HOW FEDERAL JOB CUTS WILL IMPACT ATLANTIC CANADA – A new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) highlights how federal job cuts in the Atlantic region will disproportionately affect this part of the country. The report titled: “Public Disservice: The Impact of Federal Government Job Cuts In Atlantic Canada” by Michael Bourgeois, Joanne Hussey, Christine Saulnier, and Sara Wuite of the CCPA, cautions that the number of cuts proportional to other parts of the country, the deeper impact in the region compared to others, the effect on service quality and serviceability, the decrease in institutional knowledge within the public service, and the concern that progress by vulnerable groups like women, visible minorities, aboriginal people and people with disabilities will be lost. We all remember the cuts of the 1990’s, although they contributed to a balanced budget, the social and economic costs were devastating to social progress. See the full report at:   http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/Nova%20Scotia%20Office/2012/11/Public%20Disservice_ENG.pdf

FEDERAL TAX CREDITS COULD BE BETTER SPENT ON LOW INCOME FAMILIES

FEDERAL TAX CREDITS COULD BE BETTER SPENT ON LOW INCOME FAMILIES - The anti-poverty coalition, Campaign 2000, has recommended that certain tax credits paid out to all families each year could be better spent directly on low income families. The child tax benefit, the child fitness tax benefit, and the universal child care benefit could be replaced with a child benefit supplement for poor families and would go a long way to reducing poverty in Canada. “For many families it would mean higher quality food, …it would mean better housing and housing is a very important determinant on its own of health. For some families it might mean that children can become involved in activities that they otherwise couldn’t become involved in. Some children would certainly be clothed better.” (Sid Frankel, a University of Manitoba social work associate professor and Campaign 2000 committee member.) See more at: http://thechronicleherald.ca/canada/185935-canada-in-brief-november-21-2012 .

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES THE CALL FOR NEW IDEAS ON SOCIAL FINANCING

Human Resources Minister, Diane Finley, has launched a call for ideas on how private sector social financing can shape future social policy in Canada. Social financing is a way to use private sector funding to finance social programs. It offers an opportunity for charities, non-profits, and social purpose businesses to open new sources of funding.  Many non-profits are trapped in a cycle of short term subsistence funding that diverts attention from their mission. It is a way for social purpose businesses to contribute to social programs. Minister Finley has expressed her concern “with the lack of progress in social programs, and wants to dramatically re-arrange the system so that there are incentives to deliver better results.” (Chronicle Herald, November 9, 2012). The National Consultation invites ideas from organizations and individuals from across the country on how to improve social and economic outcomes for Canadians. Comments can be made before December 31, 2012 on the website at: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/consultations/index.shtml .