by Terrance Hunsley First in a Series It was a nice little quip for amateur philosophers. In Nixon’s 1972 visit to China, Premier Zhou Enlai was asked about the French Revolution and the development of democracy, and was reported to have replied “..it is too early to say.” Had that story not been debunked, those … More Futures Entwined: The Nation State and the Welfare State
by Terrance Hunsley The federal government recently announced a fund to compensate indigenous people who as children were taken from their families and put up for adoption by non-indigenous families. It was in response to a class action court case filed on behalf of about 16000 children taken by child welfare authorities from reserves in … More The Sixties Scoop Court Decision Reveals Problems in Children’s Protective Services
by Terrance Hunsley The NAFTA negotiations are likely to be a tough uphill slog, given Mr Trump’s belligerent stance. It is hard to see how Canada will make much headway on subjects such as gender rights, indigenous rights and environmental regulations. But these issues are affected by international trade agreements, as is the whole range … More Protecting Human Rights in Trade Agreements
By Terrance Hunsley HUMA – the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development, and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, (the name rolls right off the tongue, doesn’t it.) has spent a year hearing from Canadian experts, social advocates, municipal and business leaders, about what the federal government can do to … More Parliamentary Committee Reports on National Strategy for Poverty Reduction
By Terrance Hunsley, Senior Fellow, The Pearson Centre (Reprinted with permission of The Pearson Centre) Hosted by the Somerset West Community Health Centre, Ottawa December 8, 2016 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary 2. Overview; Format and Objectives 3. Discussion Summary 4. Analytical Comments 5. Recommendations for the Federal Government Attachment 1. List … More Report of Pearson Centre Roundtable on Poverty Reduction
By Terrance Hunsley We could take a lesson from the health system. Over the past four decades, the federal government, with provincial involvement, has invested in health research, health information systems, performance evaluation and innovation. Those investments are paying off in improved population health, improved health knowledge, services and products. We can sequence our … More We Need a Canadian Research Council for our Social, Cultural and Economic Health
Recent research by Naomi Lightman (1) of the University of Toronto paints a stark picture of the earnings divide between health and social care professionals, and non-professionals working in the same sector, in English-speaking (read “liberal economy”) countries. Lightman looked at the distribution of employment in health and social care in The USA, UK, Ireland, … More Insiders and Outsiders in Health and Social Care
By Terrance Hunsley The Government of Canada discussion paper, Towards a Poverty Reduction Strategy, asks for suggestions on how the federal government can align its poverty reduction efforts better with efforts of provinces, territories, municipalities and communities. It also solicits suggestions on how it can encourage ongoing dialogue with other governments, community organizations, businesses and … More Proposal for a Canadian National Goal for Poverty Reduction 2017-2027
by Terrance Hunsley There has been a lot of discussion about the need for a basic income of some form, in Canada as well as several other countries. Many proponents of reform call it a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG), and it seems that several governments are considering it. I have already gone on record … More What could be achieved with a basic Income Guarantee and how could one be put in place?
Editor’s note: The following submission, reprinted with permission of the Maytree Foundation, tackles a subject of growing importance and growing potential in the affirmation of social, economic and cultural rights, and the strengthening of democratic governance. Recommendations on strengthening the capacity of local governments to be effective in delivering on the obligations of the … More Strengthening Local Government Capacity in Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
