Canadian Social Research Newsletter
May 31, 2009

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 2036 subscribers.

IN THIS ISSUE:

Canadian content

1.  The Fiscal Monitor for March 2009 (Finance Canada) - May 29
2. British Columbia welfare numbers show continued climb in April (Ministry of Housing and Social Services) - May 29
3. Finance Ministers Indicate Canada Pension Plan is Financially Sound (Department of Finance Canada) - May 25
4. Employment Insurance - selected readings
5. Wake Up Call: The National Vision and Voice We Need for Rural Canada (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) - May 26
6. [Ontario] A better tool box for poverty reduction (Toronto Star ) - May 25
7. Uninsured: Why EI is Failing Working Ontarians (Community Social Planning Council of Toronto) - May 25
8. Ending Chronic Homelessness in Ottawa: Our Vision, Our Plan (Leadership Table on Homelessness) - May 22
9. International Productivity Monitor - Spring 2009 Issue (Centre for the Study of Living Standards) - May 28
10. Old Age Security / Canada Pension Plan Statistics and other gems from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
11. Manitobans call for a poverty reduction plan (Manitoba Office - Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives) - May 2009
12. What's New in The Daily [Statistics Canada]:
--- Employment, Earnings and Hours February 2009 - May 29
--- Payroll employment, earnings and hours, March 2009 - May 28
--- Employment Insurance, March 2009 - May 26
--- Perspectives on Labour and Income (May 2009 issue) - May 26
>>>>> Employment among the disabled, 1999 to 2004
>>>>> Shifting pensions, 1991 to 2006
13. What's new from the Childcare Resource and Research Unit (Toronto) - May 27

International content

14. Poverty Dispatch: U.S. media coverage of social issues and programs (Institute for Research on Poverty - University of Wisconsin-Madison)
15. Australian Policy Online
16. CRINMAIL - (Child Rights Information Network - CRIN)

Gilles

************************
Gilles Séguin
Canadian Social Research Links
http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net

Release of The Fiscal Monitor
Ottawa, May 29, 2009
The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today released The Fiscal Monitor for March 2009.
Highlights:
* March 2009: budgetary deficit of $3.6 billion
* April 2008 to March 2009: budgetary deficit of $2.2 billion

Related document:

The Fiscal Monitor - March 2009

Source:
Finance Canada

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

April 2009 welfare stats:
BC Employment and Assistance Cases by Program - April 2009 (PDF - 81K, 6 pages)
Posted May 29, 2009
Source:
Ministry of Housing and Social Services
[ links to current and earlier welfare statistics ]

Related links:

More bad news for welfare
May 30, 2009
BC's latest welfare "statistics" were released mid-afternoon on Friday, May 29th. The "temporary assistance - expected to work" caseload increased 52.9% between April 2008 and April 2009. The total caseload increased by 14.4%, year over year. "Expected to work - two parent families" increased by 77.1%. Not only is the welfare caseload increasing, but the rate of increase is increasing! When the August 2008 data were released on the eve of the Vancouver by-elections, five months before the latest budget, the data showed an increase in "temporary assistance - expected to work" of "only" 20.2% and in the total welfare caseload of "only" 5.5%
[ incl. links to three related resources ]
Source:
Strategic Thoughts.com
The website of David Schreck, retired NDP MLA and active political pundit

---

New BC welfare numbers show continued climb
By Andrew MacLeod
May 29, 2009
VICTORIA – The British Columbia welfare caseload continued to rise in April, according to government figures released today. The total number of cases grew by 0.7 percent since March. The number in the expected to work category receiving temporary assistance was 54 percent higher in April than it was in June 2008. The total number of clients, including those on disability assistance, was 161,780 in April. That's still significantly lower than the 244,821 in 2001 when the then new B.C. Liberal Party took office and tightened eligibility requirements. In 1995 there were 367,387 clients on the welfare caseload.
[ incl. links to three related resources ]
Source:
The Tyee

- Go to the BC Government Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk.htm
- Go to the Non-Governmental Sites in British Columbia (A-C) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk2.htm
- Go to the Non-Governmental Sites in British Columbia (D-W) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/bcbkmrk3.htm

From the Department of Finance Canada:

Finance Ministers Indicate Canada Pension Plan is Financially Sound
May 25, 2009
Federal, provincial and territorial Ministers of Finance, as joint stewards of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), today announced the results of the program's triennial review at the close of their annual spring meetings at Meech Lake. The review confirms that the CPP, a key pillar of Canada's retirement income system, remains on a sound financial footing. "The CPP is well positioned to weather the current market turbulence," said the Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance. "Canadians can count on an affordable CPP today and for the future." The CPP provides over 3.6 million retired Canadians with benefits of up to $909 per month.

