professional development and pharmacare, requiring strong fed- remaining workers are being forced opportunities that might boost your eral co-ordination. Improving teacher to settle for bare-bones (“precarious”) odds of breaking free of the bad jobs training and removing all opt-out pol- employment arrangements in which ghetto. It's difficult to commit to or fi- icy measures would be a good place schedules are uncertain, long-term nance your own training when both to start building a co-operative rela- security is non-existent, training is your schedule and income are con- tionship with the provinces and ter- a rarity, and benefits are minimal or stantly in flux. ritories. non-existent. It’s a worrisome situation, for sure. Only 17% of workers in precarious But there’s a lot we can do, and that job situations have access to compa- we should be asking policy-makers to ny pension plans; only 7% are eligi- do, to reduce the impact of precarious ble for drug, vision, or dental benefits; employment on individuals, families and only 12% can expect to be paid if and communities. they have to miss a day of work due For starters, we need to think more to illness. It’s a pretty iffy way to make critically about what constitutes a a living and a pretty shaky founda- good job—to factor in what fami- lies actually need in order to thrive 32 The Index as opposed to merely survive. That means rec- Child Care ognizing how unreasonable it is to expect pre- cariously employed individuals to be able to Compiled by Hadrian finance their own sick days, health benefits Mertins-Kirkwood and retirement savings when unstable work arrangements make it impossible for them to budget beyond today. In other words, we need to shift the “good Canada spends about 0.25% of GDP on child care, well jobs” conversation so it is no longer fixated on wages alone, but factors in total compensation below the OECD average of 0.7%. and quality of life. As PEPSO notes in The Pre- carity Penalty, “The benefits of increasing a The maximum monthly payment under the enhanced worker’s wage may be limited if a worker does Universal Child Care Benefit (UCCB) is$160 per child. not have access to benefits or does not know how many hours they will be assigned in the The payment is taxable and must be reported as coming month.” income. We need to recognize the hidden costs of ask- ing the most precariously employed workers to The average monthly cost of infant child care in Toronto organize and finance their own training, with the net result being a shortage of skilled work- is $1,676, the highest in Canada, followed by $1,394 in ers. And we need to acknowledge the impact of St. John’s. the shortage of high-quality, flexible child care arrangements, a situation that results in many The average monthly cost of child care in Quebec is precariously employed workers being forced to rely on unlicensed and even unpaid services. $152 due to the province’s $7-a-day child care program, We need to strengthen existing employment which produces $147 in government revenue for every standards legislation to better meet the needs of workers who are precariously employed. $100 of state subsidies, and lets 70,000 more Quebec For example, employers should be required mothers go to work. to post work schedules two or more weeks in advance and/or pay a premium rate to work- The Conservative government introduced the enhanced ers who take on work with little or no notice. Shifts cancelled within 24 hours of the sched- UCCB in 2014. The opposition parties are promising new uled start time should be paid at a minimum child care spending if they win the upcoming federal of two to four hours’ worth of wages. The San Francisco Retail Workers Bill could serve as a election. model to policy-makers here—and a beacon of hope to workers who are being worn down by The NDP promises to create a national $15-a-day the grind of being perpetually on call for little child care program and create or maintain one million or no compensation. We need to find ways to encourage employ- affordable child care spaces across Canada while ers to create more full-time jobs, by offering ad- maintaining the UCCB. ditional hours to existing part-time workers as opposed to simply hiring additional part-tim- The Liberals promise to replace the UCCB with a tax- ers. And, when part-time work is the only op- tion for a particular employer, we need to en- free monthly Canada Child Benefit worth up to$533 per courage that employer to share their employ- month per child. ees with other employers, working co-opera- tively to co-ordinate schedules. The Green Party promises to eliminate the UCCB, create In other words, we need to start demanding more of employers when it comes to creating a universal child care program and implement a tax good, stable, family-sustaining jobs—and more credit worth $1,500 per year per child to businesses of policy-makers when it comes to putting the necessary workplace protections in place. that create workplace child care spaces. Common sense says we’re doing it wrong by asking individual workers to solve a problem that’s all of ours to solve together, for our own SOURCES Pierre Fortin, et al. “Impact of Quebec’s Universal Low-Fee Childcare Program on Female Labour Force Participation, Domes- tic Income and Government Budgets,” University of Sherbrooke (2012); “A Maclean’s primer on child care,” Maclean’s (August 2, 2015); sake, and especially for the sake of future gen- “Child Care: Early Childhood Education and Care,” in the 2015 Alternative Federal Budget; David Macdonald & Martha Friendly. “The Parent erations. Trap: Child Care Fees in Canada’s Big Cities,” CCPA (November 2014). 33 Election special Lisa Forbes Growing the Indigenous vote

CTOBER 22, 2014. Municipal elec- tion night in Manitoba. Indige- nous voters are posting to the Winnipeg Indigenous Rock the Vote (WIRTV) Facebook page. One woman says she got out to Ovote despite the pain, still healing, of a past beating by police officers. There are lots of selfies of jubilant parents and children at the polls. One young woman came out because her sis- ter is one of the missing Indigenous women and a First Nations mayoral candidate had announced he had an action plan. The reason most first-time Indig- enous voters gave for participating in the election was that they had a choice that included Indigenous can- didates with a platform that address- Some Indigenous people wonder Voting queens: Brett Renee Meeches es issues of interest to Indigenous if a federal pan-Indigenous party is (left) takes a selfie of herself, Amber people. No one in the Winnipeg mu- the way to bring Indigenous perspec- Fontaine (middle), Shanna Copenace at nicipal election ran under a formal tives to Canadian politics. Such a par- the polls in Winnipeg. political party affiliation. They built ty could play a role in keeping issues a platform based on their support- widely thought of as “Indigenous” ers’ interests. It’s different at the pro- in a prominent place on the political vincial and federal levels, where In- stage. These issues include access to enous issues for mayoral candidates digenous candidates vying for office safe drinking water on First Nation in our last municipal election. Cer- carry the banners of one or another reserves, a federal inquiry on missing tainly, our members would welcome major political party, with the iner- and murdered Indigenous women, eq- a similarly focused forum in the up- tia that creates. uitable health and education funding coming federal election. Some choose not to participate in for residents of First Nations, the im- The self-exclusion of some Indige- Canadian politics due to a lack of plementation of the United Nations nous nations from Canada’s nation- meaningful Indigenous contributions Declaration on the Rights of Indig- al elections, as an affirmation of sov- to the Canadian political system and enous Peoples, and the adoption of ereignty, is a frequently discussed party politics. Indigenous candidates the Truth and Reconciliation Com- issue, but one that does not really are fine, but how effective can they mission recommendations. come up in WIRTV circles. There is be, some say, in a system that does Canada’s Indigenous people are di- no denying that the federal govern- not work for Indigenous people? It’s verse and so are our interests. Some ment is required, in Canadian law and a good question. Canada’s Anti-Ter- of those issues (jobs, taxes, nation- through its negotiated legal contracts rorism Act 2015 (Bill C-51) is a case in al child care) might be addressed by with Indigenous nations, to provide point. Would a party that understands the major political parties as they are municipal and social services, goods the historical and contemporary place for other Canadians. We, like other and transfer payments to Indigenous and rights of Indigenous Canadians Canadians, are concerned about cli- nations. Yet the reality is that these have drafted a security bill in such a mate change and the protection of obligations are not rendered so eas- way that views our interests first as waterways. WIRTV co-founder Syl- ily. The federal government has the a threat to domestic security? via Boudreau led a forum on Indig- most influence of any government on 34 the day-to-day lives of First Nation By far, the issue that came up most with proper identification used to be reserve residents. If for only this rea- often during the Winnipeg election able to vouch for many others with- son, the participation of Indigenous was access to proper voting identifi- out ID, they can now only attest for people in federal elections is of par- cation. Many low-income people can- one other person. This ends the prac- amount importance. not afford proper ID, or they move tice of having a Chief vouch for the Winnipeg Indigenous Rock the Vote around so often it is a hassle to main- residency of multiple resident mem- is the brainchild of Jackie Traverse, a tain an ID with the correct address. bers from her First Nation reserve. Cree artist and human rights activ- In addition, Indigenous people are Second, the new requirement for ist. Founded in the fall of 2014, the far more likely to not have a fixed ad- First Nation reserve residents, that campaign’s main goal was, at first, to dress due to movement between re- they have their Indian band admin- prevent a particular mayoral candi- serves and rural communities to stay istrator complete a “Confirmation of date from winning office. He had ad- at the homes of relatives and friends Residence” letter to use as identifica- vocated for policies that discriminat- in urban areas. tion, creates burdensome and unnec- ed against Indigenous and homeless The Fair Elections Act, enacted last essary hurdles to voting. For the rest people. That candidate came in fourth year despite protests from almost all of Canadians, a driver’s license is the in the local election, behind two In- experts on the electoral process, has only ID required to register or vote. digenous people. Race is perhaps not created barriers to voting for all Ca- Our experience so far in registering as prominent an issue in the October nadians, but most of all for the young voters is that even those First Na- federal election, but the effect pover- (students), homeless, poor, immigrants tion residents with a driver’s license ty has on Indigenous voting is just and Indigenous people. For instance, are not being permitted to register. as evident. the voter registration card, sent by Some polls have shown that a Although there is a growing mid- Elections Canada to the home ad- strong Indigenous turnout at the dle class of Indigenous people in Win- dress of registered voters, was used polls this election could make a big nipeg, a disproportionate number of by 400,000 people as a piece of iden- difference in the results. Winnipeg Aboriginal people are still living on tification in the last federal election. Indigenous Rock the Vote has been low incomes. And people in poverty This will not be an option in the Oc- helping with voter registration and are less likely to vote. Why? Because tober election. providing ID clinics, and there are sev- they are always working to meet their For First Nations residents, the Fair eral other Indigenous voting groups basic needs: food, shelter, safety. Navi- Elections Act presents two unique promoting registration and voting in gating the rules, systems and bureau- obstacles. the upcoming federal election. All of cracies of accessing identification, and First, there is the replacement of us hope for a turning of the tide. If it meeting voting rules takes time, en- vouching for another’s identity at the can work in one city, there’s no rea- ergy and money. polls with the new “attestation” sys- son it can’t work across Canada. tem. Whereas one registered voter

You can boost the impact of your monthly CCPA donation without any extra cost by switching from credit card to direct debit monthly donations.

