September 22, 2020

THRONE SPEECH ideas from our Webinars

By Andrew Cardozo & Ashwin Nair

What are Canadians saying about the big
Throne Speech Issues?

Since April 2020, Pearson has been hosting a series of webinars on the broad theme of “Covid & Beyond”. Here is what a number of thought leaders are saying.
You can also watch the 25 webinars on the Pearson YouTube Channel here

Policy areas presented in this document:
1. Basic Income
2. National Childcare
3. Combatting Racism
4. Climate Action and a Green Recovery
5. Seniors’ Care
6. Economic Recovery, Future of Work & Taxation

Basic Income
The economic fallout attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic has destabilized Canadians’ personal finances, especially in cases where workers are laid off or forced to work reduced hours. With a second wave imminent, a basic income of a fixed recurring personal amount provided by the federal government would help Canadians start the process of personal financial reconstruction.
Important takeaways from the Pearson Centre’s basic income webinars:
• One good option for the federal government to pursue is guaranteeing to 18- to 64-year-olds a basic income of $22,000 per year per single person and $31,000 per year for couples, while maintaining child and seniors’ benefits (recommended by Basic Income Canada Network)
• Financing a basic income would involve redesigning tax systems and tax transfer systems as well as superseding social assistance
• There is no evidence to support that a basic income disincentivizes work and actually does the opposite
• A basic income is an increasingly more relevant economic policy considering an expanding gig economy and the fact that essential workers some of the hardest hit during the COVID-19 crisis

National Childcare

Throughout the COVID-19 economic crisis, women have been harder hit than men, considering that women happen to make up a higher portion of the demographic representing essential service-sector workers, and are more likely to work part-time as well. Some economists have titled the unprecedented economic crisis a ‘she-cession”. Childcare is an importance piece of policy that is not yet in place that could significantly facilitate the return of women to Canada’s economy, considering that the bulk of domestic care work happens to be done by women.
Important takeaways from the Pearson Centre’s webinar on childcare:
• The federal government should aspire to create a singular continuum of early childhood education that can lead up and merge into the K-12 public system
• Childcare needs actively aspire to tangibly meet the needs of racialized and Indigenous children and lower- and middle-income families
• Childcare needs to be rethought entirely in order to avoid poorly-formulated programs being targeted toward lower income families
• Early learning childcare is an industry that has the potential to create good jobs for women, and particularly for racialized women, and spur localized economic development
• Childcare is also a good incubator for social inclusion and a welcoming home for new immigrants
• Early learning childcare is integral to an economic recovery considering that a lack of such a program tends to shrink the pool of women able to take in work, and also since the education of children will always be an economic investment
o Quebec’s childcare model has proven that childcare is indeed a necessary investment, where women’s participation in the workforce after the implementation of childcare in the province generated enough economic growth to essentially pay off the initial investment in childcare by the government

Combatting Racism
Following the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, a global movement against police brutality and anti-Black racism was ignited, with the movement in Canada focused squarely on Canada’s legacy of colonization, slavery and crisis in policing.
Important takeaways from the Pearson Centre’s webinar on addressing systemic racism:
• Systemic racism in Canada, a country with a past in colonization and slavery, refers to policies and practices that appear neutral superficially, but have negative, exclusionary impacts on marginalized communities
• Poverty alleviation should be the central focus of the redirection of funds from municipal, provincial and federal police forces, in attempting to address the root causes of crime
• Racialized workers, particularly women, the disabled and new immigrants are overrepresented in lower-paying jobs like cleaners, transit drivers, waste management workers, store operators and delivery services
• Several essential workers also have a precarious immigration status that sets them up for exploitation by their employers, whether that be in the form of lower wages, fewer protections or abuse
• The COVID-19 pandemic saw an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes, which stands on the long-standing racist trope in Canada that Chinese people are vectors of disease, and despite being denounced by the Prime Minister, anti-Asian racism is not named in the government’s current anti-racism strategy
• The disaggregation of data, through the collection of race-based information, is a vital step in racial justice – “you can’t change what you can’t measure”
• In addition to applying an anti-racist lens to policy formulation, governments should focus on retributive justice by targeting policy in areas where Black, Indigenous and other racialized people are overrepresented by introducing a living wage, adequate housing and potentially a guaranteed livable income