Related document:

Information Paper: Proposed Changes
to the Canada Pension Plan
Proposed by Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Finance
Ottawa, May 25, 2009
(...) The proposed changes will provide greater flexibility for older workers to combine pension and work income if they so wish; modestly expand pension coverage; and improve fairness in the Plan’s flexible retirement provisions.
(...) The proposed changes will begin to come into force in 2011 following approval by the Parliament of Canada and provincial governments.

< COMMENT:
I think it's wonderful that one of the proposed changes to CPP will allow people to continue working while receiving their CPP benefits. But the economic downturn is happening NOW, not in 2011, when the CPP changes will "begin" to come into force. Any change to the CPP requires the support of two-thirds of the provinces and territories, so if all Canadian ministers of Finance support the changes, they can fast-track the process of changing the CPP much more expeditiously.
... and I don't think that most of them *wish* to keep combining pension and work income, by the way --- they have to.>

Related links:

Consultation on pensions in Canada
"Strengthening the Legislative and Regulatory Framework for Private Pension Plans
Subject to the Pension Benefit Standards Act, 1985"
- launched January 2009
- closing date for input: May 31, 2009
- incl. links to two consultation documents from the Department of Finance

Responses/Submissions from the public
- links to dozens of responses (to the consultations documents) submitted to the consultation
by union representatives, pension plan representatives and employer pension representatives.

Ottawa plans to ease pension rules
Revamp will let early pensioners keep their jobs
May 26, 2009
Source:
Calgary Herald

---

From the
Toronto Star:

$7M bonus as CPP loses $24B
May 29, 2009
OTTAWA–Four top executives of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board pocketed nearly $7 million in bonuses this year despite losing $24 billion of taxpayers' money in bad investments, according to the board's annual report released yesterday.

Reform pensions now, expert says
Canada should admit millions of its citizens will never get the retirement
May 29, 2009

Patchy pensions leave too many exposed
May 27, 2009
By Carol Goar
(...) Today, Canada has a half-built pension system. It serves a fortunate minority relatively well, but leaves many workers facing a bleak retirement. No one is utterly destitute. All seniors are entitled to a monthly old age security payment. And those who belonged to the workforce receive a Canada Pension Plan. But these public programs are designed to provide a modest base on which to build a private retirement income. And millions of workers simply can't. The lucky ones – 38.5 per cent of working Canadians – have a company pension. But their luck is running out...
[ more columns by Carol Goar ]
Source:
Toronto Star

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

From the Ottawa Citizen:

Fixing EI a matter of 'national unity': Rae
By Juliet O'Neill
May 29, 2009
OTTAWA — A growing call for a single employment insurance eligibility rule across the country has become a matter of "national unity," Toronto Liberal MP Bob Rae said Friday. Rae made the case in the House of Commons, citing an assertion by B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell that the current rules are "clearly discriminatory" against the West. Campbell is the third premier to speak out on the matter, joining Alberta's Ed Stelmach and Ontario's Dalton McGuinty, along with all three federal opposition parties — the Liberals, New Democratic Party and Bloc Quebecois.

---

From the Toronto Star:

Tories offer little to unemployed
Editorial
May 26
As layoffs multiply, the clamour for making Employment Insurance (EI) more accessible keeps on rising. But the Conservative government in Ottawa demonstrated yesterday that it is not listening. In layoff-ravaged Oshawa, Human Resources Minister Diane Finley announced some $500 million in support for long-tenured workers who have lost their jobs and are seeking to upgrade their skills.