If you switch to direct debit contributions from your bank account, you can save the CCPA up to 6% in processing fees EVERY MONTH! That means more of your contri- bution will be put to work funding CCPA research, which makes a huge diƒerence. 6% How? It’s easy—just send a void cheque to the CCPA at 500-251 Bank Street, Ottawa, ON K2P 1X3. For more information: 1-613-563-1341 or DIFFERENCE [email protected]

35 Election special Kelly Carmichael Fairness should be the key to electoral reform

HIS YEAR, CANADA'S electoral sys- ment rather than focusing on future More than 80% of Organization for tem will be a federal election is- policy needs. It's called policy-lurch: Economic Co-operation and Develop- sue. Canadians will be consider- defunding programs while building ment (OECD) countries are governed ing which electoral system best new ones in their image. under a proportional representation reflects their values and priori- We keep flip-flopping between false system. Policies built on consensus ties. Are we satisfied with win- majority governments (a majority have lasting value. If a policy is not Tner-take-all politics that prioritizes of seats without a majority of the supported by the majority of the elec- specialized issues in swing ridings? vote) and unstable minorities at the torate it should not pass. That's a hard Or do we want a system that will pro- expense of our country's long-term pill to swallow for those who have a vide the type of governance that will priorities, and our voting system is narrow focus on ramming through deliver long-term solutions to press- largely to blame. partisan policy. ing issues that affect all Canadians? Stephen Harper's government has Research shows that proportion- The first-past-the-post system re- spent the last four years focused on al representation results in lower in- inforces regional differences and pits undoing Canada's liberal image at come inequality, better environmen- voter against voter in key ridings. If the cost of developing legacy policy tal performance, stable economies you live in a party stronghold, you of its own. The next government will and long-term goals that better re- might as well hit the snooze button do the same. spect the intentions of voters. When because you know, like the last elec- citizens have more power, they are tion and the one before that, you will more satisfied with their democracy. never have a representative that re- PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION Proportional representation will flects your views. ELECTS MORE WOMEN not end majority governments but Liberal voters in Alberta, Conserva- FROM THE FAIR VOTE WEBSITE BASED ON OECD DATA it means a party needs a true major- tive voters in Quebec and Green vot- ity of voters to garner all the power. ers across the country all know their Proportional Representation Governments that are supported by votes carry less weight. true majorities have more credibil- Not only are voters not equal, par- Sweden 45% ity and licence to build lasting poli- ties that get less than 40% of the vote cy that is supported by the citizens. can form a majority government, leav- Finland 43% Canada's health care system and ing more than half of the elector- Norway 40% the Canada Pension Plan were both ate unrepresented. When only 60% delivered by parties working together of voters show up at the polls, we're Denmark 39% and supported by a majority of Cana- not looking at 40% of the electorate, Netherlands 39% dians. When policies are built on con- but rather 24% of voters making all sensus and co-operation they stand the decisions on behalf of everyone. Germany 37% the test of time. People who favour the status quo Proportional representation will claim that first-past-the-post deliv- New Zealand 32% not solve all Canada's democratic is- ers "stable, majority governments." sues but it provides equal representa- In other words, a small portion of Alternative Vote tion, and equal representation will the electorate can do whatever they Australia 26% contribute to the renewal of Cana- want and you can't do anything about dian democracy. it for four years. Wouldn't govern- First Past the Post This year, when considering elec- ments built on integrity, co-operation toral reform, the primary question and compromise be more attractive? CANADA 25% we should ask is this: What is fair? First-past-the-post costs taxpay- U.K. 23% Let's ensure that parties of all stripes ers a lot of money. Majority govern- know that votes should be equal and ments often spend their tenure un- U.S.A. 18% effective and contribute to a govern- doing policies of the former govern- ment that represents everyone. 36 Election special Karl Nerenberg Voting tactically is a complicated game

HE FIRST THING to do when we “winning” an election had it been held talk about strategic voting is to Voters who want to in the summer. By that, Fairie meant call it what it really is: tactical winning a plurality of seats, not a ma- voting. A strategy is an overall cast their vote tactically jority. There is virtually no chance an- plan to reach a goal; a tactic is must make an educated yone would win a majority, he wrote. a particular action one takes in In Fairie’s analysis, there was a 97% Tsupport of a larger strategy. guess as to how their chance a mid-July election would pro- If your goal is a change in federal duce a government in which the NDP government, one possible tactic dur- neighbours plan to vote. and Liberals combined held a majori- ing the election would be to vote for ty of seats. In just about any other de- the “progressive” candidate who has mocracy such a result would inevita- the best chance of winning. bly produce a coalition government. Voting tactically is like a prisoner’s In Canada, Fairie wrote, the public is dilemma, the psychological game in which Liberals have urged NDP sup- still deeply suspicious of coalitions. which two “criminals” are given the porters not to “waste” their votes. Lib- In 2008, Prime Minister Harper said choice to testify against each oth- eral leaders—most recently Paul Mar- the proposed Liberal-NDP coalition, er or to remain silent. Depending on tin in 2004—have quite openly made which needed the support of the Bloc what combination of choices the two that pitch, with some success. Now, Québecois, was a case of the losers make, the consequences for each of with the NDP leading or tied with the snatching victory from the winners. them can be very different. Each of Conservatives in the opinion polls (at That bit of demagoguery worked their fates depends on the choice of time of writing), the shoe may be on then. But it might not work this time. the other prisoner. the other foot. Let’s say the Conservatives lose Voters who want to cast their vote NDP campaigners will be tempt- their majority, but still win the larg- tactically have to know which pro- ed to encourage all progressives to est number of seats. The NDP and gressive candidate in their riding has rally around the party that has the Liberals together win more than half the best chance to win. In other words, best chance of unseating the current the seats. An NDP-Liberal coalition like the prisoner in the dilemma, they bunch. Former New Democratic appa- would not have to be propped up by must make an educated guess as to ratchik Jamie Heath made that argu- the Bloc, and the public view of coa- how their neighbours plan to vote. ment in a National Post column this litions might be very different from National opinion polls would not July. And he went further, claiming what it was in 2008. help such voters, because political the Liberals are not now, nor have In the end, is the effort to mount support for the different parties var- they ever been, a truly progressive national “strategic” voting campaigns ies greatly across the country. Even party. They only act that way to win worth it? Should voters be fretting provincial polls provide little help- elections, according to Heath. about how to most effectively cast ful information. Within each prov- His solution to the split-vote-on- their vote tactically? This writer’s ince political allegiances vary great- the-left conundrum is for the Liber- answer to both questions is, on bal- ly from riding to riding. als to fade away, to be replaced by one, ance, no. At one point early in the 2011 elec- national progressive political option. Voting tactically turns the elector- tion campaign, some voters in Ottawa It is an argument very similar to the al process into too much of a prison- Centre told me they intended to vote, one Liberals used against the NDP er’s dilemma game, and I am not sure in their words, “strategically.” They for decades. that is good for democracy. said they would vote for the Liberal As Heath’s column appeared in the candidate. I reminded them that the Post, political scientist Paul Fairie had incumbent was NDP MP Paul Dewar, an article in the Globe and Mail that but they weren’t convinced. analyzed polling numbers to con- That sort of notionally strategic clude the NDP and the Conservatives choice fits with the historic pattern in would have had an equal chance of 37 Election special

Fenwick McKelvey Battling political machines ILLUSTRATION BY REMIE GEOFFROI Coming to a riding near you!

VERY PARTY HAS its political ma- This election will offer a particularly know-how will make a difference in chine; technology, software and tough arena—another testing ground how they eke out a win. infrastructure that it rolls out of new techniques and machinations. Like Robot Wars contestants, po- into battle every time the writ Given the unreliability of polls, litical parties have been working on drops. While talking points each party is relying on its own pro- upgrades to their machines. Key to change, the machine keeps run- prietary data infrastructure to get a any upgrade is their national political Ening in the background, getting the sense of what’s going on with sup- campaign software. What was once a message out, measuring its impact porters and the general electorate. In simple database of voter intentions and mobilizing voters. With the en- addition, the pace of the election— now logs more and more campaign try of social media and sophisticat- though obviously not the length of activity. Better campaign software ed voter databases, we might even the campaign—has quickened, forc- helps party field organizers connect want to drop the horse race metaphor ing parties to respond to the 24/7 me- with voters and pull the vote. for something else—something like dia environment. The Internet also now allows for a spectacle where robots fight each You can see the machines in action unprecedented contact with voters, other for the big prize. by comparing the political messages but not without the technology to It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. in your inbox to what you’re friend is target, test and optimize messages, More than ever before, this year’s receiving. The Liberals won the 2013 as well as to collect as much data as election resembles an episode of Ro- election in British Columbia by inch- possible. Data analytics help find the bot Wars, a popular TV show from es, relying on micro-targeting to find right voters to target and determine the early 2000s in which remote-con- the few voters that could make all the the smart, personalized messages trolled robots destroy one another in difference in a close race. The feder- they will receive over social media an unpredictable, dangerous arena. al parties’ data analytics and staff and by email. 38 The Conservatives had a head start in all of this, Jessica McCormick but there have been setbacks. The party’s CIMS data- base, originally developed by the Ontario Progressive Conservatives in the late-1990s, has been growing for Unfair electoral reforms at least 10 years, giving the federal party a special ad- vantage in micro-targeting voters in key ridings. But make it harder to vote it is not all rosy in the Blue Machine. The Conservatives attempted to switch to a new sys- tem known as C-Vote, but reports in 2013 suggest it was a fiasco, costing the party up to $9 million and forcing OU’LL HAVE TO come back vouching in favour of a more cum- them back to CIMS. This year, the party launched C2G later with someone who bersome and intimidating attesta- (CIMS To Go), a mobile interface that allows data en- can vouch for you.” tion process for voters who cannot try while canvassing. Such real-time reporting from These were the words prove their address. the field has been a long-sought-after goal of any po- I heard as I turned away Only 38% of young people vot- litical machine, but it is not an exclusively Conserva- from a polling station in ed in the 2011 federal election. It’s tive technology. “YSt. John’s on May 2, 2011. I had spent a much bigger problem than vot- The Liberals, borrowing directly from the Oba- the previous month encouraging er fraud—one that Canada’s chief ma campaigns, struck an exclusive contract with students to vote, organizing vote electoral officer has been trying to NGPVAN—one of the technology firms used by the mobs and hosting debates with address through a number of stud- Democratic Party—to integrate their database, mail- candidates. I knew my vote mat- ies and programs. Strangely, the ing and web presence into a system known as Liber- tered. But without a Voter Informa- Fair Elections Act prohibits the of- alist. Liberalist also features greater integration than tion Card from Elections Canada, fice from encouraging people to CIMS since it runs their websites and email messaging. or piece of ID with my address on vote, denying them access to in- Generally speaking, an integrated database helps it, I had to walk away. I was lucky to formation about their democratic keep track of voter activity across platforms. Expect find a friend from the same polling rights. By muzzling the chief elec- to see Liberal canvassers with their own mobile solu- division who did return with me so I toral officer, the government has tion, known as MiniVan, competing with Conserva- could cast my ballot. It was discour- almost guaranteed the youth vote tive volunteers on C2G. The Liberals have had a lot of aging to think how many other stu- will continue to decline. time to optimize their machine since its launch in 2011, dents would not have that option. Earlier this year, the Canadian so staff and other volunteers might be better trained In February 2014, the Conserv- Federation of Students and the than other parties. ative government tabled the Fair Council of Canadians challenged The NDP have also gone the Obama route, hiring Elections Act under the guise of the Fair Elections Act in court in Blue State Digital to help with data analytics and the preventing voter fraud. The public an effort to have the new laws over- party’s digital mobilization over email. Simultaneous- outcry was almost immediate. More turned before the 2015 federal elec- ly, the NDP replaced its old NDP Vote database with than 200,000 Canadians signed pe- tion. In early August, an Ontario Su- Populus to keep track of voter records. Populus seems titions opposing the bill and organ- perior Court judge denied an injunc- to run on foreAction, a campaign management system ized demonstrations outside MP’s tion against key sections of the act for political parties and non-profits developed by Net- offices. Experts, academics and for- while identifying that those same Fore Systems in Ottawa. mer chief electoral officers said the sections could disenfranchise hun- This creates a lot of unknowns for the NDP. How will proposed electoral reforms were dreds of thousands of voters. The the federal party bring its local campaigns up to speed dangerous. The government ig- full legal challenge will not be heard on the new system? Will Blue State Digital and Popu- nored these concerns and forged until after the federal election. lus play well together? Whatever the answers, the ef- ahead with what was obviously a Rather than fulfilling the prom- fort demonstrates the NDP has invested in keeping voter suppression agenda. ise of fair elections, the Conserva- up with the other parties, hoping the investment will We can say this because the Fair tive government has told some vot- pay off on election day. Elections Act created new barri- ers—conveniently those more like- Those who’ve seen Robot Wars know it creates a lot ers to voting for many groups, es- ly to vote for other parties—they of wreckage, and the party machines will likewise col- pecially students and seniors, In- should stay home on October 19. lide over the course of the campaign. There will (hope- digenous people, people with dis- Canada’s electoral laws need fully) be no flame-throwers or chainsaw arms—fre- abilities, and the homeless. Voters strengthening to ensure that every quent additions to the TV show’s battlebots—but the are no longer able to use the Voter vote counts. Reversing these at- comparison is clearly useful. Information Card as proof of iden- tempts at voter suppression is vi- The bots and party machines are built for battle, tity or address in order to cast a tal to building a healthy democracy thrown into an unpredictable arena. While some tweaks ballot. Proving one’s address can for this generation and the next. In can be made mid-struggle, momentum will make too be especially difficult for students the meantime, it will take consider- many alterations difficult. Some parts will break, some who often move twice a year and able efforts to ensure voters have tools might not work together (or at all). And on Octo- do not maintain a current or local the motivation, ID and address re- ber 19, if you don’t like horse races, would you be com- address on their ID. The Conserv- quirements they need to cast a bal- fortable with “May the best robot win?” ative government also eliminated lot in this election. 39 Election special Simon Tremblay-Pepin A Québécois perspective on the federal election

