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This paper studies substitution between main categories of imported pulp and paper products and between imported and domestic pulp and paper products in the US market. A restricted translog subcost function approach was employed to derive the elasticity of substitution. The results suggest that Canadian pulp and paper products are competitive and have maintained their competitiveness in the US market, and therefore, the challenges faced by the Canadian pulp and paper industry are not because of the loss of its product competitiveness but are due to other reasons such as declining demand for paper products in the United States. It seems that if the Canadian pulp and paper industry wants to retain its dominant position in the world market place, it will have to create global reach and develop new markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the significance of the newly conceived Canada Infrastructure Bank in relation to the political economy of settler colonialism in Canada. I argue that the Canada Infrastructure Bank is a fundamentally colonial institution that marshals private capital to reproduce and extend the jurisdictional power of the setter state. The Bank is an arms-length financing institution whose purpose is to leverage private and institutional capital for investment in large scale, nation-building infrastructure, including infrastructure that supports resource extraction in remote and northern Canada. The first section of the paper examines the specific configuration of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. I suggest that the need to attract private investment into certain kinds of infrastructure development must be understood in relation to state struggles to exercise territorial jurisdiction over Indigenous lands and resources. This struggle is reflected in the specific configuration of the Canada Infrastructure Bank. The second part of the paper focuses on some of the implications of pension securitization. The Canada Infrastructure Bank has deliberately been designed to leverage Canadian pension fund capital; I ask what it means to grow settler workers' savings through investment in privatized, resource development infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender norms, roles and relations differentially affect women, men, and non-binary individuals' vulnerability to disease. Outbreak response measures also have immediate and long-term gendered effects. However, gender-based analysis of outbreaks and responses is limited by lack of data and little integration of feminist analysis within global health scholarship. Recognising these barriers, this paper applies a gender matrix methodology, grounded in feminist political economy approaches, to evaluate the gendered effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and response in four case studies: China, Hong Kong, Canada, and the UK. Through a rapid scoping of documentation of the gendered effects of the outbreak, it applies the matrix framework to analyse findings, identifying common themes across the case studies: financial discrimination, crisis in care, and unequal risks and secondary effects. Results point to transnational structural conditions which put women on the front lines of the pandemic at work and at home while denying them health, economic and personal security – effects that are exacerbated where racism and other forms of discrimination intersect with gender inequities. Given that women and people living at the intersections of multiple inequities are made additionally vulnerable by pandemic responses, intersectional feminist responses should be prioritised at the beginning of any crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Although recent forms of neoliberalism have been associated with everyday forms of ‘investment’, this paper argues that the financial conduct of everyday populations has long been an intense site of intervention. Drawing on the history of nineteenth and twentieth‐century Canadian government savings, annuities and tax deferral programs, this paper argues that everyday financial conduct has long been a key site of experimentation and innovation in practices of the self. These programs experiment with a language and practice of investment which emphasizes everyday conduct as a space of individual responsibility attached to diverse political goals. This suggests that enterprise as a mode of self and citizenship has a diverse and longer trajectory that predates neoliberalism. By extension, this paper conclude with a case for more diversified, complicated and historically‐situated analyses of ‘neoliberalism’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The last two decades have witnessed a considerable growth in the literature focusing on LGBTQ2S+ employment, labour market inequality, and income. During the same period, Canada has emerged as a trailblazer in employment protections for both sexual and gender minorities. Unfortunately, the Canadian literature on LGBTQ2S+ employment outcomes and experiences is disperse and underdeveloped. Objective: This paper brings together this disperse research and provides the first systematic review of Canada’s LGBTQ2S+ employment and earnings literature. Methods: We start with a systematic review and thematic synthesis of the broadly defined literature on LGBTQ2S+ poverty in Canada. We use a thematic synthesis to isolate the LGBTQ2S+ literature on employment, labour market inequality, and earnings. Our search of electronic databases took place in April 2018 and was updated in January 2019. Results: A total of 532 abstracts and full texts were screened by reviewers, which resulted in 84 articles included in our final sample. These articles were then sorted by keywords and those pertaining to employment, labour market inequality, and income (n = 31) were included in this analysis. While estimates of sexual minority wage gaps vary depending on the data and methods used, most studies have found wage penalties for gay men and wage premiums for lesbians, relative to their heterosexual counterparts. The literature on bisexual employment is particularly scant but finds that bisexual men and women also earn less than their heterosexual counterparts. Research on the subjective workplace experiences of LGBTQ2S+ individuals find unique challenges, barriers and, at times, exclusion from the Canadian labour market. Conclusions and implications: While the literature on LGBTQ2S+ employment outcomes and experiences in Canada is growing, much is left unknown. The principal limitation for researchers continues to be the dearth of population-based surveys that include questions on sexual orientation, gender identity, and relevant employment characteristics. To date, few studies have explored employment outcomes or the subjective workplace experiences of bisexuals, transgender, two-spirit or other gender minority peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To conduct a time-cost analysis of formatting in scientific publishing. Design: International, cross-sectional study (one-time survey). Setting: Internet-based self-report survey, live between September 2018 and January 2019. Participants: Anyone working in research, science, or academia and who submitted at least one peer-reviewed manuscript for consideration for publication in 2017. Completed surveys were available for 372 participants from 41 countries (60% of respondents were from Canada). Main outcome measure: Time (hours) and cost (wage per hour x time) associated with formatting a research paper for publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal. Results: The median annual income category was US$61,000–80,999, and the median number of publications formatted per year was four. Manuscripts required a median of two attempts before they were accepted for publication. The median formatting time was 14 hours per manuscript, or 52 hours per person, per year. This resulted in a median calculated cost of US$477 per manuscript or US$1,908 per person, per year. