Canadian Social Research Newsletter

Welcome to the weekly Canadian Social Research Newsletter,
a listing of the new links added to the Canadian Social Research Links website in the past week.

The e-mail version of this week's issue of the newsletter is going out to exactly 2,300 subscribers.

Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see some notes, a disclaimer
and other stuff that has nothing whatsoever to do with social policy...

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IN THIS ISSUE OF THE
CANADIAN SOCIAL RESEARCH NEWSLETTER:

1. HANDS OFF THE CENSUS LONG FORM QUESTIONNAIRE : The saga continues.

The Story So Far...

The Harper government is moving to eliminate the Canada census long form questionnaire and replace it with a voluntary survey. The long form was sent to 20% of households and is a critical source of information about diversity, employment, income, education and other characteristics of Canadians. It is essential to business, research, planning and good public policies and programs. Stakeholders ranging from the business community, to university researchers to social justice advocates are raising their voices to oppose this move. [ Source: Excerpt from the petition ]

--------------------------

Here's the view from the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives:

* CCPA Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan's open letter [June 30] to the Honourable Tony Clement, Ministry of Industry and Minister Responsible for Statistics Canada and Munir Sheikh, Chief Statistician, Statistics Canada.
- includes some compelling reasons why the Census long-form questionnaire is an important tool for good policy-making and accountability
"(...) This is not the first Statistics Canada survey to be cut or compromised during the administration of the current government in areas of inquiry that help develop or assess the impact of public policy..."

* Listen to Armine appearing on CBC radio's As It Happens - mp3 [July 5]

* An account of the growing backlash to the policy, in Rolling Thunder Census Review [July 9]
"(...) Clearly the vast majority of Canadians do not mistrust StatCan, the Census of the government. But if this government works hard enough at it, all that will change. Instead of standing by and letting that happen, a remarkable cross-section of Canadian society - bankers and business consultants, city planners, immigration and settlement workers, community service providers, charities and municipalities, academics and public health officials - is discussing how best to come together to reverse this decision.

* A media roundup of top news stories and editorials on the issue. [up to July 12]

* Christian and Jewish groups join the debate in this New twist on census story [July 15]

* Armine comments as The Fraser Institute finally weighs in on the Census [July 16]

Source:
All the latest on the census long-form debacle
[ Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives ]

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Sign the Petition to Keep the Canada Census Long Form:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/keep-the-canadian-census-long-form.html

See who's signed
the petition so far ===> 7,000+ signatures as at July 18/10

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Join the Facebook Group:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Keep-the-Canada-Census-Long-Form/141550925859979

Globe and Mail online poll: Census
"Do you think the long-form census questionnaire is an intrusion on the privacy of Canadians?"
As at Sunday July18 at 8am, YES has 51% (16124 votes) to 49% for NO (15536 votes)"
Surprise, surprise. Given the source of this poll, I would've expected those numbers to be much more tilted in favour of the G&M audience, i.e., hands-off-my-private-info libertarians.

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2011 Census
For the first time in 35 years, the Canadian census will not have a long form questionnaire. The Harper government decided to replace it with a voluntary survey, the National Household Survey. No consultation has preceded this decision. The consequences are important and the opponents are numerous...
- incl. 150+ links to comments, letters, articles in the printed media, news releases, and more, mostly from Québec
Source:
Quebec Inter-University Centre for Social Statistics

Click the 2011 Census link above to see letters and
articles from supporters of the long form questionnaire, including:

* the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ)
* the Association of Educational Researchers of Ontario
* the Canadian Labour Congress
* the Département de démographie of the Université de Montréal
* the Statistics Canada Advisory Committee on Demographic Statistics and Studies
* the Canadian Historical Association
* the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association
* the Federation of Canadian Municipalities
* the Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives
* Investigation launched by the Commissioner of Official Languages
* the Canadian Economics Association
* the Canadian Research Data Centre
* the Canadian Network of Metropolis Centers PPT file ...
* the Cities Centre of University of Toronto
* Canadian Association of University Teachers
* the Canadian Association for Business Economics
+ Other Articles

Source:
Quebec Inter-University Centre for Social Statistics

Version française:

