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The average public servant costs taxpayers $114,100 a year in total compensation. "Total compensation (per full-time employee) in the federal workforce outpaced not only CPI (inflation), but also that of the Canadian business sector and provinces and territories over the study period," the report states. Although the government has recently announced new restraint measures that will cut the number of public servants, the PBO estimates that average compensation for salaries and benefits will reach $129,800 in the next three years. Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Gregory Thomas said he found some of the numbers "staggering," particularly since average household income growth is in the neighbourhood of one per cent. "This government has been in office for six years, you wonder when are they are going to get serious about controlling payroll costs," he said. Ottawa recently announced it has already shed about 11,000 in the first six months of the program. When the current austerity measures are completed, the public service will decline to 349,000, if Ottawa sticks with the program. "The period between 2012-13 and 2014-15 resembles those of the mid-1990s, as both personnel expenses and federal employment (are) reduced," the report states. "The PBO expects a significant slowdown in personnel expenses, given assumptions about baseline employment." Compensation is expected to continue to grow, although not at the rate of the past 13 years. The report projects that by 2014-15, the average annual compensation for a federal employee will rise to $129,800, a growth rate of 4.4 per cent per annum. That is a few thousand dollars less than would have been the case without the restraint program. The PBO complains, however, as it has in the past, that it has not been given sufficient information about how the restraint program is being implemented, or its impact. "As such, parliamentarians do not have the resources with which to determine areas of priorit

Questions: With the government cutting off public servant, how will this effect the distribution on public services provided to Canadians Is there other alternatives the government can consider rather than laying off public servants to decrease the government's expenditure?

Most of the income gains of the past three decades, the report argues, were realized by only wealthy Canadians. The paper suggests that social and economic rights be added to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms alongside Canadians' political and civil rights, in order to fulfil its "security of the person" provision. For every dollar increase in national earnings over the last 20 years more than 30 cents have gone to the top one per cent while the remaining 70 cents have been shared across the other 99 per cent of Canadians. The final section of the report is prescriptive, outlining several ways to combat growing income equality: -Good jobs: changes to economic policies to promote the growth of middle-class jobs, including trade and foreign investment policies that protect labour rights and environmental standards and strong investments in child care, public education and skills training. -Income supports: changes to the government programs targeted at low-income Canadians and those in short-term need, such as employment insurance, Old Age Security, the Canada Pension Plan, provincial welfare systems and other income supports and tax benefits targeted at low-income families with children and the working poor. -Expanding public services: the report argues that for the majority of Canadians public services are a good deal; The value of education, health care, child care and other public services annually exceeds the taxes paid by middle-class and low-income Canadians. At the same time, some reforms are needed, it acknowledges. -Fair taxes: changes to Canada's tax system are necessary, it argues, pointing out Canada's taxes as a share of national income (31 per cent) are below the average of the world's industrialized countries (34 per cent), squeezing funding for public services.

1. Is it fair and better for organic food "businesses" to undergo their own inspections or should the government be responsible for our food safety? 2.The market failure mentioned in this article is an informature market failure. The definition of an informature market failure is when one side of the market has more information than the other. What are some visible solutions to this market failure?

* It is not fair for organic food companies to inspect their own products since they will obviously never reveal anything bad that could potentially damage the company. It would be like a student marking his own quiz or test, they would do anything they could to benefit their mark. This is why governments should be responsible for our food safety. * A visible solution would be that companies must to share all the information they are aware of with the consumers.

1. It would not be the best idea for businesses to inspect their own food because there is a high possible margin of bias and committing unethical acts such as labeling their foods safe when they aren't are likely to occur. The government should be responsible because they would inspect each business in the same manner without bias and utilize the same procedures, ensuring fair inspections. 2. Visible solutions to this market failure would include sharing product information and inspection information to all producers and consumers.

1. What affect do you think the american stockpiles of crude oil have on the supply and demand graph of crude oil? 2. Since the middle east contributes to most of our oil resources, what are the possible solutions to the price increase of crude oil if the conflict between israel and palestine continues?