Employment Insurance stokes election fever
Conservatives reach out to unemployed workers,
but likely to face wrath of Liberals who demand insurance plan overhaul
May 25, 2009
OTTAWA – Human Resources Minister Diane Finley is announcing improvements to the employment insurance program today, but it will not be enough to head off a clash with the Liberals that threatens to derail the Conservative minority government and force an early-summer election. Finley's initiative is meant to help laid-off workers, but a senior government source said it's nothing like the major overhaul of EI being demanded by opposition parties as Parliament resumes today.

---

From CTV:

Ignatieff says Canadians sick of budget 'guestimates'
(05/28/2009)
Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff accused the government of playing guessing games with Canadians' tax dollars Thursday as the political fallout widened from this week's $50-billion deficit announcement.

Flaherty should be fired for $50B deficit: Grits
(05/27/2009)
Smelling blood, the opposition demanded that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty be fired Wednesday, a day after his announcement that the deficit was now $50 billion.

Flaherty says deficit to soar to $50 billion
(05/26/2009)
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says the federal deficit will balloon to $50 billion this fiscal year, an increase of more than $16 billion from a January forecast.

Number of EI recipients jumped by 10.6 per cent
(05/26/2009)
The number of EI beneficiaries jumped by 10.6 per cent in March from the previous month, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday, a surge attributed to increases in Alberta and B.C.

Deficit to be 'substantially more' than projected
(05/26/2009)
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Monday the federal deficit will be "substantially more" than the government projected in January's 2009-2010 budget.

---

Western premiers condemn EI inequities
Call for equal treatment
By Juliet O'neill
May 30, 2009
A growing call for a single employment insurance eligibility rule across the country has become a matter of "national unity,"Liberal MP Bob Rae said Friday. Rae made the case in the House of Commons, citing an assertion by B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell that the current rules are"clearly discriminatory" against the West. Campbell is the third premier to speak out on the matter, joining Alberta's Ed Stelmach and Ontario's Dalton McGuinty, along with all three federal opposition parties -- the Liberals, New Democratic Party and Bloc Quebecois.
Source:
The Calgary Herald

---

- Go to the Employment Insurance Links page : http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ei.htm

New from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM):

Federation of Canadian Municipalities calls for champion to fight crisis in rural Canada
OTTAWA, May 26, 2009 - Rural Canada needs a champion at the federal cabinet table and a long-term plan from the federal government to reverse the decline in its struggling towns and villages. That was the message today from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) as it released its report, Wake-Up Call: The National Vision and Voice We Need for Rural Canada, at a news conference on Parliament Hill.
(...)
The report, launched by FCM´s Rural Forum and developed with contributions by Dr. Donald J. Savoie of the Université de Moncton and Dr. Bill Reimer of Concordia University, shines a light on the growing crisis in rural Canada and its implications for the national economy. It asks what role the federal government should play in rural communities and provides a road map for effective action in Ottawa.

:: Backgrounder - Rural Canada by the Numbers (PDF - 152K, 1 page)

:: Report - Wake Up Call: The National Vision and Voice We Need for Rural Canada (PDF - 263K, 21 pages)

:: Backgrounder - The Federal Role in Rural Sustainability (PDF - 148K, 2 pages)

:: Statement by FCM First Vice-President on today´s release of Wake-Up Call: The National Vision and Voice We Need for Rural Canada

Source:
Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM)
With more than 1,775 members, FCM represents the interests of municipalities on policy and program matters that fall within federal jurisdiction. Members include Canada's largest cities, small urban and rural communities, and 18 provincial and territorial municipal associations.