Recensement 2011
Pour la première fois en 35 ans, le recensement canadien ne comptera pas de formulaire long. Le gouvernement Harper a décidé de le remplacer par l'Enquête nationale auprès des ménages dont la participation sera volontaire. Aucune consultation n'a été menée avant de prendre une telle décision. Les conséquences sont importantes et les opposants à cette décision sont nombreux...
- plus de 150 liens vers des ressources pertinentes, plusieures en français
Source:
Centre interuniversitaire québécois de statistiques sociales

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Census changes 'indefensible,' retired top statistician says
Decision to axe long questionnaire likely to bias data : Fellegi
By Shannon Proudfoot
July 13, 2010
A former top official from Statistics Canada has slammed the Conservative government's changes to the 2011 census, joining a growing chorus of opposition to the move. The decision to axe the long census questionnaire and distribute the questions through a voluntary survey is "indefensible" and likely to result in "seriously biased" data, says Ivan Fellegi, who was chief statistician at the agency until his retirement in 2008.
(...)
Some groups such as aboriginals, new immigrants, those with low income or education and the very wealthy are less likely to complete a voluntary survey, he says, leaving gaping holes in the country's demographic portrait and potentially warping the statistical results.
Source:
Canwest News Service

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A census designed by 'drunken monkeys'
July 14, 2010
By Dan Gardner
(...) Apparently, the long mandatory survey was scrapped because it offends the staunch libertarian principles of the Harper government. Yes, the staunch libertarian principles of the government. The Harper government. The government that thinks marijuana decriminalization is a Marxist plot, an adult who agrees to consensual sex in exchange for money should be imprisoned, the police did a fine job at the G20 and Omar Khadr can rot in a tropical gulag. But requiring citizens to fill out a form that is absolutely essential to sound public policy and social science? An outrageous violation of individual liberty.
Source:
Victoria Times-Colonist

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Selected media coverage:

Good information comes at a price
Yes, the census long form is intrusive, but statistics empower Canadians
By William Robson
July. 13, 2010
Source:
The Globe and Mail

---

The federal government is senseless on the census
Globe editorial
July 11, 2010
There's no evidence of a broad public backlash against the long-form census, and the imposition on Canadians is not unreasonable.
Source:
The Globe and Mail

---

More media coverage of this issue:
July 13

Critics say changes could result in biased information:
http://www.nationalpost.com/Census+changes+could+result+biased+information+critics/3268332/story.html

Official Languages Commissioner reviewing long form decision:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/07/12/census-languages.html

Discussion is deemed “off topic” and “irrelevant”:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/web-links-to-census-discussion-vanish/article1637899/

A cadre of morons:
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters/article/834998--census-too-important-to-gut

July 9

[United Kingdom]
National census to be axed after 200 years
The Census, the official population count carried out by the Government, is to be scrapped after more than 200 years, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.
By Christopher Hope
09 Jul 2010
Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, said the Census, which takes place every 10 years, was an expensive and inaccurate way of measuring the number of people in Britain. Instead, the Government is examining different and cheaper ways to count the population more regularly, using existing public and private databases, including credit reference agencies. It will represent a historic shift in the way that information about the nation’s population, religion and social habits is gathered. The suggestion is likely to be approved by Cabinet next week.
Source:
The Telegraph (U.K.)

---

Most recent Google News Search
Results on the demise of Canada's
long-form Census questionnaire
(46 results + related links as at July 18)

---

- Go to the Social Statistics Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/stats.htm

2. Canada Child Tax Benefit Guideline Table effective July 2010 - June 2011

Canada Child Tax Benefit Guideline Table
The Government of Canada’s Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) system comprises the CCTB Base Benefit and the NCB (National Child Benefit) Supplement. The CCTB targets low-and middle-income families with children, and the NCB Supplement provides low-income families with child benefits in addition to the CCTB base benefit. Links to the two tables for the 2010-2011 benefit year appear immediately below, followed by selected links to related information.

Canada Child Tax Benefit Guideline Table effective July 2010 - June 2011 (based on 2009 tax year)
This table shows the amount of the Canada Child Tax Benefit payable from July 2010 to June 2011 to a household with one, two, three, four and five children with family income ranging from $23,855 to over $220,000.

