Author Archives: pkershaw

Support for student strikers wanes in Quebec.  New legislation restricts protests. Frustration grows about smoke bombs, vandalism and violence.  Divisions among students receive media scrutiny as protestors prevent others from going to class.  Even former Premier Lucien Bouchard publicly endorsed … Continue reading →

As the deadline for filing income taxes looms, many Canadians, like me, are scrambling to pull together financial information.  As we calculate our income, we are especially likely to complain about the taxes we owe for the year, and question … Continue reading →

Beware.  You may be reading the words of a right-wing conspirator.  At least that’s what a column in the Tyee implied a couple months back when I last wrote about the Surrey Board of Trade.  Allegedly, I demonstrate “an affinity … Continue reading →

Many in Canada are growing nervous about the risk of intergenerational tension.  Regrettably, last week’s federal budget stokes these fires. Although there was lots of talk about generations surrounding the budget, none of it engaged adequately with the social, economic … Continue reading →

This month marks a year since Christy Clark became Premier.  She won the Liberal leadership with a “Families First” campaign.  It held much promise for the generation raising young kids.  Their household incomes have stalled despite the dramatic increase in … Continue reading →

Class size is a sticking point between the BC Government and the BC Teachers Federation.  It affects teachers’ working conditions, the quality of education received by children in Kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12), as well as the province’s bottom line. … Continue reading →

Robocalls misdirecting Canadians to polling stations.  That’s the last thing our democracy needs.  Canadians have enough difficulty finding the ballot box, with voter turnout rates at around 60 per cent federally, and less than 50 per cent in Ontario’s last … Continue reading →

Poll shows many Canadians open to trading medical care increases for new family policy Canadians increased public medical care spending by $22.5 billion between 2007 and 2010, raising it from $112.5 billion annually to $135 billion.  We did this over … Continue reading →

UBC dialogues convened a panel last night in Coquitlam BC, asking “What does it mean to go green?”  Below I share a summary of my remarks as one of the four panelists. Going green means taking responsibility:  personal, national, and … Continue reading →

What should be the retirement age? The Prime Minister deserves credit for provoking debate about a policy issue that is unlikely to help him electorally. The fact is we are living longer.  Compared to 1970, women today live on average … Continue reading →

Just ten percent of Canadians trust politicians, according to a recent Ipsos poll.  Canadians are more likely to trust new car sales people than elected officials, data from Leger Marketing tell us. These facts may be good for a laugh. … Continue reading →

Media coverage in recent weeks confirms that when Canadians devote time to talking about social policy, we invariably focus on medical care and pensions – policies on which we depend disproportionately in our later decades.  These are vital policies because … Continue reading →

The vast majority of Canadians feel a reverence for the natural surroundings that make up our home and native land.  We celebrate our environment in song, stories…    even beer commercials.  I’ll fess up.  I ordered a Molson Canadian after its … Continue reading →

Since I started writing about a Canada that works for all generations, I have insisted that Boomers and seniors care about those who follow in their footsteps.  After all, we’re talking about their kids and grandkids.  But new national polling … Continue reading →

MEDIA RELEASE | DECEMBER 15, 2011 Generations disagree on public funding priorities: new poll data Younger adults want Canada’s wealth invested more evenly across the generations, while Canadians older than 55 say they should ‘wait their turn,’ according to new … Continue reading →

Is it Un-Canadian to suggest medical care spending should not increase, at least not faster than our economy grows?  I fear many think it is. During the last federal election, not a single Party challenged the idea that federal transfers … Continue reading →

Even the good economic times over the last decade have not shielded Alberta’s families from a harsh Canadian reality: parents today have less money and less time to raise young children than the Baby Boomer generation before them. See full Media … Continue reading →

The omnibus crime Bill C-10 is on its way back to the House of Commons for its final reading after a brief committee appearance last week.  Since the Bill was introduced last September, a number of Canadians have expressed concern … Continue reading →

As more people consider the challenges facing Generation Squeeze, some ask why I don’t recommend income splitting as part of the New Deal for Families.  My answer is simple.  Income splitting doesn’t provide tax breaks for the majority of families, … Continue reading →

The Gen Why Media project recently held an intergenerational dialogue called “Bring your Boomers.”  One of the featured Boomers was Phil Fontaine, former Grand Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.  Fontaine focused on the harm imposed by the Indian … Continue reading →

2 new video links Surrey Board of Trade videos Warren Beach, CFO Sierra Systems. Warren talks about the price Business pays for Generation Squeeze’s bad policy deal. And Fanny Kiefer interviews Kershaw re the Beaver Logic required to support Generation … Continue reading →

Eight weeks ago I invited readers to envision a Canada that works for all generations.  The conversation gained momentum thanks to readers across the country. Much of the feedback has been positive, suggesting the columns have helped to name what … Continue reading →

Families First.  I sympathize with the BC Premier and other Canadian leaders who make this commitment, because it is a big task.  In many ways, it is akin to responding to an earthquake.  Earthquakes damage a community’s foundation.  Since they … Continue reading →

Last time I wrote about Occupy Wall Street, observing that the slogan “We are the 99%” frames the growing inequality in Canada as a few fat cat corporate leaders gorging on the cream produced by many mice churning milk.  While … Continue reading →

Fewer than 50% of Ontarians voted in this month’s provincial election, letting the state of Canadian democracy slip to a new low.  How can citizens be so quick to criticize politicians who labour far longer hours than do many Canadians, … Continue reading →

Saskatchewan goes to the polls today.  Newfoundland, the Yukon Territory, NWT, Ontario, Manitoba and PEI held provincial elections in the last couple of months. I can’t help but ask, WTF?  Where’s The Family in all of these elections?  Where were … Continue reading →

It has become harder to raise a young family today in Canada, while it has become easier to retire.  The generation raising young kids has less time at home because they work harder to compensate for stalled incomes that must … Continue reading →

There is a growing intergenerational breach in Canada.  Consider three facts. Average household income for Canadian couples approaching retirement (Baby Boomers) increased 18% since the mid-1970s.  This increase is nearly four times greater than the increase reported for couples age … Continue reading →

A lot has happened since 1976.  The Canadian economy has grown 108%, after controlling for inflation.  On average, it now produces an extra $35,000 per household. Despite this additional prosperity, a silent generational crisis occurs in homes across the land, … Continue reading →

Canadian Senator, Nicole Eaton, recently recommended that Canada replace the beaver as our national animal.  She lamented that the beaver is a dentally deficient rodent, or toothy tyrant.  But such critiques are all wet.  Our national animal may not be … Continue reading →