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Economics

“Six days you shall labour and do all your work….” – Exodus 20:9

Our labour, and how we spend our finances, can function as an important part of fulfilling our cultural mandate. In Genesis 1 God commanded us to develop the earth and rule over it. We work to glorify God – not just to put food on the table. Our work, finances, and all material possessions come from God and are meant to be directed towards Him.

 
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14 Feb 2014 Take Action: Income Splitting and Tax Fairness for Families

Posted at 15:13h in Economics 0 Comments
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Take Action Today: Use Easymail below to your MP (CC'd to Mr. Flaherty and Mr. Harper). It just takes a few minutes. {easymail 77} There is an apparent rift in Conservative ranks these days. According to this Financial Post article, Canada's finance minister Jim Flaherty sounds like he doesn't like the idea of income-splitting for families. He says, "It benefits some parts of the Canadian population a lot and other parts . . . not at all." Such a statement seems a little odd coming from a finance minister who has...

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21 Feb 2013 Socialized workplace insurance doesn’t work

Posted at 15:01h in Economics 0 Comments
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Update: Addendum added - But what does the Bible say? Bill 119 amended the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act in 2008, making the government-managed WSIB insurance coverage mandatory for certain categories of people in the construction industry including independent operators and sole proprietors. The fact that a self-employed, independent contractor may already have private insurance at a better rate, insuring him or her on and off the job (WSIB only insures on-site accidents) is no substitute: the law says such contractors MUST buy into the government run system.
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06 Sep 2012 Tory MP calls for new rules that would allow public servants to opt out of union dues (2)

Posted at 15:30h in Economics 0 Comments
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Globe and Mail, Sept 6 2012: An Ottawa-area Conservative MP says Canada’s largest union of federal public servants shouldn’t have endorsed separatist parties during the Quebec election and is calling for new rules allowing members to opt out of paying dues. The proposal from MP Pierre Poilievre is similar to “right-to-work” legislation that has been adopted by more than 20 U.S. states, provoking heated debate and resistance from unions. “I cannot imagine how it could possibly be in the interests of a Canadian public servant for the union to back...

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16 Mar 2012 Excellent Video: Balancing the Federal Budget in One Easy Lesson

Posted at 16:22h in Economics 0 Comments
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The following video does an excellent job of showing that our civil governments can (and must) control spending. We recommend sharing this clip with your MP (send them the link). What this video doesn't point out is that a growing state necessarily means that civil government is taking over jurisdiction that God has not entrusted to it (see Romans 13). Society is abdicating its responsibilities to the State, and the secular State welcomes the new power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8mWOHNNLtQ...

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24 Oct 2011 Occupy Wall Street? An ARPA Canada Commentary

Posted at 11:35h in Economics 0 Comments
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Update (Oct. 27, 2011): An Addendum has been added to this article. By André Schutten and Mark Penninga (www.ARPACanada.ca): Mr. Warren Kinsella wrote an article on the Occupy Wall Street movement which started in the United States and moved to Canadian cities last week. He asked the question, "What would Jesus do (WWJD)" with this movement? After quoting different new testament passages, he concludes with this: "...the Occupiers are a bit Christ-like. As noted most memorably in Matthew 25:31, when Judgment Day arrives, the ones who will be admitted into the Kingdom are the ones who have done the most for "the least" among us — the hungry, the sick, the poor. If you strive to know Him, like some of us do, there can't be much doubt that the rabbi named Jesus Christ was no capitalist. ....He'd be right down there with them, chanting against the bankers and the politicians who do the bankers' bidding." [Read all of Mr. Kinsella's argument here.] Is this really what Jesus would do? We think not. It is what a secular humanist would like Jesus to do.
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09 Sep 2011 Christians vs. Capitalism?

Posted at 18:30h in Economics 0 Comments
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By Michael Wagner, Originally published in the November 2010 issue of Reformed Perspective magazine (www.reformedperspective.ca), pages 7-9: The capitalist West has the highest standard of living in human history. But despite this, capitalism is under constant criticism. Certain intellectuals and activists blame it for many human problems, especially poverty, since there remain many poor people in the West.
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10 Aug 2011 A Society of Entitlement

Posted at 13:57h in Economics 0 Comments
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André Schutten - With the riots in London making front page news, I found the comments of Kelly McParland pretty bang-on.  A society built on entitlement, where the government exists solely to give me everything I need, nay, everything I want, will eventually suffer. What we see in London and in the United States markets now, and saw in Greece only a few months ago, it all screams the self-centered entitlement mantra. As stated so eloquently elsewhere, "This Greek tragedy holds lessons for all world economies, Canada’s included. A Leviathan state will ultimately be crushed by its own weight, not only that of its ballooning debt, but the attitude that underpins its largesse. When the government cares for citizens from cradle to grave, individuals lose the will and ability to support themselves. They also routinely bite and cheat the hand that feeds them: The state may be responsible for everyone, but no one takes responsibility for the state."
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06 Jun 2011 Cardus Analysis of Federal Budget

Posted at 23:03h in Economics 0 Comments
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True, the political uncertainty of its passage has been removed, and the rhetoric of stability dominates, but there is good reason to believe underneath this rhetoric the government is preparing for a coming storm in Canadian politics: one which they intend to shape and survive. The increased emphasis on expenditure review and the advanced targets for returning to surplus are just two indicators that this budget is really about battening down the hatches and rolling out the foundations for shaping tomorrow's social architecture....

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28 Mar 2011 Income Splitting Takes Centre Stage in Election Campaign

Posted at 18:31h in Blog, Economics, Family 0 Comments
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ARPA Note: Allowing families to split their income for tax purposes so that it isn't a penalty to have one parent stay at home has been promoted for years by Christians. And it looks like it is now finally being raised as a possibility. But there are strings attached. Globe and Mail, March 28 2011: Stephen Harper is kicking off the 2011 campaign battle for the middle class vote with a $2.5-billion tax break pledge aimed at parents of children under 18. But there's a huge...

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22 Mar 2011 Cardus Budget Analysis: Good News for Economy, Ho-Hum for Society

Posted at 23:29h in Economics 0 Comments
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OTTAWA, March 22, 2011—Ray Pennings, Director of Research for Cardus, suggested that although the details of today's Canadian federal budget will likely be overshadowed by the immediate political considerations, the budget should also be examined for the vision of prosperity it presumes for society. "The progress made in reducing spending and restoring financial stability needs to be accompanied by the recognition that social enterprise, charities and natural communities including families also must flourish if Canadians will enjoy prosperity," said Pennings.
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