Related link:

Rural Canada in crisis: report
May 26, 2009
OTTAWA - A new report says rural communities across the country are in crisis. The report by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities urges the federal government to develop a long-term plan to diversify rural economies. It says rural communities need "a champion" at the federal cabinet table to ensure their priorities receive the proper resources and attention. Rural areas have been struggling for decades with shrinking populations and tax bases, lower-than-average incomes, and higher rates of poverty and chronic health problems. The problems have been exacerbated by the global economic meltdown.
Source:
Yahoo Canada News

- Go to the Municipalities Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/municipal.htm

A better tool box for poverty reduction
May 25, 2009
By Carol Goar
One of the defining characteristics of an effective social agency is that it never stays still. It changes as the population of a community changes. It creates new programs when the existing ones don't meet the needs of its clients. It constantly looks for better ways to do things and better tools to help people. Governments, on the other hand, lock their programs in place with rigid rules. They demand conformity. They manage change by imposing limits and off-loading responsibilities. This clash of visions leads to stifled creativity and half-solved problems. That is the message a Senate delegation heard when it came to Toronto this month, seeking solutions to urban poverty. Three members of the subcommittee on cities – Senators Art Eggleton, Jane Cordy and Hugh Segal – spent a morning at Woodgreen Community Services, one of Toronto's leading social agencies...
Related link:
Woodgreen Community Services
At WoodGreen we believe that everyone should have access to
the essentials of life whether that means a roof over their head, a stable job or child care they can trust.
Source:
Toronto Star

- Go to the Anti-poverty Strategies and Campaigns page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/antipoverty.htm
- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk3.htm

Uninsured: Why EI is Failing Working Ontarians
News Release
Posted May 25, 2009
(...) In 2008, approximately 1 in 5 unemployed workers in Toronto were eligible for EI. While unemployed workers were struggling to make ends meet, the accumulated surplus of EI premiums soared to over $54 billion.

UNINSURED: Why EI is Failing Working Ontarians (PDF - 2.7MB, 25 pages)
May 2009

Source:
Community Social Planning Council of Toronto
The Community Social Planning Council of Toronto is committed to independent social planning at the local and city-wide levels in order to improve the quality of life for all people in Toronto. It is committed to diversity, social and economic justice, and active citizen participation in all aspects of community life.

- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk3.htm
- Go to the Employment Insurance Links page : http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ei.htm

Destination: Home
Leadership Table on Homelessness
Ending Chronic Homelessness in Ottawa:
Our Vision, Our Plan (PDF - 1.2MB, 13 pages)
May 2009
Core Strategies:
1. HOUSING FIRST
Provide a permanent, stable home for every chronically homeless person.
2. SUPPORT SERVICES
Provide each chronically homeless person with the support services he or she needs in order to remain housed and off the streets.
3. ENGAGEMENT
Build understanding about chronic homelessness and engage the community in helping us provide housing and support services to the chronically homeless
Source:
United Way of Ottawa

NOTE : Links to the May 22 news release and a few related news articles were included in last week's Canadian Social Research Newsletter, but I couldn't find the report on the United Way website at the time.
This is it.

Related link:

City to spend $1M a year to help 100 homeless get off streets
May 22, 2009
The City of Ottawa announced Friday that it's taking a million-dollar step toward ending chronic homelessness in the city. With the help of Leadership Table on Homelessness, the group of business leaders and government officials that made the announcement Friday, the city said it hopes to help 100 chronically homeless people a year. The city said it has committed $1 million a year to provide support for the 100 homeless who will soon be given homes.
Source:
CBC

- Go to the Ontario Municipal and Non-Governmental Sites (D-W) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/onbkmrk3.htm
- Go to the Homelessness and Housing Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/homeless.htm

International Productivity Monitor - Spring 2009 Issue
May 28, 2009
The Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS), a national, independent, not-for-profit, economic research organization, today released the Spring 2009 issue of the International Productivity Monitor.
Highlights of the issue:
* Serge Coulombe and Jean-Francois Tremblay of the University of Ottawa provide a synthesis of the literature on the relationship between education and productivity.
A key finding is that the macroeconomic returns to education depend on a country’s distance from the world technology frontier. Given that Canada is close to the frontier, the authors conclude that the returns to additional investment in post-secondary education could be substantial.
* Andrew Sharpe and Jean-Francois Arsenault from the Centre for the Study of Living Standards present new estimates of productivity for the Canadian provinces from 1997 to 2007.
Perhaps surprisingly, Newfoundland recorded the best productivity performance while Alberta had the worst. In both cases, the oil and gas sector was largely responsible, reducing productivity growth in Alberta as resources moved from into the lower productivity oil sands (relative to conventional oil and gas) and raising it in Newfoundland as the output expanded rapidly in the high productivity oil and gas sector.
* In late April the Council of Canadian Academies (CCA) released the Expert panel report on business innovation in Canada.
The first article by CCA President Peter Nicholson summarizes the report, arguing that Canada's lagging productivity growth has been due to subpar innovation. He concludes that too many businesses in Canada are technology followers, not leaders, and that what is needed is a fresh discussion on factors that influence the adoption of innovation-based business strategies. Three commentaries on the report follow, by Richard Hawkins of the University of Calgary, Jorge Niosi from the University of Quebec at Montreal, and Ian A. Stewart, a former Deputy Minister of Finance.

