5/13 | PROPERTY IS THEFT!

Theo Bleckmann opens the seminar with music from Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera.  

Professors Amy Allen, Étienne Balibar, Karuna Mantena, Dan-el Padilla Peralta, and Bernard E. Harcourt

read and discuss

Manifesto of the Communist Party by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels

Critique of the Gotha Programme by Karl Marx

What is Property? by Pierre Joseph Proudhon

Thursday, December 3, 2020

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon circa 1862

~~~

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and, famously, Karl Marx militated for the abolition of private property at a time when, across the Atlantic, abolitionists were challenging slavery. As Marx and Engels declared in 1848 in The Communist Manifesto, at a time precisely when abolitionism was raging in the U.S.: “the theory of the Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.”

The relationship, interconnections, overlap, differences, and conflicts between the movements to abolish slavery and to abolish property are complex, to say the least. The historical record is fraught. But the resonances are clear.

Chattel slavery was, of course, a form of property, and its abolition entailed technically the abolition of property. As W.E.B. Du Bois emphasized, “Property in the South had its value cut in half during the Civil War.” But naturally, one half is not a whole. The abolition of slavery did not entail the abolition of property writ large. To the contrary, it was precisely the maintenance of property and the profit-motive that was responsible for the reproduction of forms of slavery through convict leasing.

From the other end, the abolition of capitalist property-ownership was often presented as a liberation from relations of dominance no different than slavery. As Marx and Engels wrote in The Communist Manifesto: workers in capitalist systems are “slaves of the bourgeois class, and of the bourgeois state” and “are daily and hourly enslaved by the machine, by the over-looker, and, above all, by the individual bourgeois manufacturer himself.” Or, even more explicitly, as Marx wrote in his Critique of the Gotha Program: “the system of wage labour is a system of slavery.”

The resonances are clear, but the history is fraught—especially the relationship between anti-racism and the labor movement.

And so we turn now, in this seminar, to the puzzle: How should we rethink the movements to abolish property through the lens of abolition democracy? How do we rethink Proudhon, Marx, and utopian socialist thinkers—as well as the entire political traditions of the labor theories of property and of value from Locke onwards—through the prism of abolition democracy?

[To read the full text of this introduction: click here. © Bernard E. Harcourt.]

Critique 1/13 at Columbia University, September 11, 2019

LIBERAL'S RENTIER STATE

Roughly one-third of Liberal cabinet ministers own rental, investment real estate: records

Amanda Connolly - Yesterday 
Global News

Roughly one-third of ministers sitting around the Liberal cabinet table own rental or investment real estate assets, according to their filings with the federal conflict of interest commissioner.

While fully legal, real estate experts say the holdings reflect the degree to which Canadians increasingly view real estate as a financial asset, rather than a place to live.

It also comes as recent data from Canadian financial institutions has demonstrated the growing role of investors in fuelling price growth — a trend Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland billed this week as an issue of "intergenerational injustice."

Read more:
Sky-high home prices in Canada are ‘intergenerational injustice,’ Freeland says

“One of the things that I am most concerned about as someone who — it shocks me to say this — is 53 years old, is the intergenerational injustice,” Freeland told reporters on Monday.

“We had a better shot at buying a home and starting a family than young people today, and we cannot have a Canada where the rising generation is shut out of the dream of homeownership.”

She was speaking at an event touting measures in the federal budget that the government says will tackle the sky-high prices pushing young Canadians out of homes, by both increasing supply and also cracking down on the financialization of real estate.

Financialization is a term increasingly being used in reference to investors buying up real estate — typically residential real estate that could otherwise serve as starter homes or affordable rental units — and then treating those as financial assets to generate profit, either through resale or raising rents.

Budget 2022: Will feds be able to deliver on housing affordability?

According to a Bank of Canada analysis earlier this year, home purchases by investors have outpaced those of first-time homebuyers or even repeat homebuyers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Investors account for one-fifth of home purchases in Canada, that analysis found, while the share of purchases by first-time homebuyers hit a new low last year.

According to the disclosures filed with the federal conflict of interest commissioner, 12 of the 39 cabinet ministers — 31 per cent — hold real estate assets described by them in those filings as being either for "rental" or "investment" purposes.

That number does not include ministers who hold mortgages unrelated to rental or investment purposes.

Based on conversations with multiple government officials, those declared rental and investment assets range from homes being rented out as well as vacant land, properties used for tourism and properties purchased with the intent to move into them later.

All of that is legal and all of the ministers have fulfilled their duties under Canadian conflict of interest laws to report those assets to the federal conflict of interest commissioner.

Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen, tasked with implementing the government's promised measures to tackle housing unaffordability, is among those who own a rental property.

His disclosure form states he is the sole owner of a rental property in Ottawa.

Read more:
Federal budget needs more targeted support on housing, advocates say

Freeland does not own domestic rental or investment property in Canada but does own two rental properties with her spouse in London, U.K. She also co-owns a residential property in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne owns two rental properties in the U.K. as well, while nine other cabinet ministers own properties domestically that are described by them in the conflict of interest disclosures as for rental or investment purposes.

