The federal election is on October 19, 2015. Use Canada Votes to help spark dialogue about social issues in Canada and put them on the public agenda.
On October 19, 2015 Canadians will come together to choose the direction of policy in this country for the next 4 years. Democracy works best when citizens engage in dialogue about the society in which we want to live. Canada Votes is a tool to help spark dialogue about social issues in Canada. The federal government has a role to play in addressing them - and you can help by talking about the social issues that matter to you and asking questions to find out what will be done.
With Canada Votes you can:
- Read about 14 social issues affecting Canadian Communities
- See sample questions to ask your candidates about social issues
- Share with your friends, family, and colleagues
- Vote on October 19, 2015
Below are the 14 issues covered by Canada Votes. You can also follow up on reference materials below.
- Affordable Housing Translations: Arabic, Chinese, Igbo, Spanish, Swahili
- Child Care Translations: Arabic, Chinese, Bengali, Igbo, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tamil, Urdu
- Climate Change Translations: Bengali, Spanish, Tamil, Urdu
- Community Infrastructure Translations: Spanish
- Employment Insurance Translations: Chinese, Spanish
- Health Care Translations: Igbo, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Swahili
- Immigrant Population: Express Entry Translations: Bengali, Chinese, Spanish, Tamil, Urdu
- Jobs and Economy Translations: Bengali, Portuguese, Tamil, Urdu
- Long Form Census Translations: Spanish
- Migrant Workers
- Poverty Reduction Translations: Arabic, Bengali, Igbo, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Tamil, Urdu
- Public Transit Translations: Arabic, Chinese, Igbo, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Swahili
- Responsible Taxation Translations: Spanish
- Seniors and Income Security Translations: Arabic, Chinese, Igbo, Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Swahili
THIS SERIES WAS PRODUCED BY: Canadian Council on Social Development, Community Development Council Durham, Community Development Halton, Edmonton Social Planning Council, Saint John Human Development Council, Social Planning and Research Council of BC, Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton, Social Planning Council of Cambridge and North Dumfries, Social Planning Council of Kitchener-Waterloo, Social Planning Network of Ontario, and Social Planning Toronto. Social planning organizations across the country are helping to strengthen communities and work on social justice issues. We also recognize the need to work together around key issues affecting our communities. We have come together to provide this publication on the federal election because we believe that democracy works best when citizens engage in dialogue on important issues.
References/Resources
Affordable Housing
- Homeless Hub: www.homelesshub.ca
- Campaign 2000: www.campaign2000.ca
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives: www.policyalternatives.ca/issues/housing-and-homelessness
- Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (2015), Why do we need social housing? http://housing4all.ca/sites/default/files/one-pager_en_april15.pdf
Child Care
- Campaign 2000: www.campaign2000.ca
- Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada: www.ccaac.ca
- Child Care Canada: www.childcarecanada.org
- Carolyn Ferns & Martha Friendly (2014). The state of early childhood education and care in Canada 2012. http://childcarecanada.org/sites/default/files/StateofECEC2012.pdf
Climate Change
- David Suzuki Foundation, Building on the Best: Keeping Canada Climate Promise. http://www.davidsuzuki.org/publications/downloads/KeepingCanadasClimatePromise-Report.pdf
- DARA (2012), Climate Vulnerability Monitor, 2nd Edition. http://daraint.org/climate-vulnerability-monitor/climate-vulnerability-monitor-2012/monitor/
- United Nations Environment Programme (2013), Observed Concentrations of CO2 Cross 400 parts per million Threshold at Several Global Atmosphere Watch Stations. http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.asp?DocumentID=2716&ArticleID=9503&l=en
- David Suzuki Foundation (nd), Climate Change: By the Numbers http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/climate-change/science/canada-climate-change/canadas-emissions/
- World Bank (2015), CO2 Emissions http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC
Community Infrastructure
- Federation of Canadian Municipalities (2015): http://www.fcm.ca/home/issues/federal-budget-2015.htm
- Government of Canada’s commitment to infrastructure in the 2015 Budget: http://www.budget.gc.ca/2015/docs/plan/toc-tdm-eng.html
- Mackenzie, H. (2013) Canada’s Infrastructure Gap: Where It Came From and Why It Will Cost So Much To Close, Alternative Federal Budget. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2013/01/Canada%27s%20Infrastructure%20Gap_0.pdf
- Mirza, S. (2007). Danger Ahead: The Coming Collapse of Canada’s Municipal Infrastructure. Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Employment Insurance
- Public Service Alliance of Canada: www.psacunion.ca/topics/employment-insurance
- No to the Cuts: www.notothecuts.ca/employment-insurance.html
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives: www.policyalternatives.ca
Health Care
- Canadian Health Coalition. (2015). “What is the health accord?” http://healthcoalition.ca/what-is-the-health-accord/?doing_wp_cron=142479725 4.2720670700073242187500
- Government of Canada (1999 Feb 4). Social Union, News Release. A framework to improve the social union for Canadians: An agreement between the government of Canada and the governments of the provinces and territories.