Source:
Centre for the Study of Living Standards
The Centre for the Study of Living Standards is a non-profit, national, independent organization that seeks to contribute to a better understanding of trends in and determinants of productivity, living standards and economic and social well-being through research.
[ CSLS Research reports - 100+ links ]

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

Recently, I noticed that my former employer, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), had changed a few links on its website, notably links to statistics on Old Age Security and the Canada Pension Plan, both programs administered by HRSDC. When I finished updating those links, I clicked through some of my old group's online reports and decided to highlight some of that work for the social researchers who are so frustrated with the HRSDC website that they don't bother even trying to navigate their way around the site (more about that below). Below, you'll find a breakdown of the OAS/CPP stats that you can find on HRSDC's website, along with some reports that you may not even be aware of...

---

Old Age Security / Canada Pension Plan Statistics
[not a new link as such, but rather a lost-and-found link...]

Includes links to the following Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan stats:

* ISP Information Card (Rate Card) - updated quarterly,gives the maximum monthly rates for Canada Pension Plan, Quebec Pension Plan and Old Age Security benefits, as well as other selected figures.

* Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security Statistical Bulletin - a monthly publication that provides detailed information such as the number of benefits in pay, the amounts paid, and the distribution of various benefits by age and sex.

* Canada Pension Plan Contributors Report - an annual publication with detailed statistics on the number of contributors and the amount of contributions to the Canada Pension Plan. Although the publication is annual, the data are 2 years in arrears. This is due to ongoing updating of the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency T4 files prior to issuing.

* Canada Pension Plan Benefit Rates - maximum monthly rates for new CPP benefits from 1967 to date, as well as historical data related to the calculation of CPP contributions and benefits. This publication also contains historical tables on pension index and escalation factors.

* ISP Stats Book - annual publication, serves as a reference for Income Security Programs. It contains historical data on CPP and OAS monthly averages of benefits, new benefits and net payments in calendar years or fiscal years. Other data included in this publication are QPP, Average Weekly Wages and Consumer Prince Index data Average Weekly Wages and Statistics Canada's Low Income Cut-off levels.

* Social Security Agreements: Canadian Benefits Paid - data on Canadian Benefits paid (under Social Security Agreements) to people who have lived or worked in another country

* Tables of Rates for Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement and the Allowance

---

A few more gems from the
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada website:

Social Security Statistics, Canada and Provinces, 1978-79 to 2002-03
Updated June 2005

Social Assistance Statistical Report: 2005
[ 2004 edition of this report ]
- provincial-territorial income support (primarily social assistance) statistics

[ NOTE: the two reports noted above are, in my view, absolutely indispensible resource for any self-respecting social historian in Canada today - the first offers time-series information (20+ yrs) on beneficiciaries and expenditures for a wide range of Canadian social programs, some of which haven't even been around in decades, and the second is a federal-provincial report that is without equal for comparative interprovincial welfare caseload information. I highly recommend these two reports, and I hope that both will continue to be updated and freely available on the HRSDC website.]