'VE BEEN ASKED to talk about what the tion. To profit from this sentiment, course to restore its pertinence and at- federal campaign looks like from the Liberals and NDP will naturally tractiveness to voters. There is no new here in Quebec. Before I share my each present themselves as the only foundation in resentment (though we impressions, a few reminders, since party that can end the Conservative sometimes wonder if there is anything we sometimes have trouble under- government's reign. else driving the party’s current leader). standing one another. For instance, At first glance, the NDP appears to If the NDP is to get a shot at taking Iyour anglo-Canadian analysis of the have an obvious head start: it forms power, the party must remain in the results of the last election probably the Official Opposition, making it the lead in Quebec. Like the Bloc, there differs widely from my own. I will prime contender. And until very re- are no surprise candidates wearing therefore quickly explain my take on cently it seemed likely that unless Jus- orange this year. For Thomas Mulcair 2011, because in order to understand tin Trudeau could successfully reha- to maintain his competitive edge, he what will happen this fall, we need to bilitate the Liberal image in Quebec— will need to better attend to and -ad grasp what happened four years ago. not an impossible task, but a very dif- dress the issues that are damaging to In the aftermath of the May 2011 ficult one—the situation generally his party here, most notably the NDP elections, I wrote a series of three ar- favoured the NDP. position on Energy East. The fact that ticles for the CCPA’s Behind the Num- However, things have changed quite Mulcair supports this environmental- bers blog. I had come to the follow- a lot in a short time. Gilles Duceppe's ly unjustifiable pipeline project makes ing conclusion: the NDP's success in resurrection, as unexpected and un- him an easy target for the Bloc. Quebec was not based on the merits democratic as it is, has single-hand- Regarding Quebec's political future, of the party’s program, or even the edly helped to raise the Bloc québé- Mulcair does not have the luxury—in appeal of its jolly moustached lead- cois from the dead, obscuring the un- contrast with Layton in 2011—of re- er, but because people had rejected fortunate, even disastrous series of maining deliberately vague, since he all other options. A majority of Que- events that followed the party’s 2011 is a former minister in a Liberal Party beckers decided the NDP looked rel- thrashing, with the potential to help of Quebec government and a former atively inoffensive—even somewhat the Bloc regain its "natural" place in director at Alliance Québec. Mulcair likeable—because of its centrism and the polls. cannot afford to alienate the 40% of open mind on matters regarding the That said, we should note that in Quebec voters who find too much fed- political future of Quebec (our dread- the 2011 elections, the Bloc grabbed eralist enthusiasm rather unpalatable. ed question nationale). 23% of the vote, the Liberals 14%, and The problem for Mulcair is that the When I look at the political land- the NDP 42%, with the ultimate re- closer he inches toward the Bloc on scape today, I stand firm by this anal- sult being a rout for the Bloc.On Au- these issues, the more space he cre- ysis. Despite the Orange Wave, there gust 20 this year, polls put the Bloc in ates for the Liberals, both in the rest is still a shortage of enthusiasm for even worse shape at 16%, the Liber- of Canada and in Quebec. federal politics in Quebec. In fact, the als at 20%, and the NDP at 47%. Those To conclude, and to repeat an all- “wave” depended on this historical de- numbers, if they hold over the cam- too-often overlooked truth, the field tachment from Ottawa. Federal poli- paign, portend another Bloc upset on which the federal electoral game tics are only ever deemed interesting this October. is played in Quebec is paved with in- here when Quebec feels it is directly Can Duceppe appeal to Quebeckers difference. With no hope of garnering engaged or threatened, like during the one more time? Certainly, but only if enthusiasm in the electorate, the par- sponsorship scandal of the mid-2000s. he learns his lessons from 2011. The bit- ty that convinces voters it can bring Fast-forwarding to 2015, this senti- ter, vengeful and guilt-inducing tone down Harper, while avoiding gen- ment may be changing. Though Que- of Bloc partisans during that election— erating annoyance with unpopular beckers are generally indifferent to- taken up by Duceppe in defeat after- stances on touchy issues, will stand ward the federal government, many wards—should not be resuscitated. the best chance of taking Quebec— are also fed up with Harper. They And having announced an unspectac- and with it, potentially, Ottawa. believe that his party is dangerous, ular lineup of candidates, the Bloc will and this will be key in the next elec- need to breathe new life into its dis- 40 Excerpt Nora Loreto Canada’s youth: From passivism to activism

