Canada’s Growth Outlook Is Resetting – Policy Expectations Should Too

May 6, 2026 – As Canada’s economic data begin to reflect slower population growth, it may appear weaker than in the past, even when the economy is operating close to capacity. With immigration targets now reduced, slower employment and GDP growth will increasingly reflect demographic constraints rather than economic underperformance, according to a new report […]

Les perspectives de croissance du Canada se redéfinissent – les attentes en matière de politiques devraient en faire autan

6 mai 2026 – À mesure que les données économiques du Canada commencent à refléter un ralentissement de la croissance démographique, elles peuvent paraître plus faibles qu’auparavant, même lorsque l’économie fonctionne près de sa capacité. Avec la réduction des cibles d’immigration, le ralentissement de l’emploi et de la croissance du PIB reflétera de plus en […]

Resetting Expectations: Canada’s Economy in a Lower-Immigration Era

by Don Drummond and Parisa Mahboubi Canada’s reduced immigration targets mark a structural shift in labour force growth that will make economic data look weaker than in the past, even when the economy is operating close to capacity. The risk is not poor performance, but misinterpretation. Under a baseline scenario, employment is projected to decline […]

Affordable but Unavailable: National Childcare’s Supply Crisis 

To: Childcare observers  From: Parisa Mahboubi and Tingting Zhang  Date: April 27, 2026  Re: Affordable but Unavailable: National Childcare’s Supply Crisis  Ottawa’s $10-a-day childcare plan was supposed to make life easier. But for many families, it’s made care harder to find.  Three years into the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC), fees for regulated childcare have fallen sharply. But demand has surged far faster than supply. Waitlists have exploded, and […]

Canada’s Immigration Gains Were Driven by Selection – Maintaining Them Is Now the Challenge

April 16, 2026 – Canada’s immigration system delivered stronger labour market outcomes for new permanent residents after 2015 despite unprecedented intake levels, but recent trends among temporary residents risk undermining those gains, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Selection Matters: Lessons from Two Decades of Immigrant Earnings,” Mikal Skuterud and […]

Selection Matters: Lessons from Two Decades of Immigrant Earnings

by Mikal Skuterud and Ruiwen Zhang This Commentary examines relative employment rates and hourly earnings of Canadian immigrants and non-permanent residents (NPRs) from 2005 to 2024, with particular attention to changes following the introduction of Express Entry in 2015 and the subsequent unprecedented rise in immigration levels. Despite significantly higher intake levels after 2015, the labour […]

Les progrès du Canada en matière d’immigration sont le fruit de sa politique de sélection – Le défi consiste désormais à les maintenir

16 avril 2026 – Le système d’immigration du Canada a permis d’améliorer les résultats sur le marché du travail des nouveaux résidents permanents après 2015, et cela malgré des niveaux d’admission sans pareil. Toutefois, les tendances récentes chez les résidents temporaires risquent de compromettre ces progrès, selon un nouveau rapport de l’Institut C.D. Howe. Dans […]

$10-a-Day Childcare Waitlist Continues to Climb

Children Aged 0-5 on Childcare Waitlists in CanadaThe Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care program has significantly reduced fees across most provinces and territories, increasing the affordability of regulated care and boosting demand. As cost barriers have declined, however, access challenges have intensified, as the supply of licensed spaces has not kept pace — leading to growing waitlists across the country.    […]

From Promise to Practice: A Critical Review of the Federal Childcare Plan

The Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care program has significantly reduced childcare fees across most provinces and territories, stimulating demand for regulated care and drawing families away from informal arrangements. As affordability barriers have declined, however, access to licensed spaces has become the primary constraint. The creation of licensed spaces has fallen behind federal targets, […]

Reduced Fees, Rising Waitlists: Early Lessons from Canada’s Childcare Plan

March 19, 2026 – Canada’s $10-a-day childcare plan has lowered parent fees across most of the country, but families are increasingly stuck on waitlists as demand outpaces the supply of licensed spaces, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “From Promise to Practice: A Critical Review of the Federal Childcare Plan,” […]

Canada’s “Whole School” Education Contribution has been Surprisingly Effective

From: John Richards, Stephen HeynemanTo: Taxation observersDate: March 17, 2026Re: Canada’s “Whole School” Education Contribution has been Surprisingly Effective In August 2024, the “students’ revolt” in Dhaka toppled Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh prime minister since 2008. The student leaders chose Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel peace prize, as interim prime minister. And last month, […]

Ontario Stops Deepening its Universities’ Financial Pit

From: Don DrummondTo: Ontario Economics and Education Policy Watchers Date: March 6, 2026Re: Ontario Stops Deepening its Universities’ Financial Pit In February 2026, the Ontario Government announced it was “investing $6.4 billion to support (the) postsecondary sector’s long-term success and sustainability” to produce “one of the most competitive workforces in the G7” and “world-class research.” […]

Membership Application

Interested in becoming a Member of the C.D. Howe Institute? Please fill out the application form below and our team will be in touch with next steps. Note that Membership is subject to approval.

"*" indicates required fields

Please include a brief description, including why you’d like to become a Member.

Member Login

Not a Member yet? Visit our Membership page to learn more and apply.