Low Income in Canada: 2000-2006 Using the Market Basket Measure
October 2008

Indicators of Well-being in Canada
January 2008

Social Assistance in Canada in January 1994
1996
Over 40 pages of information on Canadian social assistance programs as they operated in 1994

Social Policy Reports
- includes links to some historical reports you won't find elsewhere):
* A Canada Fit for Children - April 2004
* Future directions To Address Disability Issues for the Government of Canada: Working Together for Full Citizenship - January 1999
* OECD - Early Childhood Education and Care Policy: Canada Country Note - October 2004
* OECD Thematic Review of Early Childhood Education and Care Canadian Background Report - October 2004
* Earlier editions of Social Security Statistics Canada and Provinces
* Child Welfare in Canada 2000 - January 2000
* Child and Family Services Bulletins (1995-2000)
* Reports on Foster Care in Canada
* Child and Family Statistics 1992-2001
* Social Assistance Statistical Report: 2004
* Social Assistance Statistical Report: 2005
* Conferences and Consultations: New Century, New Risks: Challenges for Social Development in Canada
* more...

HRSDC Publications and Resources - links to the department's own independant and objective research studies in support of its policy development work. It also produces several types of reports that act as on-going management tools to assist the department in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of its activities and to get better results.
NOTE : You have to check each of the links below to see the full collection of HRSDC reports.
* Departmental Reports
* Public Opinion Research Reports
* Research Studies
* Audit Reports
* Evaluation Reports
* Social Policy
* Labour Market Policy
* Learning Policy
Most of this material goes back to the mid-1990s, and it contains a wealth of information on Canadian social programs!

---

Gilles' HRSDC Search Engine Rant,
continued from the last time...

While I was updating the broken links on my HRSDC's home page, I came across a rant of mine from April 2008 about the pathetic excuse for a search engine on the HRSDC website. I decided to copy the whole thing in this newsletter to show how much the HRSDC search engine has evolved since then.

<begin search engine rant.>

The HRSDC Site Search Engine STILL sucks (April 2008).

Don't believe me?
1. Select and copy this text:
Canada Pension Plan Annual Report, 2006-2007 [this report has been on the HRSDC website since January 2008, BTW.]
2. Click the link to the HRSDC website search engine button below and paste your text into the search box.
Search the HRSDC website
3. Click the "Search" button at the bottom of the search page.
When I did this search on Feb. 24/08, the results page consisted of 60 links to stuff that has nothing to do with CPP, such as workplace bulletins, calls for applications, disclosures of contracts over $10,000, miscellaneous unrelated stuff, and - oh, yeah, a link to the 1998-99 Canada Pension Plan Annual Report. ONE link out of 60 search results that even mentions CPP --- and it's to a report that's almost ten years old.
Sucks.

May 2009 Update:
On May 30, 2009, clicked the HRSDC Site Search button and entered "Canada Pension Plan Statistics".
The Search Results page came back with two results, both from a May 1997 evaluation of CPP Survivor Benefits.
Google.ca search result : http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/isp/statistics/statmain.shtml

I use Google.ca's free site search feature on my own website, and it works just fine to retrieve my site content.
The Government of Canada should find the resources to offer a decent search engine on its websites.
HINT FOR SOCIAL RESEARCHERS:
Use the Google.ca search engine to find HRSDC reports; it works.

</end search engine rant.>

Maybe if 100 people sent an email to HRSDC Minister Diane Finlay [ Finley.D@parl.gc.ca ] asking her how to find CPP statistics on her department's website...
Nah - use Google.ca instead.
It works.

---

Oh, and while I'm on the brickbats portion of my HRSDC tour...

ACCOUNTABILITY?
NOT.

While I was checking the links on my HRSDC Links page, I came across a reference to some content from the 2003 edition of the EI Monitoring and Assessment Report that I wanted to double-check. I clicked on the link below (from the HRSDC website):
Employment Insurance Monitoring and Assessment Reports (HRSDC)
...where I found direct links to the reports for 2008 and 2007 *only*, along with the following friendly rejoinder:
"If you would like to request copies of the previous Monitoring and Assessment Reports, please contact the Publications/Distribution Unit."

ARGH.
Savvy web researchers know how to use the Internet Archive to retrieve web content that's no longer freely available online
...but the other 98% of visitors to the HRSDC website who wish to view an EI assessment report from before 2007 will have to identify themselves to some faceless bureaucrat to *request* a copy.
C'mon, HRSDC - at today's prices, it works out to less than a penny per year to archive those old reports and to make them freely and anonymously available to people who visit the HRSDC site.
Don't make people jump through hoops or identify themselves when they don't have to; people should NEVER have to identify themselves to obtain a public report.
Period.