T HURTS TO admit that neoliberalism is winning, but this acknowledge- ment is necessary in order to un- derstand youth engagement, dis- enfranchisement, and what kinds of social movements are attracting Iyoung people. This understanding is fundamental if we are to co-ordinate and organize the generations that the Welfare State forgot. Neoliberal attacks have been re- lentless. They have flowed from all governments in Canada in the past 30 years and have left no public ser- vice or civil employee untouched. They have fundamentally altered how young people interact with each other and with the world around them. And, as the Internet has fur- solely on an individual’s capacities. March 2015 student demonstration ther privatized interpersonal inter- Having grown up hearing that “it against austerity changes proposed by actions, traditional notions of “com- only takes one person to make a dif- the Quebec government. munity” have been supplanted by so- ference,” trying to be that super-hu- THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz cial media and online communities. man necessarily results in defeatism Although they share many character- and frustration. Verhaeghe explains: istics of the IRL community (“in real “Our society constantly proclaims life”), they do not offer members of that anyone can make it if they just certaining whether or not politicians that community physical support or try hard enough, all the while rein- are addressing issues that youth as social structures to help one another forcing privilege and putting increas- a cohort care about, journalists and out. In effect, it’s community without ing pressure on its overstretched and pundits prefer to focus on electoral the measures that make community exhausted citizens. An increasing disengagement, mislabeled as “apa- so useful or important. number of people fail, feeling humili- thy.” This narrative consistently fo- Paul Verhaeghe, writing in The ated, guilty, and ashamed. We are for- cuses on youth voter turnout, and, Guardian U.K., argues that the chang- ever told that we are freer to choose while it’s certainly supported by cer- es brought about by neoliberal poli- the course of our lives than ever be- tain facts—Elections Canada pegged cies are basically changing who we fore, but the freedom to choose out- voter turnout after the 2011 election at are: “Our norms and values make up side the success narrative is limit- 38.8% for 18–24-year-olds, while their an integral and essential part of our ed. Furthermore, those who fail are grandparents voted at 75%—it’s a lazy identity. So they cannot be lost, only deemed to be losers or scroungers, and irresponsible assessment of the changed. And that is precisely what taking advantage of our social secu- reasons for youth disengagement. has happened: a changed economy rity system. This ‘individual choices’ Such analyses usually focus on the reflects changed ethics and brings framing is then used to impose ev- structural barriers that stop people about changed identity. The current er-harsher neoliberal economic and from voting. For example, Janet Mc- economic system is bringing out the social policies.” Kenzie, chief electoral officer for the worst in us.” When examining youth engage- City of Vancouver during its 2014 mu- Neoliberalism has also created an ment, journalists often frame issues nicipal election, summed up youth environment where young people be- in terms of the individual, especially voting efforts in this way: “We want lieve that success and failure hinges during election time. Rather than as- to make things flexible around voting 41 and we want to make every effort to have recently changed residence (at In English Canada, the fallout from remove the barriers that we can, by the start of September or the end of the events of September 11, 2001 in making voting as easy and convenient April, for example), it effectively could the U.S. weakened the anti-globali- as possible, and ensuring that casting mean that they will not be able to vote zation movement. It took the organ- a ballot is quick and easy.” This is the where they live, or—short of engag- ized English left two years to find its dominant narrative, but it’s not a fair ing with the cumbersome voting-by- footing again, and stage impressive assessment of the real reasons why proxy method—that they will have to anti-war mobilizations across Cana- young people vote less. refrain from voting at all. The Cana- da. On February 15, 2003, in solidarity Some of these reasons were iden- dian Federation of Students and the with actions across the globe, near- tified by Christian Medeiros in the Council of Canadians have instigated ly 400,000 people protested in more University of Toronto’s student paper a Charter challenge, arguing that the than 80 cities and towns across Can- The Varsity before the 2014 municipal act constitutes a violation of individ- ada against the war in Iraq. Legisla- election in Ontario: “The poor finan- ual rights guaranteed by the Canadi- tive victories for Canadian progres- cial state of youth exacerbates their an Charter of Rights and Freedoms. sives have become more and more alienation from the political system. With education, health, and social rare, but these co-ordinated mass By many accounts, youth are getting services all funded and managed by demonstrations played an important started later in life than ever before. provincial governments, the most role in stopping Prime Minister Jean Education and training take longer, hurtful results of austerity flow from Chrétien from sending Canadians to steady jobs are further off, homes provincial policies. This means that, war in Iraq. are on the distant horizon, and the in the shadow of an extreme right- Things changed dramatically after thought of starting a family does not wing federal government, there is Stephen Harper first rose to power in even cross their minds.” still little solace to be found among 2006 by forming a minority govern- Campaigns and efforts to get people the various shades of neoliberal grey. ment. Harper continued, and accel- to vote by making it easier will fail by After enduring these neoliberal poli- erated, the neoliberal policies that design, because it isn’t about incon- cies for all of our conscious lives, it’s had been launched in the 1980s by venience; it’s about feeling as if vot- no wonder that young people are vot- Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Con- ing is totally futile. When you grow ing and participating less in formal servatives and extended by the Lib- up in an Ontario where two decades democratic structures. erals under Chrétien and Paul Mar- of premiers from all political parties tin. Canadians who were just children have continually raised tuition fees— New locations of political action at the time of Martin’s health and so- despite the fact that you’ve voted cial transfer cuts have been bearing against those politicians every time espite their disengagement from the subsequent brunt of skyrocket- you were eligible—it’s impossible not D formal political structures, young ing tuition fees ever since. They have to feel that the system was set up to people are far from apathetic. In fact, also been adversely affected by the in- deliberately disengage young people. as the millennial generation has come creasing privatization of health care This is not to say that attempts of age, the intensity of various forms and a precarious job market—devel- to make voting more difficult have of protest has accelerated. From on- opments exacerbated by the further not also been pursued by govern- line protest communities that emerge cuts to social spending made by the ments. The Harper government, seiz- in chat rooms, to the platforms that Harper government. ing a contextual opportunity, imposed can be used on Facebook to promote When Stephen Harper deployed his measures to directly and increasing- various types of action, it’s clear that position and power to stop the oppo- ly disenfranchise people. What better the location of political action has sition parties from uniting to form a time to make it more difficult for peo- simply migrated from the formal to coalition government, most Canadi- ple to vote, after all, than when vot- the informal—from inside formal po- ans remained silent and passive. But ing levels are already at record lows? litical parties to outside those struc- protests led by young people who or- Changes made under the ironical- tures. ganized them online erupted across ly-named Fair Elections Act eliminat- Since the anti-globalization pro- Canada. The protests demonstrated ed Voter Information Cards as proof tests of the late 1990s and the early that young people understood the un- of residence, and will prevent Elec- 2000s, several generations of activ- just and undemocratic nature of what tions Canada from engaging in pub- ists have moved through various in- Harper had done, contrary to the ap- lic education campaigns about the carnations of political action. The an- proval he received from most of the mechanisms of how to vote. ti-globalization movement coalesced mainline media. A core of pro-democ- Young people who move too often around the Summit of the Americas racy activists was formed, and they to keep the address on a driver’s li- protests in Quebec City in 2001, and mobilized the same protests a year cense up to date will now find it ex- the effects can still be seen. In Que- later when Harper pulled the same tremely difficult to prove residency bec, the intense mobilization that sur- stunt to avoid having documents re- during an election campaign. And, rounded the summit directly led to leased that exposed Canada’s involve- if an election happens to coincide the creation of Canada’s only true left- ment in the torture of prisoners in with a time of year when students wing political party, Québec Solidaire. Afghanistan. 42 Although these anti-prorogation sand people—the highest extent of This is likely the future of the left: rallies were widespread and well at- unlawful mass arrest in the post-war rather than working within the for- tended, they were unavoidably futile period since the October Crisis. Years mal political structures, people will because the only demand that could later, it would be the brutal conduct organize new ways to help one an- be made by a pro-democracy gath- of the police, the stories that emerged other and build community, espe- ering was that democracy itself be from the Eastern Avenue Detention cially during times of crisis where respected. The rallies were not root- Centre, and the violent police repres- formal structures can’t meet basic ed in the need for an alternative to sion that would mark the history of needs. Where governments fail, the the status quo, but simply demand- the G20 in Toronto. radical response from those commu- ed that Stephen Harper play by the A year-and-a-half later, the Occu- nities will be as simple as stepping in rules and stop using anti-democrat- py movement emerged. Occupy Wall and undertaking the role of govern- ic measures to shut down debate. By Street (OWS) erupted in New York ment ourselves: rebuilding our com- the time it had run its course, the nar- City as a protest held in the heart of munities ourselves. rative that activists were promoting the city’s financial district. Inspired by Occupy did not leave the same lega- was far too reformist: they sought to OWS, young people organized camps cy in Canada. After the encampments replace Stephen Harper’s power with in towns and cities across Canada, fizzled out, there wasn’t much of Oc- the softer touch of Stéphane Dion or many of their occupations lasting cupy that remained here, other than Jack Layton. well into the first snowfalls. While the one camp that kept its occupation go- So, despite an impressive level of success of Occupy itself was debata- ing until the spring. That camp was civic engagement and hundreds of ble, it definitely showed that there at McMaster University in Hamilton, protests across Canada, the protests exists some level of class-conscious- where students did have access to resulted in very little change. In fact, ness, and that young people will take space in the Student Centre. There, after they had run their course, Harp- to the streets, even if they don’t take an occupation was established with er vastly bolstered his power by win- to the ballot boxes. Occupy seized on desks, comfortable chairs, and a book- ning a majority government—power the common knowledge that, while shelf. It became a hub for progressive he has been harnessing ever since to things are getting much better for the organizing on campus for the rest of further cut social programs and dis- one per cent, the 99% are struggling. the school year. mantle the welfare state. Their uprising helped give voice to a While debates were occurring But not long after the second wave new generation of activists and, more across Canada about what to “do with” of federal prorogation protests waned, important, physically manifested the Occupy, students in Quebec were to- massive youth-led demonstrations evidence of their concerns. In a world tally re-defining what kind of protest were organized to protest the G8/G20 of online communities and neoliber- and what kind of sustained action is summit meetings in Toronto, shak- alism, the importance of Occupy root- possible. The 2012 student strikes in ing up the city for the better part ing itself in a physical location can- that province have their own histo- of a week in June 2010. Community not be overstated. ry, rooted in waves of organization groups, students, and labour activ- In the United States, Occupy Wall and student strikes that rose and ists had been mobilizing for months Street has mutated into a support fell throughout the 1990s and 2000s. before world leaders came to town. system to help communities when Standing on the shoulders of activ- They mounted a co-ordinated march the government has failed them, and ists from years past, students organ- of tens of thousands, defying tear gas, this just might be the most interest- ized through CLASSE, the Coalition sound-cannons, and clubbing by po- ing possibility for the future role of large de l’Association pour une soli- lice, whose hundreds of pre-emptive social movements in that country. darité syndicale étudiante (Large Co- arrests were clearly meant to discour- When Hurricane Sandy devastat- alition of the Association for Student age people from marching at all. The ed the U.S. eastern seaboard and de- Union Solidarity). G20 was a rallying point, but it wasn’t stroyed much of the coastal proper- College and university students an entirely successful display of peo- ties of New York City and New Jer- went on sustained strikes that inter- ple power. Instead, it turned into a mil- sey in 2013, it was Occupy Sandy that rupted the normal operations of in- itary training exercise, where the lat- helped most effectively to co-ordinate stitutions across Quebec. They were a est in civilian-grade military equip- relief measures. Through a network strong reaction to the Liberal govern- ment was tested on peaceful protest- of volunteers surviving on donations ment’s plan to increase tuition fees. ers. It sent the message: you have no of space, materials and money, Occu- The protests snowballed on March 22 right to demonstrate. py Sandy dispatched activists across into more than 300,000 people march- Clearly, $1 billion was enough to the damaged regions to help people ing in Montreal, where the students purchase some very scary “crowd-con- save what they could from their bat- were met with harsh opposition and trol” equipment. But, more important- tered homes. Occupy Sandy volun- oppression from government and po- ly, the powers granted to the more teers were fitted with gear necessary lice forces. As the protests grew larg- than 20,000 police by the Ontario gov- for this task: boots, masks, goggles, er and more popular, the police tac- ernment allowed for the mass arrest sledgehammers, crowbars, wheel- tics became even more oppressive. and detention of more than a thou- barrows, etc. Over the course of the student strikes, 43 3,418 people were arrested, including er education. Young people celebrat- few others, and it serves as a barome- a member of the national assembly. ed the direct result of their sustained ter for how the Canadian state views The student strikes presented a per- and co-ordinated actions, but then radical politics. These two movements fect storm of events that would spur saw how the formal political system also show possible ways forward for a the social movement to explode— would betray and disappoint them. new left to emerge, completely outside student solidarity that had been un- They also had the painful experience of formal political structures. First, paralleled in Quebec up to that point. of having their peaceful demonstra- the social movement Idle No More Widespread disenfranchisement and tions attacked and repressed by the has engaged thousands of people anger with the Liberal government government and police, whose bru- from reserve communities to down- fuelled people’s willingness to take tality was unprecedented in the post- town city cores. It has unleashed an to the streets in a massive show of war period. amazing amount of energy and pas- public protest. The Opposition Parti Cracking down on protests through sion, through both creative actions Québécois supported the students, legislation that violates basic rights, and traditional ones. New leaders though their support for the stu- and then ferociously enforcing these have emerged, especially young wom- dents’ core issues was weak. By May, undemocratic laws, has become in- en leaders, and they are committed new laws were passed banning ral- creasingly popular in Canada. Even to stopping the harmful colonial and lies after dark and protests by 50 or while marking the anniversary of neo-colonial policies imposed on In- more people without giving the po- the student strikes in 2013, hundreds digenous communities by provincial lice advance notice of the route. As of students were arrested simply for and federal governments. the weather warmed, casserole pro- demonstrating in public. Montreal’s Idle No More is a civil rights move- tests—where people thronged the controversial law P6, which remains ment, and its sustainability is rooted streets with pots and pans—became in effect, compels activists to give in the liberation aspirations of Indig- weekly events. The chorus of voices their protest’s routes to police in ad- enous peoples. But it’s also a move- opposing the Liberal government’s vance for it to be deemed “legal.” It ment that requires solidarity from its repressive measures expanded to in- might also just provide the police allies: Canadians who benefit from all clude prominent Quebec celebrities the time to crack down more quick- the treaty rights guaranteed by the and lawyers marching in their robes. ly on protesters. Crown to force their elected repre- It became clear by May that this up- At the end of the federal parlia- sentatives to finally respect the re- surge of dissent could very well top- mentary session in 2013, the Harper sponsibilities that flow from those ple the government. government quietly passed a private rights. Idle No More is a movement And it did: Premier Jean Charést member’s bill that bans the wearing that unites communities that have lost his seat and the Liberals lost pow- of a mask or veil at protests deemed lived on this land for time immemo- er in the election that followed in Sep- to be illegal. The law provides for rial. Its ability to operate outside the tember. Many of the student activ- a maximum sentence of 10 years— political system is critical to achiev- ists, however, were reluctant to urge even though it has long been illegal ing its ultimate goal: a re-definition people how to vote in that election, to wear a disguise for the purpose of of federalist Canada that includes warning that austerity measures tak- committing a crime. First Nations’ self-determination and en by a PQ government could be just Progressive organizations are un- sovereignty. as damaging as austerity by the Lib- der attack, too. From being audited by The second promising cohort is the erals. And, although the PQ was elect- the Canadian Revenue Agency to find environmental movement, which has ed on a platform that was relative- out how “political” they have been, grown to be both mainstream and ly progressive, it soon broke nearly to having collective agreements im- radical, encouraging many young every promise, increasing tuition fees posed rather than freely negotiated, people to join it. From the victory and then calling a snap election over rights and freedoms are being more on Burnaby Mountain in British Co- its divisive and xenophobic “Values restricted, activists more aggressive- lumbia, where activists stopped the Charter.” The Liberals regained power ly targeted, and arrests made on less planned construction of a new pipe- and formed a majority government 18 and less evidence. All of this suppres- line, to the victory at Cacouna, Que- months later, setting the stage for the sion serves as a deterrent for anyone bec, where plans to build an oil ter- next big social response to austerity. wishing to engage in peaceful pro- minal were shelved after activists test or any other kind of progressive showed how it would threaten near- Cracking down on dissent activism. It’s an exercise in dissua- by beluga whales, activists are push- sion that seems to be directed espe- ing back against the assumption that he student strikes were remarka- cially at the young people who have unlimited resource exploitation is the T ble for many reasons, not the least become active in public protests be- key to Canada’s economic prosper- of which was demonstrating that, far cause they have lost hope of making ity. With billions of dollars at stake from being apathetic, young people gains through the formal political in such projects, however, it’s no sur- were willing to risk their future ca- and voting systems. prise that police have started crack- reers to demand fair and affordable Two movements have endured po- ing down on environmental activists, (or, in the case of colleges, free) high- lice oppression on a scale applied to 44 too, and that new legislation seems to this right-wing onslaught requires work, encouraging young people to be targeting them. understanding how people’s realities hold positions of authority, and al- At the end of 2014, Conservative MP differ. Finding ways for inter-genera- lowing for new structures to emerge Wai Young introduced a private mem- tional solidarity to work relies on ac- to replace old ones. Progressives in all ber’s bill that seeks to punish anyone tivists talking to one another and sup- movements—especially the labour who tampers with “critical infrastruc- porting each other’s fights, whether movement—need to include young ture”—a proposed law that critics say it be debt forgiveness and free high- workers at the centre of their oper- could cover sabotaging oil pipelines er education, or preserving pensions ations, or risk becoming irrelevant. or blocking railroad lines. The bill, if and health care. Connections also need to be forged passed, would make minimum jail But the barriers erected by neolib- between student activists and labour sentences mandatory, meaning that eralism make it very difficult to have activists that go beyond the walls of a judge would have no choice but to these conversations. Rather than be- a particular institution. Making the impose them on anyone found guilty ing able to start with common phras- connections between student debt, of an offence. The maximum sentence es and common experiences, progres- seniority, and pension reform could would be 10 years in prison. sives of all ages need to take time to forge strong relationships that cur- Perhaps Conservative activist Tom explain what they mean by what they rently are lacking. Flanagan was more pragmatic than discuss: which assumptions are un- Also necessary is taking cues from prophetic when he warned of the derpinning recounted experiences? emerging social movements that are “danger” that could be generated if What are we projecting from our own uninterested in working through for- Indigenous and environmental move- experiences onto people of other gen- mal electoral structures. Rather than ments united. erations? How can this communica- buying into the short-term cycles of Idle No More, the environmental tion problem inhibit our ability to government, we need to build a true movement, the student movement, work together? grassroots movement that can with- and the labour movement all stand Certainly, we don’t have the luxu- stand the shifts in political power in opposition to neoliberalism. Under ry of time to work these things out; while maintaining a strong and steady neoliberal logic, these organizations we have to find ways to develop this opposition to neoliberal tactics. It is in should not be able to withstand the understanding and camaraderie while this spirit that I wonder: can we im- steady and constant attacks by ne- we undertake our collective projects. agine a new federalism, a new local- oliberal governments and corpora- In reality, part of the disorganization ism, new democratic spaces that can tions, but they do. These movements of the left stems from the fact that operate outside formal structures? target the most fundamental tenets neoliberalism has impaired both our If young people are checking out on which neoliberalism is based: that sense of community and our abili- of the system, will their later aging people don’t need community, and ty to find new ways to connect and make them conservative and induce that people should remain power- work together. them to try to work within the old less. But the struggles and success- Ralph Nader points to the process and ineffectual formal structures? es of these organizations, despite all that is undoing the left: “All in all, Or is the millennial generation the the right-wing neoliberal efforts to Washington is exporting concentrat- group that will demand completely crush them, prove that young people ed corporate power animated by gov- new and genuinely democratic gov- can resist subjugation, build connec- ernment power without respect for ernance? The answer to that crucial tions, and join the crusade for a bet- the social, economic, and democrat- question will have a decisive effect in ter world for themselves and their ic rights of the Canadian people. And shaping our country’s future. It will families. Ottawa, under both major parties, is either result in Canada’s further so- buying it incrementally, but relent- cial, economic, political, and environ- Bridging the young-old divide lessly, with ever larger chunks of the mental decline, or to a revitalization country’s sovereignty and social sys- so wide and deep that it will make or young people to resist neoliber- tem.” This process has accelerated Canada the truly great nation it could F alism and engage in the fight-back, since Nader’s speech in 2011, so find- and should be. they need the help of older progres- ing new ways to bridge our divisions sives. Whether through social move- is more important now than ever. Excerpted from Nora Loreto’s chap- ments or uniting around a single is- Young people and students have ter in the book Canada After Harper, sue like student debt, success lies in demonstrated, over and over, that on edited by Ed Finn with an introduc- the capacity of all people to work to- the whole they’re a thoughtful, crea- tion by Ralph Nader, which was pub- gether. For young people, that means tive, and progressive lot. The broader lished by Lorimer in August. The book finding help from older Canadians, struggle will be for progressive old- contains several chapters by CCPA including authors like John Ralston er people to find ways to make room researchers and associates, includ- Saul, who can see Canada in the shad- for their involvement within unions, ing Kate McInturff, Trish Hennessy, ow of its former self. social movements, or other political Lynne Fernandez, James Turk, Larry Bridging the divide between young- structures: by opening spaces where Kuehn, Colleen Fuller, Scott Sinclair er and older people in order to resist young people can direct campaigns and Stuart Trew. 45 QUESTIONS FOR CANDIDATES The Monitor asked CCPA staff members what questions they are hoping to have answered by candidates, and the campaigns in general, before the October election. Here’s what they said: KATE MCINTURFF SENIOR RESEARCHER, CCPA iolence against women directly af- V fects millions of women and girls in Canada at a cost to the economy of over $12 billion annually. Rates of vio- lence against women have changed little over the past decade. If elected, what would you do to end violence against women? LYNNE FERNANDEZ TRISH HENNESSY SENIOR RESEARCHER, CCPA-MB DIRECTOR, CCPA-ON iven the crucial role that unions hat do you plan to do for the mid- G played in forming the Canadian mid- W dle class besides offering more tax dle class, and the fact that declining cuts, given that tax cuts deprive us of unionism is now contributing to the needed revenue to invest in public pro- shrinking of the middle class, what is grams that benefit everyone? DAVID MACDONALD your position on unions in Canada? SENIOR ECONOMIST, CCPA How do you see government’s role in e’ll likely be in a recession by the promoting unionism? W time the election is underway, al- though we’ve been having weak growth ever since the Great Recession. What is your plan to get us out of this recession and the slow growth that preceded it? STUART TREW EDITOR, CCPA MONITOR MOLLY MCCRAKEN uring this year’s parliamentary and senate hearings into recent anti-ter- DIRECTOR, CCPA-MB D rorism legislation (bills C-51 and C-44), ow will your party implement the virtually every witness urged the gov- H recommendations of the Truth and ernment to improve on Canada’s ac- Reconciliation Commission? How will countability regime for national secu- THI VU you work with First Nations peoples to rity, yet the government ignored them. PROJECT MANAGER, CCPA-BC improve living conditions on reserves Public and parliamentary oversight of national child care program is long and social and economic opportuni- Canada’s security activities will be all overdue. It would greatly benefit ties? Will you remove the cap on fed- the more important in light of the con- A Canadian families, create good, green eral funding to Aboriginal communi- troversial new powers given to CSIS in jobs, and would have significant bene- ties and reinstate the $20 million an- the Anti-Terrorism Act 2015 to detain fits for the economy. If your party is in nual funding for Aboriginal organiza- people and disrupt potential threats to government, will you implement a na- tions that was cut in 2012? Canada. How will you and your party tional child care program? make sure these new powers are not abused, and that Canada’s security agencies are held to account for their actions? Will you promise to have Can- ada finally adopt the recommendations of the Arar Commission with respect to oversight of Canada’s too-often-unac- countable national security agencies? 46 EMILY TURK ERIKA SHAKER SCOTT SINCLAIR ONLINE COMMUNICATIONS, CCPA DIRECTOR, EDUCATION PROJECT DIRECTOR, TRADE AND INVESTMENT RESEARCH PROJECT n Canada, the lack of access to safe anada recently was the target of upply management is a $27 billion I abortion services is an ongoing obsta- C pointed criticism from the UN Hu- S industry that supports thousands cle and barrier for those who choose man Rights Commission regarding of family farms and rural communities to terminate their pregnancies, par- our treatment of First Nations, miss- in all regions of the country. Producers ticularly for individuals living in rural ing and murdered Indigenous wom- receive prices that cover their cost of or remote areas. Despite having the en, and refugees. What tangible steps production and provide a fair return, necessary power, responsibility and will be taken to meet our internation- while consumers benefit from having authority to ensure that abortion ser- al human rights obligations in these a fresh, local supply of milk, eggs and vices are provided without financial or and other key areas identified by the poultry at reasonable prices. Supply other barriers, the current federal gov- UNHRC? What mechanisms will be management is under attack in the pro- ernment has not taken any action to put in place to ensure that the pub- posed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) address the discriminatory abortion lic funding required to honour these agreement. Will your party fully protect policies of provinces that contravene commitments is adequate, sustained supply management from any erosion the Canada Health Act. and guaranteed—and meets the needs by the TPP? that have been identified by the com- f elected, how will your party address nvestor–state dispute settlement munities most affected? I access to abortion across Canada? I (ISDS) allows foreign corporations Would your Government withhold cash to sue states for compensation when- contributions to provinces that fail to ever they feel a policy or regulation in- ensure the availability and accessibil- terferes with their investment or prof- ity of abortion services, as outlined in it expectations. Because of NAFTA, the Act? Canada is now the most-sued devel- oped country in the world. Will your party oppose the inclusion of ISDS in BRUCE CAMPBELL the Canada–EU Comprehensive Eco- nomic and Trade Agreement (CETA), EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CCPA especially given that ISDS is so un- anadians trust their government to popular in Europe that it threatens to C protect their health, safety and envi- block CETA’s ratification. ronment. The Lac-Mégantic rail disas- IGLIKA IVANOVA ter broke that trust and exposed multi- SENIOR ECONOMIST, CCPA-BC ple regulatory failures behind the acci- dent. The government assures us that any Canadians recognize that the it is taking all necessary measures to current economic strategy—nar- M ensure transportation of oil by rail is rowly focused on resource extraction safe. It cites the 2014 Transportation industries like oil, gas and mining—is Safety Board report as the last word. both economically and environmentally However, there remain too many un- MARC LEE risky. How do you plan to do to create answered questions about the fun- SENIOR ECONOMIST, CCPA-BC meaningful, sustainable, family-sup- damental causes. As with other ma- porting jobs across Canada? cientists tell us that some two-thirds jor industrial accidents, would you call to 80% of the world’s proven fos- here are at least 135,000 fewer young a public inquiry into Lac-Megantic to S sil fuel reserves need to stay unde- Canadians working today than in get to the bottom of what went wrong T veloped due to climate change, and 2008. Youth underemployment is an to make sure it never happens again? this percentage could be much high- even bigger problem, with a large num- er for Canada. How should Canada re- ber of youth with post-secondary ed- spond to this challenge and what kind ucation employed in low-skilled jobs of leadership should the federal gov- in retail or food services. What is your ernment play? plan for dealing with youth unemploy- ment and underemployment? 47 Election special Rob Jowett Suppressing the youth vote beyond the Fair Elections Act

