An influx of refugee claimants from the U.S. has been making headlines for over a year now. Since the beginning of 2018, the RCMP has intercepted 12,378 irregular border crossers. These numbers, however, are actually down compared to the same period last year and are much lower than initial projections. So why have politicians drawn a connection between refugees and a housing crisis?
As the summer road-trip season is upon us, gas prices are, as usual, on the rise. The public narrative in Ontario puts the blame squarely on carbon pricing. To be sure, gas prices in Ontario rose 4.3¢ (of a total of $1.35/litre) overnight when the province’s cap and trade program came into effect in January 2017. And despite the many other factors at play, confusion about carbon pricing makes it an easy target when prices at the pump go up.
From the Catalyst, Summer 2018
Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death, and Hard Truths in a Northern City
By Tanya Talaga
House of Anansi Press, 2017
Reviewed by Sarah DelVillano
Seven Fallen Feathers, winner of the Indigenous Literature Award this year, is a powerful account of the deaths of seven Indigenous youths in Thunder Bay. It shines a light on each individual story behind the seven fallen feathers of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.
St. Andrews Church hall was packed on Tuesday night for the launch of Joe Gunn’s new book, Journeys to Justice: Reflections on Canadian Christian Activism. 110+ attendees of all ages and denominations came together with one common passion: the call to justice and the revitalization of faith-based action in achieving it. The overall atmosphere of the event was a refreshing mix of uplifting reflections, challenging realities, and sometimes humour, to address these incredibly important topics.
The 2018 Federal Budget beefed up just two anti-poverty measures. And both remain inadequate to effectively combat poverty and precarity in Canada. The fact stands that without funding a comprehensive anti-poverty strategy with effective, evidence-based policies, millions of people living in Canada will continue to be left behind.
Living in the Gap is a series of infographics developed for the Dignity for All Campaign, which is co-led by Citizens for Public Justice and Canada Without Poverty. They show a snapshot of the monthly incomes, expenses, and experiences of six fictitious households. Drawn from across the country in rural and urban settings, these snapshots illustrate how precarity affects our lives on a daily basis.
In July 2017, Bill Morneau announced the Liberal government’s proposed tax reform, which seeks to close tax loopholes and ensure a more progressive tax system in which all Canadians pay their fair share. Here at CPJ, we have consistently advocated for a fair taxation system that advances the common good in our society. And we are not alone. As outlined in Taxes for the Common Good: A Public Justice Primer on Taxation, 75 per cent of Canadians believe taxes are good because they pay for important social investments that can contribute to an improved quality of life. But not everyone is happy with these proposals, and they have created quite a stir among the Canadian public.
