Perry Work Report: work&labour news&research, October 9, 2015

October 9, 2015

Announcement:

 New Job Posting: Assistant Professor (Tenure Stream) -- Employment Relations/Industrial Relations

The Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources in the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Toronto invites applications for a tenure-stream appointment in Employment/Industrial Relations. The appointment will be at the rank of Assistant Professor and will commence on July 1, 2016. Click here for more information.

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Toronto's Vital Signs Report 2015

”Toronto Foundation’s Toronto’s Vital Signs Report is an annual consolidated snapshot identifying the trends and issues affecting the quality of life in our city -- progress we should be proud of and challenges that need to be addressed.”

“The Report aims to inspire civic engagement and provide focus for public debate in our communities and around the world. It is used by residents, businesses, community organizations, universities and colleges, and government departments. In addition, the Report is a model now being replicated by 75 communities around the world.” 

“The Foundation partners with many researchers to produce the Toronto’s Vital Signs Report. Citations at the end of each issue area section, and live web links throughout, will take you directly to the sources used in this year’s Report.”

Toronto Foundation, September 2015: “One Place, One Peace: In it together” (3 pages, PDF)

Toronto Foundation, September 2015: “Toronto’s Vital Signs Full Report” (314 pages, PDF)

What Are the Trends?

  • Economic Health: “Toronto’s construction activity, considered a key indicator of economic vitality, was down in 2014, although major building construction remains a strong area for Toronto. The Region continues to attract visitors; it smashed two tourism records in 2014, for number of overnight visitors (including overseas visitors) and hotel room nights sold. The City urgently needs more revenue to meet major capital demands for transit and other aging infrastructure. Like other municipalities, Toronto receives just about 8 cents of each tax dollar paid in Canada (and the federal-municipal fiscal imbalance is growing).” Toronto Foundation, September 2015: “Economic Health”
  • Gap Between Rich and Poor: “The median family income of low-income families ($14,930 before taxes in 2013) doesn’t come close to supporting a household. The rising cost of nutritious food is out of reach of these households -- 2014 saw a significant increase in the monthly cost of a nutritious food basket for a family of four. In Toronto’s inner suburbs visits to food banks have increased 45% since 2008.” Toronto Foundation, September 2015: “Gap Between Rich and Poor”
  • Work: “The unemployment rate remains above pre-recession levels (7.5% in 2008), and grew to 9.5% in 2014 after improvement in 2013. The average monthly number of Employment Insurance beneficiaries continued its downward trend, but does not reflect those who have given up actively looking for work or who are ineligible due to the narrowing of EI criteria. While it is no longer the case that unemployment rates are higher among landed immigrants than among the Canadian-born population, unemployment remains a more likely prospect for recent immigrants. Toronto’s youth, particularly those in Canada less than five years, continue to face troubling long-term trends.” Toronto Foundation, September 2015: “Work”

For Local Reports from other Canadian cities see: Vital Signs Canada, 2015: “Local Reports”

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The ABC's of TPP

What is it?

“The Trans-Pacific Partnership would create a free-trade zone among 12 nations around the Pacific, making it the world’s largest. The countries within its scope account for 40 per cent of the world’s economic output.“ TPP is the new NAFTA.

Labour Rules Under the TPP

“Unlike Canada’s recent trade deals with the European Union and South Korea, the TPP is not limited to highly developed nations. Critics of the deal say the inclusion of countries such as Peru and Vietnam will see well-paying jobs exported to low-wage economies where workers have less protection from exploitation. Canadian officials countered that the deal includes strong and enforceable rules banning child labour and entrenching the rights of workers in member countries to unionize.”

“The TPP also reduces hurdles for employees to work temporarily at affiliate offices of their employer in other member countries. This measure is aimed at easing business travel. Officially known as intracompany transfers, these arrangements have attracted controversy at times in the context of the Canadian debate over temporary foreign workers.“

What Canada sacrifices and what it gains:

