Canada must put the emphasis on economic immigration – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Immigration is not the panacea, as often advertised, to an aging population and low fertility rates. However, the right economic immigration inflow enhances employment outcomes and strengthens the overall economy.
Principal applicants selected under the economic immigration program integrate well into the labour market. But their immediate families do not. Overall, this means that, across all categories, most new immigrants struggle in the labour market after their arrival. One way to encourage better outcomes is to substantially increase the target for economic immigration.
Ottawa has increased annual immigration targets, gradually moving up from 280,000 in 2016 to 350,000 by 2021. Canada admits these…
Canada’s Youngest Generations Bear The Largest Tax Burden – Globe And Mail Op-ed
We already know that Canada’s population aging will drag down government revenue and blow up social and health spending, but its long-term impact on fiscal sustainability and intergenerational fairness greatly depend on future government policies. While this demographic change substantially shifts the tax burden away from baby boomers and their children − the baby busters or Generation X – to the boomers’ grandchildren, achieving long-term fiscal sustainability can be possible.
In my recent study for the C.D. Howe Institute, I estimate average lifetime tax burdens for the current generations by birth cohort, and for an unborn future generation. Lifetime tax burdens are simply the total amount of taxes minus cash…
Young Generations Doing the Heavy Lifting: Lifetime Taxes and Benefits by Birth Year
In this edition of Graphic Intelligence, we show how the estimated lifetime taxes and lifetime benefits vary by birth year. The amounts of lifetime taxes paid and benefits received from birth to death are increasingly higher for the younger generations, born after the mid-1995. Since the gap between lifetime taxes and benefits increases for the youngest […]How Do Government Taxes and Transfers Affect You? It Depends on Your Age.
In this edition of Graphic Intelligence, we show how the average amount of taxes paid and benefits received differ by age group. Individuals pay and receive various types of taxes and benefits over the course of their lives. Taxes and contributions (e.g., EI and CPP contributions) are highest for those in the working-age category, particularly among […]Pursuing Reconciliation: The Case for an Off-Reserve Urban Agenda
Current reconciliation efforts between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples are missing the main target, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Pursuing Reconciliation: The Case for an Off-Reserve Urban Agenda,” author John Richards argues that the federal government, provinces, and Indigenous leaders must develop an agenda for the majority of First Nation people […] Parisa Mahboubi – The benefits of encouraging greater labour force participation of older workers
Federal budgets are an annual rite of spring in Ottawa, as is the deluge of advice to the Department of Finance. But budget-making is a yearlong process, and the work is now in progress. Accordingly, the C.D. Howe Institute is presenting a series of Intelligence Memos in the next few weeks, outlining recommendations that we […] Parisa Mahboubi – How to speed labour market integration of immigrants and refugees
Federal budgets are an annual rite of spring in Ottawa, as is the deluge of advice to the Department of Finance. But budget-making is a yearlong process, and the work is now in progress. Accordingly, the C.D. Howe Institute is presenting a series of Intelligence Memos in the next few weeks, outlining recommendations that we […] In Sync: Canada’s Employment and Unemployment trends
In this edition of Graphic Intelligence, we show trends in Canada’s unemployment, employment and labour force participation rates of the population aged 15 and over during the past decade. Indicators such as unemployment and employment rates are, of course, useful metrics for assessing the performance of the job market. Historically, these metrics moved in opposite […] Mahboubi, Schwanen – Translating population growth into the labour force
From: Parisa Mahboubi and Daniel Schwanen To: Canada’s Ministers of Employment Date: October 22, 2018 Re: Translating population growth into the labour force After years of sluggish growth, Canada is experiencing its fastest year–over–year population growth. Faster population increase, however, is not translating into strong labour force growth in all provinces – indeed the rate of […] Brain Drain: Top Us Destinations For Canadian Workers
2006 2011 2016 In this edition of Graphic Intelligence, we show the top state destinations for Canadian-born working-age newcomers (arrived 5 years or less) to the US in 2006, 2011, and 2016. Migration of Canadian-born, working-age individuals to the United States has trended upward over the past 30 years, according to the American Community Survey (ACS). The majority of these Canadians […]