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to analyze the cost of manuscript formatting in scientific publishing. Our results suggest that scientific formatting represents a loss of 52 hours, costing the equivalent of US$1,908 per researcher per year. These results identify the hidden and pernicious price associated with scientific publishing and provide evidence to advocate for the elimination of strict formatting guidelines, at least prior to acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) flows and institutional stability. The focus country is Canada. It is one of the few countries where the economy remained relatively stable compared to other economies during the Global Financial Crisis. It is crucial for Canada to determine the optimal level of institutional development to attract more FDI and sustain the sound financial stability in future. Design/methodology/approach - This study uses the auto-regressive distributive lag (ARDL) approach to understand the relationship between FDI and institutional stability along with other controlled variables, for instance, gross national product, inflation and exports. Findings - The key finding of this work is that FDI and institutional stability are cointegrated in the long run. The error correction model of ARDL shed light on institutional stability being an exogenous variable, and FDI is an endogenous variable. Institutional stability affects FDI, as it is exogenous. The findings will help policymakers to implement policies to strengthen the institution's settings, and this, in turn, will attract more investment. Originality/value - Based on previous theoretical and empirical literature, most of the research points to FDI positively affect institutional stability. In some cases, the relationship does not always hold true. This study will fix the gap in the literature by investigating the relationship between FDI and institutional stability of Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Ninety percent of smokers report having their first whole cigarette before the age of 19. Policies, such as youth access laws, are essential to prevent youth from becoming future smokers. In Canada, the Tobacco Act prohibits retailers from furnishing tobacco products to individuals under the age of 18. These laws can only be effective when retailers comply with them. This paper investigates the effect of retailer compliance on youth smoking behavior. METHODS: Data on individual smoking behavior in conjunction with provincial retailer compliance rates and cigarette prices for the years 1999–2005 were employed to examine the effects of retailer compliance on youth smoking participation and consumption. RESULTS: Both price and retailer compliance were significant predictors of smoking participation. A large portion of participants endorsed obtaining their cigarettes through social means. Price elasticity of demand for the overall sample was estimated to be −0.54. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with previous literature, our results found that retailer compliance is an essential component to the successful implementation of youth access laws. Given that youth access laws and retailer compliance did not quell social access to cigarettes, there is an apparent need within schools and communities to reduce the social sale of tobacco products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Patients with cancer have an elevated risk of venous thromboembolism. Importantly, patients with cancer, who have metastatic disease, renal insufficiency, or are receiving anticancer therapy, have an even higher risk of a recurrent event. Similarly, the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism is higher than the risk of an initial event. To reduce the risk, extended duration of prophylaxis for up to six months with low-molecular-weight heparins such as dalteparin, enoxaparin, nadroparin, and tinzaparin is recommended by international guidelines. In this paper, the clinical and economic literature is reviewed to provide evidenced based recommendations based on clinical benefit and economic value. Methods A systematic review of major databases was conducted from January 1996 to October 2016 for randomized controlled trials evaluating the four distinct low-molecular-weight heparins against a vitamin K antagonists control group for the prevention of recurrent venous thromboembolism in patients with active cancer. This was then followed by the application of the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence guidance to assess the quality of all trials that met the inclusion criteria. Finally, the cost-effectiveness literature supporting the value proposition of each product was reviewed. Results Six randomized trials met the inclusion criteria. There were one, two, and three trials that compared dalteparin, tinzaparin, and enoxaparin to a vitamin K antagonists control group. However, there were no trials for nadroparin in the setting of secondary venous thromboembolism prevention. In addition, only the dalteparin and one of the tinzaparin trials were of high quality and adequately powered. Of the two studies, only the dalteparin trial reported a statistically significant benefit in terms of venous thromboembolism absolute risk reduction when compared to a vitamin K antagonists control group (HR = 0.48; p = 0.002). In addition, there was robust pharmacoeconomic data from Canada, the Netherlands, France, and Austria supporting the cost-effectiveness of dalteparin for this indication. There were no such studies for any of the other agents. Conclusions The totality of high-quality clinical and cost-effectiveness data supports the use of dalteparin over other low-molecular-weight heparins for preventing recurrent venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the impact and cost associated with mental illness. Methods: A rapid review of the literature from Australia, New Zealand, UK and Canada was undertaken. The review included literature pertaining to the cost-of-illness and impact of mental illness as well as any modelling studies. Included studies were categorised according to impact on education, labour force engagement, earlier retirement or welfare dependency. The well-accepted Drummond 10-point economic appraisal checklist was used to assess the quality of the studies. Results: A total of 45 methodologically diverse studies were included. The studies highlight the significant burden mental illness places on all facets of society, including individuals, families, workplaces and the wider economy. Mental illness results in a greater chance of leaving school early, a lower probability of gaining full-time employment and a reduced quality of life. Research from Canada suggests that the total economic costs associated with mental illness will increase six-fold over the next 30 years with costs likely to exceed A$2.8 trillion (based on 2015 Australian dollars). Conclusions: Mental illness is associated with a high economic burden. Further research is required to develop a