  • Alcohol: “Bottles of Canadian whisky will be well-aged by the time producers cash in on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.”
  • Autos: “The privileged access of Canada’s auto parts manufacturers to the North American market will ... be diluted under the deal.”
  • Agriculture: “Canada expects the TPP will be good for a large number of agricultural sectors as new export markets open up, thanks to the elimination or reduction of tariffs. The timeline varies by country and by product.” 
  • Beef & Pork: “Canadian beef and pork producers are among the big winners under the TPP deal. From 2012 to 2014, Canadian producers exported $2.6-billion worth of pork and $1.3-billion worth of beef to TPP markets....“
  • Dairy: “When the deal was announced Monday [October 5, 2015], Ottawa said it would pay $4.3-billion over 15 years to dairy, chicken and egg farmers affected by the TPP or Canada’s free-trade deal with the European Union.” 
  • Fisheries: “Canadian officials highlighted the potential for gains in seafood exports under the TPP deal.” 
  • Forestry: “The Forest Products Association of Canada called Monday’s TPP deal “an important boost” for Canada’s forest industry.” 
  • Heavy Industry: “Industrial goods like farming and construction equipment as well as aerospace products would get quick access to TPP markets under the deal.” 
  • Pharmaceuticals: “The final deal provides pharmaceutical companies with five years of exclusive use of new biotechnology before having to share that data with generic drug manufacturers.”
  • Services: “The deal will make it easier for employees to make temporary work trips within the TPP region. Canadian officials argue that Canada’s banking sector in particular should benefit from the deal.”

The Globe and Mail, October 6, 2015: “The ABCs of TPP,” by Bill Curry

The Globe and Mail, October 5, 2015: “Canada to pay out $4.3-billion to farmers in wake of TPP deal“ by Barrie McKenna

The Globe and Mail, October 5, 2015: “Fate of Canada’s auto industry unclear as TPP eases Japanese import costs,” by Greg Keenan

The Guardian, October 5, 2015: From cars to cough medicine: why the Trans-Pacific Partnership matters to you,” by Martin Farrer

Tech and the TPP

“The devil’s in the details but I think I can say with 99-per-cent certainty that 99 per cent of the rules were taken from the U.S.”

"They did it because they want to sell ideas. We did it because we want to sell beef and lumber and fish.”

The Globe and Mail, October 7, 2015: “Tech and the TPP: What’s at stake for Canada’s innovation sector,” by Shane Dingman and Christine Dobby

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Why Free Markets Make Fools of Us

“It is true that companies might try to take advantage of consumers and investors, perhaps with outright lies, perhaps with subtler forms of deception, perhaps by manipulating their emotions. But from the standpoint of standard economic thinking, that’s nothing to panic about. The first line of defense is competition itself -- and the market’s invisible hand. Companies that lie, deceive, and manipulate people are not going to last long. The second line of defense is the law. If a company is really engaging in fraud or deception, government regulators might well get involved, and customers are likely to have a right to compensation. But for economists, competitive markets are generally trustworthy, and so the old Latin phrase retains its relevance: caveat emptor.”

“But George Akerlof and Robert Shiller want to go far beyond behavioral economics, at least in its current form. They offer a much more general, and quite damning, account of why free markets and competition cause serious problems.”

“Both Akerlof and Shiller have won the Nobel Prize; they rank among the most important economists of the last half-century. They are also intellectual renegades. Akerlof has been interested in the persistence of caste systems, involuntary unemployment, rat races, the effects of personal identity, and what happens when sellers know things that buyers don’t. He has long been a proponent of integrating psychology and economics. A specialist in the financial system, Shiller has explored the role of “irrational exuberance” in producing wildly inflated stock, bond, and real estate prices, which are bound to come down. He believes that investors make serious mistakes, and also that they run in herds, which can produce bubbles. Like Akerlof, he is keenly interested in seeing what psychology can add to economic theory.”

“Akerlof and Shiller believe that once we understand human psychology, we will be a lot less enthusiastic about free markets and a lot more worried about the harmful effects of competition. In their view, companies exploit human weaknesses not necessarily because they are malicious or venal, but because the market makes them do it. Those who fail to exploit people will lose out to those who do.”

The New York Review of Books, October 22, 2015: “Why Free Markets Make Fools of Us,” by Cass R. Sunstein

Phishing for Phools: The Economics of Manipulation and Deception by George A. Akerlof and Robert J. Shiller Princeton University Press, 272 pp.

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Designing a National Seniors Strategy for Canada

“With improvements in health and life expectancy, more of us are living into old age, and for longer than ever before (Sinha 2012). This fact will take on even greater significance over the next two decades as the number of Canadians aged 65 years and older is expected nearly to double. Indeed, 2015 is the first year Canadians aged 65 and over outnumbered those who are younger than 15 years of age. And by 2035 there will be more than 10 million older adults living in Canada, who will also account for roughly one-quarter of Canada’s population, up from 16 percent in 2015.”