Monthly NCB Supplement only entitlement - July 2010 - June 2011 (based on 2009 tax year)

CCTB/NCB guideline tables for earlier years
- back to the benefit year starting in July 2005

Links to more information
about the CCTB, the NCB and the NCB Supplement:

Canada Child Benefits, July 2010 to June 2011
(Including related federal, provincial, and territorial programs)

Canada Child Tax Benefit (CCTB) payment amounts, tax years 2000 to 2009
* Tax Years 2000 to 2004
* Tax Years 2005 to 2009
- incl. basic benefit - supplement for 3rd and following child(ren) - supplement for children under age seven - base threshold - benefit reduction rates, one child - benefit reduction rates, two or more children - NCBS amount for first child - NCBS amount for second child - NCBS amount for each additional child - NCBS threshold - NCBS phase-out rate, one child - NCBS phase-out rate, two children - NCBS phase-out rate, three or more children - Child Disability Amount (CDB) - CDB base threshold, one child - CDB phase-out rate, one child - CDB phase-out rate, two children - CDB phase-out rate, three or more children

Source:
Canada Child Tax Benefit
[ Child and Family Benefits - includes links to : * Canada Child Tax Benefit * Universal Child Care Benefit * GST/HST credit * Working Income Tax Benefit * Provincial and territorial programs ]

Provincial and territorial child benefit and credit programs
that are related to the Canada Child Tax Benefit:
* Alberta Family Employment Tax Credit * BC Family Bonus (and British Columbia Earned Income Benefit) * New Brunswick Child Tax Benefit * Nova Scotia Child Benefit * Newfoundland and Labrador Child Benefit (and Mother Baby Nutrition Supplement) * Northwest Territories Child Benefit * Nunavut Child Benefit * Ontario Child Benefit * Yukon Child Benefit
[NOTE: residents of Québec must apply to the
Régie des rentes for the child assistance payment.]

Source:
Canada Revenue Agency

Related links from the Government of Canada:

More information about the
National Child Benefit Supplement
Source:
2007 National Child Benefit Progress Report
[ National Child Benefit website ]

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Diane Francis, Please Don't Read This!

Circa 1992, fiscally-conservative Diane Francis of the fiscally-conservative National Post almost went apoplectic when it came to light that, in Ontario, a family with an annual income of $50,000 was entitled to a modest monthly top-up from Ontario's welfare system. If she felt that the welfare system was too generous then, I fear that the Canada Revenue Agency's generosity may just push her over the edge. So please, please, don't tell her that a family (with five kids) is entitled to a monthly Canada Child Tax Benefit payment of $21.73 from the Government of Canada, provided the family's income in 2009 didn't exceed $210,000.
[ Based on Canada Child Tax Benefit Guideline Table effective July 2010 - June 2011 ]

With due respect to all the Diane Francises out there, I enthusiastically supported Ontario's welfare top-up of the early 1990s, and I support the benefit levels and calculations under the CCTB, all in the interest of helping Canadians with the cost of raising their families in tough economic times. The Ontario welfare top-up was part of a series of progressive employment supports known appropriately enough as the Supports to Employment Program or STEP. According to the National Council of Welfare, "[T]he purpose of STEP was to encourage people on welfare to work by letting them keep more of their earnings. It even allowed low-income workers with families to receive a welfare top-up to prevent them from giving up their jobs and falling back completely on welfare. The provincial government monitored STEP and found that more people were reporting more work income because of the program."[Source: http://tinyurl.com/ygxayma ].

-----------------------------------

- Go to the Key Provincial/Territorial Welfare Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare.htm
- Go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnbkmrk.htm

3. National Child Benefit (NCB) Progress Report: 2007 - May 14
(Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services)

