Media Coverage
"There are gaps in employment, income and education between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians," reports the Globe & Mail's Wendy Stueck. "A September report by the faith-based think tank Cardus found limited progress in those areas since 2008, when the federal government apologized for the residential school system."
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The trades have traditionally been seen as "what the kids who don’t make it to university do,” Brian Dijkema, Vice-President of External Affairs at Cardus, tells the London Free Press. But that cultural narrative is thankfully changing.
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Does it make sense to fund religious and independent schools with tax dollars? David Hunt, Education Director at Cardus, answers that question with a resounding "yes" in his Financial Post commentary.
"There’s been a major shift in the type of jobs that working-class Canadians do. The old image of blue-collar men on the manufacturing assembly line is no longer representative," writes Sean Speer, who co-authored the Cardus report Canada's New Working Class.
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"To dismiss the married-parent family structure as passé is what author and student of psychology Rob Henderson has termed a luxury belief—an opinion that is fashionable among elites but disastrous in practice for the lower classes," writes Peter Jon Mitchell, Family Program Director at Cardus. Ready his full argument in Christianity Today about the importance of the basic principle of family.
"In an age when society is 'deleting religion' from the everyday, supporting local religious organizations actually benefits the community fivefold," reports the Georgina Advocate as reporter Amanda Persico looks at the Halo Project by Cardus.
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There has been precious little progress on Indigenous economic reconciliation since the federal government apology in 2008 for Indian Residential Schools. Income and employment gaps remain, notes Cardus's Renze Nauta in this story in The Western Standard.
September 19th should be a national holiday, a nation-wide time of remembrance and mourning to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II, argues Brian Dijkema, Vice-President of External Affairs at Cardus. He tells host Jas Johal that a holiday only for some government employees falls well short of what is needed for the observance of the Her Majesty’s funeral.
Let's broaden the debate about making education better for everyone in Alberta. Michael Van Pelt, President & CEO of Cardus, and Andreae Sennyah, Cardus Director of Policy, write in the Edmonton Journal to offer four creative suggestions for improving K-12 education in the province.
"Educational pluralism, stated really simply, is a system of education that allows for the funding and regulation for forms of schools that are not necessarily government-operated," explains Deani Van Pelt, a Cardus Senior Fellow, in this Hub Dialogues podcast episode. Listen in (or read the transcript) for more on how all of us could benefit from more fully embracing this concept.
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Breaking with their tradition, the editors at The Hub publish a rare official editorial on the importance of work. "It should be relatively non-contentious to recognize that declining religious participation has had significant effects on modern society," they write. "We believe that a withdrawal from work could similarly have major consequences for our society that need to be better understood, debated, and ultimately contested."
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"Revelations of a class action lawsuit over horrific alleged abuses at a Saskatchewan independent school have led to renewed calls to end taxpayer funding for the entire sector," writes Deani Van Pelt, a Cardus Senior Fellow. She responds by building a case for a "pluralist education system" with "local-district, separate, francophone, and independent schools operating side by side."
"Toronto is facing another multi-million-dollar budget shortfall. While it’s easy to blame the pandemic, most of the problem is of the city’s own making. For years, Toronto has refused to recognize that construction competition could go a long way in keeping it out of financial trouble," writes Karen Renkema, VP Ontario at the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada.
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"Just as Ontario parents finally head into a 'normal' school year, they’re hearing talk of potential strikes amid tense teacher and support worker contract negotiations. Given the immense learning loss students suffered over recent 'COVID-schooling' years, there surely must be a better way to resolve these issues," writes David Hunt, Education Director at Cardus.
"Canadian religious congregations bring the country an estimated benefit worth $18.2 billion," reports Faith Today magazine, citing a Cardus study. Check out the full story if you'd like to learn more about the "halo effect" of religious congregations.
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"It’s a hard time to call yourself evangelical in Canada. So hard, many of us don’t readily apply the label to ourselves anymore," writes Patricia Paddey in a Faith Today story that uses data from a Cardus and Angus Reid Institute study about public perceptions of various religious communities.
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"The good news is that governments can take steps, if not to eliminate the extra costs associated with [Community Benefits Agreements], then at least to reduce them," writes Cardus's Renze Nauta in the Daily Commercial News. "Our research shows that collaboration – early and often – between government and the private sector is key."
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"My conservatism, whatever label you slap onto it, is no more about any specific principle or policy position than it is an approach or disposition toward my neighbour. I start with the principle of dignity and seeing worth in my opponent," writes Ray Pennings, Cardus Executive Vice-President, in The Hub.
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A new debate about school funding in Saskatchewan has residents talking. Listen in as Deani Van Pelt, a Cardus Senior Fellow, explains on CBC Radio how independent schools contribute to the common good and deserve public support.
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"During the pandemic, places of worship in Ontario faced stringent restrictions and outright closures," write Cardus's Andrew Bennett and Andreae Sennyah. Read on to find out how they chart a course for Ontario to respect the need for places of worship to stay open during crises.
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Deani Van Pelt, a Cardus Senior Fellow, speaks out on striking the balance between public accountability, school autonomy, and families finding the right fit for their kids in Saskatchewan education.
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"The problem is that the government is actually addicted to the (gambling) revenue," Brian Dijkema, Vice President of External Affairs at Cardus, tells CKNW's Jas Johal. Listen in as Brian picks up on the latest Statistics Canada data on problem gambling to argue for total reform in B.C.
“We took an angle that often we don’t normally think of when we think of religious communities. We think of the work they’re doing in terms of them teaching their faith and serving the members of their faith,” Dr. Lisa Richmond, Vice-President of Research at Cardus, said. “But we said what kind of impact do these communities have on the economy?"
“We could view schools as an essential service, so that it wouldn’t be necessary to shut them down in future pandemic crises, or any type of crisis, really … similar to the ways that hospitals stay open,” Joanna DeJong VanHof, a Cardus researcher, told the Epoch Times.
"As we emerge from the pandemic, we need to start rebuilding the civic skill of charitable volunteering," writes Joanna DeJong VanHof, a Cardus researcher, in the Hamilton Spectator. "At the very least, we should be making it easier for folks to volunteer."
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