HEN BILL C-23, known as while, even though everyone theoret- the Fair Elections Act, was At heart, low youth voting ically has the right to vote, it’s normal first introduced in Febru- levels is an educational to graduate without fully grasping the ary 2014, legal experts, the importance of democracy. media and opposition par- failure. Strange as this setup is, there is ties decried its capacity little incentive for the government Wto supress voting in various sectors to change it. As Canadian elections of Canadian society. They were par- drift toward micro-targeting—the ticularly concerned with youth. The campaign in which small, select vot- bill’s critics argued that by removing ing groups are targeted to elect MPs vouching—the ability of one person level is far more systemic, though not in swing ridings—youth, a relatively to vouch for the identity of others— necessarily planned. small voting bloc, are ignored. and banning the use of voter informa- At heart, low youth voting levels is To go down this road (as all parties tion cards as accepted forms of identi- an educational failure. Specifically, the appear to be doing) is to turn elections fication, young voters, especially stu- issue lies in the de-emphasis of social into a numbers game rather than dents (who frequently change their studies and Canadian studies in ele- an effort to form a government that address), could be disenfranchised. mentary and secondary school. Most broadly reflects the many interests These concerns are still valid de- provinces require only one social stud- of society. Elections should be about spite modest reforms to C-23 to al- ies class per year at the elementary keeping government accountable, low limited vouching at the polls. But level, which also includes history and not being popular with the “right” focusing on how youth voting may geography. In high school, there is typ- voting groups. be suppressed by the Fair Elections ically only one required class in civics. The long-term dangers of de- Act overshadows the larger issue of In New Brunswick, Quebec and Sas- empha­sizing civics are enormous. In poor youth voter turnout in Canadi- katchewan, civics and social studies a democracy, the government is sup- an elections. are not required at all. posed to enact the will of the people, In the 2011 federal elections, only Across Canada, social studies and but why would it if the people are in- 38.8% of people aged 18–24 voted— civics classes are being pushed out creasingly tuned out? And why should more than twenty percentage points in favour of STEM courses (science, those over 18 tune in to begin with below the national average of 61.1%. technology, engineering and mathe- when no one has really explained to Among those aged 25–34, turnout matics). To graduate from high school them why elections matter? jumped to 45.1%. That upward trend in Ontario, for example, students are Initiatives like the Student Vote are continues through each age group required to complete a half-course in useful, but as an opt-in program cre- until 65–74, where it hits 75.1% be- civics—typically their first lesson on ated by Elections Canada they will fore dropping to 60.3% for those old- democracy and voting since Grade 5. have limited effect. Some teachers er than 75. It’s interesting to note the The course covers how the govern- may also take it upon themselves to disparity between the total number ment functions, how elections work teach their students, outside of the of people who voted in 2011 and the and why voting is essential for a prop- curriculum, about the importance number of registered voters was also er democracy to function. of voting and the voice of citizens in greatest for the 18–24 age group, mean- In comparison, those same Ontario a democracy. ing far fewer young people even both- high school students are required to But none of this is required learn- er to register. take three math and two science class- ing. Students can ditch the extra les- This was the norm before the Fair es, in which they learn how to factor sons, nearly flunk their minimal civ- Elections Act. And while eliminating polynomials and what causes mirrors ics classes, and still the provinces will or changing the legislation would cer- to reflect light. These lessons have consider them fully educated upon tainly help, it will not fix the under- no real-world application outside of graduation. To those in government lying problem of low turnout among a STEM field, but are nonetheless re- who have found democracy to be a younger voters. Suppression at this quired knowledge for students. Mean- hindrance, perhaps they are. 48 Election special Trish Hennessy An election platform to reduce income inequality