National Child Benefit (NCB) Progress Report: 2007
HTML version - table of contents + links to individual sections of the report
PDF version (1.3MB, 116 pages)
Table of contents of the report:
Message from Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services
* Executive Summary
* Chapter 1 – The National Child Benefit Supplement
* Chapter 2 – National Child Benefit Programs and Services for Low-income Families with Children
-----------
NOTE: Chapter 2 of the report contains detailed information about the three different approaches used to harmonize/integrate federal and provincial-territorial children's benefits paid to Canadian families. This is compulsory reading for anyone who does welfare rate comparisons for families with children across Canadian provinces and territories.
-----------
* Chapter 3 – The First Nations National Child Benefit Reinvestment Initiative
* Chapter 4 – Monitoring Progress - Societal Level Indicators
* Chapter 5 – Assessing the Direct Impact of the National Child Benefit Initiative
* Chapter 6 – The Way Ahead
* Appendix 1 – Glossary
* Appendix 2 – Provincial, Territorial and First Nations National Child Benefit Reinvestments and Investments
* Appendix 3 – Results of the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) Analysis
* Appendix 4 – Additional Statistical Information

The NCB Progress Report: 2007 – Pamphlet

News Release:

The ninth National Child Benefit Progress Report
May 14, 2010
Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for Social Services are pleased to release to Canadians the ninth report on the progress of the National Child Benefit (NCB). The National Child Benefit Progress Report: 2007 shows that the NCB is improving the economic well-being of families with children living in low income.

---

Earlier reports in this series

Source:
National Child Benefit website

- Go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Key Provincial/Territorial Welfare Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/welfare.htm

4. Recession and recovery: Where are we now? - July 13
(Chandra Pasma, Citizens for Public Justice)

Recession and recovery: Where are we now?
By Chandra Pasma
July 13, 2010
Now that we’ve passed the halfway point of the year, it’s a good time to check out some of the trends reported on in Bearing the Brunt (May 2010), CPJ’s study of the recession and poverty. How is that recovery coming along? Statistics reveal a mixed bag – some improving trends, and some discouraging ones. Overall, the picture is less robust than headlines about economic recovery would suggest. GDP may be growing steadily, but recovery has yet to trickle down to those who suffered most from the recession – the poor, economically vulnerable and unemployed.

By Gilles:
Recommended reading!!
1. Read Bearing the Brunt (if you haven't already...)
2. Read Recession and recovery for an update covering the past year in the following areas:
* Unemployment
* Employment Insurance
* Social Assistance
* Employment
* Income
* Cost of Living
* Housing
* Debt and Bankruptcy
* Food Bank Use
* Poverty Trends During the Recession

- Go to the National/Federal and International Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty2.htm

5. Support Bill C-545, An Act to Eliminate Poverty in Canada

A message from Rob Rainer:

Bill C-545, An Act to Eliminate Poverty in Canada was introduced at First Reading in the House of Commons on June 16, 2010 by Tony Martin, Member of Parliament (NDP) for Sault Ste. Marie, with welcome non-partisan support from Liberal MP Michael Savage and Bloc Québécois MP Yves Lessard.

From the Bill: “Part 1 of this enactment provides for the establishment of a Government of Canada strategy to eliminate poverty and promote social inclusion. Part 2 of the enactment establishes the Office of the Poverty Elimination Commissioner independent of Government.”

Were Bill C-545 to pass into law in its current or any improved form, it would be a major breakthrough in the decades-long pan-Canadian struggle to reduce and eliminate poverty in Canada. The Bill is consistent with the vision for federal anti-poverty legislation called for by
Dignity for All: The Campaign for a Poverty-free Canada.

The CWP Advocacy Network encourages you to become familiar with Bill C-545 – and for you and/or your organization to ask your Member of Parliament and, indeed, all MPs, to support it when the Bill comes up for Second Reading (Parliament reconvenes September 20).
[ Find your MP ]

Bill C-545,
An Act to Eliminate Poverty in Canada - full text

Rob Rainer is Executive Director of:
Canada Without Poverty Advocacy Network --- "an active, vigorous voice on policy and legislation from civil society"
The CWP Advocacy Network is part of:
Canada Without Poverty / Canada sans pauvreté
Canada Without Poverty is a federally incorporated, non-partisan, not-for-profit and charitable organization dedicated to the elimination of poverty in Canada.

