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This article provides a statistical picture of the economic well-being of Canadian children. We discuss changes in families, nationally and by province. We outline how Canadian policy in support of children has changed and how it differs across regions. Changes or differences in median incomes, in income distributions and in child poverty both before and after taxes and transfers, at different points of time, in different kinds of families, and in different provinces constitute the core of the article. Finally, the economic well-being of Canadian children in 2010 is compared with that of children in eight other affluent countries.

This article reviews the book, "The Making of Working-Class Religion," by Matthew Pehl.

While concerns and debates about an increased presence of non-citizen guest workers in agriculture in Canada have only more recently begun to enter the public arena, this dissertation probes how migrant agricultural workers have occupied a longer and more complex place in Canadian history than most Canadians may approximate. It explores the historical precedents of seasonal farm labour in Canada through the lens of the interior or the personal on the one hand, through an oral history approach, and the external or the structural on the other, in dialogue with existing scholarship and through a critical assessment of the archive. Specifically, it considers the evolution of seasonal farm work in Manitoba and British Columbia, and traces the eventual rise of an “offshore” labour scheme as a dominant model for agriculture at a national scale. Taking 1974 as a point of departure for the study of circular farm labour migration between Mexico and Canada, the study revisits questions surrounding Canadian views of what constitutes the ideal or injurious migrant worker, to ask critical questions about how managed farm labour migration schemes evolved in Canadian history. In addition, the dissertation explores how Mexican farm workers’ migration to Canada since 1974 formed a part of a wider and extended world of Mexican migration, and seeks to record and celebrate Mexican contributions to modern Canadian agriculture in historical contexts involving diverse actors. In exploring the contexts that have driven Mexican out-migration and transnational integration, it bridges oral accounts with a broader history that sets Mexican northward migration in hemispheric context. It reads agricultural migration upon various planes, including corporeality, experience, identity, masculinity, legality, “contra-modernity,” and the management of mobilities.

The focus of this research is the economic, social and health impacts of a living wage for employees in Ontario who were previously earning less than a living wage. The living wage is a calculation based on how much it costs for a family to live in a specific region. The rise of living wage campaigns is a response to the prevalence of low wage work. This research explains the significance of a living wage from the perspectives of workers compared to current research which concentrates on labour market impacts and how this policy affects businesses. Lived experience is emphasized as an important type of knowledge by including the voices of workers through qualitative interviews. Their experiences highlight how low-income and precarious work can affect workers’ lives and how the living wage addresses these problems. Their experiences also demonstrate how a living wage is a vast improvement from the minimum wage but also reveal the shortfalls of the current living wage framework. Overall, the living wage has a significant impact on the economic, social and health aspects of living wage workers but falls short as an all-encompassing solution for achieving a decent standard of work. Issues such as unaffordable housing, high tuition costs, lack of job opportunities for young workers and precarious work all contribute to an insufficient living wage. These types of social policies from governments and decent work provided by employers need to assist the living wage in achieving a good standard of living for all workers.

The article reviews the book, "On the Formation of Marxism: Karl Kautsky's Theory of Capitalism, the Marxism of the Second International and Karl Marx's Critique of Political Economy," by Jukka Grunow.

The article reviews the book, "Escape from the Staples Trap: Canadian Political Economy After Left-Nationalism," by Paul Kellogg.

The article reviews the book, "Sex Work Politics: From Protest to Service Provision," by Samantha Majic.

