From: Harvey NaglieTo: Ontario productivity observersDate: April 17, 2026 Re: Ontario Budget 2026: A Capability Assessment Ontario’s 2026 budget projects a $13.8-billion deficit under the rubric A Plan to Protect Ontario – a response to real external pressure: Tariffs contributed to the loss of nearly 40,000 jobs in the auto, steel and aluminum sectors in 2025. The budget lists specific strategic sectors – nuclear energy, critical minerals, life sciences, defence manufacturing and […]
Combining provincial and federal net-debt projections in the most recently released budgets shows the consolidated federal-provincial net debt ratio* continuing to rise rapidly from its pre-pandemic level. At an estimated 82 percent of GDP in 2028–29, governments would be wise to avoid reaching the combined ratio back to its 1995–96 high — a level widely […]
Published in The Hill Times. More than nine million Canadian employees lack access to a workplace retirement plan. Many of these workers are likely to reach retirement age with inadequate savings, facing a decline in how they live just when they’re most vulnerable. Others will delay retirement, remaining in the workforce longer than they planned […]
“Nation building” projects aren’t the only way to insulate Canada from Trump’s (trade) wars. Jack Mintz explains why a “big bang” reform is the only way to inject billions into the economy. Read the report: https://cdhowe.org/publication/big-bang-tax-reform-unleashing-growth-in-the-canadian-economy/
“Nation building” projects aren’t the only way to insulate Canada from Trump’s (trade) wars. Jack Mintz explains why a “big bang” reform is the only way to inject billions into the economy. Read the report: https://cdhowe.org/publication/big-bang-tax-reform-unleashing-growth-in-the-canadian-economy/
From: Jack Mintz, Alexandre Laurin and Nick DahirTo: Taxation observersDate: March 11, 2026Re: A Tax Plan to Ignite the Economy Canada-US free trade is on shaky ground. Nor is Canada attracting its share of business investment and, as a result, our economic performance has suffered over the past decade. We have had virtually no growth […]
Published in the Financial Post. Canada-U.S. free trade is on shaky ground. Canada is not attracting its share of business investment, and our economic performance over the past decade is deeply concerning. We have the weakest growth in per capita national income among G7 countries and several other advanced economies. That’s not a statistical accident […]
Canada’s tax system has contributed to weak economic performance over the past decade, as the country has recorded the slowest per-capita income growth in the G7 while relying heavily on personal and corporate income taxes that impose relatively high economic costs. This report proposes a sweeping, “big bang” reform that would restructure Canada’s tax system […]
March 3, 2026 – After a decade of virtually stagnant per-capita growth, coupled with ongoing geopolitical tensions, Canada faces an urgent need for a bold, comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s tax system to stimulate investment, raise wages, and restore competitiveness, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “‘Big Bang’ Tax Reform: […]
Comparing the combined national and sub-national corporate income tax (CIT) rates in Canada, the United States, and the GDP-weighted OECD averages shows that Canada had a significant CIT advantage between 2012 and 2018, driven by lowering the combined federal-provincial corporate income tax rate. That edge vanished in 2018 when corporate rate cuts under the […]
From: Sahar Hamdam To: Federal Policymakers and Tax Policy Analysts Date: February 27, 2026Re: Targeted GST Reform is More Effective Than Broad Elimination on Essentials Canadians are facing sustained increases in the cost of groceries, household goods, and hygiene products. In response, the federal government has expanded and renamed GST Credit as a central pillar […]
From: Lennie KaplanTo: Alberta budget observers Date: February 20, 2026Re: How Will Alberta Deal With Low Oil Prices in Next Week’s Budget? The Alberta government is signaling that its 2026 budget next week is going “stay the course” with a large deficit number in 2026/27, and likely into 2027/28. One of the critical factors influencing the […]
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From: Harvey NaglieTo: Ontario productivity observersDate: April 17, 2026 Re: Ontario Budget 2026: A Capability Assessment Ontario’s 2026 budget projects a $13.8-billion deficit under the rubric A Plan to Protect Ontario – a response to real external pressure: Tariffs contributed to the loss of nearly 40,000 jobs in the auto, steel and aluminum sectors in 2025. The budget lists specific strategic sectors – nuclear energy, critical minerals, life sciences, defence manufacturing and […] 
Combining provincial and federal net-debt projections in the most recently released budgets shows the consolidated federal-provincial net debt ratio* continuing to rise rapidly from its pre-pandemic level. At an estimated 82 percent of GDP in 2028–29, governments would be wise to avoid reaching the combined ratio back to its 1995–96 high — a level widely […] 
“Nation building” projects aren’t the only way to insulate Canada from Trump’s (trade) wars. Jack Mintz explains why a “big bang” reform is the only way to inject billions into the economy. Read the report: https://cdhowe.org/publication/big-bang-tax-reform-unleashing-growth-in-the-canadian-economy/ 
From: Jack Mintz, Alexandre Laurin and Nick DahirTo: Taxation observersDate: March 11, 2026Re: A Tax Plan to Ignite the Economy Canada-US free trade is on shaky ground. Nor is Canada attracting its share of business investment and, as a result, our economic performance has suffered over the past decade. We have had virtually no growth […] 
Canada’s tax system has contributed to weak economic performance over the past decade, as the country has recorded the slowest per-capita income growth in the G7 while relying heavily on personal and corporate income taxes that impose relatively high economic costs. This report proposes a sweeping, “big bang” reform that would restructure Canada’s tax system […] 
Comparing the combined national and sub-national corporate income tax (CIT) rates in Canada, the United States, and the GDP-weighted OECD averages shows that Canada had a significant CIT advantage between 2012 and 2018, driven by lowering the combined federal-provincial corporate income tax rate. That edge vanished in 2018 when corporate rate cuts under the […] 
From: Sahar Hamdam To: Federal Policymakers and Tax Policy Analysts Date: February 27, 2026Re: Targeted GST Reform is More Effective Than Broad Elimination on Essentials Canadians are facing sustained increases in the cost of groceries, household goods, and hygiene products. In response, the federal government has expanded and renamed GST Credit as a central pillar […] 
From: Lennie KaplanTo: Alberta budget observers Date: February 20, 2026Re: How Will Alberta Deal With Low Oil Prices in Next Week’s Budget? The Alberta government is signaling that its 2026 budget next week is going “stay the course” with a large deficit number in 2026/27, and likely into 2027/28. One of the critical factors influencing the […]