Canadian Social Research Newsletter
February 27, 2005

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 1357 subscribers.
Scroll to the bottom of this newsletter to see some notes and a disclaimer.

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IN THIS ISSUE:

Budget Establishes Fiscal Framework for Pinasuaqtavut (PDF file - 38K, 2 pages)
News Release
February 25, 2005
"IQALUIT, Nunavut – Finance Minister Leona Aglukkaq today unveiled a balanced $935.8-million 2005-06 budget that establishes a fiscal framework for implementation of priorities in Pinasuaqtavut, the government's mandate for its current term."
Source:
Nunavut Department of Finance

Nunavut Budget 2005-06
Budget Address (PDF file - 79K, 26 pages)
Budget Highlights (PDF file - 98K, 2 pages)
Capital Estimates (English and Inuktitut) - PDF file (6.46MB, 166 pages)

- Go to the Canadian Government Budgets Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets.htm
- Go to the Nunavut Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/nunavut.htm

Measuring child benefits: Measuring child poverty (PDF file - 270K, 73 pages)
February 2005
By Michael Mendelson
"This report addresses two critical questions in social policy: what is child poverty and how much is an adequate child benefit? To answer these questions, the report provides an analytic basis to distinguish between poverty among families with children and that element of their poverty that is properly understood as ‘child poverty.’ It argues that child benefits should cover the incremental cost of raising a child in a family living just above poverty levels. But to estimate an adequate child benefit, we must then define ‘poverty.’ Building upon a critical review of Canadian and international research, the report describes two alternative methodologies that could be adopted to develop a well-grounded Canadian poverty line. The report provides a number of preliminary quantitative estimates of the value of an adequate child benefit according to these methodologies. This report will challenge your understanding of ‘child poverty,’ how it should be measured and the role of child benefits in addressing it."
Source:
Caledon Institute of Social Policy

- Go to the Poverty Measures Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/poverty.htm
- Go to the Social Research Organizations (I) in Canada page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/research.htm

Federal Budget 2005
- links to all budget papers (in HTML and PDF format)

Budget 2005: Delivering on Commitments
News Release
February 23, 2005
"Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale announced today that Budget 2005 will deliver on the Government’s commitments, while keeping Canada’s books balanced. Minister Goodale emphasized that the measures contained in this budget commit substantial new funding for health care, seniors, child care, national defence and the environment, while providing tax reductions and laying the groundwork for future progress in addressing the priorities of Canadians."
Key initiatives include:
* Implementation of the Government’s commitment to provide Canada’s communities with a share of federal gas excise tax revenues.
* $5 billion over five years to the development of a new Early Learning and Child Care initiative—a key commitment in last year’s Speech from the Throne.
* $5 billion over five years to help fund new strategies to address climate change and protect Canada’s natural environment.
* Increasing Guaranteed Income Supplement benefits for low-income seniors by $2.7 billion over five years.
* $12.8 billion over five years (on a cash basis) to support expansion of the Canadian Armed Forces and purchase new equipment.
* $735 million over five years to address the urgent needs of First Nations communities.
* Enhancing tax assistance for persons with disabilities and caregivers through expanded eligibility for the disability tax credit and other measures.
* Raising the amount of income that all Canadians can earn tax-free to $10,000 by 2009.
* Eliminating the corporate surtax in 2008 and reducing the corporate income tax rate by 2 percentage points by 2010 to maintain Canada’s tax rate advantage over the U.S.
* Eliminating the 30-per-cent foreign property limit on pension and registered retirement savings plan investments.
* $3.4 billion over five years to boost Canada’s international assistance, with the goal of doubling assistance from its 2001–02 level by 2010–11.

Budget Speech
Budget in Brief (+ Overview)
Budget Plan 2005 - this is where you'll find the detailed information.
- sample content from the Budget Plan:
Chapter 3 Securing Canada's Social Foundations (includes Canada Health Transfer / Canada Social Transfer federal $ commitments right into the next decade and much more...)
Chapter 4.1 - A Productive, Growing and Sustainable Economy: Investing in People - incl. early learning and child care info

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Media Coverage of Budget 2005:
Budget 2005 - Canada.com
Budget 2005 - CTV
Budget 2005 - CBC News

Google News search Results : "Federal Budget 2005"
Source:
Google.ca

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Campaign 2000 Responds to Federal Budget
News alert
February 24, 2005
"The 2005 Federal Budget has taken a step in the right direction with a commitment of $5 billion for a national system of early learning and child care – a key pathway to addressing Canada’s child and family poverty rate of 15.6 per cent."
Source:
Campaign 2000

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Promising start for child care
February 24, 2005
"It may not shorten the waiting lists for licensed child care spaces today, but the federal budget holds the promise of a better future for Canada's children, says a University of Guelph child care expert.
Source:
Childcare Resource and Research Unit