better understanding of the trajectory and burden of mental illness so that resources can be directed towards cost-effective interventions. What is known about the topic?: Although mental illness continues to be one of the leading contributors to the burden of disease, there is limited information on the economic impact that mental illness imposes on individuals, families, workplaces and the wider economy. What does this paper add?: This review provides a summary of the economic impact and cost of mental illness. The included literature highlights the significant burden mental illness places on individuals, families, workplaces, society and the economy in general. The review identified several areas for improvement. For example, only limited information is available on the impact of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, cognitive function, conduct disorder, eating disorder and psychological distress. There was also a dearth of evidence on the intangible elements of pain and suffering of people and their families with depressive disorders. More research is required to better understand the full extent of the impact of mental illness and strategies that may be implemented to minimise this harm. What are the implications for practitioners?: Knowing the current and future impact of mental illness highlights the imperative to develop an effective policy response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how Canadian political science portrays Atlantic Canada, along with some of the consequences of persistent misrepresentations. I first explore traditional portrayals of Atlantic Canada as well as arguments challenging those conceptions, demonstrating that it is no longer appropriate to treat Atlantic Canada as primarily defined by either economic processes or common political culture. I then survey the Canadian Journal of Political Science, Canadian Public Administration and Canadian Public Policy to determine the extent to which discussions of Atlantic Canada still, (a) emphasize economic phenomena, and (b) assume a common Atlantic political culture. I find that, while political scientists are now less likely to study the region in terms of economic phenomena, they still perpetuate outdated depictions of Atlantic political culture. This tendency results in a certain degree of methodological imprecision and reinforces problematic assumptions about Atlantic political life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Aims: Alcohol pricing is an effective prevention policy. This paper compares the 10 Canadian provinces on three research-based alcohol pricing policies-minimum pricing, pricing by alcohol content and maintaining prices relative to inflation.Design and Methods: The selection of these three policies was based on systematic reviews and seminal research papers. Provincial data for 2012 were obtained from Statistics Canada and relevant provincial ministries, subsequently sent to provincial authorities for verification, and then scored by team members.Results: All provinces, except for Alberta, have minimum prices for at least one beverage type sold in off-premise outlets. All provinces, except for British Columbia and Quebec, have separate (and higher) minimum pricing for on-premise establishments. Regarding pricing on alcohol content, western and central provinces typically scored higher than provinces in Eastern Canada. Generally, minimum prices were lower than the recommended $1.50 per standard drink for off-premise outlets and $3.00 per standard drink in on-premise venues. Seven of 10 provinces scored 60% or higher compared to the ideal on indexing prices to inflation. Prices for a representative basket of alcohol products in Ontario and Quebec have lagged significantly behind inflation since 2006.Discussion and Conclusions: While examples of evidence-based alcohol pricing policies can be found in every jurisdiction in Canada, significant inter-provincial variation leaves substantial unrealised potential for further reducing alcohol-related harm and costs. This comparative assessment of alcohol price policies provides clear indications of how individual provinces could adjust their pricing policies and practices to improve public health and safety. [Giesbrecht N, Wettlaufer A, Thomas G, Stockwell T, Thompson K, April N, Asbridge M, Cukier S, Mann R, McAllister J, Murie A, Pauley C, Plamondon L, Vallance K. Pricing of alcohol in Canada: A comparison of provincial policies and harm-reduction opportunities. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:289-297]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines news media coverage of hydraulic fracturing in Canada over a five-year period in five newspapers. Hydraulic fracturing, or 'fracking,' has reenergized the North American oil and gas market. This technology has increased economic growth, but it also comes with unknown and uncertain environmental and public health risks. Regulation of the fracking industry varies globally. In Canada there are three provinces that engage in large volume fracking and four provinces that have placed a moratorium on fracking. This paper demonstrates that the Canadian fracking story is about five frames: water pollution, economic benefits, uncertain risks, moratoriums, and energy independence. There is a difference between coverage in the two national newspapers as well as a difference in national and provincial coverage. In Nova Scotia, where fracking is banned, the media focuses primarily on environmental issues and benefits to the local economy. In Saskatchewan, where fracking for oil is an essential part of the economy, the media focuses on economic benefits and downplays other frames. Overall, across the five papers, the media coverage is highly selective and focuses on particular stories about the economy or the environment, but not both. Quelle est la chronique de la fracturation hydraulique au Canada? Cet article fait état de la couverture médiatique liée à la fracturation hydraulique au Canada par cinq journaux sur une période de cinq ans. La fracturation hydraulique a revitalisé le marché nord-américain des hydrocarbures. Cette technologie favorise la croissance économique, mais comporte également des risques écologiques et sanitaires inconnus et incertains. La réglementation régissant l'industrie de la fracturation varie selon les pays. À l'échelle canadienne, trois provinces ont réalisé d'importantes opérations de fracturation et quatre provinces ont imposé un moratoire à la fracturation hydraulique. Cet article montre que le cadrage médiatique de la fracturation hydraulique repose sur cinq thématiques : la pollution hydrique, les retombées économiques, l'incertitude liée aux risques, les moratoires et la souveraineté énergétique. Le cadrage médiatique varie entre les deux journaux nationaux ainsi qu'entre les médias nationaux et provinciaux. En Nouvelle-Écosse, où la fracturation est interdite, les médias mettent l'accent sur les questions environnementales et les retombées pour l'économie locale. En Saskatchewan, où la fracturation pour extraire du pétrole joue un rôle économique primordial, les médias se concentrent sur les retombées économiques et minorent l'importance des autres thématiques. Dans l'ensemble, les cinq journaux appliquent un filtre sélectif dans le traitement du sujet et publient des reportages spécifiques portant sur l'économie ou sur l'environnement, mais pas les deux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the second in a series of papers that deal with care-giving in Canada, as