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Related links from
Citizens for Public Justice:

Centre for Public Justice lauds
new bill calling for poverty elimination strategy
June 16, 2010
Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) praised a new private member’s bill tabled in the House of Commons today calling for a federal poverty elimination strategy. The bill was tabled by Tony Martin of the New Democratic Party and seconded by Mike Savage of the Liberal Party and Yves Lessard of the Bloc Québécois. (...) CPJ has called for a poverty elimination strategy for several years, most recently expressing its support through the Dignity for All campaign which CPJ co-founded with Canada Without Poverty. Thousands of Canadians and hundreds of organizations have publicly expressed their support for the campaign and its goal of a federal poverty elimination strategy.

Poverty Elimination Act tabled in the House of Commons
By Chandra Pasma
June 16, 2010
(...) Bill C-545 directs the federal government to consultatively develop a federal poverty elimination strategy, creates a new, independent Poverty Commissioner to monitor progress of the strategy, and provides a stronger advisory role for the National Council of Welfare, to be renamed the National Council of Poverty and Social Inclusion.

Source:
Citizens for Public Justice
Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) is a national organization of members inspired by faith to act for justice in Canadian public policy.

- Go to the National/Federal and International Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty2.htm

6. Canada and the United Nations Human Rights Council: Charting a New Course - June 23
(Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights)

Recent release from
the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights:

Increase engagement of NGOs, civil society and Canadian
public in next UPR process, develop comprehensive plan
says Senate Human Rights Committee report
News Release
June 23, 2010
Canada needs a comprehensive plan to prepare for its next Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), including a clear, effective, inclusive and transparent process for engaging not only with NGOs and the rest of civil society, but also with the Canadian public regarding Canada’s human rights record, says a report by the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights entitled: Canada and the United Nations Human Rights Council: Charting a New Course. (...) The report outlines twenty-one recommendations for the Government of Canada to enhance its human rights leadership role internationally and to better meet its human rights obligations at home.

The complete report:

Canada and the United Nations
Human Rights Council: Charting a New Course (PDF - 1.3MB, 139 pages)
June 2010
"(...)The committee became aware of concerns that Canada is no longer fulfilling a "bridge-builder" role between UN Member States with diverging views, as it once was able to do. It is also noted that Canada received strong criticism during the review from some of its traditional allies over its handling of issues affecting Aboriginal peoples and the homeless. Canada�es international reputation could weaken unless Canada quickly demonstrates that it can improve its human rights record on such issues and unless it can demonstrate an ability to achieve results in promoting its own position on human rights issues in international fora.
[Excerpt, p. 2]

Source:
Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights

< Begin snide remark. >

Gilles' recommendation #1 for the Government of Canada "... to enhance its human rights
leadership role internationally and to better meet its human rights obligations at home":
Dump Harper and his minions.

< /End snide remark. >

-----------------------------------------------

Earlier reports by the
same Senate Committee:

Children: The Silenced Citizens
Effective Implementation of Canada's
International Obligations with respect to the Rights of Children
Final Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights
The Honourable Raynell Andreychuk, Chair
The Honourable Joan Fraser, Deputy Chair
April 2007

Promises to Keep : Implementing Canada's Human Rights Obligations
Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights
December 2001

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Contextual links:

From the
United Nations Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights:

The Human Rights Council
The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the UN system made up of 47 States responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe. The Council was created by the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006 with the main purpose of addressing situations of human rights violations and make recommendations on them.

Universal Periodic Review - Canada
- includes links to versions in six languages of:
* the National report
* the Compilation of UN information
* Summary of stakeholders' information
* Questions submitted in advance
* Outcome of the review :
--- Report of the Working group
--- Addendum 1
--- Decision on the outcome
--- Draft Report of the eleventh session of the Human Rights Council

------------------------------------------------

Human Rights Council
"...easy access to the best resources about the Human Rights Council - published by the UN, NGOs, or the media."

------------------------------------------------

From
Canadian Heritage:

Canada's Universal Periodic Review
Canada's review before the United Nations Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group session took place on February 3, 2009. A total of 45 states intervened during the three-hour interactive dialogue. These states made recommendations to Canada on a wide range of topics.

The National Report of Canada under the Universal Periodic Review (PDF - 231K 24 pages), submitted in December 2008, contains information on the promotion and protection of human rights in Canada, including achievements, best practices, and challenges.

The Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Canada (PDF - 97K, 24 pages, March 2009) includes a list of the 68 recommendations Canada received from other States.