The nature of work arrangements in the film industry and the professional characteristics of cultural workers involved in film production impact the legal qualification of these workers. They highlight the difficult task of classifying actual work arrangements in one specific legal category: either an “employment relationship” or a “contract for services relationship”. If adequate legal frameworks are not in place to capture the reality of those work arrangements properly, the legal qualification may lead to uncertainty detrimental to workers’ access to collective representation. This uncertainty opens the door to work conflicts and contestations of different types. This paper builds a dialogue between two disciplines, legal analysis and cultural labour analysis, by comparing two locally embedded case studies: the “Hobbit Law” in New Zealand and the “Spiderwick Case” in Quebec (Canada). Firstly, we outline our theoretical and methodological approach, drawing on literature on cultural labour studies as well as legal analysis. Secondly, we compare the legal status of cultural workers and collective representation within each of our cases. Thirdly, we present full accounts of the chronology, conflicts and contestations within our two cases, as well as outlining the legislative outcomes in each. And finally, in comparing these cases, we illustrate the difficulty of legally qualifying these relations, the uncertainty this engenders and the differing impacts these difficulties have had on collective action in each industry. We emphasize that each case, with their vastly differing outcomes, provides evidence of both the inclusion of cultural workers within the boundaries of specific legislation fostering collective representation of artists (in the Spiderwick Case) and the exclusion of cultural workers from the boundaries of labour legislation enabling collective representation of employees (in the Hobbit Case). This is telling because these cases both took place in a location attracting Hollywood’s productions and, for both, this power of attraction remains crucial for the local industry. Understanding the impact of local cultural work regulation in the context of major global productions still lacks sustained attention and in this paper, we build a dialogue between our two cases to begin to remedy this. , La nature des modes d’organisation du travail dans l’industrie de la production cinématographique ainsi que les caractéristiques professionnelles des travailleurs oeuvrant dans la production de films influencent la qualification juridique de ces travailleurs. Ils mettent en lumière la difficulté de classer juridiquement les modes actuels d’organisation du travail au sein d’une catégorie juridique spécifique parmi celles disponibles, soit la « relation d’emploi » ou la « relation contractuelle en vertu d’un contrat de service ». Si des cadres juridiques adéquats permettant d’appréhender correctement la réalité de ces modes d’organisation du travail ne sont pas mis en place, l’exercice de qualification juridique peut mener à de l’incertitude, ce qui est néfaste pour l’accès des travailleurs visés à la représentation collective. Cette incertitude ouvre la porte à des conflits de travail et à des contestations de divers types. Le présent article développe un dialogue entre deux disciplines, l’analyse juridique et l’analyse du travail culturel, en comparant deux études de cas ancrés au niveau local : le « cas de la Hobbit Law » en Nouvelle Zélande et le « cas Spiderwick » au Québec (Canada). En premier lieu, nous exposons l’approche théorique et méthodologique retenue, en nous appuyant sur la littérature issue des études sur le travail dans le monde culturel (cultural labour studies en anglais), ainsi que sur l’analyse juridique. En second lieu, nous comparons le statut juridique des travailleurs culturels et leur représentation collective pour chacun des cas sous étude. En troisième lieu, nous présentons en détail les événements chronologiques et les enjeux soulevés dans chacun des conflits sous étude, ainsi que les conséquences législatives auxquelles ils ont respectivement mené. En dernier lieu, en comparant ces cas, nous illustrons la difficulté