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Federal Surplus: A Deficit for the Poor
February 23, 2005
The Canadian Association of Food Banks [CAFB] is outraged that during a time of fiscal abundance, food bank lines are getting longer
Source:
Canadian Association of Food Banks

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Federal budget 2005: what we needed and what we got
February 23, 2005
"The federal government missed a huge opportunity to use the massive Canadian surplus to address the country’s large social and physical infrastructure deficit. Canadians voted in a Liberal minority government, Canadians were looking for a progressive budget. Instead what we got was a budget only a conservative could love."
Source:
Canadian Union of Public Employees

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Budget 2005:
Missed Opportunity to Move Forward on Poverty Reduction
February 24, 2005
"Given the large surpluses the Finance Minister had to work with, NAPO expected more from this government and poor Canadians deserved much more than the Liberals delivered."
Source:
National Anti-Poverty Organization

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Once Again Left Without Supports:
Council of Canadians with Disabilities' Response to Budget 2005
February 23, 2005
"Today's federal Budget improves tax fairness for Canadians with disabilities but does nothing to improve the situation of those most in need," said Marie White, Chairperson of CCD. 'The improved tax measures are a positive step in the right direction in addressing the need for investment in supports, BUT, they are of no benefit to the vast majority of Canadians with disabilities who live in poverty and have no taxable income', said White."
Source:
Council of Canadians with Disabilities
Posted on the website of:
DAWN DisAbled Women's Network - Ontario

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A temperate budget that leaves some people out in the cold:
2005 federal budget analysis from Citizens for Public Justice (PDF file - 305K, 6 pages)
February 24, 2005
Source:
Citizens for Public Justice

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- Go to the Canadian Government Budgets Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets.htm

Anti-poverty groups across BC complain to Ombudsman
about unfairness at Ministry of Human Resources
News Release
February 2, 2005
"Vancouver, BC - The BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre, on behalf of a coalition of 15 organizations from communities across BC, has filed a systemic complaint with the Ombudsman about the Ministry of Human Resources because of concerns about unfair practices experienced by poor people who need assistance from the Ministry."

EXPOSING THE BARRIERS:
Administrative Unfairness at the Ministry of Human Resources
Community groups complaint to the Ombudsman of British Columbia

Source:
BC Public Interest Advocacy Centre
[found on the PovNet website]

- Go to the Non-Governmental Sites in British Columbia (A-C) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk2.htm

Canadian Bar Association Announces Legal Team to Lead Court Challenge on Constitutional Right to Legal Aid
February 19, 2005
"CHARLOTTETOWN – The Canadian Bar Association [CBA] has named a four-person, blue-ribbon legal team to launch a test case to challenge British Columbia’s legal aid plan with the goal of establishing a constitutional right to civil legal aid in Canada."
- incl. links to : Backgrounder - CBA and Legal Aid ; Resolution - Eligibility for Legal Aid ; CBA Resolutions on Legal Aid ; CBA Legal Aid Legal Team Biographies
Source:
Canadian Bar Association
[found on the PovNet website]

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

Creative Resistance : Guide to the 2005 Election Issues - British Columbia
- incl. links to 125+ articles and other resources concerning over two dozen election issues - highly recommended!
Issues : Aquaculture - BC Economy - Child and Family Services - Child Care - Disability Issues - Education - Employment - Women - Employment Standards - Energy - Environment - Freedom of Information - Gambling - Health Care - Housing and Homelessness - Human Rights - Income Inequality - Legal Aid - Lobbying - Long Term Care - P3s - Pharmacare - Policing - Prison System - Responsible Government - Seniors' Issues - Social Housing - Taxes - Welfare - Workers' Rights
Source:
Creative Resistance

NOTE: The Political Parties and Elections Links in Canada page of this site was getting very large, so I split the content into two new links pages : Federal and Provincial/Territorial.

Here are the links to both pages:
Political Parties and Elections Links in Canada (Provinces and Territories) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics_prov_terr.htm
Political Parties and Elections Links in Canada (Federal) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics.htm

Can Work Alter Welfare Recipients’ Beliefs?
The Self-Sufficiency Project
Peter Gottschalk (Boston College)
February 2005
SRDC Working Paper Series 05-01
NOTE: this is written in economese --- not for the faint-hearted!
(For example: "We find that exogenous increases in work induced by an experimental earnings supplement led to the predicted change in beliefs.")
Complete report (PDF file - 236K, 32 pages)