based on data available from the Canadian General Social Survey (2007). Building on the first paper, which reviewed the differences between short-term, long-term and end-of-life ( EOL) caregivers, this paper uniquely examines the caregiver supports employed by EOL caregivers when compared to non- EOL caregivers (short-term and long-term caregivers combined). Both papers employ data from Statistics Canada's General Social Survey ( GSS Cycle 21: 2007). The GSS includes three modules, where respondents were asked questions about the unpaid home care assistance that they had provided in the last 12 months to someone at EOL or with either a long-term health condition or a physical limitation. The objective of this research paper was to investigate the link between the impact of the care-giving experience and the caregiver supports received, while also examining the differences in these across EOL and non- EOL caregivers. By way of factor analysis and regression modelling, we examine differences between two types of caregivers: (i) EOL and (ii) non- EOL caregivers. The study revealed that with respect to socio-demographic characteristics, health outcomes and caregiver supports, EOL caregivers were consistently worse off. This suggests that although all non- EOL caregivers are experiencing negative impacts from their care-giving role, comparatively greater supports are needed for EOL caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physician spending has substantially increased over the last few years in Canada to reach $27.4 billion in 2010. Total clinical payment to physicians has grown at an average annual rate of 7.6% from 2004 to 2010. The key policy question is whether or not this additional money has bought more physician services. So, the purpose of this study is to understand if we are paying more for the same amount of medical services in Canada or we are getting more bangs for our buck. At the same time, the paper attempts to find out whether or not there is a productivity difference between family physician services and surgical procedures. Using the Baumol theory and data from the National Physician Database for the period 2004-2010, the paper breaks down growth in physician remuneration into growth in unit cost and number of services, both from the physician and the payer perspectives. After removing general inflation and population growth from the 7.6% growth in total clinical payment, we found that real payment per service and volume of services per capita grew at an average annual rate of 3.2% and 1.4% respectively, suggesting that payment per service was the main cost driver of physician remuneration at the national level. Taking the payer perspective, it was found that, for the fee-for-service (FFS) scheme, volume of services per physician decreased at an average annual rate of -0.6%, which is a crude indicator that labour productivity of physicians on FFS has fallen during the period. However, the situation differs for the surgical procedures. Results also vary by province. Overall, our finding is consistent with the Baumol theory, which hypothesizes higher productivity growth in technology-driven sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to fill a gap in the literature on internationalization, in relation to the absence of objective and measurable performance indicators for the process of how firms sequentially enter external markets. To that end, this research develops a quantitative tool for use as a performance indicator of gradualness for firms entering external markets at a sectoral level. The performance indicator is based on firms’ export volumes, number of years operating in the export market, geographic areas targeted for export and when exports began to each area. The indicator is tested empirically in the wine sector. The main contribution of this study is the creation of a reliable international priority index, which can serve more widely as a valuable tool because of its potential use in other industry sectors and geographic areas, and which would allow the analysis of how geographically differentiated internationalization strategies develop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives While there is wide support for patient engagement in health technology assessment, determining what constitutes meaningful (as opposed to tokenistic) engagement is complex. This paper explores reviewer and payer perceptions of what constitutes meaningful patient engagement in the Pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review process. Methods Qualitative interview study comprising 24 semi-structured telephone interviews. A qualitative descriptive approach, employing the technique of constant comparison, was used to produce a thematic analysis. Results Submissions from patient advocacy groups were seen as meaningful when they provided information unavailable from other sources. This included information not collected in clinical trials, information relevant to clinical trade-offs and information about aspects of lived experience such as geographic differences and patient and carer priorities. In contrast, patient submissions that relied on emotional appeals or lacked transparency about their own methods were seen as detracting from the meaningfulness of patient engagement by conflating health technology assessment with other functions of patient advocacy groups such as fundraising or public awareness campaigns, and by failing to provide credible information relevant to deliberations. Conclusions This study suggests that misalignment of stakeholder expectations remains an issue even for a well-regarded health technology assessment process that has promoted patient engagement since its inception. Support for the technical capacity of patient groups to participate in health technology assessment is necessary but not sufficient to address this issue fully. There is a fundamental tension between the evidence-based nature of health technology assessment and the experientially oriented culture of patient advocacy. Divergent notions of what constitutes evidence and how it should be used must also be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work in Ontario (Canada) revealed that adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience higher rates of frailty and use of aging care services at earlier ages than the general population, and that the subset aged 65+ years is increasing. This paper describes the reaction of knowledge users to study findings and implications for policy and practice. A knowledge transfer webinar was held with nearly 200 people representing different regions of the province, participant types (family members, service providers, decision makers, researchers), and sectors (health and developmental services). Most participants viewed health and developmental services systems as not ready for the aging population with intellectual and developmental disabilities for two main reasons: insufficient cross-sector expertise and inadequate funding. The need for healthcare, challenged informal supports, lack of services, and the desire for independence were thought to drive higher use of home care among younger adults, while inadequacies within the developmental services sector, challenged informal supports, medical and care needs, lack of community supports, and the need for coordinated cross-sector services were noted as contributing to admissions to long-term care. There is a lack of evidence-based information on aging and intellectual and developmental disabilities. Ongoing access to