Erika Shaker
@ershaker.bsky.social
đ€ 1508
đ„ 550
đ 808
Director, CCPA National Office
https://bsky.app/profile/policyalternatives.bsky.social
'The Calgary School is not producing âmaverick thinkersâ who keep happening to fall into politics and happening to govern badly. It is producing a specific intellectual product with a specific political shape, and the badness is a feature of the design.'
@lindsaytedds.bsky.social
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 hour ago
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âviolence in our classrooms is not a âstudent problemââit is the result of systemic underfunding, unmet needs, and a lack of supportsâ
ett.ca/its-a-childs...
@elemteachersto.bsky.social
@nigelbme.bsky.social
add a skeleton here at some point
about 18 hours ago
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
David Macdonald
1 day ago
Do you want to work at
@policyalternatives.ca
? We've partnered with the School for Moral Ambition to offer an incredible Tax Fairness Fellowship. Its a 6 month paid position to put you on the front line of the debate. Apply now:
www.moralambition.org/fellowships/...
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Tax Fairness Fellowship | The School for Moral Ambition
Our Moral Ambition Fellowships offer a transformative journey â one that demands your full commitment as you pivot your career alongside a cohort of ambitious peers. â In response to rising inequality...
https://www.moralambition.org/fellowships/tax-fairness
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
David Macdonald
1 day ago
New research out today showing the collapse of Canada's development assistance as featured in the
@ottawacitizen.com
this morning đ§”đđ
@policyalternatives.ca
ottawacitizen.com/public-servi...
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Cuts at Global Affairs Canada marks an 'end of Pearson's dream,' report says
Budget cuts at GAC could "shift Canada's foreign policy focus away from peacekeeping and development to self-interested trade and defence."
https://ottawacitizen.com/public-service/global-affairs-canada-pearson
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Thread from
@davidmaccdn.bsky.social
on his most recent analysis for
@policyalternatives.ca
: "The federal government now plans to cut Canadaâs ratio of development assistance to Gross National Income (GNI) to its lowest level since 1964, setting development goals back by 6 decades."
add a skeleton here at some point
1 day ago
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
'Pearsonâs 1969 vision was for Canada to contribute 0.7% of its Gross National Income (GNI) to international assistance....This analysis examines how the November 2025 budget cuts dismantle that legacy.'
@davidmaccdn.bsky.social
@policyalternatives.ca
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The end of Pearsonâs dream: The devastating impact of federal cuts on international aid | CCPA
Planned cuts will shift Canadaâs foreign policy away from peacekeeping and development to self-interested trade and defence
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-end-of-pearsons-dream-the-devastating-impact-of-federal-cuts-on-international-aid/
1 day ago
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www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
âCanadian companies in the oil industry are bringing in an extra $170m in profits every day because of the war in Iran, which has pushed global oil prices up by more than 50%â
@policyalternatives.ca
@hadrianmk.bsky.social
@davidmaccdn.bsky.social
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Oil industry leaders are putting economy, environment at risk, says former minister Catherine McKenna
Oil and gas production only sector in Canada to increase greenhouse gas emissions in 2024, inventory shows
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-oil-industry-economy-environment-catherine-mckenna/
2 days ago
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Posted without comment because I know so many comments will be forthcomingâŠ.
2 days ago
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www.merip.org/2026/04/cens...
âUniversities have also turned to surveillance technology, deploying video cameras, facial recognition systems, drones, identity-card readers and social media analysis to identify and keep tabs on student demonstrators.â
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Censorship and Surveillance at US Universities
The night before the start of the Fall 2025 semester, facilities workers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill quietly boarded up a pro-Palestine mural. The mural, created by art students...
https://www.merip.org/2026/04/censorship-and-surveillance-at-us-universities/
2 days ago
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
Craig Sauvé
3 days ago
Yes. And quickly! Canada needs a windfall tax on oil industry war profiteering -
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/04/15/o...
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Canada needs a windfall tax on oil industry war profiteering
Skyrocketing oil prices do not create profits out of thin air. They redistribute money away from consumers and businesses and into the pockets of oil companies.