HEN THE CCPA started exam- “This has meant that the middle bilities would get the supports they ining trends in Canadian class has had to carry more of the bur- need to thrive. income inequality in 2006, den and that more and more Canadi- Families with young children would the topic was nowhere on ans have fallen through the cracks. have access to affordable, quality child the political radar screen. This has created a growing dispari- care, no matter where they live in Can- They were talking about ty in Canada.” ada. There would be a national phar- Wit next door in the U.S., but here in Mulcair is promising to raise the macare and dental care program. Canada it was like income inequali- federal minimum wage to $15, to im- It would mean young Canadians ty didn’t exist. plement a national $15-a-day child would have an opportunity to get a For the past nine years, our team of care program and to close the tax university education that didn’t sad- economists and research associates loophole on stock options. For its dle them with student debt the size from across Canada have been doc- part, the Green party is promoting a of a mortgage down payment. umenting the rise of Canada’s rich- guaranteed annual income to allevi- It would mean stronger commit- est 1%, the struggles of a stretched ate the stress on low-income house- ments and investments in First Na- middle class, and the persistence of holds. tions communities across Canada, poverty. We’ve been shining a light In government, the ruling Conserv- and there would be renewed fund- on every aspect of Canada’s inequal- ative party has focused its talking ing for the Status of Women, to re- ity problem. And we’ve been getting points on the economy (which has store its original mandate. people talking. been faltering) and tax cuts. But the It would mean implementing a na- This fall, as Canadians prepare to Conservative government’s income tional poverty reduction strategy, head to the polls, income inequality splitting scheme only serves to wors- working in partnership with the prov- has finally taken its place in the po- en income inequality, and the party’s inces and territories—especially con- litical debate. For the first time since silence on this issue is troubling. sidering some have already assumed I could vote, more than one political Ideally, Canadian businesses would leadership on this file and have been party is talking about income inequal- take the lead on reducing income in- awaiting a federal partner. ity and proposing solutions. equality at the source: in the labour We would initiate a national home- Liberal leader Justin Trudeau vows, market. But, in the absence of corpo- lessness strategy, and there would be “We will fight this income inequality, rate leadership to reduce income ine- better pension supports for seniors because it has harmful effects. It is a quality and pursue environmentally and supports for veterans. Good jobs, source of social tension; it is stopping sustainable job growth strategies, gov- a strong safety net, good public pro- millions of Canadians from achieving ernments can be powerful actors—if grams: it’s good for Canada and good their ambitions.” Trudeau is prom-� they choose to be. for all of us. ising a new child benefit for fami- That’s why the CCPA has launched The final part of our platform fo- lies, tax cuts for the middle class and a comprehensive online platform to cuses on progressive taxation: restor- tax hikes for those earning $200,000 show how a federal government in ing the corporate tax rate to 2006 lev- and up. Canada could tackle the problem. It els, taxing capital gains as income, in- NDP leader Thomas Mulcair says asks: What would Canada look like if troducing a new tax bracket for Can- his party would take measures to re-� we invested in the things that could ada’s richest, and more. duce income inequality and elimi- solve income inequality? It’s time for us to decide what kind nate child poverty. “A fundamentally It would mean everyone who wants of Canada we want to live in. Is it one un-Canadian thing is happening,” he a job would have a good one. It would where income inequality keeps get- says. “The tremendous wealth that is mean building a strong safety net for ting worse? Or one where there is being generated in this country today everyone. opportunity for all? is landing in fewer and fewer hands. Workers who lose their job would And those at the very top end are en- get adequate employment insurance Learn more about the CCPA’s in- joying tax benefits that the majority and training opportunities to pivot come inequality platform by visiting just don’t have access to. to a new job. People living with disa- GoodForCanada.ca. 49 Election special

Kate McInturff Swing big, Canada An election pitch

ABE RUTH DIDN’T hit a home run most Canadians remember Mitt Rom- equate support for the family and the first time he stepped onto ney’s “Binders full of women.” A debate community members who wanted a baseball field. Frederick Bant- on how to achieve pay equity? That’s and needed to be present. It could pro- ing and Charles Best didn’t iso- outside the media comfort zone (even duce no action, save no lives. late insulin after an hour in the in a two-month election campaign). Or it could provide a platform for laboratory. Rosa Parks didn’t Which is why this election period is the families and communities that Bend segregation in the United States sure to be marked by the slow trick- have been systematically ignored by with one bus ride. le of small, focus group–tested ide- non-Aboriginal governments (“not The innovations and events that as into a sea of platforms that some- high on our radar”). really change our world, shape his- times look more beige than red, blue, Women like Rinelle Harper, who was tory and inspire generations often green and orange. left for dead by the side of the Assin- come at the end of a long series of We can do better. We can dream big- iboine River, can stand before Parlia- failures—failures driven by high as- ger. We can be the focus group from ment and make their demands. Fami- pirations and high stakes. There is no hell. You know, the one that wants to lies who were told by police that their question that the stakes are high to- know why we haven’t put an end to missing daughters “were probably out day. So why do our aspirations seem child poverty or when we’re going to drinking” can remind decision-mak- so small? wake up and smell the climate change. ers that Aboriginal women are loved The debates that are taking place Allow me to pitch you, dear voter, and valued. Real action to end vio- around the upcoming election in Can- some big ideas. lence against Aboriginal women and ada are an opportunity to take a big girls could save lives. swing at the big challenges we face. 1. The best place in the world In five years: First Nations commu- The problem is political campaigns to be Aboriginal nities have safe drinking water, safe hate risk almost as much as they hate and adequate housing, and function- complexity. Say something new, pro- magine if Canada’s relationship with al schools. Bring First Nations child pose something big, try something no I First Nations, Métis and Inuit peo- poverty levels from near 50% to the one else has tried, wade into sticky, ples was marked by respect, digni- national average of 14%. How it could long-term problems… Forgetaboutit. ty and pride. What would that plat- fail: inadequate funding, inadequate Campaign managers aren’t entire- form look like? support, and a poorly managed pro- ly to blame. They exist in a media en- In one year: Hold an inquiry into cess that doesn’t put First Nations vironment that would rather replay a missing and murdered Aboriginal peoples at the centre of decisions five-second public gaffe on an endless women and girls. This could fail. It about their own communities could loop than broadcast complex discus- could follow in the footsteps of the result in everyone walking away from sions of complex problems. Probably B.C. inquiry that did not provide ad- the table. 50 Or we could realize the dreams of es. To reach this goal the government It could fail. A lack of leadership Shannen Koostachin, the young wom- would have to start investing imme- and resources could send this the an who just wanted a safe and com- diately in green infrastructure (in- way of all gender mainstreaming. fortable school for herself and her cluding better public transit), home Crossed and cut. community and fought for it until energy efficiency retrofits, create tax Or we could have concerted federal her death at the age of 15. The Red incentives for energy storage, and leadership on an issue that affects mil- Cross wouldn’t need to provide heat work across sectors to support low- lions of women and costs our econo- and drinking water for residents of er emissions and more energy-effi- my more than $12 billion a year. Attawapiskat. cient manufacturing processes. How In five years: Right now we have In 20 years: A fundamental trans- it could fail: high-emitting fuel pric- no accurate information about levels formation of the political and fiscal es could drop, working against the in- of violence against women at the lo- relationship between Aboriginal peo- centives provided for both consum- cal level. The government only tracks ples and the Canadian government, ers and manufacturers to switch to self-reported rates of violence at the based on treaty rights, the UN Dec- lower-emitting fuels. national level and only once every laration of the Rights of Indigenous Or we could be on the road to a sus- three years. Five years of tracking lev- Peoples and the principle of free, pri- tainable future for the next genera- els of violence against women and girls or and informed consent. tion, with more efficient homes, bet- at the local and regional levels could This could fail. The negotiation of ter public transportation and green- yield real and meaningful information treaty rights could be undermined er jobs. about what policies are working and by the interests of those hoping to In 20 years: Canada could be a glob- what programs need to be scaled up. profit from resource extraction on al leader in reducing its greenhouse It could fail. We could continue Indigenous territories. Debates over gas emissions to near zero, punch- to rely on police-reported data even repealing the Indian Act could create ing above its weight when it comes though the police, researchers and further divisions between communi- to slowing down global warming. Statistics Canada all agree that 90% of ties and political leaders. The whole By slowly accelerating these poli- sexual assaults and 70% of domestic thing could devolve into such a high- cies (increasing the HCT, investing in violence incidents are never reported. ly technocratic legal process that the green infrastructure over time, shift- Or we could stop making decisions peoples whose interests are at stake ing manufacturing processes), Can- in the dark and start putting our re- are excluded from it. ada could see its GHG emissions get sources where they will make a real Or Canada could be the model for close to zero by 2040. difference. the countries around the world seek- How it could fail: we could hold on In 20 years: No one dropping their ing to establish new relationships be- to the Fossil of the Year award for an- daughter off at school will have to tween Indigenous and non-Indige- other generation, leaving the kids to worry that she will be assaulted in nous governments. pay the price of catastrophic climate her residence. No woman will have events and global warming. to think twice about sitting at a bus 2. Eliminate greenhouse Or Canada could help tip the bal- stop after dark. Our public and pri- gas emissions ance toward a global effort to reverse vate spaces will be equally safe for a global phenomenon and move the women and men. magine if Canada traded in its Fos- global community away from petty It could fail. We could throw up our I sil of the Year award for something debates about who spilt the milk, so hands and say, “It’s too complicated, greener. that we can start cleaning it up. this takes generational change.” Or In one year: Implement a Nation- we could open our eyes to both the al Harmonized Carbon Tax (HCT) and 3. End violence against violence that is all around us and the invest the new revenues in renewa- women and girls possibilities for change. ble energy, green infrastructure and tax refunds for individuals. It could magine if women were safe in their Some of our goals will take longer to fail. Provincial governments could re- I own homes. Imagine if girls could achieve. We will, on occasion, strike fuse to participate. The carbon price go to school without being harassed. out. Get booed. But please, don’t leave could be lowered to the point that it Imagine if everyone agreed that the the field, close the lab, or get off the doesn’t incentivize any change of be- cause of rape was rapists and not the bus. haviour. High-emitting sectors could behaviour of the victim. Climate change isn’t going to be re- successfully lobby against the imple- In one year: Follow up the inquiry versed in a year or even a decade. Re- mentation of the tax. into missing and murdered Aborig- building the relationship between Or Canada could achieve deep re- inal women and girls with compre- Indigenous peoples in Canada and ductions in greenhouse gas emissions, hensive national action plans that non-Indigenous peoples isn’t going to maintain strong economic growth and address violence against Aboriginal happen overnight. We can’t end vio- generate sustainable jobs. and non-Aboriginal women and girls. lence against women tomorrow. But In five years: Generate 90% of our Australia did it. Dozens of other coun- if we don’t start swinging, then we electricity from non-emitting sourc- tries around the world have done it. aren’t even in the game. 51 International affairs Asad Ismi Mexico’s human rights crisis and Canada’s silence