Veterans Minister Lawrence MacAulay co-owns a farm rental property located in St-Peter's Cable Head, Prince Edward Island

Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault holds what he described as a "nominal interest" in an investment property in Edmonton, Alta. A government official said the property is a condo that Boissonnault co-owns with a friend, and that he holds roughly one per cent of the ownership but doesn't receive an income from the property.

Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu is the sole owner of a rental property in Thunder Bay, Ont.

The most recent disclosure form for Gudie Hutchings, minister for rural economic development, lists her as jointly owning a real estate holding company in Little Rapids, Nfld., which one official said was related to her past work in the tourism industry before becoming an MP.

Minister for Seniors Kamal Khera is listed as the sole owner of an investment property in Caledon, Ont., and Justice Minister David Lametti is listed as the sole owner of a triplex described as a rental property in Verdun, Que. His office said he lives in one of the units, and rents out the others.

Read more:
Around 40% of parents of young Ontario homeowners helped children with purchase: poll

Minister of National Revenue Diane Lebouthillier stated in her forms that she holds a "significant interest" in a Quebec general partnership that rents out cottages in Sainte-Thérèse-de-Gaspé.

Harjit Sajjan, international development minister, owned a rental property in Osoyoos, B.C., until last year but recently sold that. He now jointly owns one investment property in Whistler, B.C., that an official said is a personal tourist accommodation in a commercial, not residential, facility.

As well, Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray disclosed ownership of two properties in her forms: one rental property in Riondel, a village in B.C.'s Kootenay region, as well as a parcel of vacant land in the region described as being held for investment purposes.

‘Can’t afford a home? Have you tried finding richer parents?’: MPs debate affordable housing in Canada

Parliamentarians owning property isn't a factor unique to the federal cabinet — MPs from the Conservative Party, NDP and Bloc Quebecois all own real estate assets listed in their disclosure forms as for rental or investment purposes.

But as members of the cabinet, ministers are uniquely positioned in their ability to drive and implement policy change that could aim to lower prices.

"In an ideal world, one's financial interest doesn't bias their decisions, but people are human and obviously there is some bias there," said John Pasalis, president of Realosophy Realty, a Toronto brokerage.

"No one wants to see their financial assets or their retirement plan drop in value, and I think we saw that in the housing minister's argument several months ago about protecting the financial interests of mom and pop investors."

Hussen told The Globe and Mail in February that the government didn't want to take actions that would "negatively affect them because they are actually providing a rental service to a lot of people.”

He said in that interview those investors add to the housing stock by renting out their properties.

Video: Real estate market: A look at tactics meant give buyers competitive edge

Pasalis, though, suggested they actually contribute to the challenge.

"If mom and pop investors were not rushing out and buying all of these pre-construction homes because they're wealthier and they have assets and they have the income, they'd probably be more affordable for households who want to raise their family there long term," he added.

Paul Kershaw, founder of Generation Squeeze, added that the cabinet minister's real estate holdings reflect one of the core challenges fuelling sky-high prices in Canadian real estate: the deeply ingrained cultural view among Canadians of real estate as an investment.

"I think it reflects a broader cultural blindness to how we are literally addicted to high and rising home values in a range of ways as we plan our financial savings strategies for down the road," said Kershaw, an associate professor studying generational equity at the University of British Columbia.

"I don't want anyone to think these politicians are anything but hardworking. But they also are encultured, which gives us blind spots to see that housing has become this strategy to become wealthy and not just a place to call home," he added.

"We're at a moment where we need to choose between those two things."

Data released by Statistics Canada on Tuesday showed that between 2019 and 2020, 31 per cent of Ontario's residential and recreational housing stock was held by people who owned multiple properties.

In Nova Scotia, that number rose to 41 per cent while in New Brunswick and B.C., it sat at 39 per cent and 29 per cent respectively. That data also showed that in all four provinces, the top 10 per cent of property owners earned more than the bottom 50 per cent put together.

Read more:
Upwards of 41% of housing in some provinces held by multiple-property owners

The data did not account for the white-hot surge in homebuying during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic or the start of this year, which have both seen prices soar to record levels as frustration festers among a growing number of younger as well as middle-class Canadians who are priced out.

Fierce competition has sparked many to routinely waive home inspections or financing requirements, practices real estate experts have warned can put buyers at risk. In the budget, tabled last week, Freeland vowed to make good on a Liberal campaign promise to introduce a bill of rights for homebuyers.

That is expected to include a promised ban on waiving inspections.

Read more:
Budget 2022 — Tax-free savings account coming for first-time homebuyers

While the budget contained a number of new measures targeting housing unaffordability, there remain questions over whether their proposals, including a two-year ban on most foreign buyers and a one-year tightening of the tax rules around flipping residential properties, will make enough of a difference.

Countries like Singapore, for example, have over the last year changed their tax system to put a heavier burden on those who buy up multiple residential properties: a 25 per cent transfer tax on the purchase of secondary homes, and 30 per cent on third or subsequent homes.

For foreign buyers, the purchase tax on residential properties in that country went up from 20 per cent to 30.

Video: How interest rates impact the housing market

Some have suggested a longer ban on flipping homes, or tougher down payment requirements for either non-resident buyers or investors, which New Zealand has done recently, should be part of the range of measures needed to bring the unaffordability crisis under control.