quality, population-level data on the number and needs of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities is needed to improve policies and practices to support aging in the community. Persons working in health and developmental services had a shared understanding of the need for system reform, better collaboration, and integration of resources. Both sectors also viewed admission to long-term care as particularly problematic. The province-wide webinar brought together persons with various levels of responsibility from different sectors. Future exchanges should focus on identifying and promoting best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transferring income to families with children has long been a basic Canadian social policy. Though motivated by a range of goals, a central expectation has been that higher family income will lead to better child outcomes, especially in low-income families. This paper presents a synthesis of Canadian research estimating the effect of household income on measures of child development and well-being. While child outcomes and socioeconomic status (SES) are highly correlated, the effect of income on child outcomes, controlling for other SES factors, is found to be statistically significant but of much smaller magnitude than correlation alone indicates. The paper also discusses key theoretical and methodological issues in this area of research, identifies areas for future research, and draws implications for public policy design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of neoliberalism and economic globalization is identified as a significant factor contributing to macroscale structural changes in the political economy of migration and education in Korea and Canada. In this paper the empirical focus of analysis is on how nation-states have played important roles in shaping the market conditions of the international education industry under the structural changes brought about by neoliberalization. I pay particular attention to how different public institutions have become actively engaged in profit-generating activities through promoting and selling Canadian education. In so doing, I reconsider the implications of neoliberalism for the political economy of migration and international education. Drawing upon empirical evidence collected from fieldwork in Seoul and Vancouver, this paper aims to explore the complexities and locally specific outcomes of neoliberal projects. In relation to the rise of international education, this paper adds to the burgeoning literature that acknowledges that taken-for-granted views on neoliberalism are problematic and further highlights the role of public institutions as active facilitators in the process of market expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, panel regression analysis is used to examine the fiscal impact of urban growth on per-capita or perhousehold expenditures of providing municipal services in the province of Ontario, Canada. Three variables are used to measure growth: households, population and assessment. Using a panel data set for 68 municipalities, we find that for the most part, urban growth has no effect on per-capita or per-household expenditures. The policy implications of these results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need to attend to terminally ill persons and provide improved quality of living and dying should be a national priority in Canada. Hospice palliative care (HPC), a person-centered approach that addresses the needs of the whole person, improves the quality of living and dying of persons facing a life-threatening illness. To ensure Canadians are able to benefit from HPC, we propose that it should be enshrined as a human right in Canada with access guaranteed to all terminally ill persons under the Canada Health Act (CHA). This paper describes numerous barriers that currently exist including, but not limited to, barriers from geographic location, prognosis, ageism, and constraints from the Canadian medical system that have resulted in unequal access to of a patchwork of services. This paper proposes if HPC is formally recognized as a human right, then financial allocation specifically for HPC will require provincial governments to address the substantial inequalities in access to HPC. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

One of the most significant positive approaches to the politics of climate change on the scale required by the problem is that of Giddens. This paper uncovers weaknesses in his argument and reveals motivational divergence for mitigation and energy security in both Canada and New Zealand, which is opposite to what occurred in Northern Europe that provided the basis for his analysis. This suggests that the response to climate change varies according to deeper cultural and geophysical structures. The paper also examines cost(risk)-benefit analysis versus the precautionary principle, the directionality of political-economic convergence with mitigation, and political partisanship concerning climate change. It documents the complexity of making near-term economic opportunities converge with mitigation of distant harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Using longitudinal Canadian data, this paper explores the impact of unemployment on psychological wellbeing. To control for unobserved individual specific heterogeneity, this paper adopted sophisticated econometric techniques. The study suggests that unemployment has significant negative effect on psychological wellbeing and the paper finds that non-pecuniary costs of unemployment is much larger than the pecuniary costs associated with the loss of income while unemployed. The paper further finds that for individuals aged 15–54, being out of labor force also has adverse impact on psychological wellbeing. The study concludes that unemployment is more likely involuntary and thus in the face of unemployment, the policy makers need to use all possible ways to create jobs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

RCMP executives and the Canadian government promoted community justice forums (family group conferences) in the late 1990s. They did so because CJFs offered a process consistent with the national community-policing strategy. When this strategy changed, executives cut their support for the program. This paper argues that this “rise” and “fall” was a function of the program's theoretical and procedural alignment with shifting strategies of national governance. This raises a question about the role of restorative forums in Canadian governance. If such programs remain desirable, multi-agency forums (police, public schools, child welfare, immigration) may well align with the nascent governmental framework of public safety interoperability. The paper also considers another possibility: non-state local peacemaking forums. The conclusion discusses potential benefits and limits of these possibilities. It also offers general theoretical observations on the role of alignment in governmental programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the challenges posed by China in the trade relationship between Canada and U.S. Accordingly, the paper discusses the importance of understanding the challenges brought by China in the context of Canada's relationship with the U.S. The paper also analyzes the best possible ways in addressing those challenges which includes the use of the bilateral trends and developments, the need to change mindsets, and the consideration of China as a business opportunity.