“Our aging population will also bring about important changes in the economy. The diminishing ratio of Canadians who are active in the workforce, the growing number of older adults who choose to work longer, and the added burden on those who must care for aging relatives while they work will have an impact on businesses and the organization of work. And with a growing number of governments adhering to the principles of ‘aging in place’ and ‘age-friendly communities,’ we have yet to articulate fully what that will mean for how we organize our public spaces, local services and infrastructure.“

“To grasp how these issues are playing out and what the impacts are for all the actors involved, the Task Force recommends that the federal government:

  • Engage employer groups, unions and older workers themselves in an open dialogue to better understand these dynamics, share experiences with flexible work arrangements and promote best practices among individual employers;
  • Conduct additional research on the relationships between an aging workforce, sectoral labour shortages and skills gaps, and productivity; and
  • Building on recent initiatives, promote financial literacy and advance planning to support retirement security.”

IRPP Task Force on Aging, October 7th, 2015: “Designing a National Seniors Strategy for Canada” (38 pages, PDF)

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Toward an Adult Education and Training Strategy for Canada

“While Canada’s education and training system does a fairly good job in producing highly educated workers, often it does not provide sufficient support to meet the learning needs of adults who may be working but require a ‘second chance.’”

“Why, then, do more adults who might benefit from learning not undertake it? An important reason, note the authors, is the difficulty of balancing responsibilities for care and work, and the consequently high opportunity costs of time. In addition, behavioural science suggests some adults, particularly those with low skills, appear to be more risk-averse in the presence of an unknown outcome, a potentially high barrier when one considers the time and money involved.”

“Perhaps most critically, the authors say the market for adult learning through apprenticeships is broken. Completion rates are low, the need for essential literacy and numeracy training is high, and the capacity of employers to train is limited. As the skilled trades are among the largest source of learning for older adults, this is an area of particular concern.”

“Addressing these challenges will take more than just modest adjustments to existing policies. Drewes and Meredith call for an ambitious pan-Canadian adult education and training strategy centred around three key reforms: 

  1. Improving labour market information and research to better understand the unique needs of adults, including the development of a permanent adult education and training survey. 
  2. Developing a comprehensive, income-contingent loans system targeting older adults.
  3. Overhauling provincial apprenticeship systems to make the learning process and the capacity of training institutions more similar to those in the post-secondary education system.”

Institute for Research on Public Policy, September 25, 2015: “If at First You Don’t Succeed: Toward an Adult Education and Training Strategy for Canada,” by Torben Drewes and Tyler Meredith

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OPSEU Reaches Tentative Agreement/Private Sector Salary Increase Projections

“Queen’s Park has reached a tentative three-year deal with 35,500 members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.“

“The settlement with public servants, including administrative support staff, probation and parole officers, social workers and workers in information technology systems, averts the possibility of labour strife.”

“Treasury Board president Deb Matthews said Tuesday that the accord is “a net zero and is consistent with the fiscal plan” of Premier Kathleen Wynne’s cash-strapped government.”

“But sources told the Star it is in fact a zero in the first year, a one-time one per cent lump sum in January, followed by a 1.4 per cent raise.”

“In exchange, OPSEU members’ only major concession was giving up termination pay. Their previous collective agreement expired last Dec. 31.”

The Toronto Star, October 6, 2015: “Ontario government reaches deal with OPSEU,” by Robert Benzie and Richard Brennan

Higher Wage Adjustments in the Private Sector

“We’re excited to once again share the results of our annual Salary Budget Report. This year we surveyed 404 organizations in August 2015, and according to the results, the salary increase trend suggests a ‘stay the course’ approach. Organizations anticipate a modest increase in 2016 of 2.75 per cent on average, down only 0.04 per cent from 2015.“

ACCOMPASS 2016 Salary Budget Report (20 pages, PDF)

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Henry Mintzberg to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

”Thinkers50, the premier ranking of global business thinkers, today announced that Henry Mintzberg is to be the recipient of its 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award -- previously won by Charles Handy and Ikujiro Nonaka.”

