Tonight is Friday and while I sit here occupying my time with readings, movies and Youtube, many of you are probably outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather with the company of friends. While outside, I hope you get a chance to look up at the amazing moon, while it isn’t a
Continue readingTag: jobs
The Canadian Progressive: Obama Teases on Keystone XL, But Continues to Dodge Climate Peril
President Obama acknowledges that the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline’s ability to create jobs is exaggerated, but won’t publicly acknowledge the pipeline’s climate impact. The post Obama Teases on Keystone XL, But Continues to Dodge Climate Peril appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Sun Media urged to reverse “self-destructive” plan to nuke 360 jobs
CWA Canada is urging Sun Media to reverse its “self-destructive plan” to nuke 360 jobs and 11 publications, and to instead focus on quality local jobs and journalism to boost profits. The post Sun Media urged to reverse “self-destructive” plan to nuke 360 jobs appeared first on The Canadian Progressive.
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada Originally Intended All Education To Be Free
Out of Canada’s 33 Fathers of Confederation, only one went to university.1 It’s not that Nova Scotia’s Charles Tupper was the only intelligent one among them, other founders were businessmen, doctors, and lawyers, it’s that none of those jobs, and many others, did not require any post-secondary education. The eduction
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada Originally Intended All Education To Be Free
Out of Canada’s 33 Fathers of Confederation, only one went to university.1 It’s not that Nova Scotia’s Charles Tupper was the only intelligent one among them, other founders were businessmen, doctors, and lawyers, it’s that none of those jobs, and many others, did not require any post-secondary education. And the
Continue readingThe Scott Ross: Canada Originally Intended All Education To Be Free
Out of Canada’s 33 Fathers of Confederation, only one went to university.1
It’s not that Nova Scotia’s Charles Tupper was the only intelligent one among them, other founders were businessmen, doctors, and lawyers, it’s that none of those jobs, and many others, did not require any post-secondary education.
And the eduction jobs in the late 19th century did require was entirely made free shortly after confederation because provincial governments, though extremely small and limited, believed that their public schools should provide all the instruction necessary for citizens to obtain jobs in any sector, be it agriculture, engineering, manufacturing, commerce, medicine or law.
Today however provinces have lost sight of the importance they once placed on education. Where once provincial governments provided all the training necessary for a skilled workforce, they are increasingly providing less while at the same time businesses are only requiring more.
By 2020 the BC government predicts that 77.3% of all jobs will require a post-secondary education. That means in seven years provincial governments will not provide the education needed for three-quarters of all jobs whereas for decades those same governments believed it was important enough to provide the education for every job.
When Canada was founded, education was seen as the extremely important public good that it is. Even in that most conservative era of small government, where health care wasn’t paid for, roads were tolled, and government sanitation services were non-existent, education was such a priority that our provincial governments sought to make it entirely free to every citizen, to provide the training and skills for any and every job.
That is how education in Canada was originally viewed by government, and that is how all education necessary for all employment was publicly provided for decades. Of course over time that changed, and now Canada has a skilled labour shortage, productivity is declining, and our economy is stagnating.
And though today education remains perhaps the most beneficial public good, it is now a costly private expense, while health care, an almost entirely private good, along with roads and sanitation are completely paid for with public funds.
The great past of Canada was built on the importance of education and the complete public provision of it in order to train its citizens for every job. Over the last few decades that has changed, and with it so has Canada’s opportunity for a great future.
1. [Richard Gwyn. John A, The Man Who Made Us, p.321 ]↩
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: What’s another 20 mil of your tax dollars, anyway?
After years of using your tax dollars for partisan self promotion, the Conservatives want $20 million more of your tax dollars to keep the ball rolling. Every time you see a taxpayer funded ad while watching the playoffs, that’s $95,000 of your tax dollars. That same amount could create 32
Continue readingThe Liberal Scarf: What’s another 20 mil of your tax dollars, anyway?