In mining, the world is truly shrinking. Mining companies are scouring the world in the search for new deposits. This greater mobility means greater investment in Africa, Asia and Latin America, integrating what were isolated production sites into global value-added and commodity chains. Since this greater integration is one of the most profound aspects of globalization, it is interesting to know if there are growing similarities in the ways companies organize production and treat workers and communities from one continent to another. This paper examines growing similarities in mining practices in Canada, Zimbabwe and South Africa brought about by the introduction of new technology, multi-skilling and team work and the impact on wages, skills and worker mobility. This paper is based on in-depth studies of the organization of production in mining in Zimbabwe and Canada, made up of qualitative interviews with workers in each industry, as well as company management, union representatives and government officials, undertaken over a number of years. The more recent South African study uses extensive primary documentary sources and statistics as well as interviews with government and union officials. It concludes that there is increased similarity in mining practices resulting from globalization and while they have not resulted in a descent to the lowest common denominator, neither have they resulted in bringing workers up to the highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The globalized new economy is bound up with transformations of language and identity in many different ways (cf., e.g. Bauman 1997; Castells 2000; Giddens 1990). These include emerging tensions between State-based and corporate identities and language practices, between local, national and supra-national identities and language practices, and between hybridity and uniformity. Ethnolinguistic minorities provide a particularly revealing window into these processes. In this paper, I explore ways in which the globalized new economy has resulted in the commodification of language and identity, sometimes separately, sometimes together. The paper is based on recent ethnographic, sociolinguistic research in francophone areas of Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The asset-based welfare approach, which has foremost encouraged homeownership, has led to rising homeownership rates, house prices and household debt levels. While this shift has helped raise the net worth of some among the middle and working classes who own property, the implications for the spatial distribution of wealth in cities have not yet been explored. This paper examines the spatial implications of the rise of policies promoting asset-based welfare, by examining statistically how variables related to homeownership rates and housing prices relate to measures of urban wealth segregation among neighbourhoods. Canadian cites are used as the main case study for the empirical analysis. The findings suggest that while homeownership in general has an equalizing effect, rising rates of homeownership (and to some extent, rising house prices) are associated not with greater spatial equalization and dispersal of wealth, but instead with greater spatial segregation and concentration of wealth within cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using four cycles of longitudinal National Population Health Survey (NPHS) data from 1994 to 2001, we examine whether increasing economic insecurity causes weight gain and obesity. In July 1996, Bill C-12 reduced Canadian unemployment insurance benefits considerably, arguably increasing the economic insecurity of Canadians exposed to unemployment risk. Using a difference-in-difference methodology, this paper compares the change in weight gain of adults 25 to 64 before and after this policy shift. For poorly educated males, the onset of unemployment in the post-policy change era is predicted to increase their body mass index (BMI) by 3.2 points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a Bourdieusian theoretical framework to explore how thirty-nine Canadian families shop for food. Based on two qualitative interviews with at least two members of each family, in seven sites across Canada, we explore how high- and low-income families describe their food shopping practices and priorities. For low-income households, economic constraints were paramount, and shoppers displayed extensive cultural capital in the knowledge and skills required to purchase food at the lowest possible cost. They also displayed considerable agreement with the dominant discourses of healthy eating and ethical eating, though they typically lacked the economic capital to pursue these. High-income households were less constrained by finances in their food shopping, thus freeing them to focus on quality and authenticity. These priorities coexisted with or superseded emphases on healthy and ethical eating, suggesting the latter two may have diminished in their symbolic power to mark class distinctions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International focus on reducing onward HIV transmission emphasizes the need for routine HIV testing and early uptake of antiretroviral treatment (ART). Strategic targets have been set for 2020 to achieve the goal of 90% of people infected with HIV diagnosed, 90% of identified cases on treatment, and 90% of persons on treatment virally suppressed (90–90–90). It is vital to understand the complexity of factors influencing a person's treatment decisions over time and the context which may enable better adherence. In this paper we present findings from the review of published and gray literature (2003–2013) on the documented factors associated with treatment initiation and adherence in the general adult population of Australia, Canada, and the UK. A framework developed by Begley, McLaws, Ross, and Gold [2008. Cognitive and behavioural correlates of non-adherence to HIV anti-retroviral therapy: Theoretical and practical insight for clinical psychology and health psychology.Clinical Psychologist, 12(1), 9–17] in Australia was adapted to summarize the findings. A systematic database search using keywords and a set of inclusion criteria yielded 17 studies (Australia = 6; Canada = 8; UK = 3). In addition 11 reports were included in the review. We found that a person's abilities and motivations (intrapersonal factors, reported in 7 studies) to start and continue ART are influenced by a host of interconnected factors spanning relationship (interpersonal, 3 studies) and broader structural (extrapersonal, 15 studies) factors that are situated within social determinants of health. People therefore evaluate various costs and benefits of starting and staying on treatment, in which biomedical concerns play an important yet often subsidiary role. In this review the economic