“’The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to someone who has had a long-term impact on the way people think about and practice management,’ explains Thinkers50 co-founder Des Dearlove. ‘Henry Mintzberg has done that and much more. He has been an intellectual trailblazer from his very first book -- The Nature of Managerial Work -- to his work on strategy and his pioneering executive education programs.’”

Thinkers50, October 1, 2015: “Henry Mintzberg to receive Thinker50 Lifetime Achievement Award” 

Henry Mintzberg Rebalancing Society -- Lifetime Achievement Award [website]

Henry Minzberg on his collection of beaver sculptures:

“I take what these busy, wet Canadian artists (or is it craftworkers) leave behind, in the water or on land, not from their dams and lodges“
”I hope they can be displayed one day, presumably in a rather broad-minded museum.“

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First Let's Get Rid of All the Bosses

“Zappos, Hsieh explained, was moving from ‘Green’ to ‘Teal,’ the next stage of its collective corporate evolution, and managers were no longer valued by the company. To make the transition easier, former managers would be permitted to keep their salaries, though not their responsibilities, through the end of 2015, if they chose to find new roles with the company. The email landed like a bomb at Zappos. People inside the company were upset. People on the outside were just confused, and a flurry of perplexed news items appeared in the business press. Clearly, some kind of corporate revolution was underway -- though exactly what all this meant was far from obvious -- and Hsieh wanted to make sure that his employees were on board. For those who were not, a new version of Zappos’s famous ‘offer’ would be available.” 

“At its heart, a Teal organization is one that seeks to empower its members to be creative, independent, adaptable, and self-directed -- an alliance of entrepreneurs rather than an army of servile corporate drones. Mindful of the lures and snares of the Green mindset, they avoid the quagmire of consensus. As they undergo the transition to Teal, organizations do away with hierarchies of people and of power and replace them with a hierarchy of purpose. The three basic ‘breakthroughs’ that Laloux attributes to Teal organizations are self-management, wholeness, and evolutionary purpose. What being Teal means for any one company, then, will vary considerably. At Zappos, the most urgent question, one very much up in the air, is the following: What exactly will Teal mean for us? Which is just another way of saying, What does Teal mean for Tony?” 

New Republic, October 4, 2015: “A radical experiment at Zappos to end the office workplace as we know it,” by Roger D. Hodge

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Women Finally Get Equal Pay for Equal Work in California

“The state of California is working to say goodbye to the gender wage gap.”

“[On October 6, 2015], Governor Jerry Brown will sign the Fair Pay Act, a new law that goes further than any federal measure to ensure equal pay for equal work. The law forces employers who pay more to a man working the same job as a woman to prove that the pay is based on elements other than gender.”

“The new law also changes the rules on whether and when employees can sue employers regarding pay issues, and it also allows employees to discuss pay without fear of retribution.”

“[A]dvocate Aileen Rizo is one of the women who helped make the new law happen. A math consultant at the Fresno County Office of Education, three years ago Rizo discovered that one of her recently-hired male colleagues earned $12,000 more per year than her, even though he had far fewer years of experience and education.”

“Over the course of a 40-year career, the average American woman will lose out on about $431,000 as the result of the wage gap, according to the Center for American Progress. And the pay gap starts early: If a woman earns less in her first job, when she takes on a new role and her new employer sets her salary, it will often be based on her prior pay history, something Rizo acknowledges.”

Click here to download the audio of the full interview with Aileen Rizo (8:11 min.).

The Take Away with John Hockenberry, October 6, 2015: “Women Will Finally Get Equal Pay for Equal Work in California”

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Lack of Gender Diversity in the Information Security Workforce & the Short Film Industry

“When it comes to the information security workforce, it’s still mainly a man’s world. An (ISC)2 and Booz Allen Hamilton survey finds infosecurity gender diversity has made some progress, but women still make up a small percentage. This despite the growing demand for people skilled in cyber security, no matter what gender they are. Dan Waddell is managing director of the North America Region at (ISC)2. He joins the Federal Drive with Tom Temin with more on the progress of women as infosecurity pros.”

Listen to the audio here (9:01 min.).