HE 21ST ANNIVERSARY of NAFTA back to Ayotzinapa and opened fire is well documented, and the student in September finds Mexico in on the busses, killing several people kidnapping shows how deep this col- the throes of a shocking human before taking about 20 students into lusion goes. “The government says rights crisis that, since 2006, has custody. Unmarked cars believed to that the kidnapping was committed seen more than 150,000 people be carrying drug gang members then by criminals but the problem is that killed and more than 27,000 dis- arrived on the scene, the shooting re- in Guerrerro state and Mexico, we are Tappeared. According to Amnesty In- sumed, and more people were killed ruled by criminals,” Vargas told me. ternational, torture in Mexico is “out or disappeared. Balbuena concurred: “All public offi- of control,” and police and security “This egregious crime opened up cials and the police in Mexico are in- forces have “blood on their hands.” the eyes of the world to what is go- volved with narco-traffickers and are Canada, which prides itself on its ing on in Mexico and shows the level corrupted by the drug trade and tak- global human rights record, has yet of infiltration and collusion between ing part in it. The kidnapping was di- to make a single public statement state actors and organized crime,” said rected by the state and the narcos at- about the Mexican crisis. Meanwhile Price. “The question is why were these tacked us on its behalf.” the Mexican government is stone- students attacked?” The former governor of Guerre- walling efforts to get to the bottom Jorge Luis Clemente Balbuena be- ro, Angel Aguirre, resigned in Octo- of what Human Rights Watch has lieves the killings were a direct state ber 2014 in response to the crisis, and called “the worst case of abuse to attack on a community that is work- though 100 people have been detained, take place in Latin America in the ing to change the status quo in Mexi- no officials have yet been charged in past few decades.” co. Balbuena is a spokesperson for the the kidnapping. At the end of June, Kathy Price, a campaigner for Am- 43 kidnapped students from the Raul Vice News reported that Mexican au- nesty International Canada who fo- Isidro Burgos teacher training college thorities were stonewalling an inde- cuses on Latin America, told me her where he also studies. He and Hilda pendent investigation convened by group “is deeply concerned about a Legideño Vargas (pictured), the mother the Inter-American Commission on very acute and worsening human of one of the students kidnapped last Human Rights. The IACHR wants to rights crisis in Mexico that is charac- September, visited Canada this spring speak to 36 members of the Mexican terized by very serious violations of to ask the federal government to put army who might have been involved. human rights including a massive in- pressure on the Mexican state for a “Many respected analysts have crease in disappearances, torture, ex- proper investigation, and to educate talked about the ‘Colombianization’ trajudicial executions by state secu- the Canadian public about the crime. of Mexico,” Price said, referring to the rity forces, threats, repression, mis- “Our school has been attacked for widespread implication of private but use of the justice system and a cli- a long time by the repressive Mexi- state-sponsored paramilitary groups mate of impunity.” can state, which has tried to silence in the displacement and murder of According to Price, there is a correla- us because we have been fighting for thousands of civilians in Colombia. tion between the government’s milita- the rights of farmers, students and “The Mexican military even warned rization of its fight against organized the community,” said Balbuena. “The a student trying to help one of the crime and the increase in reports of 43 students were kidnapped to stop 43 who had been shot in the mouth very serious human rights violations. our resistance. This is also why the that, ‘You’re going to end up being She cites as an example the Sep- Mexican government wants to erad- disappeared like the others.’ This is tember 2014 kidnapping of 43 stu- icate the entire national network of very disturbing. The role of the mili- dents from a teacher training college teacher training colleges, which are tary in this crime has not been inves- in the town of Ayotzinapa, in Guerre- full of progressive students like ours. tigated and needs to be. We are very ro state. About 80 students from the These schools organize their com- concerned about the fact that the of- college had bussed into the town of munity, which is precisely what the ficial investigation of this crime has Iguala to collect money for their stud- state fears.” been a whitewash.” ies and protest school hiring practic- Involvement of Mexican officials in An economic crisis in Mexico, linked es. Local police blocked their route the now paramilitarized drug trade to free trade, parallels the human 52 rights crisis, driving the spread of tee on international human rights. drug trafficking and increasing the Vargas told the Conservative, Liber- influence of organized crime. al and NDP MPs present how desper- According to Dawn Paley, a Mex- ate she was to find her child. She re- ico-based Canadian journalist and quested their solidarity and pleaded author of the 2014 book Drug War with the MPs to, “ask the Mexican Capitalism, U.S. agricultural exports government to carry out a real search flooded into Mexico after NAFTA was for our children. We want to see how signed, decimating farmers and mak- you can make a decision and commu- ing local corn tortillas, a staple food, nicate with the Mexican government too expensive for many to buy. NAF- so that our case can be dealt with.” TA has effectively replaced well-pay- Balbuena added how dangerous it ing industrial jobs with a notorious- was going to be for the pair to return ly low-paying, export-oriented Maq- to Mexico. uiladora sector. Poverty is increas- “I would like to say that at this time ing in Mexico, which has encouraged we are very afraid for our individual many people to to turn to drug traf- safety, for the safety of our parents, ficking, she said. our family members, our students, the Paley further argues the U.S. and social organizations, and the profes- Mexico have used their war on drugs sors, but mainly the parents and the as a cover for extending the control families who stayed in Mexico,” he of multinational corporations over told MPs. “I just wanted to add that even more of the Mexican economy. because the Mexican government has Hilda Ligideno Vargas holds a photo of “The drug war is not about stop- never ensured anybody's safety. They her missing son, Jorge Antonio Tizapa ping the flow of drugs, but is actual- are very repressive. We fear there will Legideno, one of 43 college students ly aimed at expanding the territories be a greater impact.” who disappeared in Mexico. available for transnational capitalism, Luis Tapia Olivares, a lawyer for THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang which includes U.S. and Canadian the Mexican human rights organi- corporations, through the processes zation Centro ProDH who also trav- of militarization and paramilitariza- elled to Canada this year to address tion,” she told me recently. “It’s not a the same parliamentary committee, for a full investigation into the disap- war on drugs, it’s a war on people to told me last year’s kidnapping and pearance of the 43 students. “The de- discourage their resistance to corpo- the Mexican government’s response partment says that they have brought rate control. I document in my book must be addressed at the highest lev- this issue up with the Mexican gov- how some paramilitary drug cartels els of government. ernment privately but this is obvi- have already attacked opponents of “Knowing the political and busi- ously inadequate,” she said. the operations of certain Canadian ness interests and relations between There is considerable Canadian mining companies in Mexico.” Canada and Mexico, the Canadian investment in Mexico and a million The militarization of the drug war government should be pressured to Canadian tourists visit the country in Mexico really took off after 2008, recognize that there is a serious hu- every year, giving Canada real clout. when the U.S. Merida Initiative be- man rights crisis in Mexico and that it Price said she would like to see the gan funding Mexico’s efforts “to fight should set conditions for its relations federal government make it clear that organized crime and associated vio- with Mexico based on guaranteeing it finds the current situation in Mex- lence,” in the words of the U.S. De- respect for human rights there,” he ico unacceptable. partment of State. At least $2.3 bil- said. “This should be the condition “Given the massive scope of human lion has been spent since then to up- for there being relations between the rights violations in Mexico current- grade Mexico’s police force and army, two countries.” ly how can you be silent? When more but some of the money is for legal re- But Price said she worries the Cana- than 27,000 people have disappeared? forms. According to Paley, these “less- dian government has not recognized These are huge numbers. The scope talked-about hidden aspects” of the the seriousness of the human rights and severity of the human rights vio- Merida Initiative are actually meant crisis of its NAFTA partner, “and ob- lations are shocking and the situation to help “overhaul of the legal system viously that has a lot to do with Ca- is getting worse. These are the same in Mexico to make it more favourable nadian economic interests in Mexico.” scale of human rights violations that for transnational corporations, some- She said the MPs that Vargas, Balbue- we usually see under military dicta- thing which has been sought after by na and Olivares spoke to were “deeply torships but Mexico is supposedly a the corporate sector.” concerned by what they heard, which democracy.” While in Canada, Balbuena and Var- is heartening,” but that the Depart- gas spoke before an April 28 meet- ment of Foreign Affairs, Trade and ing of a parliamentary subcommit- Development has not publicly called 53 Books Reviewed by Paul Weinberg The making of the Canadian working class