barriers to care were found to be significant and under-reported, highlighting the persistent health inequities in terms of access to services. Our understanding of the context around people's use of ART remains poor. Qualitative social research within HIV-positive communities is urgently needed to capture people's lived experiences and may address some of this deficit in understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canada's fear of future skill and labor shortages has brought youth with disabilities to the forefront of public policy. Many universities are now reporting that an increased proportion of their graduating students identify as having a disability, and as a result, educational achievement-based programs designed to accommodate students' needs are growing across campuses. Despite recent attention by policymakers on improving accessibility standards and increasing employer incentives, young Canadians with disabilities continue to face barriers in their transitions to the workforce. The nature and extent of the early workforce inequalities faced by postsecondary graduates with disabilities remains unclear. This paper draws on the 2005 cohort of Statistics Canada's National Graduates Survey to examine the early workforce outcomes of postsecondary graduates with disabilities. Contrary to theories of human capital, the results reveal significant earnings gaps between graduates with and without disabilities of various fields of study and levels of schooling. Further, graduates with a disability are even more disadvantaged in terms of securing employment, as they were significantly less likely to be employed full-time, and were overrepresented among unemployed and part-time workers across various fields of study and levels of postsecondary education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the procurement practices of Canada's three largest electric power utilities, Ontario Hydro, Hydro Quebec, and B.C. Hydro in terms of their impact on the technological development of the electrical power equipment industry in Canada. The theoretical underpinnings of this analysis are that under certain economic, technical and institutional conditions, procurement as managed by large publicly owned corporations with a high level of technical capacity can be a powerful instrument of industrial innovation. The paper describes how in the face of weakening market power following the twenty-year expansion phase in the industry (1960-80) and global restructuring among electrical power equipment suppliers, the three utilities have been forced to reassess conflicting commercial and technological objectives. The authors point to Hydro Quebecos signing of a recent series of strategic production agreements with key suppliers as an example of a new approach to procurement through concentrated use of limited market power incritical product areas. The paper concludes that the distribution of risks involved in technology development between buyers and sellers is dependent on market structures. Secondly, the nature of these client-supplier interactions in management of risk will reflect the internal coherence of an organization's commercial and technological strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Performance reporting in primary health care in Canada is challenging because of the dearth of concise and synthesized information. The paucity of information occurs, in part, because the majority of primary health care in Canada is delivered through a multitude of privately owned small businesses with no mechanism or incentives to provide information about their performance. The purpose of this paper is to report the methods used to recruit family physicians and their patients across 10 provinces to provide self-reported information about primary care and how this information could be used in recruitment and data collection for future large scale pan-Canadian and other cross-country studies. Methods: Canada participated in an international large scale study-the QUALICO-PC (Quality and Costs of Primary Care) study. A set of four surveys, designed to collect in-depth information regarding primary care activities was collected from: practices, providers, and patients (experiences and values). Invitations (telephone, electronic or mailed) were sent to family physicians. Eligible participants were sent a package of surveys. Provincial teams kept records on the number of: invitation emails/letters sent, physicians who registered, practices that were sent surveys, and practices returning completed surveys. Response and cooperation rates were calculated. Results: Invitations to participate were sent to approximately 23,000 family physicians across Canada. A total of 792 physicians and 8,332 patients from 772 primary care practices completed the surveys, including 1,160 participants completing a Patient Values survey and 7,172 participants completing a Patient Experience survey. Overall, the response rate was very low ranging from 2% (British Columbia) to 21% (Nova Scotia). However, the participation rate was high, ranging from 72% (Ontario) to 100% (New Brunswick/Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland & Labrador). Conclusions: The difficulties obtaining acceptable response rates by family physicians for survey participation is a universal challenge. This response rate for the QUALICO-PC arm in Canada was similar to rates found in other countries such as Australia and New Zealand. Even though most family physicians operate as self-employed small businesses, they could be supported to routinely submit data through a collective effort and provincial mandate. The groundwork in setting up pan-Canadian collaboration in primary care has been established through this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior to 2012, the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) was a dominant regulatory force in the Canadian grain sector. This paper looks at the historical justifications of the single desk authority of the CWB and reviews previous research examining its performance. In a simulation of price discrimination based on 2013 wheat markets, a possible premium of $7.60/metric tonne is generated assuming a price discriminating CWB. The implications of recent changes in the grain market are discussed, including the increasing area seeded to canola in Canada and the removal of the single desk for the Australian Wheat Board. While the model, as assumed, suggests the CWB's market power was increased by these changes, these gains are reliant on the model assumptions and are modest compared to the recent rise in grain prices and the potential for gains and losses observed in recent export basis variation. Avant 2012, la Commission canadienne du blé (CCB) était une autorité dominante dans le secteur canadien des grains. Dans le présent