Federal Drive, October 2, 2015: “Dan Waddell: Gender diversity improves in information security workforce,” by Tom Temin

(ISC)2 & Booz Allen Hamilton, April 2015: The 2015 (ISC)2 Global Information Security Workforce Study,” by Michael Suby and Frank Dickson (46 pages, PDF)

Career Pipeline From Shorts to Studio Films Fails Female Filmmakers

“For female film directors, making a short film might be both the launch and the pinnacle of their careers, according to a new study released [October 6, 2015].“

The study conducted by Professor Stacy L. Smith and her Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative at USC Annenberg “examined the prevalence of female directors across more than 3,200 short and mid-length films screened at 10 top film festivals worldwide.  Also, the occupational paths and career impediments of female directors were assessed.”

“Short films represent a first foray into entertainment creation for many filmmakers. The findings of this study reveal that women represent 32% of directors of short and mid-length films overall at 10 worldwide festivals.”

“'These findings demonstrate that female film directors face a fiscal cliff in their careers soon after making a short film,' said [Smith]. 'Male and female directors are put on opposite paths as their careers progress. For males, opportunities grow, while for females, they vanish.'"

“The career impediments facing female directors are also explored in the study. Twenty-eight female directors were interviewed about occupational obstacles. Sixty-four percent reported that balancing the demands of work and family life created career barriers; 61% stated that financial challenges are a factor. Almost one-third (29%) of women also indicated that generating interest or finance for films about females or underrepresented groups and female-oriented subject matter was a barrier to career progress.“

For more information on the Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative, or to read previous studies, visit annenberg.usc.edu/MDSCI.

USC Annenberg, October 6, 2015: “Career pipeline from shorts to studio films fails female filmmakers“

Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative at USC Annenberg, October 5, 2015: “Gender & Short Films: Emerging Female Filmmakers and the Barriers Surrounding their Careers,” by Stacey Smith, Katherine Pieper, Marc Choueiti, and Ariana Case (20 pages, PDF)

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The Status of Women in the U.S. Media 2015

The Women’s Media Center (WMC) “released its yearly report on the status of women in U.S. media. The report is based on new and original research that finds that the media landscape is still dominated by male voices and male perspectives. Taken together, the 49 studies are a snapshot of women in media platforms as diverse as news, literature, broadcast, film, television, radio, online, tech, gaming, and social media.”

“’Inequality defines our media,’ said Julie Burton, president of the Women’s Media Center. ‘Our research shows that women, who are more than half of the population, write only a third of the stories. Media tells us our roles in society -- it tells us who we are and what we can be. This new report shows us who matters and what is important to media -- and clearly, as of right now, it is not women.'”

“As the 2016 presidential campaign takes shape, WMC’s original research shows that in 2014, men reported 65 percent of all U. S. political news stories. In addition, as the summer entertainment television and movie season gets under way, figures documenting all sectors of film and television production find that women still have limited creative input in shaping the characters, images, and depictions on screen. And although women use social media platforms at greater rates than men, the companies that create those platforms are largely white and male.“

Women’s Media Center, June 4, 2015: “Women’s Media Center Releases Yearly Status of Women in U.S. Media Report" Click here to read the full report (107 pages, PDF)

Inequality in 700 Popular Films: Examining Portrayals of Gender, Race, & LGBT Status from 2007 to 2014

Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative at USC Annenberg, August 5, 2015: “Want to work in Hollywood? Only straight, white men need apply” [click here to download the report (30pages, PDF)]

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Older White Men Control All the Power in Silicon Valley

“Less than one percent of senior VCs involved in investment decision are Black -- four of 551 people. And only 1.3% are Hispanic.”

“These were among the findings of a three-month study The Information conducted with SocialCapital, a VC firm. We had two missions. First, we wanted to contribute to the discussion around the poor state of diversity in the tech industry by zeroing in on the profiles of the decision-makers. Second, we wanted to rank firms based on their ethnic and gender diversity as well as the age of people on their investment teams.”

“Ninety two percent of the senior investment teams at top-tier venture capital firms are male and 78% are white ... [and] 42% of senior investment team members are over the age of 46. In other words, not only is the VC industry mostly white and male, a big chunk is past the age where VC partners have done their best deals. That’s because what we call the ‘power alley,’ the period where we found venture capitalists are at their peak, is 35 and 46.”

The Information, October 2015: “Introducing The Information’s Future List,” by Peter Schulz

The Information -- The Future List

The Information report “has some incredibly damning numbers about the absolute lack of diversity in Silicon Valley’s venture capital world. We didn’t really need any numbers to show that this is true, but it never hurts to have a bunch of data, according to every white male VC in the world.”