After years of using your tax dollars for partisan self promotion, the Conservatives want $20 million more of your tax dollars to keep the ball rolling. Every time you see a taxpayer funded ad while watching the playoffs, that’s $95,000 of your tax dollars. That same amount could create 32
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Harper Conservatives Nuked More Than 15,000 Public Service Jobs in 2012
By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: A report tabled in the House of Commons last Friday reveals that the Harper Conservatives nuked more than 15,000 public service jobs last year, 8,000 of them fulltime positions. Strangely, the cuts seem to be waging a war against Canadian women and the future. 7,000 of the gutted positions benefited
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Temporary Foreign Worker Scandal: RBC Issues “Open Letter To Canadians”
By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: According to a list recently obtained by the Alberta Federation of Labour, the Royal Bank of Canada, (RBC) is one the thousands of Canadian employers fingered in the unraveling Temporary Foreign Worker scandal. The document shows that scandals at RBC and other high-profile employers are “just the
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: City of Nanaimo asks to be excluded from CETA
Council of Canadians celebrates vote for transparency and democracy By: Council of Canadians | Press Release: NANAIMO, B.C. – The Council of Canadians and its Mid Island chapter are celebrating a decision by City Council last night to demand a permanent exemption for the City from the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: United Steelworkers: Diane Finley Must Resign Over Temporary Foreign Worker Scandal
By: United Steelworkers | Press Release: TORONTO, April 10, 2013 – The United Steelworkers (USW) is calling for the resignation of Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, over her mishandling of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The recent disclosure that RBC is replacing Canadian employees by outsourcing jobs to
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Alberta Federation of Labour Demands Inquiry Into Temporary Foreign Worker Program
List of ‘accelerated’ TFW approvals reveals widespread abuse of program By: Alberta Federation of Labour | Press Release: EDMONTON, April 9, 2013 – A list of fast-tracked temporary foreign worker applications shows that scandals at Royal Bank and HD Mining are just the tip of the iceberg. The document, obtained by the Alberta
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Use of Federal Temporary Workers Undermines Canadian Jobs and Wages
By: United Steelworkers Union | Press Release: TORONTO – “The news that RBC is replacing 45 of its employees with workers from India is just further proof that corporations and the Harper government intend to use the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to lower wages across Canada,” said Ken Neumann, National Director of the
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: New Progressive US Coalition Launches Keystone XL ‘All Risk, No Reward’ TV Ad
By: Obert Madondo | The Canadian Progressive: A new national coalition against TransCanada’s Keystone XL tar sands pipeline launched in the U.S. on Monday with a cutting-edge TV ad. The All Risk, No Reward Coalition seeks to debunk Big Oil’s propaganda about jobs and related benefits. The coalition argues that “the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is all risk,
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Federal Budget 2013: CAW demands full national manufacturing strategy for Canada
By: Canadian Auto Workers Union | Press Release: Billions in new federal supports for Canadian industry is a partial, but important, step forward in assisting the country’s embattled manufacturing sector, said CAW President Ken Lewenza, in response to Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s budget released today. In his budget, Minister Flaherty outlined the federal
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Harper Conservatives Not Serious About Temporary Foreign Worker Fix
By: United Steelworkers Union (Press Release) | Mar 5, 2013: TORONTO – The federal Conservative government is showing it is not serious about fixing the discredited Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the United Steelworkers (USW) says. “It has been four months since the Conservatives promised a review of the Temporary Foreign Worker
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Health care is good medicine for Canada’s economy
by Conference Board of Canada | Jan. 31, 2013: OTTAWA – Health care is a large and essentially recession-proof part of Canada’s economy, creating more than 10 per cent of the country’s total gross domestic product (GDP) annually and supporting more than two million jobs, according to a Conference Board of Canada
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Adrian Dix NDP TV Ad: “Change for the Better”
Adrian Dix NDP TV Ad: “Change for the Better”, for British Columbia, Canadians, First Nations, the world, and the future: We recommend:Radicals for our coast: New Democrat MPs and community reps (VIDEO)President Barack Obama’s 2nd Inaugural Address: VIDEOB.C. Premier Condemns Enbridge Inc For Michigan Pipeline Spill Naomi Klein – Unacceptable risks in
Continue readingDeath By Trolley: How are Psychology PhDs doing on the job market?
I am a reformed and rehabilitated ex-academic. In my previous life, I aspired to be a professor of Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science. I described my experiences in the academic stream in a series entitled The Grad School Gospels. In The Grad School Gospels I have been pessimistic about the
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