"This is not a solution for all of our housing problems. Because at the end of the day, we still have this imbalance between supply and demand," Pasalis said.

"But what it does is it takes some of the demand out of the market, at least the investor demand, and potentially makes those homes a little bit more available and affordable for people who want to buy them and occupy them themselves. And I think that's a step forward that we should be moving towards."

Hussen said in a statement on Wednesday that the measures announced in the budget aim to curb "speculation" and boost supply.

"By putting Canada on the path to double our target to build more homes over the next decade, in partnership with provinces, municipalities, and the private sector, we’re addressing the housing supply shortage across the country," he said.

"These measures come in addition to crucial programs that will create more jobs, help house those most vulnerable in our communities, and help cool the market as we work to ensure that all Canadians have a safe and affordable place to call home."

A government official who spoke with Global News said the budget shouldn't be viewed as ruling out any measures that were not in the plan this year, and that a number of options remain on the table.

The government's goal, that person said, is to take a "progressive" approach that could yet see more measures layered on top of those in the budget, depending on how well they work.

Economists from BMO and RBC both warned about the brewing risk of letting the overheated market continue unabated in notes to investors last year.

In the separate notes, economists emphasized the need for action that "immediately breaks market psychology and the belief that prices will only rise further," noting the frenzy threatened to "destabilize the economy down the road if or when a correction occurs, with possible heavy costs for governments."

Inflation is currently running at 30-year highs, prompting the Bank of Canada to raise rates in a bid to tamp down on the cheap lending rates that helped spur consumer spending during the pandemic.

On Wednesday, citing the need to bring consumer expectations back under control, the Bank of Canada again raised rates in what economists called an "oversized" hike of half a percentage point.

How — and if — that will work to begin cooling the housing market fire remains to be seen.

Canadian home prices soar to new heights, averaging $800K

1. Rentier state - Wikipedia

   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rentier_stateIn current political-science and international-relations theory, a rentier state is a state which derives all or a substantial portion of its national revenues from the rent paid by foreign individuals, concerns or governments.

What is Property? Proudhon 1840 (marxists.org)

If I were asked to answer the following question: What is slavery? and I should answer in one word, It is murder, my meaning would be understood at once. No extended argument would be required to show that the power to take from a man his thought, his will, his personality, is a power of life and death; and that to enslave a man is to kill him. Why, then, to this other question: What is property! may I not likewise answer, It is robbery, without the certainty of being misunderstood; the second proposition being no other than a transformation of the first.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment: Search results for RENTIER 

Poor management, new buildings led to Laurentian University insolvency, Ontario AG's preliminary report says

© Jonathan Migneault/CBC

Sudbury's Laurentian University announced it was insolvent in February 2021. In April that year, it cut 69 programs and fired more than 100 staff and faculty members.

Jonathan Migneault - cbc.ca

Yesterday 

Laurentian University's capital expansions from 2010 to 2020, along with "poor management of its financial affairs," were big factors in the Sudbury school's insolvency last year, according to a preliminary report by Ontario's auditor general.

In her "Preliminary Perspective on Laurentian University," which was submitted to the Legislature on Wednesday, Bonnie Lysyk says Laurentian refused to seek financial assistance from the province and made a mistake when it opted to go through the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) for restructuring.

"As of March 3, 2022, the university had incurred legal and other financial consultant fees associated with its insolvency of more than $24 million," the auditor general said in the document.

The Sudbury university announced it was insolvent in February 2021. On April 12 that year, it cut 69 programs, which affected an estimated 932 students. Laurentian also fired 195 staff and faculty members with little notice and severance.

Like all universities, Lysyk said, the COVID-19 pandemic affected Laurentian's finances, but its problems started long before, in 2010, when it went on a building spree to expand its Sudbury campus.

"There wasn't the revenue coming in to support the payment down of the principal and interest from those investments," Lysyk told CBC News.

She said there doesn't seem to be any intentional wrongdoing by Laurentian, and added its capital expansion plans were well meant. But she said the university's board of governors failed to provide proper oversight, and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities did not intervene in time when it was clear Laurentian was in financial straits.

From 2010 to 2020, Lysyk also found, Laurentian senior administration costs grew by 75 per cent, and in 2018 they peaked at more than $4 million annually.

Laurentian's CCAA move a mistake: AG

In her preliminary perspective, she said the size of Laurentian's senior administration had been consistently larger than at other Ontario universities around the same size. As well, some senior administrators' salaries exceeded limits set by legislation meant to put a ceiling on public-sector pay.

Lysyk said Laurentian's solution to its financial problems, restructuring under the CCAA, was a mistake.

The CCAA was created as a tool for insolvent private companies to restructure, but it had never been applied to a public university like Laurentian.

"In this particular case, we do believe that Laurentian needed to pull together a stronger ask of the ministry and work with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to pull together a plan, even a year ahead of time, to support them in their endeavours going forward," Lysyk said.

She noted that nearby Nipissing University, which is in North Bay, ran into financial difficulties in 2014. But Nipissing worked with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities early on to seek funding and improve its position.