que représente l’exercice de qualification juridique, l’incertitude que cela engendre et les différentes conséquences que ces difficultés ont eues sur l’action collective dans chacune des industries en cause. Nous soulignons que la solution, très différente, adoptée pour résoudre chacun des conflits fournit une démonstration tant de l’inclusion de travailleurs culturels à l’intérieur des frontières de la législation spécifique favorisant la représentation collective d’artistes (dans le cas Spiderwick) que de l’exclusion de travailleurs culturels des frontières de la législation du travail permettant la représentation collective des salariés (dans le cas Hobbit). Cette démonstration est révélatrice parce que ces cas ont tous les deux pris place dans des lieux attirant les productions d’Hollywood et, pour les deux, ce pouvoir d’attraction demeure crucial pour l’industrie locale. L’impact de la régulation du travail culturel au niveau local dans le contexte de grosses productions mondiales demeure un sujet peu étudié. Dans le présent article, nous établissons un parallèle entre ces deux études de cas afin de commencer à remédier au manque d’analyse de la réalité du milieu cinématographique. , La naturaleza de los modos de organización del trabajo en la industria de producción cinematográfica y las características profesionales de los trabajadores que trabajan en dicha producción influencian la calificación jurídica de dichos trabajadores. Esto pone en evidencia la dificultad de clasificar jurídicamente los modos actuales de organización del trabajo en una categoría jurídica específica dentro de aquellas disponibles: « relación de empleo » o « relación contractual basada en un contrato de servicios ». En ausencia de marcos jurídicos adecuados para evaluar correctamente la realidad de esos modos de organización del trabajo, el ejercicio de calificación jurídica puede conducir a una situación de incertidumbre que sería perjudicial al acceso de dichos trabajadores a la representación colectiva. Dicha incertidumbre abre la puerta a conflictos de trabajo y a contestaciones de diversos tipos. El presente artículo desarrolla un dialogo entre dos disciplinas, el análisis jurídico y el análisis del trabajo cultural, para comparar dos estudios de caso arraigados a nivel local: el « caso de la Hobbiy Law » en Nueva Zelandia y el « caso Spiderwick » en Quebec (Canadá). Presentamos en primer lugar el enfoque teórico y metodológico retenido, apoyándonos en la literatura dedicada al estudio del trabajo en el mundo cultural (cultural labour studies) y al análisis jurídico. En segundo lugar, comparamos la situación jurídica de los trabajadores culturales y de su representación colectiva por cada caso estudiado. En tercer lugar, presentamos en detalle la cronología, los conflictos y las contestaciones correspondientes a cada caso, así como los retos y las consecuencias legislativas que se desprenden de cada caso. En último lugar, comparando ambos caso, ilustramos la dificultad que representa el ejercicio de la calificación jurídica de estas relaciones, la incertidumbre que esto engendra y el impacto de dichas dificultades sobre la acción colectiva en ambas industrias. Se destaca que la solución adoptada para resolver el conflicto, muy diferente en cada caso, procura una demostración tanto de la inclusión de los trabajadores culturales al interior de las fronteras de la legislación específica favoreciendo así la representación colectiva de artistas (en el caso Spiderwick), como también, de la exclusión de trabajadores culturales de las fronteras de la legislación laboral que permiten la representación colectiva de asalariados (en el caso Hobbit). Esta demostración es reveladora puesto que dichos casos han ocurrido en lugares que atraen los productores de Hollywood y, en ambos, ese poder de atracción sigue siendo crucial para la industria local. El impacto de la regulación del trabajo cultural a nivel local en el contexto de grandes producciones mundiales sigue siendo un sujeto poco estudiado. En el presente artículo, establecemos un paralelo entre esos dos estudios de caso con miras a paliar la escasez de análisis de la realidad del medio cinematográfico.

