Vol.
28 No. 4 December 2002
Articles:
Colour
My World: Have Earnings Gaps for Canadian-Born Ethnic Minorities Changed
Over Time?
Krishna Pendakur and Ravi Pendakur
Using
the census main bases from 1971 through 1996, we estimate earnings
equations for Canadian-born female and male workers to assess the
size of whiteAboriginal and whitevisible minority earnings
differentials in Canada. These databases allow us to focus on the
small populations of Canadian-born visible minority and Aboriginal
workers in Canada and on eight large Canadian metropolitan areas.
We
also define quasi-cohorts to assess differences in age-earnings relationships,
and examine differences across 26 subgroups within the white and visible
minority categories. We find that differentials narrowed through the
1970s, were stable through the 1980s, and grew between 1991 and 1996.
Consumption
and Income Inequality: The Case of Atlantic Canada from 19691996
Urvashi Dhawan-Biswal
In this paper
we re-examine inequality in Canada with a comprehensive look at inequality
trends in Atlantic Canada during the period 1969 to 1996. We use consumption
expenditure as a measure of family well-being and compare it with
the income-based measures of well-being. The results of this study
reveal the following: (a) consumption distribution is more equal than
the income distribution; (b) inequality trends are sensitive to how
family resources are measured; (c) consumption inequality in Atlantic
Canada fluctuated considerably until the mid-1980s; and (d) tax and
transfer policies have played an important role in reducing income
disparities in Atlantic Canada as well as in the rest of Canada. Overall,
consumption inequality has continually been lower in Atlantic Canada
in comparison to the rest of Canada. The paper also examines the role
of key socio-demographic factors using a decomposition methodology.
The 2000
Canadian Election and Poll Reporting under the New Elections Act
Claire Durand
Just before
the 2000 Canadian electoral campaign, a new law was passed regulating
the publication of polls in the media during electoral campaigns.
The law required newspapers to publish basic information about the
way the polls they presented were conducted, and the wording of questions
and the means by which a methodological report could be obtained.
In addition, the law specified which information the methodological
report must contain. This article examines the extent to which the
law was complied with. The research shows that the first two points
were not problematic, though sometimes the information was not easily
available. However, methodological reports did not generally provide
all the requested information. In particular, crucial information
such as response rates, refusal rates and the sampling method used
were rarely provided. It would also appear that compliance with the
law was not verified. Elections Canada relied on the public to issue
complaints, and the media relied on pollsters to provide the information.
The study concludes first, that ambiguities in the Act concerning
exactly what information is required should be clarified; second,
that methodological information should be placed together in a separate
and identified subsection, as was the case with most media reports;
and third, that Elections Canada should provide a model of the detailed
report (326-3) so that the media and pollsters all present the information
in a standard, easy-to-compare fashion.
The Sequencing
of Deficit Reduction and Disinflation in Canada
David W. Baar
The costs of
not reducing the fiscal deficit prior to monetary disinflation are
examined in relation to the Canadian experience under the 1984 to
1993 Mulroney governments. Counter-historical simulations using the
FOCUS model show that if the 1986 budget had implemented an aggressive
deficit reduction strategy comparable to what was finally implemented
in the 1995 budget, the cost of lowering inflation would have been
significantly reduced and the federal debt-to-GDP ratio would have
been 30 percentage points lower.
How Has
Inflation Changed in Canada? A Comparison of 19892001 to 19641988
David R. Johnson and Sebastian Gerlich
Has the inflation
process fundamentally changed in Canada in the last decade? We compare
the dynamics of inflation from 1964 through 1988 to the dynamics of
inflation from 1989 to 2001. Although the average rate of inflation
fell and inflation has become less variable since 1988, we conclude
that the dynamics of inflation have not changed substantially. A negative
output gap reduces inflation and the adjustment of expected inflation
to lagged actual inflation continues to be slow. The sacrifice ratio,
the short-run inflation-output trade-off remains similar. The makers
of monetary policy in Canada face the same trade-offs before and after
1988.
Tradable
Land-Use Rights for Cumulative Environmental Effects Management
Marian Weber and Wiktor Adamowicz
In this paper
we introduce tradable land-use rights (TLRs) as a potential economic
instrument for cumulative environmental effects management on public
lands. TLRs allow the regulator to implement thresholds for habitat
loss while maximizing the benefits of development. By allowing economic
criteria to "drive" the configuration of development activities
in a region, the risk of biodiversity loss may be reduced for a given
cost. Alberta's Boreal Forest Natural Region is used as a case study
for examining TLRs. Implementation issues, particularly those related
to spatial heterogeneity and ecosystem dynamics, are discussed.
Paved with
Good Intentions: Canada's Refugee Destining Policy and Paths of Secondary
Migration
Laura Simich, Morton Beiser, and Farah Mawani
This article
describes the results of a qualitative investigation completed for
Citizenship and Immigration Canada into reasons for secondary migration
of government-assisted refugees (GAR s) in Ontario. Over 100 officials,
settlement counsellors, and GARs were interviewed about the migration
process, beginning with overseas destining through arrival in Canada
to the decision to relocate to Onta rio. The study revealed contradictions
in destining policy and practice. The findings suggest the import
ance of ensuring that refugees are able to make informed choices about
the communities to which they are sent, and that they have meaningful
social support in those receiving communities. This research on immigrant
mobili ty has policy implications for the current discussions about
geographic dispersal of immigrants and settlem ent outcomes.