- Statistics Canada (2013). “Access to a regular medical doctor.” Health Fact Sheets. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-625-x/2014001/article/14013-eng.htm
Immigrant Population: Express Entry
- Ethno-cultural Council of Calgary (2013). A Guide to Canada’s Changing Immigration Policy.http://www.ecccalgary.com/wp-content/uploads/Immigration_Policy_Guide_06-13.pdf
- TVO Discussion of Express Entry: http://www.ocasi.org/debbie-douglas-‘express-entry’
- General Information:
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- Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants: www.ocasi.org
- TD Economics (2012), Estimating Canada’s Future Immigration Needs: http://www.investtoronto.ca/InvestAssets/PDF/Reports/immigration_levels.pdf
Jobs and Economy
- Statistics Canada, CANSIM Table: 282-0087 http://www5.statcan.gc.ca/cansim/a26?id=2820087
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (2015), Delivering the Goods: Alternative Federal Budget 2015. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/alternative-federal-budget-2015
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (2014), The Impacts of Rushing to Balance the Budget: At What Cost? AFB Technical Paper. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National%20Office/2014/11/At_What_Cost.pdf
- Canadian Labour Congress (2014), Underemployment is Canada’s Real Labour Market Challenge, http://canadianlabour.ca/issues-research/underemployment-canadas-real-labour-market-challenge
- TD Economics (2015), Special Report, Precarious Employment in Canada: Does The Evidence Square with the Anecdotes? http://www.td.com/document/PDF/economics/special/PrecariousEmployment.pdf
- CIBC Economics (2015), Canadian Employment Quality Index, March 5, 2015, http://research.cibcwm.com/economic_public/download/eqi_20150305.pdf
Long Form Census
- Evidence for Democracy: www.evidencefordemocracy.ca/census
- Data Libre: www.datalibre.ca
- Save the Census: www.savethecensus.ca
Migrant Workers
- http://www.migrantworkersalliance.org/
- http://toronto.nooneisillegal.org/
- http://www.workersactioncentre.org/issues/migrant-workers/
- For more information specifically on migrant workers, contact Migrant Workers Alliance for Change - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Poverty Reduction - COMING SOON
Public Transit
- American Public Transportation Association (2014). Public Transportation Ridership Report. http://www.apta.com/resources/statistics/Documents/Ridership/2014-q4-ridership-APTA.pdf
- Statistics Canada. CANSIM Table 408-0004 - Large urban transit statistics, revenue and passenger trips based on 10 major Canadian urban transit operators, monthly, CANSIM (database).
- Government of Canada. Budget 2015 (pp. 184-189). http://www.budget.gc.ca/2015/docs/plan/budget2015-eng.pdf
- Vincent Chandler (2014). The Effectiveness and Distributional Effects of the Tax Credit for Public Transit. https://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/canadian_public_policy/v040/40.3.chandler.pdf
- http://www.ndp.ca/news/speech-to-fcm-convention
Responsible Taxation
- Himmelfarb, A. & Himmelfarb, J., Eds. (2013). Tax is Not a Four Letter Word: A Different Take on Taxes in Canada. WLU Press: Waterloo.
- Mackenzie H. & Shillington R. (2009). Canada’s Quiet Bargain: The benefits of public spending. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. http://www.policyalternatives.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/publications/National_Office_Pubs/2009/Benefits_From_Public_Spending.pdf
- Mazzucato, M. (2014). The Entrepreneurial State, Debunking Public vs Private Sector Myths. Anthem Press: New York.
- Picketty, T. (2014). Capital in the Twenty-First Century. Translated by Arthur Goldhammer. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press: London.
- Alexander, C., & Fong, F. (2014). The Case for Leaning against Income Inequality in Canada. TD Economics. http://www.td.com/document/PDF/economics/special/income_inequality.pdf
Seniors and Income Security
- Canadian Labour Congress: http://canadianlabour.ca/issues-research/search/issue/social-and-economic-policy-63/issue/retirement-security-5
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives:
- Marie Drolet and René Morissette (2014), “New facts on pension coverage in Canada,” Insights on Canadian Society, Catalogue no. 75-006-X, Statistics Canada. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-006-x/2014001/article/14120-eng.pdf