Host Rob Snow speaks with Peter Jon Mitchell, family program director at Cardus, about the childcare platform proposals on offer from our federal parties. Where do they shine? Where do they fall short?

"A report from think tank Cardus released last month says the concept of CBAs are 'promising' for Canada, but stresses the need for governments, and B.C. in particular, to reassess their implementation methods," writes Saul Chernos in On-Site Magazine. CBAs aren't necessarily as innocent and innocuous as they sound.

Canada’s declining fertility has significant implications on the country’s economic and social stability, says a family studies researcher, adding that boosting awareness of the importance and benefits of marriage could help to reverse the trend. “Fertility rates have an impact on labour supply and on the state’s ability to meet entitlement obligations such as health care and public pensions,” says Peter Jon Mitchell in his research paper for think tank Cardus, titled “Missing Marriage and the Baby Carriage.”

A new report by Cardus shows since the passage of Bill 66 two years ago, the Region of Waterloo, Ont. has saved an average of 14 per cent in municipal construction project costs and has experienced nearly double the number of bidders on projects. The report, Bouncing Back Through Diversity: The Effects of Bill 66 on Construction Competition in the Region of Waterloo, also found the average number of bidders for the region’s construction projects grew by 50 per cent to reach 5.5 bidders per contract since the bill passed. 

Matthew Lau provides commentary in the Financial Post regarding the Liberal government's child care policy. Average Canadian families and the Liberal program differ on childcare because the Liberal government’s interests are not aligned with Canadian families’ interests. When it comes to childcare, Cardus researcher Andrea Mrozek explained to me in an email, “each family is different and has their own calculus. But the government has one calculus, and that’s ensuring we all work as much as possible.”

Canadian journalism is undergoing an institutional shift, says a veteran in the industry, noting that this has led to a reluctance on the part of journalists to challenge talking points from the government, which he argues in some cases are meant to garner compliance from the populace through fear.  A journalistic institution that keeps journalists hustling to meet deadlines is a key factor contributing to their inability to challenge “state-mandated narratives,” Peter Stockland told The Epoch Times.

WORLD Magazine, based in North Carolina, covers the recent state of church burnings across Canada.  Rev. Andrew Bennett, director of Cardus Religious Freedom Institute and Canada’s first religious freedom ambassador, calls for a stronger condemnation and political action against the violence. “The anger is understandable but the violence is unacceptable,” he said. “In Canada, because we have religious freedom and it’s enshrined in our constitution, we have a greater responsibility to ensure these types of attacks are condemned and they don’t happen again.”

"Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) can be valuable tools for advancing social causes, but not until they’re properly defined and implemented, says a new report by think tank Cardus. The report, Community Benefits Agreements: Toward a Fair, Open, and Inclusive Framework for Canada, looks at the use and abuse of CBAs across the country. Its researchers concluded that CBAs can be a useful way to maximize the impact of Canada’s post-pandemic infrastructure construction boom and economic recovery, but not before the very concept of CBAs themselves are properly defined, and their value proven though measured results."

What is the proof that fair, open, and competitive contract bidding is good for the public purse and a more just way for cities to build up their infrastructure? Well, when Cardus crunched the numbers, we found that the Region of Waterloo saved at least 14 percent in municipal construction costs since removing restrictions that severely limited the number of bidders for construction contracts. That represents an estimated savings of $24-million from 2019 to 2021. And the average number of bidders per project jumped 50 percent too. Ray Pennings, Executive Vice-President of Cardus, explained it all to host Brian Bourke on 570 News in Kitchener, ON. (Starts at around the 87-minute, 37-second mark.)