The Response of Canada to the Recommendations was prepared in close collaboration with provincial and territorial governments in accordance with UN guidelines, and submitted to the United Nations in advance of Canada's appearance on June 9, 2009

Source:
Human Rights Program (Canadian Heritage)

------------------------------------------------

From
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada:

Universal Periodic Review
- A Canadian perspective, contains some of the same material as the Canadian Heritage site (above) and some complementary information.

------------------------------------------------

Universal Periodic Review - UPR-info.org
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a new and unique mechanism of the United Nations which started in April 2008 and consisting of the review of the human rights practices of all States in the world, once every four years. You will find on this website all the documents available on the UPR, including: States and NGOs reports; OHCHR summaries and compilations; summaries of each review; reports of the Working Group; final outcomes with recommendations; webcasts of the UPR sessions; press statements by NGOs and analyses by UPR Info and other NGOs as well as detailed explanations on how to engage in the process

----------------

From the World Report [on human rights] 2010 by
Human Rights Watch:

Introduction to World Report 2010:
The Abusers’ Reaction: Intensifying Attacks on
Human Rights Defenders, Organizations, and Institutions
By Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch

World Report: Abusers Target Human Rights Messengers
Rights-Respecting Governments Should Speak Up to Protect Defenders
January 20, 2010
News Release
Washington, DC - Governments responsible for serious human rights violations have over the past year intensified attacks against human rights defenders and organizations that document abuse, Human Rights Watch said today in issuing its World Report 2010. The 612-page report, the organization's 20th annual review of human rights practices around the globe, summarizes major human rights trends in more than 90 nations and territories worldwide*, reflecting the extensive investigative work carried out in 2009 by Human Rights Watch staff.
-----
* more than 90 nations and territories worldwide, including the U.S. --- but not Canada.
Hey - wassup with THAT?
... "attacks against human rights defenders and organizations that document abuse" sounds like something that's been happening here in Canada, what with the increasing amount of media slagging in the past few years about human rights bodies and even respected individuals, like Louise Arbour, former Supreme Court Justice and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Complete report:
World Report 2010 (PDF - 3.7MB, 624 pages)

Country Chapters - links to individual reports for 90 countries , including the U.S. --- but not Canada.

The only Canada coverage in the Human Rights Watch site is the following:
Canada: Human Rights Watch
- incl. links to * News Releases * Reports * Commentaries * Letters

Source:
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch is one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. Human Rights Watch focuses international attention where human rights are violated, gives voice to the oppressed and holds oppressors accountable for their crimes.

- Go to the Human Rights Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/rights.htm

- Go to the United Nations Links page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/un.htm

7. Public commission on legal aid formed in B.C. - July 9
(The Lawyers Weekly)

Public commission on legal aid formed in B.C.
By Gary Oakes
July 9, 2010
Six of the major players on the British Columbia law stage have formed an organization they hope will find solutions to the continuing crisis in legal aid throughout the province. “Access to justice is one of the cornerstones of our society,” Stephen McPhee told The Lawyers Weekly. “It is as essential a service as health care and education." (...) He’s vice-president of the B.C. branch of the Canadian Bar Association (CBABC) and chair of the steering committee that is overseeing the newly-minted Public Commission on Legal Aid (PCLA). It will hold meetings around the province this fall to hear from ordinary people and stakeholders on what’s wrong with the system and then produce problem-solving recommendations to the provincial government. The commission is jointly funded by CBABC, the Law Society of B.C., the Law Foundation of B.C., the B.C. Crown Counsel Association (BCCCA), the Vancouver Bar Association and the Victoria Bar Association.
Source:
The Lawyers Weekly
"Serving Canada's Legal Community Since 1983"

- Go to the Non-Governmental Sites in British Columbia (D-W) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk3.htm

8. B.C. Liberals shake up human-rights tribunal - July 15
(Georgia Strait)

B.C. Liberals shake up human-rights tribunal
The chair, Heather MacNaughton, will lose her post, causing some to worry about more changes to come
July 15, 2010
By Charlie Smith
The B.C. government has declined to reappoint the chair of the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, Heather MacNaughton, as well as another tribunal member, Judith Parrack. This has some human-rights experts concerned about what this means for the future of the nine-member quasi-judicial body, which issues legally binding decisions.
Source:
The Georgia Strait

- Go to the Non-Governmental Sites in British Columbia (D-W) page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk3.htm

July 16, 2010
Leading indicators, June 2010
The composite leading index rose by 1.0% in June, after upwardly-revised gains of 1.1% in April and May. Growth again was concentrated in the manufacturing sector. Household spending and the stock market continued to moderate, after leading the initial upturn in mid-2009.

