What Now? Addressing the Burden of Canada’s Slow-Growth Recovery
The Canadian economy continues to face serious macroeconomic challenges, the most important of which is addressing the burden of a slow-growth recovery, according to a report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “What Now? Addressing the Burden of Canada’s Slow-Growth Recovery”, McGill University economist Christopher Ragan calls for Canadian policy makers to accept the likelihood […] User Discretion Advised: Fiscal Consolidation and the Recovery
Ontario should not delay fiscal consolidation, while Ottawa should take a more gradual approach than planned, according to a report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “User Discretion Advised: Fiscal Consolidation and the Recovery,” author William Scarth calls on the Ontario provincial government to address its long-term sustainability challenges before it embarks on any major […] What Policies Work? Addressing the Concerns Raised by Canada’s PISA Results
Canadian educators can draw key lessons on how to improve student performance from the most recent Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) report, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute publication. In “What Policies Work? Addressing the Concerns Raised by Canada’s PISA Results,” author John Richards addresses six widely discussed education policies that may reverse […] Warning Signs for Canadian Educators: The Bad News in Canada’s PISA Results
Canadian provinces should be concerned about slipping high-school students’ scores – in reading, science and mathematics – as assessed by the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), according a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Warning Signs for Canadian Educators: The Bad News in Canada’s PISA Results,” author John Richards addresses some concerning […] Do student outcomes depend on good teachers? Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Published in the Globe and Mail on May 13th, 2014
By David Johnson
David Johnson is Professor of Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University and Education Policy Scholar at the C.D. Howe Institute.
The proposed recertification of teachers in Alberta announced earlier this month is controversial. Would data from assessments of student learning be useful in measuring teacher effectiveness?
In Alberta there are province-wide assessments of individual student learning in Grade 3, 6 and 9. There are two obvious problems in using these assessments to measure teacher quality.
First, student performance when assessed in Grade 3 and…
Don’t Forget the Kids: How Immigrant Policy Can Help Immigrants’ Children
Current immigration policies overlook the unique challenges faced by immigrant children, resulting in higher dropout rates for those arriving in Canada as teenagers, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Don’t Forget the Kids: How Immigrant Policy Can Help Immigrants’ Children,” authors Colin Busby and Miles Corak assert that various government policies do […] Why the First Nations Education Act deserves broad Parliamentary support: Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Published in the Globe and Mail on May 1, 2014
By John Richards
John Richards teaches in the Simon Fraser University public policy program. He is also a fellow-in-residence at the C.D. Howe Institute, and the author of the institute report: “Are We Making Progress? New Evidence on Aboriginal Education Outcomes in Provincial and Reserve Schools”.
In 2011 Chuck Strahl, at the time Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, and Shawn Atleo, then as now head of the Assembly of First Nations, agreed to launch a major initiative to improve reserve schools.
The reasons to do so are obvious. For decades, on-reserve high school completion has remained…
Are We Making Progress? New Evidence on Aboriginal Education Outcomes in Provincial and Reserve Schools
Urgent action by the federal government is required to address the persistently low high-school completion rates among young First nation adults living on-reserve, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Are We Making Progress? New Evidence on Aboriginal Education Outcomes in Provincial and Reserve Schools,” author John Richards concludes that on-reserve education is […] Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada: Are They Really Filling Labour Shortages?
Changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program between 2002 and 2012, which made it easier to hire foreign workers, accelerated the rise in unemployment in Alberta and British Columbia, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Temporary Foreign Workers in Canada: Are They Really Filling Labour Shortages?”, author Dominique M. Gross finds […] Tradable Services: Canada’s Overlooked Success Story
While manufacturing has been struggling to recoup job losses, Canada’s tradable services sectors have been expanding, providing an increased number of well-paying jobs in Canada in the midst of tough economic times, according to a report released today by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Tradable Services: Canada’s Overlooked Success Story,” author Daniel Schwanen finds the […] Five steps to better schools on First Nations reserves: National Post Op-Ed
Published in the National Post on December 23, 2013
By John Richards and Michael Mendelson
Among the most contentious pieces of legislation for the present sitting of Parliament is a First Nations Education Act. It defines for reserve schools the equivalent of a provincial schools act. Knowing it to be highly contentious, Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, had it posted online, with an assurance that clauses were still open to discussion.
Last month, Shawn Atleo, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) wrote an open letter to the Minister. In a delicate balancing act, he restated the almost unanimous view of First Nations chiefs that Ottawa’s current draft Education Act is…
To Improve Equality, It’s Education And Opportunity That Matter: Globe And Mail Op-ed
Published in the Globe and Mail on November 23, 2013
By Finn Poschmann
The coming byelection in Toronto Centre, contested by two champions of greater equality, Chrystia Freeland and Linda McQuaig, has proven a jumping off point for a new round of handwringing over the rich and poor, and the distance between them.
Toronto Centre, you see, contains Rosedale and Regent Park, meaning the rich and poor live rather close together. There’s nothing new about that: Writing a century ago, a visitor to Ottawa remarked on the Rockcliffe neighbourhood, where the well-to-do jostled uncomfortably closely with residents of less tony Vanier.
In the first half of the 20th century, income inequality was on the…