Working Class, the classic 1960s work than half in Hamilton, according to a by British historian E.P. Thompson. recent United Way/McMaster study) One explanation for the media no- is locked in temporary, contract or show is that at 700-plus pages Her- part-time positions. on’s book is not a quick and snappy There were also important econom- read. Another is that the book’s theme ic differences in Canada at the begin- may be out of synch with the city’s ning of the 20th century. post-industrial mood. By 1900, Hamilton had its ample The legacy of Hamilton’s once pre- share of home-grown manufactur- dominant manufacturing has not ers, especially in steel and textiles, totally disappeared. Approach the which eventually consolidated into city from the Burlington Skyway and larger companies. Local business lead- you’ll see active smoke stacks next to ers had a lot of say in the city’s eco- empty hulking structures in the vicin- nomic development, and that includ- LUNCH-BUCKET LIVES: ity of the harbour. Labour Day still ed the “coaxing” of manufacturers to REMAKING THE WORKERS’ CITY draws a significant crowd and there set up factories here or to open up a CRAIG HERON are still thousands of families living local bank, says Heron. here on union pension plans. Labour unrest was endemic be- Between the Lines (2015), 784 pages, $39.95 But it is also a city (numbering half cause of the appalling working con- a million) where medical services and ditions, including long hours and the O REPORTER IN Hamilton from McMaster University are the major speed-up of production in the facto- the daily newspaper, the Spec- employers, where the older lower ries. But unions had difficulty gaining tator, or the local CBC covered city is undergoing a real estate boom a permanent foothold in workplaces the June 24 book launch of (courtesy of Torontonians fleeing in the face of employer resistance. For Lunch-Bucket Lives: Remaking a million-dollar home market), and a working male breadwinner, getting the Workers City at the Work- where, according to one local slogan, fired for union activity meant desti- Ners Historical and Cultural Centre in “Art is the New Steel.” tution for the entire family. the city’s historic north end. Nor did This resetting of Hamilton’s image “Hamilton is a very depressing city,” they seek an interview with the book’s is not new, explains Heron, who titled said one communist organizer during author, York University professor and his book as an ironic counterpoint to a brief visit in 1928. Another lament- labour historian Craig Heron. a 1971 official commemorative history ed the almost complete absence of It is a bit of a shame because local of the city, Pardon My Lunch Bucket. unions, especially in the large plants: history is popular here in Hamilton, So why read a book about a Ham- “When workers were questioned as to and Heron’s new book offers plenty ilton that longer exists? Well, as Her- their conditions and wages, it became of fascinating detail into the experi- on proposes, we can learn a great deal obvious what a paradise Hamilton is ences of working class people in Can- about ourselves today from under- for the employers of the continent.” ada’s largest industrial centre during standing the past. He writes about a But working class people had other a period of tremendous social and period before the advent of welfare, ways to express their grievances to- cultural upheaval between the 1890s unemployment insurance or even se- ward industrial paternalism, particu- and the 1940s. rious laws legalizing unionization to larly at the ballot box during the First Lunch Bucket Lives culminates Her- help those falling through the cracks. World War years, where they elected on’s decades of research into Hamil- A similar sense of vulnerability Independent Labour Party candidates ton’s blue collar past that began with has returned to Canada following locally and at other levels of govern- his 1981 PhD dissertation. His book is the weakening of social service sup- ment. As Heron explains, a farmer-la- part of a grand tradition of social his- ports at all levels of government dur- bour coalition came to power in On- tory scholarship that draws inspira- ing and since the 1990s. A growing tario in 1919, but it was undone by dif- tion from The Making of the English proportion of the work force (more 54 ferences over such issues as the eight- Reviewed by Helen Forsey hour day and prohibition. Heron points to how Hamilton elites opposed what they saw as ex- The anti-capitalist cessive democracy manifesting itself on an elected city council. In response, management guru boards staffed with business people and experts were hived off to take charge in sensitive areas like techni- cal education, hydroelectricity and est work, I found his messages to be parks to ensure administrative “effi- both unexpected and important. ciency.” One prominent labour-lean- Mintzberg’s overall thesis, tanta- ing politician and future mayor, Sam lizingly summarized in his introduc- Lawrence, came under fire in 1932 for tion, is that the world is way out of being overly generous in the handing balance in multiple dimensions, and out of relief cheques. that dramatic action is needed to re- Heron also mentions a general verse the process. The key to success, trend across North America to con- he argues, lies in a radical re-balancing trol the behaviour of the working of the public or private sectors with class by nurses and social workers and a reinvigorated and resourceful civ- other helping professionals. Within il society, or “plural sector.” Our con- the rigid schooling programs a fail- tinued failure to do this imperils not ure to conform or perform could get a only our democracies and ways of child labelled “abnormal.” A city men- life, but our planet and “those from tal health official told a local audience REBALANCING SOCIETY: whom we have borrowed it.” in 1929 that half the city’s schoolchil- RADICAL RENEWAL BEYOND LEFT, Despite blind spots—like most dren were mentally defective. Pub- RIGHT, AND CENTRE Great Men offering comprehensive lic health nurses also intruded into HENRY MINTZBERG solutions to the problems of the uni- working class family homes to in- verse, the author fails to consider struct women on the value of “intel- Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2015), 160 pages, $20.95 gender, racism or patriarchy—Mintz- ligent motherhood.” berg has good crap-detecting abili- Before the availability of sulpha N THE POLITICAL desert of the airport ties. In the course of his analysis, he drugs (the first antibiotics) in the late bookshop it was the only title that goes after a remarkable number of sa- 1930s, medical science had few cures seemed appealing. Rebalancing So- cred cows: consumerism, trade agree- for serious aliments, says Heron. And ciety? Radical Renewal? Looked ments, patents, stock markets, corpo- so, understandably, many working good to me. rate lobbying, “self-regulation,” prop- people steered clear of doctors, nurs- And for the most part, it was. The erty rights, rampant privatization, and es and hospitals until then and re- Ibook was scarcely longer than the capitalism itself. lied instead on their own traditional plane ride, but there was a lot of food Without issuing blanket condem- knowledge. Home births were appar- for thought between its slim covers. nations, he skewers common assump- ently the norm before 1914. Author Henry Mintzberg presents tions and practices, disparaging the The first decades of the 20th cen- an overarching analysis of what ails imposition of corporate models that tury also witnessed the availability our societies and our planet, and pro- force public services “to pretend they of mass consumer products such as poses some steps toward the rebal- are businesses,” deploring “the ho- refrigerators, vacuum cleaners and ancing he sees as the solution. Clear- mogenizing imperative in globali- other appliances. But few people in ly writing for a broad and generally zation that is antithetical to [com- Hamilton could afford them before conventional readership, he challeng- munity] distinctiveness,” and noting the prosperity of the post–Second es the rigid either-or dichotomies that that “the relentless drive for growth World War period. hold captive so much of today's pub- expected by frenetic stock markets” These are but a few choice tidbits lic discourse. actually represents “the ideology of of Lunch-Bucket Lives, which is ulti- A professor of management at the cancer cell.” mately about the complexities of so- McGill University, Mintzberg is known Mintzberg calls for critical exam- cial class—not a subject people talk for his unusual approach to big issues. ination of the “casual indulgences” openly about these days. Although his bestselling management that our society now takes for grant- books were never on my reading list, ed including technologies, like the car I was intrigued by the breadth of his and the Internet, that favour individ- views when I heard him interviewed ualism and isolation. Going further on CBC Radio. Now, reading this lat- back, he denounces “the legal fiction” of corporations as “persons”—the sys- 55 tem that gives them the rights of citi- ly overdone. More irritating, perhaps, zens without the responsibilities—as He warns against are the author's efforts to appeal to one of the most outrageous features relying on the elusive and reassure what he terms “the ‘good of modern capitalism. folks’ of America.” My main disap- Still, no one should mistake Mintz- remedies of “corporate pointment, however, is his failure to berg for a socialist. He sees huge prob- acknowledge the crucial role of op- lems with an over-reliance on any one social responsibility,” pression based on gender and skin SUPPORT set of interests, including those attrib- colour in creating and sustaining the uted to the proletariat. Stressing bal- individualistic leadership, crises facing society and the planet. ance, he sees appropriateness rath- or government action Mintzberg names capitalism; why THE CCPA er than ideology as the proper basis doesn't he name patriarchy and the for determining which sector (public, compromised by vested other violent supremacist ideologies private or plural) should undertake a that continue to distort societies the VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.POLICYALTERNATIVES.CA given activity. interests and lobbying. world over? He may be under the il- OR PRINT/PHOTOCOPY AND RETURN THIS FORM But global capitalism is where he lusion that we live in a post-feminist, aims most of his criticism, acknowl- non-racist world, but that assump- edging that in the past quarter-cen- tion is just as unbalanced and danger- WAYS TO GIVE tury most of the world has tipped ous as those he challenges. A “rebal- $300 $100 $75 Other massively toward the right. He warns shot movements”—his term for clever, ancing” that ignores sexism and rac- against relying on the elusive reme- creative resistance and regeneration ism will just mean more of the same. TAX RECEIPTS ARE ISSUED FOR CONTRIBUTIONS OF $15 OR MORE dies of “corporate social responsibili- initiatives based in the plural sector Though disappointing in these re- ty,” individualistic leadership, or gov- and linking local to global networks spects, this extended essay does pro- I prefer to receive my Monitor by e-mail ernment action, the latter inevitably using today's technology. The details vide one accessible and challenging I prefer a printed Monitor mailed to my address compromised by vested interests and for achieving the overall change are entryway into the essential dialogues No Monitor, thanks lobbying. Instead, Mintzberg main- left up to “you and me, individually of our time. Its success will be seen tains, the plural sector must lead a and together.” in how actively the rest of us consid- Please do not trade my name with other organizations societal change that embodies in- Given the huge amount of ground er, criticize, refine and pursue Mintz- clusiveness, community and respect. Mintzberg tries to cover, it is under- berg’s “rebalancing” vision. PAYMENT OPTIONS “We need more than occupation standable that the book feels scat- movements,” he says, “we need sling- tered, its chatty style perhaps slight- Monthly $  (monthly amount) For automatic payments, please enclose a void cheque or fill in your credit card information below. You can stop payments at any time by contacting the CCPA. Annually $  (annual amount) Leave a legacy that reflects your Please enclose a cheque (made out to “CCPA”) for your annual contribution, or fill in your credit card information below. lifelong convictions. Credit Card Arrange a legacy gift to the Visa Mastercard Card Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Card Number Expiry Date Signature YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER IS REQUIRED TO PROCESS CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS

CONTACT INFORMATION Name Address A legacy gift is a gift you plan now Please let us know if you have already arranged a legacy gift or that will benefit the CCPA in the future. if you would like to learn more about how to maximize your City Province Postal Code support for the CCPA. Legacy gifts are not just for the wealthy or the elderly. Legacy Telephone gifts allow you to potentially contribute more than at any other Development Officer Katie Loftus would be happy to assist you time in your life. The most popular options are setting up a gift with your gift planning. Katie can be reached at 613-563-1341 ext. E-mail in your will (a bequest) and life insurance. Legacy gifts can be in 318 or [email protected]. You can also visit us online any amount and can also take the form of real estate, appreciated at www.policyalternatives.ca/ccpavisionaries. Yes, I prefer to receive my tax receipt and updates by e-mail securities, retirement plans, art or trusts. “...a legacy gift to the CCPA also constitutes a precious gift to our children and grandchildren.” —Ed Finn 500-251 BANK ST., OTTAWA, ON K2P 1X3 | 613-563-1341 | FAX: 613-233-1458 56 REGISTERED CHARITY #124146473 RR0001 SUPPORT THE CCPA

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.POLICYALTERNATIVES.CA OR PRINT/PHOTOCOPY AND RETURN THIS FORM

WAYS TO GIVE $300 $100 $75 Other TAX RECEIPTS ARE ISSUED FOR CONTRIBUTIONS OF $15 OR MORE I prefer to receive my Monitor by e-mail I prefer a printed Monitor mailed to my address No Monitor, thanks Please do not trade my name with other organizations PAYMENT OPTIONS Monthly $  (monthly amount) For automatic payments, please enclose a void cheque or fill in your credit card information below. You can stop payments at any time by contacting the CCPA. Annually $  (annual amount) Please enclose a cheque (made out to “CCPA”) for your annual contribution, or fill in your credit card information below. Credit Card Visa Mastercard Card Card Number Expiry Date Signature YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER IS REQUIRED TO PROCESS CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS

CONTACT INFORMATION Name Address City Province Postal Code Telephone E-mail

Yes, I prefer to receive my tax receipt and updates by e-mail

500-251 BANK ST., OTTAWA, ON K2P 1X3 | 613-563-1341 | FAX: 613-233-1458

REGISTERED CHARITY #124146473 RR0001