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/04/15/opinion/canada-oil-windfall-tax
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www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
âIRCC would not comment on specific applications or decisions. In an emailed statement, it said that "visa applications are considered on a case-by-case basis based on the information presented by the applicant."â
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Palestinian football officials worry Canada won't approve visas in time for FIFA meeting | CBC Sports
Media reports published this week suggested Canada had blocked members of the Palestinian Football Association from entering the country ahead of the FIFA Congress in Vancouver later this month. Howev...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/fifa-congress-palestinian-football-association-visas-9.7169074
3 days ago
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
âHow this decision is perceived will not only affect this project, but future projects as well. Business and government have the choice of building public trust or public opposition. So far, this process is only building the latterâ
@simonenoch.bsky.social
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Reginaâs AI data centre has a democracy deficit - CCPA
As AI data centres are facing a growing legitimacy problem the deliberations over a mega-project in Saskatchewan leave much to be desired
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/reginas-ai-data-centre-has-a-democracy-deficit/
4 days ago
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
Friends of Medicare
4 days ago
FOM joined
@albertanurses.bsky.social
to celebrate the Canada Health Act's anniversary today! Don't let this be the last! Help call on
@mark-carney.bsky.social
&
@mark-carney.bsky.social
to enforce the Act to protect public health care against AB's two-tier bill: Post cake for public health care!
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www.nationalobserver.com/2026/04/15/o...
âThere are many things the federal government could do with an extra $46bâŠBut the best approach would be to invest these proceeds in reducing our dependence on oil &, thus, our vulnerability to future oil shocksâ
@hadrianmk.bsky.social
@policyalternatives.ca
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Canada needs a windfall tax on oil industry war profiteering
Skyrocketing oil prices do not create profits out of thin air. They redistribute money away from consumers and businesses and into the pockets of oil companies.
https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/04/15/opinion/canada-oil-windfall-tax
4 days ago
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
The Tennessee Holler
4 days ago
ZOHRAN: âTBH, I donât think too much about how Republicans portray me. The power of an ideology is judged in the worth of its deliveryâ to be told a city-run grocery store is implausible but $500 MILLION/day to kill ppl in Iran & Lebanon is necessary speaks to a broken politics.â
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Curious about what oil windfall profits look like in real time? Check out this thread by
@hadrianmk.bsky.social
and then read this report
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
to find out why we really need bette policy on corporate profiteering
@davidmaccdn.bsky.social
@policyalternatives.ca
add a skeleton here at some point
4 days ago
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
Hadrian
4 days ago
Hey it's Friday and the Canadian oil industry made $1.5 billion in profits this week. đ§” Thread...
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'What image of Canada is he projecting globally by affirming colonial wars and genocides? Carney and his team should not forget that history will judge the events unfolding today.'
@policyalternatives.ca
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Canadians oppose the Middle East war. The federal government doesnât - CCPA
Canada has consistently refused to condemn the illegal and aggressive actions of the United States against the rest of the world.
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/canadians-oppose-the-middle-east-war-the-federal-government-doesnt/
4 days ago
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www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/ar...
âIt really doesnât make sense to continue funding private schools with public dollars at a time when public schools are struggling to keep their heads above waterâ
@alonghurst.bsky.social
@policyalternatives.ca
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Debate over B.C. private school funding reignited after new report findings
Education is a top priority for families across British Columbia, whether their children attend public or private schoolâbut a new report is raising questions about how provincial funding is being dis...
https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/debate-over-bc-private-school-funding-reignited-by-new-report-findings/
5 days ago
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âBill 11âs ambitions are anything but modest. It will âfundamentally reshape the AB health care system,â massively opening the scope of private health insurance & for-profit health care in ways no other province has yet triedâ
@alonghurst.bsky.social
@poliscirish.bsky.social
@policyalternatives.ca
add a skeleton here at some point
5 days ago
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
Marc Spooner
5 days ago
Book Launch/Celebration for Knowledge Under Siege: Charting a Future for Universities Monday, April 27th, 7:00 PM â 8:30 PM Perfect Books, 258A Elgin St. Ottawa
www.perfectbooks.ca
Defining the value of universities has never been so urgent. Pls join us for this crucial conversation.
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www.thetrillium.ca/insider-news...