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Estimating the Effects of a Time-Limited Earnings Subsidy for Welfare-Leavers
by David Card and Dean R. Hyslop
Self-Sufficiency Project
February 2005
"Self-Sufficiency Program (SSP) group members would receive an earnings subsidy that could last as long as three years if they began working full time within 12 months of their random assignment to the program group. Consequently, SSP generated two distinct incentives: an initial entitlement incentive to find a job and leave welfare within a year of random assignment, and a post-entitlement incentive to continue to choose work over welfare. The estimates provided in this paper suggest that approximately half of the peak impact of SSP was attributable to the entitlement incentive. Despite the additional employment engendered by the program’s incentives, SSP had no long-term impact on wages, and little or no long-term effect on welfare participation."
Complete report (PDF file - 416K, 56 pages)

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More SRDC Publications

Source:
Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC)
The Social Research and Demonstration Corporation is a nonprofit organization created specifically to develop, field test, and rigorously evaluate social programs designed to improve the well-being of all Canadians, with a special concern for the effects on disadvantaged Canadians.

- Go to the Self-Sufficiency Project Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ssp.htm
- Go to the Social Research Organizations (II) in Canada page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/research2.htm

What's New from The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

February 22, 2005
Consumer Price Index, January 2005
The 12-month increase in the Consumer Price Index fell to 2.0% in January from 2.1% in December.
Leading indicators, January 2005
The composite leading indicator continued to firm in January, up 0.2% after a 0.3% gain in December and no growth in November.
Employment Insurance - December 2004 (preliminary)
The estimated number of Canadians (adjusted for seasonality) receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits edged up 0.2% to 515,760 in December compared with November. This small increase was the first in four months.

- Go to the Federal Government Department Links (Fisheries and Oceans to Veterans Affairs) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fedbkmrk2.htm

Canada in the World: fighting global poverty
Notes for remarks by Aileen Carroll, Minister of International Cooperation
at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada conference — "Canada in the world"
Montreal, Quebec
February 18, 2005
Source:
Canadian International Development Agency

- Go to the Federal Government Department Links (Agriculture to Finance) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fedbkmrk.htm

What's New from The Daily [Statistics Canada]:

February 21, 2005
National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY):
Home environment, income and child behaviour, 1994/95 to 2002/03
Analysis of long-term data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth found that changes in punitive parenting practices in the home were linked with changes in child behaviour eight years later.
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NOTE: The National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY) is a long-term study by Social Development Canada and Statistics Canada, which follows the development of children from birth to early adulthood.
Click the link above, then see the text box near the top of the page for more info about the NLSCY.

- Go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Federal Government Department Links (Fisheries and Oceans to Veterans Affairs) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/fedbkmrk2.htm

Northwest Territories Budget Shows Fiscal House is in Order
News Release
February 10, 2005
"YELLOWKNIFE – The new Fiscal Responsibility Policy was unveiled by Finance Minister Floyd Roland today when he presented the Government of the Northwest Territories’ (GNWT) 2005-06 Budget to the 15th Legislative Assembly."

Budget Highlights (PDF file - 114K, 4 pages)
Budget Address (HTML)
Download Budget Documents (incl. budget address + economic and fiscal review, previous years' budgets)

Source:
Government of the Northwest Territories

- Go to the Canadian Government Budgets Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/budgets.htm
- Go to the Northwest Territories Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ntbkmrk.htm

What's New - from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU) - University of Toronto

Each week, the Childcare Resource and Research Unit disseminates its "e-mail news notifier", an e-mail message with a dozen or so links to new reports, studies and child care in the news (media articles) by the CRRU or another organization in the field of early childhood education and care (ECEC). What you see below is content from the most recent issue of the notifier.

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NEW POSTINGS AVAILABLE ON THE
CHILDCARE RESOURCE AND RESEARCH UNIT’S WEBSITE
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24-Feb-05

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WHATS NEW
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>> Federal Budget 2005
by Government of Canada
Federal budget puts $700 million this year toward early learning and child care, to be placed in a third-party trust.
http://action.web.ca/home/crru/rsrcs_crru_full.shtml?x=72627

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CHILD CARE IN THE NEWS
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>> B.C. lacks sustainable daycare plan [CA-BC]
Vancouver Province, 24 Feb 05
Daycare workers and child care advocates are worried B.C.'s share of $700 million in federal child care funding will do little to ease the daycare crunch unless the province commits to a sustainable spending plan -- and fast.

>> Promising start for child care [CA]
Record, 24 Feb 05
It may not shorten the waiting lists for licensed child care spaces today, but the federal budget holds the promise of a better future for Canada's children, says University of Guelph child care expert Donna Lero.

>> The daycare dilemma: Parents want better-paid workers but lower fees [CA-MB]
Globe and Mail, 24 Feb 05
Tantalized by the promise of a national child care program, many parents and child care advocates were deflated yesterday by Ottawa's plan, which, they insist, invests too little money and allows provinces free rein to spend the money as they wish.