The article reviews the book, "Decolonizing Employment: Aboriginal Inclusion in Canada's Labour Market," by Shauna MacKinnon.

This article reviews the book, "Exhibiting Nation: Multicultural Nationalism (and Its Limits) in Canada's Museums," by Caitlin Gordon-Walker.

Le contrat de franchise consiste à transmettre au franchisé le savoir-faire du franchiseur, moyennant des contreparties financières. Cependant, la transmission de ce savoir-faire va au-delà de la simple mise à disposition d’une « recette ». Elle se prolonge par une assistance de tous les instants délivrée par le franchiseur au franchisé. À certains égards, cette relation contractuelle ne ressemble-t-elle pas à celle d’un employeur avec le salarié ? Cet article étudie la relation émanant de ce contrat à l’aide des facteurs juridiques (le caractère subordonnant de la relation contractuelle) et économiques (la puissance économique du franchiseur) qui la structurent. L’étude s’appuie tant sur une analyse sociojuridique de la jurisprudence québécoise (1994-2016) au moyen d’une appréhension du contenu relationnel de ce contrat, que sur la littérature économique dans le but de comprendre les éléments de subordination et de puissance économique qui empreignent cette relation. Le constat révèle que la relation de franchise comporte de fortes composantes de subordination et d’inégalité de puissance économique pour le franchisé, engendrant un assujettissement aussi réel que celui mis en place par le salariat, même s’il n’est pas institué formellement par le contrat de franchisage. Plusieurs pistes d’action sont proposées. Si la requalification de certains contrats de franchise en contrat de travail semble une avenue préconisée par plusieurs pays, nos tribunaux y sont peu enclins. La deuxième piste d’action résiderait dans l’adoption d’une loi encadrant l’établissement et le contenu des contrats de franchise afin de réduire l’asymétrie informationnelle existante entre franchiseur et franchisé, ainsi que de mieux encadrer les qualités du « concept » sur lequel s’appuient les franchiseurs pour séduire les franchisés. Une troisième piste serait de reconnaître l’inégalité de puissance économique, point de départ de la reconnaissance « d’un droit de la dépendance dans l’indépendance » capable d’appréhender ces multiples situations d’entrepreneuriat dépendant dont la franchise n’est qu’un exemple. , The franchise contract allows franchisees to benefit from franchisors’ knowledge in return for their financial investment. However, the franchise contract entails much more than the simple transmission of a recipe. It involves thorough assistance from the franchisor to the franchisee. Hence, could this contractual relationship be compared to the employment relationship ? This article will examine how the franchise relationship is molded by both the legal subordination induced by the franchise contract and the superior economic power of the franchisor. This article will rely on a socio-legal analysis of Quebec jurisprudence (1994-2016), and on economic theory, in order to understand the factors of subordination and of economic power incorporated in the franchise relationship. The analysis exposes how the franchise relationship comprises strong components of subordination and inequality of economic power for the franchisee, both of which are as real as in the employment relationship, even though they are not formally instituted by the franchise contract. Three solutions are considered. One of these solutions would be to allow the characterization of a franchise contract into an employment contract. Although some foreign jurisdictions have followed this path, Quebec’s jurisprudence is not inclined to do so. A second solution would be to enact protective legislation for franchisees in order to decrease the informational asymmetry between franchisor and franchisee, and to specify the qualities of the franchise concept. A last solution would entail the recognition of the economic inequality between the franchisor and the franchisee. Such a solution could mark a departure point for a more general legal framework of «dependent economic relationship law» capable of understanding the numerous relationships of entrepreneurial dependency that exist, of which the franchise relationship is but one example. , El contrato de franquicia consiste a transmitir al franquiciado el know-how del franquiciante, a cambio de una inversión financiera. Sin embargo, la transmisión de este saber va más allá de la simple entrega de una « receta ». Esto implica una asistencia, en todo instante, de parte del franquiciante para con el franquiciado. En algunos aspectos, ¿esta relación contractual no se asemeja a la de un empleador con el empleado? Este artículo estudia cómo la relación de franquicia es estructurada por la subordinación jurídica inherente al contrato de franquicia y por el poder económico superior del franquiciante. El estudio conjuga un análisis socio-jurídico de la jurisprudencia quebequense (1994-2016) y la teoría económica con el objetivo de comprender los factores de subordinación y de poder económico que marcan la relación de franquicia. El análisis revela que la relación de franquicia comprende fuertes componentes de subordinación y de desigualdad de poder económico para el franquiciado, engendrando un sometimiento tan real que aquel impuesto por el trabajo asalariado, aunque no esté formalmente instituido por el contrato de franquicia. Tres pistas de solución son propuestas. La recalificación de ciertos contratos de franquicia en contrato de trabajo aparece como un vía preconizada por ciertos países pero nuestros tribunales son poco favorables a tal cambio. La segunda pista de acción consistiría en la adopción de una ley que enmarque el establecimiento y el contenido de los contratos de franquicia con el fin de reducir la asimetría informacional existente entre franquiciante y franquiciado, y así mismo para especificar las cualidades del « concepto » sobre los cuales se apoyan los franquiciantes para seducir los franquiciados. Una tercera pista sería de reconocer la desigualdad de poder económico, que podría marcar punto de partida de un marco jurídico más general « del derecho de la relación económica dependiente » capaz de comprender esas múltiples situaciones de dependencia empresarial existentes, de las cuales la franquicia es sólo un ejemplo.