Ontario: Open for none of your business
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Ford government moves to skip public hearings on records-secrecy law changes
PCs could pass controversial freedom-of-information system changes next week
https://www.thetrillium.ca/insider-news/politics/ford-government-moves-to-skip-public-hearings-on-records-secrecy-law-changes-12153862
5 days ago
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
âWhen the elite call for âbelt-tighteningâ and âproductivity gains,â they are not asking the billionaires to sacrifice their capital gains; they are asking the working class to sacrifice their public services, their wages & their timeâ
@policyalternatives.ca
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Extreme wealth is deactivating our democracy - CCPA
We must address the root of the problem: the distribution of power and wealth
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/extreme-wealth-is-deactivating-our-democracy/
5 days ago
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www.cbc.ca/news/politic...
Dress it up however you wantâthis isnât transformation. Itâs managed decline. And itâs squandering CanadaPostâs key competitive advantage that private couriers are using as a selling point. Shortsighted, wrongheaded and completely devoid of imagination.
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Canada Post eliminating door-to-door delivery to 136,000 addresses, announces new community mailbox locations | CBC News
Canada Post has announced the first batch of addresses it plans to stop delivering directly to, part of the Crown corporation's larger plan to restructure and stay afloat after losing billions of doll...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-post-community-mailboxes-door-to-door-delivery-9.7167047
5 days ago
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
IPE BC
5 days ago
Thanks very much to
@alonghurst.bsky.social
and
@policyalternatives.ca
for this powerful analysis and compelling conclusion. We completely agree- spending public tax dollars on private schools is indefensible.
#bced
#bcpoli
#cdned
#PublicEdPublicGood
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
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Public funding for B.C.âs private schools is indefensible - CCPA
Public school funding, as a share of GDP, is declining. Why is the provincial government still funding private schools?
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/public-funding-for-b-c-s-private-schools-is-indefensible/#private-school-real-per-pupil-spending-increasing-faster-than-public-school-spending
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
'Why do we need to repeat an experiment whose failures have been clearly documented?'
@policyalternatives.ca
@twieditz.bsky.social
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Ontario is getting ready to hand Uber a massive gift - CCPA
By hitching the "Northlander Rideshare Pilot" to the Northlander train revival, the province is engaged in a major giveaway to the U.S. taxi app
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/ontario-is-getting-ready-to-hand-uber-a-massive-gift/
5 days ago
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
'Families that can afford annual tuition of $37,300 at elite schools do not need to be subsidized by families who can barely afford housing & basic living expensesâto say nothing of the lack of supports in public school classrooms'
@policyalternatives.ca
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Public funding for B.C.âs private schools is indefensible - CCPA
Public school funding, as a share of GDP, is declining. Why is the provincial government still funding private schools?
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/public-funding-for-b-c-s-private-schools-is-indefensible/
5 days ago
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
âFiscal year 2025-26 will close off with real spending cuts for BCâs public schoolsâwith an increase of only 0.6% in nominal terms (or $46M). This falls far below the rate of inflation & other cost drivers, including wagesâ
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Public funding for B.C.âs private schools is indefensible - CCPA
Public school funding, as a share of GDP, is declining. Why is the provincial government still funding private schools?
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/public-funding-for-b-c-s-private-schools-is-indefensible/
5 days ago
0
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
Nora Loreto
6 days ago
Last week,
@policyalternatives.ca
put together an urgent call for Canada to tax the profits that the oil and gas industry is making off the war in Iran. Yesterday, the best Carney could do was removing tax on average people, further defunding the state.
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
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The oil industry is making billions from the Iran warâit should be taxed - CCPA
The current windfall could be Canadian oil's final boomâso the proceeds must be reinvested into economic diversification and industrial planning
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-oil-industry-is-making-billions-from-the-iran-war-it-should-be-taxed/
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
'As costs rise, many Canadians increasingly rely on AI chatbots for advice...While this expands access, it also dramatically increases the sensitivity of data being captured outside any meaningful regulatory framework'
@policyalternatives.ca
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Canadaâs biggest threats to privacy arenât what you think - CCPA
Effective privacy legislation in Canada needs to prioritize the biggest threatsâprivate and extraterritorial surveillance
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/canadas-biggest-threats-to-privacy-arent-what-you-think/
6 days ago
0
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
Catherine McKenna
7 days ago
If oil prices remain at current levels for the next 12 months, the Canadian oil industry is on track to make $90bn in profits, which is $60bn more than it would have earned without the war...Applying 15% rate on excess profits of oil industry could generate $9 billion over the next 12 months. âŹïž
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7 days ago
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
âFor school libraries, judgments about what is appropriate are best made by professional educators and librarians, not by politicians playing to their political base.â
@policyalternatives.ca
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Parental rights and the surging demand for censorship in Canadian schools - CCPA
Libraries are the battleground in censorship wars; academic freedom and critical thinking are casualties. What does this mean for students?