Influence from outside parties

In her preliminary perspective, Lysyk said she believes Laurentian was influenced by external parties to use the CCAA, up to a year before it announced it was insolvent.

"In August 2020, Laurentian raised the potential of CCAA to the Minister of Colleges and Universities but did not clearly define how much financial assistance was required from the province to avoid a CCAA filing," the document said.

"An explicit request for funding to the Ministry was not made until December 2020, at which point the ask was significant and the timeline for intervention was short."

Katlyn Kotila, a Laurentian political science student, said the preliminary report was not surprising to her, and has echoed concerns students, staff and faculty have had since the university announced it was insolvent.

"I love the community that Laurentian has provided me with," Kotila said.

"But I'm also so angry. And this process has made me incredibly angry because I'm watching as a university I love and a community that I love has basically been burnt to flames."

Kotila said it was telling that Nipissing University was able to climb out of a bad financial situation by working closely with the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

"It's really sad to see that Laurentian had that opportunity to do so and they chose not to."

Professors react

Albrecht Schulte-Hostedde, a professor at Laurentian's School of Natural Sciences, said the auditor general's preliminary findings showed consultants influenced the university's leaders to file for insolvency and go through the CCAA process.

"It wasn't lost on me that yesterday [Tuesday] we celebrated, in a way, the one-year anniversary of the terminations of over 100 faculty," Schulte-Hostedde said.

"And today we learned in this report that it was all unnecessary, that the university's administration had made a conscious choice to go down this route."

Schulte-Hostedde said the university is now "a shadow of what it once was," but added he is optimistic now that many of the university's former board members have resigned.

He said Jeff Bangs, Laurentian's interim board chair, has "said all the right things" so far.

Fabrice Colin, president of the Laurentian University Faculty Association, said the preliminary report validated things his association has argued for 14 months.

The key point, he said, was the CCAA process was not the appropriate cure for Laurentian's financial problems — something the faculty association said all along.

Colin said Laurentian's leadership will need to be more transparent with faculty members to move forward and rebuild.

"We definitely saw a change in the tone and approach since the arrival of the new board members and the new president of the board," he said.

"It seems now there is a commitment towards more transparency and toward more collaborations, so it's encouraging."

Laurentian responds to AG findings

In a written statement, Laurentian said it would carefully examine the auditor general's findings.

The university said it has implemented a number of reforms and initiatives in recent months to ensure its financial sustainability.

It noted the province provided recent financial support when it refinanced a $35 million debtor-in-possession loan.

The statement said it is renewing its board of governors, and has completed a review of its operations and governance.

"We know that our successful recovery will come from essential changes within the institution," the emailed statement said.

"Laurentian is absolutely committed to seeing this transformation to completion — and will do what is necessary to acquire the skills, operational efficiencies, transparency and accountability that is required and expected from Laurentian."

Call for resignations

In a written statement, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) called for Laurentian president Robert Haché and all senior administrators to resign, following the auditor general's preliminary report.

"It is absolutely scandalous that the university leadership used money intended for employee health benefits and academic research for its capital projects and other purposes," CAUT executive director David Robinson said in the statement.

"It then diverted more than $24 million to high-priced consultants and lawyers handling the unnecessary insolvency proceedings, while at the same time demanding staff layoffs and program cuts."

Robinson said Haché and other senior leaders need to step down for Laurentian to regain the public's trust.

SASKATCHEWAN
Nippi-Albright bill aims to transform duty to consult for Indigenous communities

Chief Evan Taypotat of Kahkewistahaw First Nation said he’s looking for a hand up and a seat at the table to help his community prosper.

Author of the article: Jeremy Simes
Publishing date: Apr 13, 2022 

Kahkewistahaw First Nation Chief Evan Taypotat speaks at a NDP press conference at the Legislative Building on April 13, 2022 in Regina. 

PHOTO BY TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader-Post
Article content

Near a potash mine in southeast Saskatchewan sit two different communities — Esterhazy and Kahkewistahaw First Nation.

The difference, according to Chief Evan Taypotat, is his community doesn’t have the million dollar homes, nice stores and burgeoning opportunity. This, he says, is a result of industry and governments not willing to sit down at the table.

“Potash companies throw us a trinket and a bead, and all the nice jobs go to the non-Indigenous folks,” he told reporters Wednesday. “When these potash companies come into our territory, we want to sit at the table.”

The idea of meaningful consultation is at the crux of a new private members’ bill presented by NDP MLA Betty Nippi-Albright.

Flanked by a delegation representing six First Nations communities, Nippi-Albright explained Bill 609 aims to bolster the existing duty to consult process.

Opposition critic for First Nations and Métis relations Betty Nippi-Albright says her new bill would prevent decisions from happening without First Nation input.

 PHOTO BY TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader-Post

She said it would ensure that Indigenous communities are meaningful partners when impacted by Crown land sales or other developments. It would allow them to determine the consultation process.

“Industry needs to involve Indigenous people and the government needs to involve Indigenous people,” said Nippi-Albright, the NDP critic for First Nations and Métis relations.

She explained the current process sees the province write a letter and have a “one-off meeting,” with decisions being made prior to consultation.