>> $5 billion put into day care despite lack of spending plan: Alberta unsure what to do with cash [CA-AB]
Calgary Herald, 24 Feb 05
Calgary day cares aren't banking on their share of a $700-million cheque for national child care in the federal budget, saying they need details on the proposed program and how funds will be spent.

>> No strings attached to $700 million for day care [CA]
Canadian Press, 23 Feb 05
The minority Liberals will cut a no-strings-attached cheque for $700 million to the provinces this year in a drive to launch national child care before an election.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This message was forwarded through the Childcare Resource and Research Unit e-mail news notifier.
For information on the CRRU e-mail notifier, including subscription instructions , see http://www.childcarecanada.org
The Childcare Resource and Research Unit (University of Toronto, Canada)
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Also from CRRU:

Current developments in Early Childhood Education and Care: Provinces and territories
Regularly updated
"This resource is a collection of useful online readings about current early childhood education and care policy and program delivery issues in each province and territory. Within each jurisdiction, information is organized into three sections: news articles, online documents and useful websites."

What's New? - Links to 100+ Canadian, U.S. and international resources from Jan 2000 to the present.
Child Care in the News - 200+ media articles from January 2000 to the present
ISSUE files - links to 20+ theme pages, each filled with contextual information and links to further info
Links to child care sites in Canada and elsewhere
CRRU Publications - links to ~60 briefing notes, factsheets, occasional papers and other publications

- Go to the Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd.htm

POVERTY DISPATCH Digest (Institute for Research on Poverty - U. of Wisconsin)
February 24, 2005

This digest offers dozens of new links each week to full-text articles in the U.S. media (mostly daily newspapers) on poverty, poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, and much more...
The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a free e-mail service that consists of an e-mail message sent to subscribers each Monday and Thursday, containing a dozen or so links to articles dealing with the areas mentioned above. The weekly Canadian Social Research Links Poverty Dispatch Digest is a compilation, available online, of the two dispatch e-mails for that week --- with the kind permission of IRP.

Here's a one-day sample of the subjects covered in the Poverty Dispatch Digest:

Subscribe to the Poverty Dispatch!
Send an e-mail message to John Wolf < jwolf@ssc.wisc.edu > to receive a plain text message twice a week with one to two dozen links to media articles with a focus on poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, health, Medicaid from across the U.S.
And it's free...

Source:
Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP)
[ University of Wisconsin-Madison ]

POVERTY DISPATCH description/archive - weekly issues back to July 2004 , avg. 100+ links per issue!
NOTE: this archive is part of the Canadian Social Research Links American Non-Governmental Social Research page.

For the current week's digest, click on the POVERTY DISPATCH link at the top of this section.
Recently-archived POVERTY DISPATCH weekly digests:

- February 17, 2005
- February 10, 2005
- February 3 , 2005
- January 20, 2005
- January 13, 2005

- Go to the Links to American Government Social Research page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us.htm
- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (A-J) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us2.htm
- Go to the Links to American Non-Governmental Social Research (M-Z) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/us3.htm

Disclaimer/Privacy Statement

Both Canadian Social Research Links (the site) and this Canadian Social Research Newsletter belong solely to me, Gilles Séguin.

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 and submit your coordinates:
http://lists.cupe.ca/mailman/listinfo/csrl-news

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 include a link back to the home page of Canadian Social Research Links.

Gilles

E-MAIL:
gilseg@rogers.com

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Say what??

...

Lost: small apricot poodle. Reward. Neutered. Like one of the family.

Dinner Special -- Turkey $2.35; Chicken or Beef $2.25; Children $2.00.

For sale: an antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers

Four-poster bed, 101 years old. Perfect for antique lover.

Now is your chance to have your ears pierced and get an extra pair to take home, too.

For Sale -- Eight puppies from a German Shepherd and an Alaskan Hussy. Great Dames for sale.

Tired of cleaning yourself? Let me do it.

Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children.

The hotel has bowling alleys, tennis courts, comfortable beds, and other athletic facilities.

Get rid of aunts: Zap does the job in 24 hours.

Sheer stockings. Designed for fancy dress, but so serviceable that lots of women wear nothing else.

Stock up and save. Limit: one.

For Rent: 6-room hated apartment.

Man, honest. Will take anything.

Man wanted to work in dynamite factory. Must be willing to travel.

Used Cars: Why go elsewhere to be cheated? Come here first!

Wanted. Man to take care of cow that does not smoke or drink.

3-year-old teacher need for pre-school. Experience preferred.

Our experienced Mom will care of your child. Fenced yard, meals, and smacks included.

Semi-Annual after-Christmas Sale.

And now, the Superstore--unequaled in size, unmatched in variety, unrivaled inconvenience.

We will oil your sewing machine and adjust tension in your home for $1.00

Source:
http://humour.50megs.com/