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/parental-rights-and-the-surging-demand-for-censorship-in-canadian-schools/
7 days ago
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
'We can choose to view inheritance not as a private right, but as a lucky windfall that should be shared. We can choose to invest in the living, rather than just protecting the assets of the dead.'
@policyalternatives.ca
@resourcemovement.bsky.social
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The $1 trillion question: Why we are asking you to tax our inheritance - CCPA
An estimated $1 trillion is moving from the bank accounts and real estate portfolios of the Baby Boomers into the hands of their children.
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-1-trillion-question-why-we-are-asking-you-to-tax-our-inheritance/
7 days ago
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
'What the data now showsâand what educators have been saying for yearsâis that violence rises precisely where supports disappear.'
@nigelbme.bsky.social
@elemteachersto.bsky.social
@policyalternatives.ca
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When violence is the system speaking: What Ontarioâs schools are telling us - CCPA
Violence in classrooms is the result of underfunding, staffing erosion, and the offloading of social crises onto unprepared schools
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/when-violence-is-the-system-speaking-what-ontarios-schools-are-telling-us/?_thumbnail_id=94531
7 days ago
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
PSAC-AFPC
7 days ago
Door-to-door delivery. Rural post offices. Reliable mail service. These are vital public services â and theyâre at risk. In solidarity with CUPW, workers across the country are speaking out against cuts to Canada Post. Tell your MP: protect our public postal service.
psacunion.ca/support-post...
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Support postal workers: Take action now
<p>In solidarity with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), and alongside labour organizations across the country, we are mobilizing to defend Canada Post from sweeping federal cuts.  </p>
https://psacunion.ca/support-postal-workers-take-action-now
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
What we COULD do... 'Consider what the federal government could do with an extra $46 billion.'
@policyalternatives.ca
@davidmaccdn.bsky.social
@hadrianmk.bsky.social
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The oil industry is making billions from the Iran warâit should be taxed - CCPA
The current windfall could be Canadian oil's final boomâso the proceeds must be reinvested into economic diversification and industrial planning
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-oil-industry-is-making-billions-from-the-iran-war-it-should-be-taxed/
7 days ago
1
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
CCPA â Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
12 days ago
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives'
@hadrianmk.bsky.social
and
@davidmaccdn.bsky.social
calling for an oil and gas windfall tax. Their analysis is now live:
www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
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The oil industry is making billions from the Iran warâit should be taxed - CCPA
The current windfall could be Canadian oil's final boomâso the proceeds must be reinvested into economic diversification and industrial planning
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-oil-industry-is-making-billions-from-the-iran-war-it-should-be-taxed/
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
'Private-pay testing will increase public wait times, making the diagnostic testing bottleneck worse, & continue to unravel the foundational principles of the Canada Health Act.'
@alonghurst.bsky.social
@policyalternatives.ca
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The Alberta government legislates two-tier health care, again - CCPA
About the author Andrew Longhurst Andrew Longhurst is a senior researcher and political economist, with a focus on health policy, at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He holds an M.A. from ...
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-alberta-government-legislates-two-tier-health-care-again/
7 days ago
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âIt is now time for a federal-provincial strategy on public postsecondary education: essential infrastructure in this nation-building era.â
@policyalternatives.ca
@caut.bsky.social
add a skeleton here at some point
7 days ago
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âWhatâs needed now is a coherent national strategy to stabilize our system, encompassing a commitment to retain & nurture Canadian talent & to welcome international students & scholars for sound educational reasons, not as a compensatory revenue streamâ
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The hollowing out of public postsecondary education: What do we have to lose? - CCPA
Is post-secondary education in Canada a pipeline to train students for jobs or a source of critical perspectives essential to a healthy society?