“The results ... are just as bleak as you would guess:”

"These results are way worse than the diversity breakdown at major tech companies, where 23% of leadership teams are female and 77% male."

“Yes, even a whitewashed tech company like Facebook looks like f**king Sesame Street compared to the people handing out the dumb money.”

Gawker, October 6, 2015: “White People Control All the Power in Silicon Valley,” by Sam Biddle

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On the Big Bend of the Xingu River

Writer Nina Wegner travels to Altamira, Brazil and talks to the fishermen who are struggling for their livelihoods. The world’s third-largest dam, the Belo Monte, reaches peak construction this year, destroying their environment.

“While its massive maximum output of 11,233 megawatts is poised to feed Brazil’s new thirst for energy, local folks near the Big Bend say the dam will destroy their river, and along with it, their homes, livelihood, environment, and culture. But the hardest hit, I’ve found, are the fishermen of Altamira."

“How can we continue to support our families without a flowing river?”

“The 8,000-plus Altamirans who live on the lowland shores in danger of being flooded are fishermen and people whose livelihood depends on the bounty of the river."

“Altamira was built on the grit of farmers, fishermen, and migrant workers looking for work on the Trans-Amazonian highway when it attempted to bring development to the jungle in the 1970s and ‘80s. Historically, Altamirans are a hardscrabble set, and the fishermen claim a special place alongside the toughest. However, since dam construction started, fishing is not what it used to be."

“Sometimes, fishermen say, dynamite explosions at construction sites send powerful shockwaves through the water that either kill fish or send them scattering. Norte Energia has closed off parts of the river, where nobody but consortium employees are allowed, limiting the fishermen’s mobility. The increasingly rapid flow of water at the cofferdam site has made the presence of fish unpredictable at best."

Orlando de Oliveira Quiroz “says living and working at his fishing camp can be lonely, but it is what he knows and does best. The income from his fish supports his family. Fishing has always required hard work, but Orlando says the dam is making it nearly impossible for some of Altamira’s pescadores to earn a reasonable living.”

“Despite the difficulties the fishermen of Altamira face, one gets the feeling that if any community can weather through such a storm, it will be these resilient and hardworking people. I realized this was why I had traveled so far to toil in the middle of the jungle: it was the earnest message of a small community that inspired a reason to care, a desire to bear witness."

Global Oneness Project, October 2015: “On the Big Bend of the Xingu River,” by Nina Wegner

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Base Erosion and Profit Shifting: OECD Plans to Curb Corporate Tax Evasion

“The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has released details of a plan to eliminate tax-dodging by multinational companies that has been developed over the last two years.”

“The plan aims to clamp down on the practice of shifting profits from the jurisdiction where they are earned into low-tax havens. It also attempts to make sure that value added taxes or GST on digital products are paid in the country where the consumer bought the goods.”

“The plan sets out requirements for detailed reporting by multinationals to show how expenses are allocated and taxes are paid in holding companies around the world, in an effort to introduce transparency. And it provides for extensive sharing of these details among countries.”

CBC News, October 5, 2015: “OECD releases plan to curb corporate tax-dodging G20 leaders could adopt international agreement on tax rules this fall” 

OECD -- Base Erosion and Profit Shifting [website]

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Book of the Week

Unaccountable: Truth and Lies on Parliament Hill, by Kevin Page, with Vern Stenlund. Toronto, Ontario: Viking, 2015. 216 p. ISBN 9780670068166 (hardcover)

From the publisher: "A unique insider's account of the Harper government so damning that it cannot be ignored. In March 2008, Kevin Page was appointed by the federal Conservatives to be the country's first Parliamentary Budget Officer. The move fulfilled a Tory campaign promise to deliver greater government transparency and accountability. He was later denounced by the same people who appointed him to scrutinize their spending. When he challenged the government on several issues--most notably about the true costs of the F-35 fighter planes -- and publicly claimed the government was misleading Canadians, Page was vilified. Parliament, he argues, is broken, with power centralized in the PMO. In this shocking insider's account, Page argues that democracy is being undermined by an increasingly autocratic government that does not respect facts that run counter to its political agenda. Elected officials need accurate, independently verified data to support the implementation of policies and programs. In Unaccountable, Page tells all Canadians why we should be concerned."

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