“The first thing that the government should be doing is contacting the nations and say, ‘Here’s what’s coming down the pipe, we need to talk to you and give you that heads up,’” she said. “You’re at that table when this is happening, not after a decision has been made.”

In B.C., Taypotat said, industry asks First Nations for permission. In Saskatchewan, he said First Nations have to beg.

“That is wrong,” he said. “We have potash companies coming into Saskatchewan, making millions, billions of dollars.”

He said the First Nation foremost wants to protect the environment and the water. Secondly, it wants procurement, which creates management and leadership jobs.

“We don’t want a hand out. We want a hand up,” he said. “We want to work just as hard as the next company; we want to work just as good. We want to produce product.”

After meeting with members of the First Nations, Government Relations Minister Don McMorris told reporters he understands their concerns and is willing to re-look at the duty to consult process.

He said the province will begin engagement this year to hear from First Nations communities about the current system, which hasn’t been updated in 12 years.

“Maybe there has to be some more policy put in place where industry knows what is expected to properly consult. A fax is not consulting,” he said. “It’s a communications piece that isn’t taking place. That’s what we’re hearing.”

While McMorris said the province plans to put forward a new Indigenous Investment Finance Corporation to increase involvement in the economy, he’s open to bridging gaps between First Nations and industries.

“It’s real in their life, obviously, and I can imagine how they are frustrated with that,” he said, though added he has questions about how far government should go to get between private business.

Kahkewistahaw First Nation and Onion Lake Cree Nation have written letters to the province raising concerns about not being consulted about Crown land sales.

Nippi-Albright has called for a pause on sales of such land.

She added that these lands are essential for Indigenous hunters, trappers and traditional land users.

Onion Lake Cree Nation Councillor Hubert Pahtayken.

 PHOTO BY TROY FLEECE /Regina Leader-Post

Onion Lake Cree Nation Coun. Hubert Pahtayken told reporters the province plans to sell Crown land located next to the First Nation. It has been used for hunting and gathering medicines.

“Without consultation to our people, they sell them,” he said. “For whatever reason, the province doesn’t look at our situations.”

When asked if the province would consider pausing Crown land sales, McMorris said the government needs to review how it’s engaging with Indigenous communities.

“I’m not sure if it’s necessarily a freeze, but to look at that process and how do we better communicate with First Nations to see if they’re interested,” he said. “Some of these parcels of land are pretty small … so a freeze would impact all of that. I’m not sure that is useful for all.”

jsimes@postmedia.com

Mandryk: Moe's GHG remark solidifies his view economy is the priority

PREMIER SCHMOE LEADING PRO OIL RALLY


Murray Mandryk - Yesterday 

When it comes to Saskatchewan significantly lowering its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions , it’s more of a matter of what Premier Scott Moe really cares about rather than what he doesn’t care about.

What he cares about is the economic advantage this province might have in marketing our farming and resource extraction industries as among the cleanest on the planet.

That said, for Moe to boldly pronounce “I don’t care” about having Canada’s highest per capita GHG emissions pretty much tells both sides all they need to know.

If Moe was inclined to choose his words more carefully — or, better put, felt obliged to do so — he would have completely avoided a phrase as divisive as “I don’t care.”

That’s what most politicians would have done.

That’s what smart business people would have also done, given a fundamental tenet in selling is presenting your product in the the most positive context while not offending anyone.

But with a massive Saskatchewan Party majority government largely built on opposing anything the federal Liberal government stands for, including Justin Trudeau’s carbon tax, Moe feels no such compulsion.

Instead, he doubled down Monday on his seemingly callous “I don’t care” assessment of Saskatchewan’s nation-leading GHG emissions.

“I’ll stand with the ‘I don’t care’ right now when it comes to the metrics of per-capita emissions,” Moe, a one-time environment minister, told reporters after not addressing his comments in Monday’s question period when raised by the NDP.

“Could have I chosen something a little less controversial? Potentially.”

Potentially? You think?

More likely, a polling-obsessed Sask. Party government saw this as an opportunity to solidify support among those terrified that further environmental restrictions translate into the loss of good-paying Saskatchewan jobs in oil, mining and farming.

“A lot of folks will come to me and say: ‘Hey guys, you have the highest carbon emission per capita,’ ” Moe told reporters Monday, repeating his words to the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce in Prince Albert on Friday. “I said: ‘I don’t care.’

“I went on to say: We have the highest exports per capita in Canada as well. We make the cleanest products and we then send those products to over 150 countries in the world. This province is, most certainly, part of the solution when it comes to a cleaner, greener economy. We’re part of your solution to your energy security concerns. And we’re part of your solution when it comes to food security concerns countries may have.”

As such, Moe’s “I don’t care” comment mostly distracted from his more substantive message that Saskatchewan’s agri-food, potash, uranium and oil industries provide “some of lowest carbon emissions you will find in world.”

“As we find our way through a time of transition, you should be buying Saskatchewan oil,” Moe said, urging people to compare Saskatchewan commodities with those produced in Russia and Belarus. “That’s my point to not only the people of Saskatchewan but to people across the nation.