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-hollowing-out-of-public-postsecondary-education-what-do-we-have-to-lose/
7 days ago
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www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...
centralize control, limit options, constrain democratic mechanisms that provide public accountabilityâŠbut donât mention the persistent and egregious underfunding of public education.
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Ontario capping number of school trustees per board, creating new oversight roles | CBC News
Education Minister Paul Calandra is planning sweeping changes to the province's English school systems, including capping the number of elected trustees for boards and creating oversight roles centred...
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-school-board-legislation-9.7161639
8 days ago
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
'The sort of disparities that we see in Canada today donât happen by accident; they are the result of systemic forces that play out across generations.'
@policyalternatives.ca
@resourcemovement.bsky.social
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Exposing the myth of meritocracy - CCPA
Over the past three or four decades, Canada has seen skyrocketing inequality, coupled with a growing âstickinessâ in wealth and opportunity.
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/exposing-the-myth-of-meritocracy/?fbclid=IwY2xjawRJ0ntleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEegGcMF5_SEqLcsJhfQw4yN4zvJn4Z8y0Y1gLYUljIXzElqNTt-P4HCSid-HI_aem_IoepAECPJahPkpS3xWwSlw
8 days ago
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news.ontario.ca/en/advisory/...
Quite confident this will be a disaster. âPaul Calandra, Minister of Education, will be joined by Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, to provide remarks and hold a media availability.â
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Ontario Newsroom
https://news.ontario.ca/en/advisory/1007282/minister-calandra-to-hold-a-press-conference
9 days ago
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âWhat has become clear is that a thorough forensic investigation into the deaths of plasma donors in Winnipeg was not conducted by Health Canada. The urgent issue of high frequency plasma donation and its adverse health impacts on donors is beyond troubling.â
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
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Government probes into deaths of two plasma donors find no link to Grifolsâ donation process
Advocate calls for formal inquiry into companyâs operations, citing concerns over Health Canadaâs investigation of the deaths
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-government-probes-into-deaths-of-two-plasma-donors-find-no-link-to/
11 days ago
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
'The massive data centre construction boom fueled by AI investment has been characterized as building the material âbackboneâ of the digital economy. So what would happen...should the AI Bubble burst?'
@simonenoch.bsky.social
@policyalternatives.ca
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What happens to data centres when the AI bubble pops? - CCPA
As multi-million dollar data centres proliferate, what happens if the A.I. bubble bursts?
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/what-happens-to-data-centres-when-the-ai-bubble-pops/
11 days ago
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âThatâs been the experience with AI tutoringâŠIt doesnât necessarily make students motivated to learn or fill in gaps in knowledge needed to ask questions.â
add a skeleton here at some point
11 days ago
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
Niko Bowie
12 days ago
Ten years ago today, in April 2016, the Boston Globe printed a satirical front page imagining a future Trump administration. The page was called "alarmist," "hyperbolic," "dystopian." But weâve put up with so much since then it now looks like . . . a slow Thursday?
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reposted by
Erika Shaker
Institute for Palestine Studies
12 days ago
đ§”#PalQuest hosts the digital, interactive version of All That Remains by Walid Khalidi, documenting Palestinian villages depopulated and destroyed in 1948. Among them is Deir Yasin (ŰŻÙ۱ Ùۧ۳ÙÙ), located in the Jerusalem subdistrict:
www.palquest.org/en/place/169...
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Deir Yasin â ŰŻÙÙÙ۱ Ùۧ۳ÙÙÙ
The village was built on the eastern slopes of a hill, the peak of which was some 800 meters in height and commanded a wide view all around. It...
https://www.palquest.org/en/place/16983/deir-yasin
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www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...
'The Canadian oil and gas industry is making an extra $170 million in profits every day due to the U.S. and Israeli war in Iran, which has driven up global oil prices by more than 50%'
@hadrianmk.bsky.social
@davidmaccdn.bsky.social
@policyalternatives.ca
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The oil industry is making billions from the Iran warâit should be taxed - CCPA
The current windfall could be Canadian oil's final boomâso the proceeds must be reinvested into economic diversification and industrial planning
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-oil-industry-is-making-billions-from-the-iran-war-it-should-be-taxed/
12 days ago
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