Willard Metzger

Despite very significant investments in social, economic, and environmental measures, Budget 2021 does not go the distance in bringing about a just recovery.

“Climate migration is going to be a serious problem if the world does nothing,” said Stephen Kaduuli, a refugee rights policy analyst at CPJ.

“Our system works well for the people it was designed for, but it’s not doing anything to improve the conditions for people who were already marginalized,” says Natalie Appleyard.

While the many “green” aspects of the budget are being applauded by organizations such as the faith-based Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ), an Ottawa-based spokesperson for CPJ said the government could and should have gone further down that road.

Budget 2021 offers some significant supports to bring Canada through the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet it represents a lost opportunity to invest in the transformative change necessary to address the climate emergency and preserve the livability of the planet.

Alongside my personal journey, I have joined my voice with thousands of people in Canada calling on the federal government to make policy changes that will move us further and faster towards the Paris temperature goals.

Statistics Canada is developing the Northern Market Basket Measure (MBM-N) to measure poverty in the Yukon and Northwest Territories. The MBM-N needs to work with First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people. No decisions should be made for us without us at the table.

Low-waged and racialized workers faced a unique crisis in 2020 due to unfair immigration rules that would lead to the deportation of tens of thousands of migrant workers. A campaign began in earnest, led by migrant student workers themselves. Within a year, we won.

Although we have witnessed political gains in Canada, there is still an under-representation of Black people elected to office and at senior decision-making tables in government. Greater political participation among Black Canadians can occur once the community is empowered with the information, tools, and resources that are accessible and tailored specifically to the Black community.

What should the Trudeau Liberals be doing in the upcoming budget to help vulnerable Canadians and businesses who are still just barely getting by?

Citizens for Public Justice joins people across Canada in celebrating Refugee Rights Day on Sunday, April 4. This is the second Refugee Rights Day of the pandemic. On this day in 1985, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) rendered a monumentally historic decision pertaining to the rights of refugees in response to Singh v. Minister…

Ezrom Mokgakala was imprisoned along with Nelson Mandela at the height of the apartheid struggle in South Africa. He shared with me his lingering doubts about his ability to fully forgive. But I was utterly convinced that he surely survived the ordeal with unparalleled moral courage, dignity, resilience, and grace.