As clue about why the government is rejecting CPP expansion
How the Conservatives are fudging the numbers
There is an old-fashioned sounding term, “cabinet solidarity,” that I’ve been thinking about this week, after Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he was for abolishing the Senate and Denis Lebel, minister of infrastructure, communities and intergovernmental affairs, said he thinks if 50 per cent plus one voted to separate in a referendum, that would be enough for Quebec to exit Canada.
A small threat goes a long way
No time like the present to revisit the PM’s pledge to accountability
Premiers want more of what cities already have
As with most things, it depends who you ask
Among the most-discussed measures in last week’s federal budget was the government’s plan to create a new “Canada Job Grant.” Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Ottawa will contribute up to $5,000 per employee—if the employer and the province both provide matching funding—for short-term skills upgrading in places like community colleges and union training centres.
Perhaps the biggest unanswered question about the budget Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tabled last week was how he planned to cut a whopping $4 billion out of the government’s operating expenses in the coming year. As it turns out, though, that might just be the easiest part of Flaherty’s budget-balancing task ahead.
The issue of job training will create conflict between the Conservative government and the provinces
Anyone paying even glancing attention to public policy debates over the past decade or so can’t have avoided taking in the received wisdom that an aging population is one of the most pressing challenges.
Flaherty could lose key ally in constitutional battle with provinces