Climate Action and a Green Recovery
COVID-19 hit Canada months after the world was made aware of the virus, though the country still seemed unprepared for a domestic outbreak. A health crisis ensued, followed by an economic crash. While Canada was able to flatten the COVID-19 curve, the climate change curve has yet to be flattened. In order to avoid a parallel crisis that is predicted to be far more severe in intensity, climate action in Canada will have to be ambitious.
Important takeaways from the Pearson Centre’s webinar on the climate crisis:
• Racialized and Indigenous communities, as well as communities that face barriers to access to water, food, healthcare and jobs, have been hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and are also be the hardest hit by the climate crisis
• The COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated to us how quickly our situation can change, but also how quickly and effectively governments can respond to a crisis with economic and social programs, which will be integral to combatting the climate crisis
• A green recovery needs to centre those who are hardest hit by it, such as minimum wage and service workers, women, and other marginalized groups
• Considering that the climate crisis is a national security issue, the Department of National Defense and the military have an important play to role in combatting the crisis and have already started to do so
• Infrastructure policy at all levels need to focus on what can be done to advance a gree agenda, be that helping people climate proof their homes to increasing public transit and addressing water and waste water issues..
• Governments need to focus on and learn from youth-led climate movements since they are leading in the area of innovative climate solutions and ideas

Seniors’ Care
A large part of Canada’s COVID-19 crisis was the disproportionate impact it had on seniors, particularly those in long-term care. The pandemic highlighted the weakness of our structures in this area especially, given the number of COVID-related deaths attributed to it.
Important takeaways from the Pearson Centre’s webinar on long-term care:
• COVID-19 more severely affects seniors, which was worsened due to seniors being reluctant to receive care from workers fearing the risk of contracting the virus, which effectively rendered them more vulnerable to the virus
• Long-term care workers are precarious workers that often worked multiple shifts at different sites, due to a lack of adequate compensation, resulting in them acting as vectors of transmission of COVID-19, accelerating its spread throughout long-term care residences
• Long-term care homes have been previously underfunded, setting them up for difficulties as they headed into the pandemic – long-term care home should have been prioritized by governments in the same manner that hospitals were prioritized
• Increased data-sharing on healthcare working hours and whereabouts between care homes, health professionals and governments would be instrumental, moving forward, in ameliorating the situation
• The inclusion of long-term care under the Canada Health Act would allow for regulation across the country to ensure that standards are maintained, though it may not lead to the delocalization of the needs of long-term care homes, considering that the Canada Health Act is a piece of federal legislation

Economic Recovery, Future of Work & Taxation
Canada’s response to the COVID-19 health and economic crises has resulted in big government spending, both federally and provincially, with the federal deficit ballooning to upwards of $300B. The spending will have to continue considering that the pandemic is not yet over, and multiple new and innovative methods will have to be pursued to get Canada out of this unprecedented economic position.
Important takeaways from the Pearson Centre’s webinars on an economic recovery and taxation:
• Among the best ways to allow the Canadian economy to recover are policies incentivizing a growing job market and labour force and increasing monetary supports particularly to lower and middle income Canadians
• Governments need to have programs aimed at various sectors including manufacturing, travel and tourism, which have all been affected profoundly
• The future of work is changing rapidly, most notably with the huge shift to remote work and the ongoing growth in the gig economy. Increasing bandwidth in cities and rural areas is now a necessity.
• Investing in childcare as a policy for economic recovery is showing to manifest high levels of economic return that is especially inclusive, given that education is a factor
• Infrastructure programs help the economy and need to be environmentally conscious.
• The robust social programs needed to lift Canada out of the current recession need to be specifically targeted toward lower and middle income Canadians, though it is important to note that services tended be more underfunded and lacking quality when they are means-tested as opposed to universal
• A more progressive tax system is required in order that higher income earners pay for social programs that can then be universalized
Resources, at all levels, have to flow into the green economy to facilitate a just recovery, which can be done by universities offering more green programs in both STEM and social sciences, by labour with transition training, and especially by government leading the way in term

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Pearson Centre examines key Covid Issues in 2020-21

The COVID-19 epidemic is highlighting some real strengths and weaknesses in Canadian society, especially in government and public policy. During this period in 2020 we will be examining various issues that clearly need more attention. This list is in development as each of these issues become apparent, and we at Pearson feel we can contribute to creating better public policy.

These issues include:
– Seniors care including long-term homes and other housing
– The status of vulnerable communities – Indigenous peoples, low income people,
– The “shecession”, how this pandemic affects women more than men
– Systemic discrimination – are women, minorities and new Canadians working in greater danger of catching the coronavirus, at lower wages and in more precarious conditions?
– Low income workers in essential roles. Do we need to examine minimum wage levels and other issues such as working conditions, job security, part-time work and health benefits. Stats show the lower the wage the higher the rate of being. laid off
– Foreign workers in farms, food production, child and seniors care
– Manufacturing of essential goods
– The Future of Work – how has this changed? Will the values of certain occupations change? Will the gig economy change?
– The basic income – is now the time?
– The public service – the essential role they play and will do as the workplace changes
– The green economy – how can Infrastrcuture help?
– The future of the oil and gas sector
– The future of the tourism and travel sectors
– Canada-US relations, as Covid affects our countries differently
– The status of developing countries and of the movement of refugees around the world