The problems created by income inequality in Canada could possibly lead to a financial crisis. 

Discussion Questions: 1. Why should a widening financial income gap be concerning to the economy? 2. What are the economic differences of the baby boomer's generation (1940's-1960's) and the current generation? Do you think these differences affected the education requirement of today's jobs?

There is a widening gap in terms of inequality in Canada and it goes on to say that its being blamed on tax cuts for such inequalities, the article goes on to state that the inequality may be the reason for the province to be facing this growing poverty. 

1) What do you think are possible solutions for the rising inequality? 2) Since the rich are taking a higher percent of overall income and Canada is in debt, do you agree with lowering their taxes?

1. Despite receiving warnings about Canadian debt issues , it turns out that the average credit card debt has actually decreased by one percent while the year-over-year auto loans are now the main driving force behind the overall growth of our debt, why do you think this is happening? 2. Thomas Higgins, TransUnion's vice-president of analytics and decision services said that he believes the reason why consumers continue to ramp up debt is due to the media spreading overly positive news regarding the economy and throwing the readers into a state false optimism. Do you believe this is the case and why?

Questions 1. What effects will interest rate cuts and expanding consumer credit have on Brazil's economy? 2. Would allowing the private sector to build and operate airports, highways and cutting electricity costs be good for Brazil's economy? Why?

1- It might cause an economic recession. 2- It will be beneficial as long as there isn't one company operating all these areas(monopoly power) which leads to a market failure. It will bring money to the private sector. Netan

"A new status quo of slow or stagnant economic growth for Ontario's economy is developing," warns the Task Force on Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Progress. "If economic growth languishes at less than 2 per cent annually, everything from government funding and programs to private sector competitiveness and employment will be impacted." The issue of dead money surfaced this summer when Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney said Canadian companies are sitting on cash when they should be investing or returning it to shareholders - comments that sparked an avalanche of criticism from economists and executives. Canada's relative stability should make businesses more willing to invest. Instead, they are sitting on large cash reserves. Ontario's GDP per capita ranks 14th among 16 North American peer jurisdictions and lags the median of the peers by $7,500 Roger Martin, chairman of the task force and Rotman School of Management dean, in a release. "But the gap in GDP per capita with North American peers shows that Ontario needs to move now to push for more growth." Dead money could be used "to invest in the physical and human capital we need to increase our productivity and close the prosperity gap," he added. Key Concepts: GDP- gross domestic product Stagnate- Showing no activity; dull and sluggish: "a stagnant economy".

1) A crazy one would be to not corporate tax, them, if only for the beginning. Maybe subsidies the companies the government wants businesses to be involved in, and to be willing to invest into.

2.I think the government should not intervene in the decisions different companies make unless it greatly affects the country's economy.

Canadians are more than ever drown in debt. When it comes to comparing with the neighbor (US) we are carrying more debt than them. Market observers argued that Canadian consumers will no longer be able to hold up rising household debt.

The Canadian economy created 40,000 jobs in December -- all of it in full-time work -- and drove the unemployment rate to its lowest in four years, Statistics Canada said Friday. The federal agency said the national unemployment rate slipped by one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.1 per cent, its lowest level since December 2008 Statistics Canada reported last month that the economy grew just 0.1 per cent in October after a flat reading in September and a 0.1 per cent contraction in August. Compared with a year earlier, Statistics Canada said there were 312,000 more jobs, all in full-time work.

Funding costs rose dramatically during the financial crisis when liquidity dried up, pushing up the costs of consumer and business loans Finance Minister Jim Flaherty tightened the rules on mortgages for a fourth time in four years, saying the government would no longer insure mortgages that are amortized over a period longer than 25 years "Neighbourhoods with more bank branches and payday lenders per capita (i.e. more competition) have looser lending standards (higher leveraged households) and experience greater bankruptcies"