This article reviews the book, "Building Global Labor Solidarity in a Time of Accelerating Globalization," edited by Kim Scipes.

Cette recherche vise à étudier la présence de conflits de rôle au sein des comités de retraite au Québec. Elle met en relation la gouvernance des régimes de retraite et la présence de conflits de rôle entre la représentation collective et la responsabilité fiduciaire du point de vue des membres de comités de retraite. Nous exploitons une particularité de la gestion québécoise, soit l’obligation de créer un comité de retraite sur lequel siègent des membres représentant l’employeur, les syndicats, les travailleurs, les retraités, ainsi que des membres indépendants. À l’aide d’une méthodologie mixte par questionnaire et par entrevue, il a été possible d’analyser les sources et la nature des conflits.Contrairement à nos anticipations, notre étude ne démontre pas de conflits systématiques causés par la coexistence du système de relations du travail et de la responsabilité fiduciaire des régimes complémentaires de retraite. Les tensions reliées aux relations du travail sont minimes. Nous avons bien identifié quelques enjeux, notamment au niveau du financement des régimes, de la viabilité des régimes, qui relèvent de la confusion des rôles.Toutefois ces éléments ne sont pas perçus comme des sources de tensions, mais plutôt comme des enjeux à discuter. La qualité de la gouvernance des régimes de retraite dépend des ressources investies par les acteurs des relations du travail dans l’accompagnement des membres des comités de retraite. La recherche sur les conflits de rôle dans la gouvernance des régimes de retraite au Québec montre que la gestion de ces conflits dépend, dans une large mesure, de la qualité de la législation sur l’administration des régimes complémentaires de retraite au Québec et, également, des ressources consacrées à la formation des membres des comités de retraite et des participants aux relations du travail. // Title in English: Governance of Supplementary Pension Plans, Labour Relations and Role Conflicts: A Quebec Study. This research aims to study the presence of role conflict in pension committees in Quebec. It relates the governance of pension plans to the presence of role conflict between collective representation and fiduciary responsibility from the point of view of pension committee members. We exploit a particular feature of Quebec’s pension funds legislation, namely the obligation to create a pension committee, which usually includes members representing the employer, trade unions, workers, retirees and independent members. Using a mixed methodology with a questionnaire and interviews, it was possible to analyse the sources and nature of these conflicts.Contrary to our expectations, our study does not reveal systematic conflicts caused by the coexistence of a system of labour relations and the fiduciary responsibility of supplementary pension plans. Tensions related to labour relations are minimal. We have, however, identified a number of issues, notably relating to plan funding and plan sustainability, which leads to some role confusion.That said, these aspects are not perceived as sources of tension, but are rather issues to be discussed. The quality of pension plans governance depends on the resources invested by labour relations collective actors in assisting members of pension committees. Our research on role conflict in the governance of pension plans in Quebec shows that the management of these conflicts depends to a large extent not only on the quality of the legislation governing the administration of supplemental pension plans, but also on the resources invested in training for retirement committee members.

