Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) is an independent and non-partisan think tank policy research institute in Canada.[1] It has been described as "left leaning".[2] It concentrates on economic policy, international trade, environmental justice and social policy. It is especially known for publishing an alternative federal budget on an annual basis. The CCPA claims that its estimates of budgetary surpluses have consistently been more accurate than those of the government. The CCPA is a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency, and it reported $5.6 million in revenues in 2013.[3][4] Think tanks such as the CCPA, C. D. Howe Institute, Macdonald–Laurier Institute, Fraser Institute and Montreal Economic Institute have charity status in Canada through their work in the advancement of education.[3] The CCPA is based in Ottawa but has branch offices in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Regina, Toronto and Halifax. It is funded primarily through individual donations, but also receives research grants, and has institutional support from trade unions. Contents 1 History 2 Projects and initiatives 2.1 Alternative federal budget 2.2 The Monitor 3 Personal "Tax Freedom Day" rebuttal 4 Canada Revenue Agency political audit of CCPA 5 See also 6 Citations 7 References 8 External links History The CCPA was founded in Ottawa in 1980 by a group of largely Carleton University professors who wished to re-create something akin to the League for Social Reconstruction (1931-1942) which in the inter-war period had promoted social, economic, and political change for Canada. Michael Kelway Oliver, a former professor of Political Science at McGill and President of Carleton was the first CCPA president. He was succeeded by Peter Findlay, a professor of Social Work at Carleton. In 1987 Duncan Cameron, then at the University of Ottawa, became president; he was succeeded by Larry Brown, NUPGE National President, in 2000. The CCPA began with funding from trade unions and individual members. The first Executive Director was Robert Clarke, who was succeeded by Jim Davidson, Sandra Sorensen, Bruce Campbell, and then Peter Bleyer. In 1997, the CCPA opened its Vancouver office with Seth Klein as the British Columbia director. This was followed by Winnipeg, Regina, Halifax, and Toronto. The CCPA publishes books, research studies, reports, and provides media commentary. Its flagship publication is the CCPA Monitor which was founded and previously edited by Ed Finn. As of 2014, Stuart Trew is senior editor of the Monitor. Initially housed at 251 Laurier West in Ottawa, the national office is now at 141 Laurier Ave. From modest beginnings, an operating budget of $125,000, and a full-time staff of two, the CCPA began to grow in the late 1980s until today it has a multimillion-dollar budget and a staff of over 20. Projects and initiatives Alternative federal budget The CCPA publishes an annual alternative spending plan. In 2012 the CCPA alternative budget argued the federal government could avoid spending cuts by increasing revenue through higher corporate taxes and by creating a new tax bracket for people earning over $250,000.[5] In 2014 the CCPA urged the Canadian federal government to "abandon austerity measures, raise taxes and delay their deficit-killing deadline by a year in order to revive Canada's sluggish economy, lower unemployment and reduce poverty." Their report claimed that Canadian corporations have not been investing enough or contributing enough towards the Canadian economy since 2012. Report authors expressed concern about an "alarming" rise in household debt.[6] The Monitor The CCPA has since May 1994 published a bimonthly national magazine called The Monitor.[7] Personal "Tax Freedom Day" rebuttal A 2005 study by Osgoode Hall Law professor and CCPA legal scholar Neil Brooks[8] concluded that the Fraser Institute's widely promoted personal "Tax Freedom Day" (described as the date each year when the average Canadian's income no longer goes to paying government taxes)[9] included flawed accounting. According to Brooks' study, the Fraser Institute's methods of accounting excluded several important forms of income and inflated tax figures, moving the date nearly two months later in the year.[10] Canada Revenue Agency political audit of CCPA In 2012, the Canada Revenue Agency launched its $13.4-million program through which it undertook a political-audit of 52 charities, including CCPA, "to determine whether any are violating a rule that limits their spending on political activities to 10 per cent of resources."[2][11] By 2014 the CRA claimed on its website that the CCPA "appears" to be "biased" and "one-sided."[2] In an open letter 400 academics called for a moratorium on the CCPA audit, claiming that this is an attempt by the Conservative government to "intimidate, muzzle and silence its critics."[2] Neither of the market-oriented think tanks C. D. Howe Institute and Macdonald–Laurier Institute were audited.[3]