July 14, 2010
University enrolment, 2008/2009
Just over 1,112,300 students were enrolled in Canadian universities during the academic year 2008/2009, up 3.7% from the previous year.
- includes three tables:
* University enrolment by registration status, program level and gender
* University enrolment by field of study and gender
* University enrolment by province and registration status

July 14, 2010
University degrees, diplomas and certificates awarded, 2008
In 2008, 244,380 students received a degree, a diploma or a certificate from a Canadian university, up 0.7% from 2007. The increase was entirely due to the attribution of university status to five colleges in British Columbia. If there had been no changes in the number of universities surveyed between 2007 and 2008, the number of graduates would have decreased by 2.5%. In 2008, 60% of qualifications, or 146,721, were awarded to women. Women were awarded 56.4% of the qualifications in 1992.

July 13, 2010
Canadian Social Trends Number 90
This edition of Canadian Social Trends includes the following articles:
* Participation in sports and cultural activities among Aboriginal children and youth
* Emigration from Canada to the United States from 2000 to 2006
* Migration from central to surrounding municipalities in Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver
* Making fathers “count”
* Foreign nationals working temporarily in Canada
[ earlier editions of Canadian Social trends ]

The Daily Archives
- select a month and click on a date for that day's Daily

Jennefer Laidley is with the Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) in Toronto.
Jennefer scans the electronic media for links to items of interest for social researchers and advocates in Toronto, and she also covers (to a lesser extent) the provincial, national and international scenes. She shares her findings in a daily email to her mailing list, and she's given me permission to reproduce her links on my site and newsletter.

Click the link above to access Jennefer's collection of media links. If the latest links on that page are more than a few days old, it's because I'm having a hard time keeping up with Jennefer's production. Perhaps I'll have better success if I try to do a bit each day rather than waiting until I'm pulling my newsletter together on Sunday...

What's new online:
[This section archives documents that
have been featured on the CRRU homepage..]

Open letter to the Minister of Education
14 Jul 10
- The Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC calls on the provincial government and Boards of Education not to raise child care rents to generate profit.

child care in the news:
[This section features interesting and noteworthy news
about ECEC and related issues in Canada and internationally.]

Subscribe to the CRRU email announcements list
Sign up to receive email notices of updates and new postings on the CRRU website which will inform you of policy developments in early childhood care and education, new research and resources for policy, newly released CRRU publications, and upcoming events of interest to the child care and broader community.

CRRU Publications - briefing notes, factsheets, occasional papers and other publications
ISSUE files - theme pages, each filled with contextual information and links to further info

Source:
Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU)
The Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) is a policy and research oriented facility that focuses on early childhood education and child care (ECEC) and family policy in Canada and internationally.

Poverty Dispatch (U.S.)
- the content of this link changes several times a week
- scan of U.S. web-based news items dealing with topics such as poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, etc.

July 16:
Recession and TANF Enrollment - Indiana
Economic Stimulus and Jobs Programs
Hospitals and Medicaid Costs - Ohio
Exhaustion of Jobless Benefits

July 15:
Foster Care System - Oregon
Unemployment Rate - Michigan
Medicaid Reform - Florida

July 14:
Aging Out of Foster Care - Delaware
Green Initiatives and Fuel Poverty - UK

July 13:
Exhaustion of Jobless Benefits
State Children’s Health Insurance Program - Montana
Multidimensional Poverty Index

July 12:
Haiti Earthquake and the Displaced
Medicaid Reimbursement Rates - Texas
High School Graduation Rates - Mississippi
Exhaustion of Jobless Benefits

Hong Kong passes first-ever minimum wage law
Rate could be at least $3 (U.S.) an hour in rare departure from financial hub’s free-market philosophy
July 17, 2010
Hong Kong passed its first-ever minimum-wage law Saturday, a rare departure from the wealthy Chinese financial hub's free-market philosophy. The move was hailed by union workers as a victory for the territory's underpaid working class.No rate has yet been set, but it appears employers will be required to pay at least $3 (U.S.) an hour — well short of the rates in the West and low for one of the most expensive cities in the world. Thousands of foreign live-in domestic workers also will be excluded from the deal. But legislator and union organizer Lee Cheuk-yan said it was symbolic, showing that the city was saying “goodbye to shameful wages and embraced social justice for workers."