article, nous examinons les justifications historiques du monopole de la CCB et nous passons en revue les recherches antérieures qui en ont analysé le rendement. D'après une simulation de discrimination par les prix fondée sur les données du marché du blé en 2013, l'hypothèse d'une discrimination par les prix de la part de la CCB engendrerait une prime possible de 7,60 $/tonne métrique. Nous traitons des répercussions des récents changements sur le marché des grains, y compris l'accroissement des superficies consacrées à la culture du canola au Canada et l'abolition du monopole de la Commission australienne du blé (CAB). Bien que le modèle, comme nous l'avions supposé, autorise à penser que les récents changements ont accru le pouvoir de marché de la CCB, ces gains dépendent des hypothèses du modèle et sont modérés comparativement à la hausse récente du prix des grains et au potentiel de gains et de pertes observé dans le récent écart du seuil d'exportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decreasing government funding and regulated tuition policies have created a financially constrained environment for Canada’s universities. The conventional response to such conditions is to cut programme offerings and services in an attempt to lower costs throughout the institution. However, we argue that three Canadian universities have reacted with a different response. Instead of cutting costs, the University of Toronto, Queen’s University and the University of Lethbridge have chosen to implement decentralized budgeting and management structures in an attempt to increase efficiency and seek out new revenues. Using interview data and document analysis, this paper discusses the responses of these institutions and what they tell us about the strategies universities employ to cope with financial challenges that are likely to persist. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

To date a dearth of data has made it difficult to evaluate the success of First Nations casinos in Canada. This paper helps remedy this situation by presenting a three-province overview (Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta) of First Nations gaming models. Two key findings are offered that First Nations seeking gaming market entry and provincial officials should genuinely consider. First, while each province has adopted a unique approach to First Nations gaming policy they have each opted to direct substantial revenues out of First Nations communities and into their own treasuries. Second, the evidence suggests that larger gaming properties located nearby a significant market provide more benefits versus smaller properties situated in more isolated areas. The subsequent discussion elaborates each provincial model's revenue generating power, how the revenue in question is being allocated and its corresponding socio-economic impact, whether increased problem gambling and crime have resulted as predicted, while exploring employment trends to determine whether they have developed as anticipated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the wake of the Great Depression, the Canadian government embarked on a stunning reversal in its commercial policy. A key element of its response was the promotion of intra-imperial trade at the Imperial Economic Conference of 1932. This paper addresses whether or not Canada was able to defy gravity and divert trade flows towards other signatories at Ottawa. The results suggest that the conference was a failure from this perspective. Potential sources of this failure include unreasonable expectations about the likely reductions in trade costs and a neglect of key considerations related to certainty and credibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses the Canadian 2006 Census and the Swedish 2006 register data to analyse the citizenship effect on the relative earnings of immigrants, using instrumental variable regression to control for citizenship acquisition. We ask: ‘Is there a citizenship effect and if any, in which country is it that we find the largest effect and for which immigrant groups?’ We add one further dimension, asking if the size of the co-immigrant population in the municipality has an effect on earnings. We find that the impact of citizenship acquisition is substantial in both Canada and Sweden. However, the place of birth of immigrants is important. In most cases, immigrant women in Sweden enjoy a higher citizenship premium than is the case for immigrant women in Canada. Amongst men the picture is more mixed. Most European groups receive a larger citizenship premium in Canada as compared to Sweden. Being in a city with more immigrants of the same background is better for earnings in Sweden than in Canada. However, being in a city with a lot of immigrants (regardless of origin) is better in Canada as compared to Sweden. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The discourse on immigrants' economic integration often assumes that the human capital of immigrants determines the outcome of successful integration, measured as income parity with the native-born population. This paper decomposes the employment earnings of immigrants and native-born Canadians in Canada to see how much of income disparity may be attributed to human capital factors and how much to other factors. The findings indicate that immigrants have brought high levels of human capital to Canada, often surpassing those of the native-born, but immigrants under-perform in earnings because of other unexplained returns. The findings suggest that there are limits in using immigrant selection policy to increase the human capital content of immigrants as a means to achieve successful economic integration, and that other policies that influence how immigrants, especially those of minority origin, are treated in the labour market should be considered as a means to bridge income disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments are increasingly concerned that current levels of water use are unsustainable, particularly in the face of threats posed by climate change. This paper examines recent research on water-using innovation in three key water-using sectors (residential, manufacturing, and agriculture) for evidence to support the call for greater reliance on economic instruments as part of the suite of policy measures to promote water innovation, conservation, and efficiency. The findings illustrate the need to understand water’s role in production (industrial, agricultural, and household) and the way changes in unit costs of other inputs (particularly energy and capital) influence innovation. In addition, the available research indicates that policies based on economic instruments should be tailored to the specific features and contexts of the different water-using sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]