“Most certainly, this would be the narrative. We would ask our federal government to take with them as they go overseas to promote and sell some of cleanest products available to the world.”

It’s a more complete explanation, albeit one that still won’t endear Moe to environmentalists.

“I think it’s pretty clear from their lack of action in regards to climate change that they don’t care,” said Emily Eaton, an associate geography and environmental studies professor at the University of Regina.

Saskatchewan’s GHG emissions in 2019 dropped by single megatonne from the previous year, meaning that this province, with four per cent of the Canadian population, still accounts for 10.3 per cent of the country’s overall GHG emissions.

Monday, Moe described this fact as “ridiculous,” and having “no bearing on reality.”

For a premier who talked in February about healing divisions, his comments weren’t exactly an olive branch to those who say Saskatchewan isn’t doing enough to reduce the nation’s highest GHG emissions.

They are only left with Moe’s blunt message: “I don’t care.”

Mandryk is the political columnist for the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.

Millie Bobby Brown Discusses The ‘Gross’ Way She Has Been Sexualized As A Teen

Jamie Samhan -
ET Canada
© Photo: James Veysey/Shutterstock for BAFTA


Millie Bobby Brown quickly rose to fame as a preteen and had to face the challenges of being in the spotlight at a young age.

Only 12 when she was cast in "Stranger Things", the now-18-year-old told "The Guilty Feminist" podcast of being sexualized for years.

“I deal with the same things any 18-year-old is dealing with, navigating being an adult and having relationships and friendships, and it's all of those things,” she said. “Being liked and trying to fit in, it’s all a lot, and you’re trying to [know] yourself while doing that. The only difference is obviously I'm doing that in the public eye.”

Brown then discussed being sexualized, calling it "really overwhelming."

“I have definitely been dealing with that more in the last couple weeks of turning 18. [I’m] definitely seeing a difference between the way people act and the way the press and social media react to me coming of age," Brown said. "It's gross."

Brown explained that her own Hollywood experience is "a good representation of what’s going on in the world and how young girls are sexualized. I have been dealing with that — but I have also been dealing with that for forever.”

Brown recalled being "crucified" by the press for wearing a low-cut dress at an awards show. “I thought, Is this really what we should be talking about? We should be talking about the incredible people that were there at the awards show, the talent that was there, the people we are representing.”

This isn't the first time that Brown has discussed being sexualized. When she turned 16, she shared a post saying she gets "frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualization and unnecessary insults" and how they cause her "pain and insecurity."

WTF!!!

Thousands still on unpaid leave as Liberals late updating federal public service vaccine mandate: unions

Anja Karadeglija - Tuesday

NATIONAL POST

© Provided by National PostAs of March 29, 1,828 federal government employees were on unpaid leave due to the COVID-19 vaccination policy, according to the Treasury Board.

The Liberal government is now a week late on updating its vaccine mandate policy for federal public servants, according to unions, leaving the 1,828 unvaccinated individuals on unpaid leave waiting to find out if they can go back to work.

“If you’re on administrative leave without pay right now, every day that goes by, you’re left wondering what’s going on here,” said Dany Richard, president of the Association of Canadian Financial Officers, which represents financial professionals working in the federal public service.

“We were told we’d have that decision by April 6.”

As of March 29, 1,828 employees were on unpaid leave due to the vaccination policy, the Treasury Board told unions last week. That number included employees who attested they were unvaccinated, who didn’t provide an attestation about their vaccine status, and employees who submitted an accommodation request that “was not applicable.”

That’s an increase from the 1,382 RCMP and public service employees that were on unpaid leave as of Feb. 1, a number the government outlined in an order paper document the same week.

During the last election campaign, the Liberals campaigned on mandatory vaccines for public servants. Currently, the federal government mandates vaccinations for all employees in the public service, including the RCMP. Those who don’t comply with the policy or aren’t granted an exemption are put on unpaid leave, even if they work from home.

That policy was up for its six-month review as of April 6. The president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada has also previously told media the government promised a “renewed policy” on April 6.

Government faces 90 individual labour grievances on mandatory vaccine policy

Unpaid leave begins for some federal employees not vaccinated for COVID-19

Once released, that updated policy could let the affected individuals go back to work — or it could increase the number on unpaid leave, if the government includes its definition of fully vaccinated as including a booster shot.

“This could go either way. That’s why we want to know, because there’s a major spectrum of how this policy could be reviewed,” Richards said.

Those employees could be out of work for another six months, have their employment terminated, or be allowed to go back to work next week, Richards outlined. “These employees have a right to know what’s happening with their livelihood,” he said.

Richards said the government has given no indication of when the updated policy will be released. “Not only have we not gotten an update on the policy, we don’t even know when the update will happen,” he said. “Is it two weeks, is it two months, is it two days? … I have no idea.”

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat said in a statement it is reviewing the policy and that updates will come “in due course.”

“Any decision made will be based on science and the advice of public health officials,” the statement added. “The review is ongoing and there was never an update planned for April 6, 2022.”

The government owes it to employees to provide some guidance to employees, Richards said. “The fact that our members are kept in the dark is frustrating.”