Not only is that not accountability - it's obstruction.

---

And, to finish off with HRSDC:

What's new in May 2009 from
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada:

New Horizons for Seniors Program
— The calls for proposals for Community Participation and Leadership Funding and Capital Assistance Funding are now open in Quebec until September 11, 2009

- Go to the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/hrsdc.htm
- Go to the Social Statistics Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/stats.htm

The view from here:
Manitobans call for a poverty reduction plan (PDF - 1.9MB, 76 pages)
June 2009 (file dated May 21)
This report looks at the emergence of poverty reduction plans in other jurisdictions; it outlines the essential components of a meaningful poverty reduction plan; it makes the case for a made in Manitoba poverty reduction plan; it includes the latest poverty statistics for Manitoba; it proposes indicators with targets and timelines to measure progress; and it outlines a large package of policies and programs that should be at the heart of a comprehensive poverty reduction plan, highlighting items for immediate action.

Related link:

Research for Communities:
The view from here – Manitobans call for a poverty reduction plan (PDF - 177K, 4 pages)
Spring 2009
This booklet offers information about elsewhere in Canada, what should be included in a poverty reduction plan for Manitoba, common elements of successful poverty reduction programs, etc.

Source:
Manitoba Office - Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
[ More publications from CCPA-Manitoba ]

- Go to the Manitoba Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/mbkmrk.htm

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

May 29, 2009
Employment, Earnings and Hours February 2009
Non-farm payroll employment fell by 79,600 in February, down 0.5% from a month earlier.
Since it peaked in October 2008, the number of payroll employees has declined by 2.0% or 296,000.

May 28, 2009
Payroll employment, earnings and hours, March 2009
Total non-farm payroll employment fell by 60,700 in March, down 0.4% from the previous month, as job losses across industries remained widespread.
[ scary graphic - "Total payroll employment, 2006 to 2009" ]

May 26, 2009
Employment Insurance, March 2009
In March, 681,400 people were receiving regular Employment Insurance benefits, up by 65,300 or 10.6% from the previous month, with the strongest increases in Alberta and British Columbia. The increase in March was the largest since the labour market started to deteriorate last October.

May 26, 2009
Perspectives on Labour and Income
May 2009 issue
Two feature articles in this issue:

Employment among the disabled, 1999 to 2004
* Highlights
* Full article: HTML | PDF
Abstract: Longitudinal data show that disability can be temporary or episodic. Between 1999 and 2004, only 13% of those reporting a disability were affected for the entire 6 years. The longer the disability period, the more likely the individuals were to have less education, be women, be older, live alone and work fewer hours per year. Moreover, the effects of a disability were often felt outside the actual period of the disability.

Shifting pensions, 1991 to 2006
* Highlights
* Full article: HTML | PDF
Abstract: In 2006, 37% of the employed Canadian population was covered by a registered pension plan. Defined benefit plans have historically covered the majority of plan participants. Defined contribution plans have recently become more prominent. This article examines the increased prevalence of such plans in Canada between 1991 and 2006 and the factors influencing this trend.

Subscribe to Perspectives (free via email)

The Daily Archives - select a year and month from the drop-down menu to view releases in chronological order
[ Statistics Canada ]

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

Childcare Resource and Research Unit (CRRU)

May 27, 2009

Poverty reduction policies and programs
27 May 09
- Collection of reports from the Canadian Council on Social Development identifying current federal, provincial and territorial approaches to poverty reduction.

Putting science into action: equity from the start through early childhood development
27 May 09
- Presentations from the Council for Early Child Development’s conference, Putting Science into Action, available.

Effective pre-school and primary education 3-11 project (EPPE 3-11): Influences on children’s cognitive and social development in year 6
27 May 09
- Research brief from the DCSF, UK Government, presenting findings from the EPPE project regarding educational attainment and social/behavioural outcomes.

