Governments Must Cut Red Tape to Build 5G: Telecommunications Working Group
March 9, 2021 – Ottawa must dramatically reduce the regulatory burden on the telecommunications industry to accelerate 5G deployment, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute.
At their recent meetings, the Telecommunications Working Group discussed the jurisdictional hurdles facing Canada’s telecommunications sector and how to best accelerate rural and remote connectivity.
Telecommunications providers face obstacles in gaining access rights to infrastructure for installing telecommunications facilities. These barriers, alongside difficulty navigating government incentive programs for expanded connectivity, could stall the federal government’s aim of extending high-speed internet coverage to 98 percent of…
Bank of Canada Should Hold Overnight Rate at 0.25 Percent, Prepare to Reduce Government Bond Purchases: C.D. Howe Institute Monetary Policy Council
March 4, 2021 – The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) recommends that the Bank of Canada keep its target for the overnight rate, its benchmark policy interest rate, at 0.25 percent at least until March of 2022. The MPC was divided on whether the Bank of Canada should maintain its current pace of Government of Canada bond purchases between now and its next policy-rate announcement on April 21st, but members who voted for the Bank to maintain its current pace said it should prepare markets for a winding down of the program.
The MPC provides an independent assessment of the monetary stance consistent with the Bank of Canada’s 2 percent inflation target. William Robson, the Institute’s CEO, chairs…
Telecom Sector Investments Key to Future Prosperity: Telecommunications Working Group
February 23, 2021 – Investment in the telecommunications sector is vital for ensuring Canada’s next generation digital infrastructure, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute.
At their recent meetings, the Telecommunications Working Group identified and discussed policy challenges facing Canada’s telecommunications sector. The group of experts in both the private sector and academia is co-chaired by Len Waverman, Dean of DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University; and Steve Orsini, Adjunct Professor, Public Policy & Administration, Carleton University and former Ontario Secretary of Cabinet.
The shift to remote work and digital services due to COVID-19 underscores how essential reliable and…
Stimulus Spending if Necessary, but not Necessarily Stimulus Spending: C.D. Howe Institute Fiscal and Tax Working Group
February 17, 2021 – Any further debt-financed stimulus should be temporary, essential, and targeted to improving the economy’s productive capacity, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute.
At their most recent meeting, the Fiscal and Tax Working Group discussed what form new fiscal stimulus should take, but remained unconvinced that a large stimulus package is appropriate at this time. In addition, with federal debt rising rapidly, members argued that any new permanent programs should be tax-financed.
The group of experts from the private sector and academia, co-chaired by John Manley, former federal minister of finance, and Janice MacKinnon, former minister of finance of Saskatchewan, noted that new spending should…
Bank of Canada Should Hold Overnight Rate at 0.25 Percent, Maintain Government Bond Purchases: C.D. Howe Institute Monetary Policy Council
January 14, 2021 – The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) recommends that the Bank of Canada keep its target for the overnight rate, its benchmark policy interest rate, at 0.25 percent at least until January of 2022. A majority of MPC members also recommends that the Bank of Canada maintain its current quantitative easing purchases of Government of Canada bonds.
The MPC provides an independent assessment of the monetary stance consistent with the Bank of Canada’s 2 percent inflation target. William Robson, the Institute’s CEO, chairs the Council. The Council’s principal recommendations are about the overnight rate target. Members make recommendations for the Bank of Canada’s upcoming interest-rate…