Both ACFO and PSAC, maintain employees should be allowed to work from home. PSAC declined to comment on the government’s update to the vaccine policy but said in a statement that “continuing to put unvaccinated employees on leave without pay is a harsh and unnecessary measure” when workers have shown during the pandemic they can work from home.

Charest tackles cost of living by pitching Conservatives a child care plan

Catherine Cullen - Tuesday

CBC

Conservative leadership candidate Jean Charest is tackling voters' cost-of-living anxieties by proposing new measures to help more families afford child care.

His plan would give money back to families not covered under the new federal deal to reduce the cost of child care. It also pledges more flexibility and tax breaks for families that receive parental leave benefits.

Beyond his pledge to pause the carbon tax, this is Charest's first major policy foray on affordability. His campaign says it's the first in a series of such announcements.

The rising cost of living is already a major campaign theme for one of Charest's main rivals, Pierre Poilievre. Recent polls suggest rising expenses are a major concern for a majority of Canadians.

Charest has applauded the recent child care deals between the federal government and provinces and territories and has said he is committed to keeping those deals in place.

The federal plan would see the average price of a licensed child care spot drop to $10 a day by 2025.

The federal government also hopes to create approximately 250,000 new child care spaces.

Support for the existing deals from a Conservative leadership candidate may not mean much, since a recent agreement between the NDP and the Liberals could keep the Trudeau government in power until 2025.

Charest's plan would address costs borne by families using daycares that are not subsidized, such as unlicensed home daycares.

'Choice' in child care

He's promising a Choice in Childcare Tax Credit, which would replace the existing Child Care Expense Deduction. According to his campaign, the new credit would rebate up to 75 per cent of child care expenses to lower-income families whose children do not use subsidized daycares.

Rebates would be payable monthly, rather than with each tax return.

Charest is also pledging to make the Canada Child Benefit available in the beginning of the second trimester of a pregnancy "to give families a financial cushion to prepare for their growing family," says the campaign's press release.

Charest's campaign says he also would extend the eligibility period for parental leave benefits to two years.

Charest's plan would also cut the federal tax on Employment Insurance benefits during parental leave and eliminate the EI clawback on the first $20,000 of income earned while on parental leave.

Charest's campaign estimates the plan would cost about $1 billion. The campaign also claims the plan would pay for itself through increased tax revenues as more families return to work.


© Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press

Federal Conservative leadership candidate Pierre Poilievre has not yet said whether a government led by him would retain the federal government's child care deals with provinces and territories.

A statement from Poilievre's campaign attacked Charest's approach but didn't didn't say what the Ottawa-area MP's own child care policy would look like.

Poilievre's campaign told CBC News that while he served as Quebec's premier, Charest did not support "choice in child care and discriminated against families that did not use state-based care."

Charest oversaw Quebec's system of not-for-profit, low-fee child care centres while he was premier from 2003 to 2012.

During that time, he raised the daily cost of not-for-profit care as he tried to control Quebec's spending. He also took measures to encourage the emergence of more privately run daycare spots.

Poilievre undecided on Liberals' child care deals

In its statement, Poilievre's campaign also targets the federal Liberals, saying their decades of pursuing affordable daycare have left parents with "less choice and higher prices."

"Mr. Poilievre will wait to see if the latest promises are any different before announcing his plans to reduce costs and expand choice for all parents," said the statement.

In an interview with Radio-Canada in March, Poilievre was asked if he'd undo the federal child care deal with the provinces and territories.

"We'll see how it works. We've seen no results," he said in French to host Patrice Roy.

Leadership candidate Patrick Brown responded to Charest's proposal by taking a swipe at Poilievre.

"Unlike Pierre Poilievre, I would honour agreements signed with the provinces on affordable daycare, and unlike Justin Trudeau, make sure those daycare spots are actually built out," says a statement from Brown's campaign.

Brown also pledged to "recognize that Canadians need choice" in raising their families.

In his campaign's statement, Brown talks about creating a system of "tax credits and direct contribution" that would value the labour of extended family members who help to raise children. He also promises to help parents working in the gig economy or running small businesses get equal access to parental benefits.

The statement offers no specifics about how he would achieve these goals.

Candidate Leslyn Lewis' campaign did not respond to a request for her policy proposals on child care.

Conservatives will choose their next leader on Sept. 10.

Review is a matter of making government 'smarter, not smaller,' Treasury Board president says

QUIT OURSOURCING IT  

BRING IT BACK INHOUSE 

Joanne Laucius - 

© Provided by Ottawa CitizenTreasury Board president Mona Fortier said Monday the government wants to make sure it is smart in investing and using taxpayer dollars.

A review of government policies and operations is aimed at making government smarter, not smaller, says Treasury Board president Mona Fortier.

The review, outlined in last Thursday’s federal budget, has concerned public service unions, who fear that it will lead to downsizing the federal workforce.

The “comprehensive strategic policy review” announced in the budget aims to save money by examining the effectiveness of government programs and operations. The government anticipates savings of $6 billion over five years and $3 billion annually by 2026-27, a figure that was a surprise to public service unions.

Fortier, who will head the review, said Monday the government wants to make sure it is smart in investing and using taxpayer dollars.