Unequal opportunities for preschoolers: Differing standards for licensed child care centers and state-funded prekindergarten programs
27 May 09
- Report from NIEER highlighting the gap between state standards for child care and standards for state-funded prekindergarten.

more WHAT'S NEW ONLINE »

child care in the news

· Germany’s kindergarten teachers strike [DE]
26 May 09

· Gov’t cuts funding for daycare training [CA-NB]
26 May 09

· Self-control helps kids be own boss [CA]
23 May 09

· ‘Sesame Street’ The show that counts [US]
23 May 09

· NDP alleges province unfairly administered child-care subsidies [CA-AB]
21 May 09

· Former PM calls for action on early child care [CA]
20 May 09

more CC IN THE NEWS »

Related Links:

Links to child care sites in Canada and elsewhere

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)

- Go to the Non-Governmental Early Learning and Child Care Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/ecd2.htm

Poverty Dispatch (U.S). ===> the content of this link changes twice a week
IRP compiles and distributes Poverty Dispatches twice a week. Each issue of the dispatch provides links to U.S. web-based news items dealing with topics such as poverty, welfare reform, child welfare, education, health, hunger, Medicare and Medicaid, etc.
Each Dispatch lists links to current news in popular print media.

Latest issues of the Poverty Dispatch:

May 28, 2009
* State Budget Cuts - California
* Joblessness and Unemployment
* Homelessness and Housing
* Education Reform and the Achievement Gap
* High School Graduation Rate - Iowa
* Food Stamp Program and Farmers' Markets
* Reports: Income and Poverty - Korea, Finland, Albania, Ireland
* Health Insurance Coverage and Costs
* Economic Stimulus Spending and States
* The Poor and Donations to Charity
* Opinion: Global Poverty Alleviation
* Welfare Programs - Minnesota, Louisiana
* State Minimum Wage - Rhode Island
* Spending on Drug Abuse and Prevention
* Opinion: Prisoner Re-entry Programs - Indiana
* Anderson Herald Bulletin Special Report - Indiana

May 21, 2009
* States and the Food Stamp Program
* Jobless Claims and Benefits
* People Living in Poverty - Iraq
* Report: Poverty and Inequality - London, UK
* Reports: Working Families and Basic Needs - Nebraska, Utah
* State Health Insurance Plans
* Housing Agencies and the Economic Stimulus
* State Budgets - California, Ohio
* Predatory Lending and Native Americans

Past Poverty Dispatches
- links to two dispatches a week back to June 2006

Search Poverty Dispatches

If you wish to receive Poverty Dispatches by e-mail,
please send a request to rsnell@ssc.wisc.edu

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

- 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
- Go to the Poverty Measures - International Resources page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/poverty2.htm

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, and the downloads vary depending on the topic you select.

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

- Go to the Social Research Links in Other Countries (Non-Government) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/internatngo.htm

Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)

28 May 2009 - CRINMAIL 1088
* GLOBAL: Amnesty International Report 2009: State of the World's Human Rights [publication]
* GUANTANAMO: US lawyers petition Afghan court for detainee [news]
* COUNCIL OF EUROPE: Governments should open up channels for civil society complaints against violations of social rights [viewpoint]
* CHAD: Scores of children among rebels rounded up in east [news]
* TURKEY: IX International training course on sexual and reproductive health of adolescents/ young people [event]
* EMPLOYMENT: International Save the Children Alliance - Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies [job postings]
**NEWS IN BRIEF**

26 May 2009 - CRINMAIL 1087
* UN SECURITY COUNCIL: Security Council Resolution 1612 and Beyond - Strengthening protection for children in armed conflict [publication]
* PERU: Government condemns use of children by guerrilla group [news]
* CRIN: Guide to child rights mechanisms (Arabic) [publication]
* GLOBAL: Tools to combat forced child begging [publications]
* SWITZERLAND: Forced Child Labour in Central Asia - The way forward and the role of the international community [event]
**NEWS IN BRIEF**

Links to all issues of CRINMAIL
- links to 300+ 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 and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Source:
CRINMAIL(incl. subscription info)
[ Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) ]

- Go to the Children's Rights Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnrights.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:
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 ]

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

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

Auto Insurance Statements

**************************

How'd They Vote?
http://www.howdtheyvote.ca/