Australian Policy Online (APO)
APO is a news service and library specialising in Australian public policy reports and articles from academic research centres, think tanks, government and non-government organisations. The site features opinion and commentary pieces, video, audio and web resources focussed on the policy issues facing Australia.
[ About APO ]
NOTE : includes links to the latest APO research; the five most popular downloads of the week
appear in a dark box in the top right-hand corner of each page.

Age matters, June 2010
09 July 2010
Age Matters highlights developments in statistics on the ageing population, and other information of likely interest to ageing researchers and policy makers.
Source:
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

1. Going by the book: Academic guides for public servants
2. Maladaptation
3. Meeting Australia's research workforce needs
4. Conceptualisation of social and emotional wellbeing for children and young people
5. Boats and votes: more evidence

New Research : Social Policy | Poverty
- topics include:
* Community * Cultural diversity * Families & households * Gender & sexuality * Immigration & refugees * Population * Poverty * Religion & faith * Social Inclusion * Social problems * Welfare * Youth

1. Maladaptation
2. Conceptualisation of social and emotional wellbeing for children and young people
3. Boats and votes: more evidence
4. Family violence and family law in Australia
5. Age matters, June 2010

14 July 2010, CRINMAIL issue 1183
* In this issue:
Editorial: Civil and political rights in schools
* Other News and Reports:
-Juvenile Justice: Threat of execution in Iran / Detentions too common in Turkey
-Child Slavery: Escalating in Haiti, Child Marriage: Lack of evidence to prosecute in Nigerian senate case.
-Violence: Sexual development the key to confronting issue
-Health: Concerns over male circumcision clamp in South Africa
-Young advocates to face up at human rights competition
-Jobs: Latest postings
- Also includes:
* World news * Reports * Events * Laws * Issues * Advocacy * Challenging breaches * Take action * Campaigns * Toolkits

Links to Issues of CRINMAIL
- links to hundreds of weekly issues, many of which are special editions focusing on special themes, such as the 45th Session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the launch of the EURONET Website.
NOTE: see http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnrights.htm for the table of contents for, and links to, several months' worth of issues of CRINMAIL.

I am solely accountable for the choice of links presented therein and for the occasional editorial comment - it's my time, my home computer, my experience, my biases, my Rogers Internet account and my web hosting service.

I administer the mailing list and distribute the weekly newsletter using software on the web server of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Thanks, CUPE!

If you wish to subscribe to the e-mail version of newsletter, go to the Canadian Social Research Newsletter Online Subscription page:
http://lists.cupe.ca/mailman/listinfo/csrl-news
...or send me an email message.
You can unsubscribe by going to the same page or by sending me an e-mail message [ gilseg@rogers.com ]

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The e-mail version of this newsletter is available only in plain text (no graphics, no hyperlinks, no fancy bolding or italics, etc.) to avoid security problems with government departments, universities and other networks with firewalls. The text-only version is also friendlier for people using older or lower-end technology.

Privacy Policy:
The Canadian Social Research Newsletter mailing list is not used for any purpose except to distribute each weekly issue.
I promise not share any information on this list, nor to send you any junk mail.

Links presented in the Canadian Social Research Newsletter point to different views about social policy and social programs.
There are some that I don't agree with, so don't get on my case, eh...

To access earlier online HTML issues of the Canadian Social Research Newsletter, go to the Newsletter page:
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/news.htm

Please feel free to distribute this newsletter as widely as you wish, but please remember to mention Canadian Social Research Links when you do.

Cheers!
Gilles

E-MAIL:
gilseg@rogers.com

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Very Punny.

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