“We want to make sure that we focus on the delivery of services we have and programs for Canadians. We know that digitization is going to be very important in how we deliver those services,” said Fortier.

Travel expenses are another saving as workers become proficient in using videoconferencing platforms, she said.

The federal public service has grown from just over 257,000 in 2015 when Justin Trudeau’s Liberals took power to more than 319,000 last year.

For the public service unions, mention of a new review last week conjured memories of the Harper years, when across-the-board cuts affected public service morale, productivity and citizen satisfaction. Cuts at Veterans Affairs, including the disability awards branch, attracted attention, and an auditor general’s report was critical of the length of time it took to decide on the benefit claims of ex-soldiers.

“We’re not Harper,” Fortier said Monday. “We are not going to do what was done in the past.”

Sahir Khan, executive vice-president of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa, said a review is a good idea.

Reviews can be done on two ways — on a fiscal basis to cut costs or with the aim of improving quality. In this case, the government is not using this exercise as a way to get back to a balanced budget, said Khan.

“They’re using it to improve the quality of spending.”

There are three goals of a review. The first is to consider whether spending is aligned with the priorities of the government. In the past, programs have had conflicting goals — funding smoking cessation programs while subsidizing tobacco farmers at the same time, for example.

In the case of this review, the budget has stated that key priorities are strengthening economic growth, inclusiveness and fighting climate change.

The second goal is to review whether every program is working well, said Khan.

The third goal is consider whether a program is the most efficient way to achieve the desired effect. For example, if the aim is to increase youth involvement in sport, this can be achieved through creating a sports program or by allowing parents to submit the cost of their child’s existing sports program for a tax credit.

Khan cautioned that while technology solutions may seem a simple way to improve efficiency, the Phoenix payroll controversy was an illustration that this is not always the case.

Meanwhile, the government will need to have a human resources strategy in place before a real estate strategy to determine how many workers can work from a hybrid or permanent home office before embarking on a strategy to reduce office space, he said.

If programs are eliminated at the end of the day, there are ways to handle the reduction in the workforce, including attrition and being generous with buyouts.

“Unions shouldn’t be concerned. But they should be involved,” said Khan.

Jennifer Carr, president of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, said what she had heard in recent days has been reassuring. But her members are still concerned about a lack of details — especially after the budget released target savings.

Those who work from home also want to be assured that they will get the necessary training and tools, she said.

“We know Canadians don’t want services cut.”

Fortier said she was looking forward to making sure that unions are part of the conversation.

The first update on the review is to be provided in the fall 2022 economic and fiscal update and another in the 2023 budget.

Federal housing budget a good start, more targeted support needed: Housing advocates


OTTAWA — Advocates say while the focus on housing affordability in the federal budget is promising, its measures could go further to help people in the most dire need.

Emilie Coyle, executive director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, said the promise of money for housing is welcome but she wants to make sure it gets into the right hands.

"If you are going to really address housing as an issue, you have to start with the people for whom it is the most difficult to find housing," Coyle said.

Kaitlin Schwan, national director of the Women's National Housing and Homelessness Network, said the budget measures don't reflect the gendered nature of the housing crisis, with low-income, women-led households facing the greatest need.

Data from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation shows 26 per cent of single female-led households are in core housing need, compared to 16 per cent of single male-led households.

The numbers are also high for racialized people and people with disabilities, said Schwan.

The budget promised $1.5 billion in funding for the rapid housing initiative, which helps build homes quickly for vulnerable people. At least a quarter of that is set aside for women-focused projects.

This kind of targeting could be expanded to all of the housing programs, said Sahar Raza, project manager of National Right to Housing Network.

These programs also need to be easier and more flexible so that high-need groups can access them, Coyle said.

"Women and gender diverse people experience chronic homelessness in a way that doesn't meet the definition of chronic homelessness," she said, noting it can look like exchanging sexual favours for housing. The numbers also don't capture women who want to leave intimate partner violence but have nowhere to go.

The Liberal budget also announced more than $10 billion in funding to speed up home construction and repairs, along with measures to cool the market and help those trying to buy their first home.

"One of the biggest disappointments in the budget was the lack of urban Indigenous housing strategy," said Tim Richter, CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness.

Richter said this is one of the biggest gaps in the national housing strategy, since Indigenous Peoples are disproportionately affected by housing insecurity and homelessness.

About 5 per cent of Canada's population is Indigenous, but Indigenous people make up around 30 per cent of those who use homeless shelters according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press under Access-to-Information legislation.

"When we fail to invest in deep affordable housing, what we're doing is failing to invest equitably in Canada," Schwan of the Women's National Housing and Homelessness Network said.

A spokeswoman for Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the budget includes $300 million in funding as a down payment to co-develop an urban, rural and northern Indigenous housing strategy.

Adrienne Vaupshas said the government is investing in rapid housing initiative and $4 billion over seven years for Indigenous housing to respond to calls for action from affordable housing and homelessness advocates.

She said the new funding announcements reflect the government's commitment to addressing the housing gaps since more work is needed to close them.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2022.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

Erika Ibrahim, The Canadian Press