Full Video – Regent Debate: Should Western Democracies Adopt a Universal Basic Income?
On April 11th, 2018 the C.D. Howe Institute hosted its inaugural Regent Debate, where four prominent voices sparred over the following question: Should Western democracies, such as Canada, establish a universal basic income to help their citizens cope with the disruptive effects of new technologies and artificial intelligence?
Watch the full video, including introductory arguments, rebuttals, and how the jury and public voted on the topic.
Paul Begala (Political Commentator, CNN, and Former Aide to President Clinton), and Hugh Segal (Hugh Segal, Principal, Massey College, and Former Senator) represented the affirmative, and Conrad Black (Founder, National Post) and Dr. Janice MacKinnon (Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a member of the Order of Canada, and a former Saskatchewan Finance Minister) represented the negative.
The Regent Debate: Hugh Segal and Conrad Black – Rebuttals
In this special series of Intelligence Memos we presented the opposing arguments made at the C.D. Howe Institute’s inaugural Regent Debate earlier this month. Four prominent voices, Janice MacKinnon, Conrad Black, Paul Begala and Hugh Segal, sparred over the following question: Should Western democracies establish a universal basic income? Today: the duelling rebuttals from former […] The Regent Debate: Paul Begala and Janice MacKinnon – Rebuttals
In this special edition of Intelligence Memos we present the opposing arguments made at the C.D. Howe Institute’s inaugural Regent Debate earlier this month. Four prominent voices sparred over the following question: Should Western democracies establish a universal basic income? Today: the rebuttals presented by Paul Begala, CNN commentator and former senior policy aide to […] A basic universal income in Canada is more realistic than you think: Maclean’s
Hugh Segal is principal of Massey College. He served in the Canadian Senate as a Conservative from Ontario and was vice-chair of the subcommittee on urban poverty.
Every democracy’s internal legitimacy is tied to how fair the residents of that country feel…
What’s wrong with Ontario’s child-care plan
Published in the Globe and Mail. Free licensed child care. It sounds like a parents’ dream. But look a little closer at the Government of Ontario’s recently announced plan to deliver free licensed child care for preschoolers, and flaws emerge. Beyond the arguably late starting age of 2½ years, this initiative could have unwelcome consequences […] Richards, Mahboubi – Let’s Get Serious About Indigenous Student Outcomes
From: John Richards and Parisa Mahboubi To: Provincial Ministers of Education Date: March 16, 2018 Re: Let’s Get Serious about Indigenous student outcomes As education ministers, you realize that Indigenous students present the largest ethnic group facing serious academic gaps – in terms of failure to complete high school and in terms of learning outcomes. […] Rosalie Wyonch – An International Comparison Of Gender Balance
From: Rosalie Wyonch To: Concerned Canadians Date: March 8, 2018 Re: International Comparison of Gender Balance for International Women’s Day Recently there has been a strong public and political focus on greater equality of women. Government policies and social awareness movements, such as #MeToo, #HeForShe and Catalyst, can help improve equality between men and women, […] Alexandre Laurin – Employment and Pay (In)equality: The Big Childcare Issue Unaddressed in the Budget
From: Alexandre Laurin To: Bill Morneau, Minister of Finance Date: March 1, 2018 Re: Employment and Pay (In)equality: The Big Childcare Issue Unaddressed in the Budget This week’s federal budget contains a host of initiatives, mostly small, to improve labour market outcomes of women. Those include federal pay equity legislation, a national roundtable for gender-based […] The Ripple Effect Of Ontario’s Minimum-wage Increase – Globe And Mail Op-ed
The economic impact of Ontario’s minimum-wage hike on the province’s lowest earners has received a great deal of attention, but the effect is felt more broadly by employers who face labour cost increases.
Ontario increased its minimum wage to $14 from $11.60 on Jan. 1 and plans another hike – to $15 an hour – next year. As predicted, some businesses responded immediately by reducing hiring, cutting employee work hours, reducing benefits and charging higher prices. Further, Ontario experienced a decline of more than 59,000 part-time jobs in January, as highlighted by Statistics Canada. While it is too early to attribute this decline to any specific factor, the sharp wage hike is unlikely to have…
Measuring Student Outcomes: The Case for Identifying Indigenous Students in Canada’s PISA Sample
Collection of data on academic outcomes among Indigenous students is a necessary step towards bridging the education gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous students, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Measuring Student Outcomes: The Case for Identifying Indigenous Students in Canada’s PISA Sample,” authors John Richards and Parisa Mahboubi encourage provinces […] Colin Busby – Canada Should Strengthen the Safety Net under Workers in Precarious Jobs
From: Colin Busby To: Canada’s Employment Policymakers Date: February 5, 2018 Re: Canada Should Strengthen the Safety Net under Workers in Precarious Jobs In a report for the C.D Howe Institute I investigated trends in jobs with heightened employment risks and offer policy solutions to support insecure workers. The report focused on one type of job classification that […] Hold On – The Canadian Labour Market Has Not Fully Recovered Yet – Globe And Mail Op-ed
The Canadian labour market beat expectations and performed strongly in 2017 based on various indicators, specifically job creation and the unemployment rate. At the same time, however, hourly-wage growth shows no sign that the labour market is approaching maximum employment.
An economy reaches maximum employment when all available workers have jobs except those who are between jobs or are new entrants into the labour market. Usually, this results in stronger wage growth as firms struggle to fill vacant positions.
Canada generated more than 420,000 new jobs in 2017, while the average annual unemployment rate fell to 6.4 per cent – the lowest rate since 2008. More importantly, the vast majority of job gains (93 per cent)…