The principal elements of just cause protection for unionized workers in the context of industrial discipline can be summed up in what the author refers to as the 'four Rs": reasons, reinstatement, equitable relief and representation. While the scope and meaning of just cause came to be fully developed in the arbitral jurisprudence of the 1960s and 1970s, several of its core aspects are of considerably older provenance. This paper throws light on a little-known chapter in the development of the "common law of the shop" by reporting on the results of primary research into mostly unreported arbitration awards in disci- pline cases, conducted under the auspices of the Ontario Department of Labour in the wartime and immediate post-war periods. Although they did not set out to create a systematic jurisprudence, the arbitrators in those early cases clearly anticipated the established model of corrective and industrial discipline: they gave effect to a requirement for reasons; reinstated employees found innocent of allegations of wrongdoing and awarded compensation; articulated a need for prior warnings and a culminating incident; "made the punishment fit the crime" by substituting lesser penalties and taking into account mitigating factors such as length of service; and afforded a measure of protection to union officials against reprisal while emphasizing their responsibility for securing compliance with grievance procedures. Ultimately, the author argues, the early arbitrators saw their role chiefly as the cultivation of workplace harmony and avoidance of work stoppages, seeking to reconcile industrial unionism with industrial peace.

The article reviews the book, "Depression Folk: Grassroots Music and Left-Wing Politics in 1930's America," by Ronald D. Cohen.

Though not monolithic, the non-profit social services sector has been an arena where workers and management participated in various forms of shared planning, service development and organizing the labour process. This included: 1- formal participation processes such as collective bargaining with union representation, and 2- practice-profession or task participation. Drawing on 34 qualitative interviews undertaken with a variety of actors (Chief Executive/Senior Directors, senior operational management, Human Resource Managers, frontline staff, and, where available, union representatives) in two non-profit social service agencies in Ontario (Canada), the article traces how these forms of participation have changed as a result of government austerity policies alongside the expansion of precarious employment and funding in the non-profit sector.Using exemplar quotes and qualitative analysis, the article shows that worker’s participation in each form has declined, while management simultaneously has extended greater control over the labour process and removed or reduced forums and opportunities for input from staff. In terms of task participation, measurement and governance structure of New Public Management (NPM) and austerity have led to less autonomy and choice, especially in the area of working time. The study also found that unitarist approaches, intolerant of staff voice and possible dissent, have displaced earlier representative participatory approaches that either utilized the management chain, or embraced and worked constructively with unions. Though these pressures existed prior to the introduction of austerity policies, the data show that decreased worker’s participation coincides and is further undermined by the financial and governance processes associated with NPM and austerity-linked cuts in government and other forms of funding. Overall, the data and analysis suggest that participation in the Non-profit Social Services (NPSS) may be another casualty of this current wave of neoliberalism.

In this paper the authors provide a review and critique of existing legal standards and methods, at common law and under employment standards legis- lation, for determining the length of notice to which employees are entitled as a result of without-cause termination. They argue that, at common law, the factors relied on to determine the amount of termination notice contribute to systemic bias and power imbalances between employers and employees, while fostering the illusion of individualized assessment. As well, the regime is inaccessible to low- and middle-income employees due to the costs of litigation. Minimum statutory notice in Ontario, which relies solely on the factor of length of service, is heavily discounted in relation to the common law, and suffers from poor enforcement and widespread non-compliance. In light of the shortcomings of the common law and statutory regimes, the authors conclude that there is a clear need for reform. While other proposals for reform have been advanced, the authors contend that they focus too heavily on length of service, are likely to perpetuate the problems associated with the existing systems, and fail to comprehensively take into account the primary purpose of notice - to provide employees with a "cushion" between termination and re-employment. The auth- ors then set out their proposal for a "Middle Course" approach to determining length of notice, which would be based on a series of objective factors related to the estimated time needed by a dismissed employee to obtain re-employment. It would be implemented by replacing the existing formula under employment standards legislation with one that would enable notice entitlements to be deter- mined in a more predictable, rational and equitable fashion.

This article reviews the book, "American Labor and Economic Citizenship: New Capitalism from World War 1 to the Great Depression," by Mark Hendrickson.

Thiis article reviews the book, "Lost Champions: Four Men, Two Teams, and the Breaking of Pro Football’s Color Line," by Gretchen Atwood.

This article reviews the book, "Neoliberal Labour Governments and the Union Response: The Politics of the End of Labourism," by Jason Schulman.