From: Alexandre Laurin and Nick Dahir To: Campaign promise observers Date: April 14, 2025Re: Missing Detail: Tax Savings Lower than Advertised Both Liberals and Conservatives have pledged to lower the bottom marginal federal personal income tax (PIT) rate if elected. The Liberals propose reducing the rate from 15 percent to 14 percent, while the Conservatives aim to […]
To: Canada’s trade warriors From: William B.P. RobsonDate: April 7, 2025Re: Next Up: A Fight with Trump Over the GST The “reciprocal” tariff rates announced by Donald Trump on last week were worse than expected – not only because they were high, but because the calculations behind them were absurd. The idea that a country’s trade balance with the […]
April 4, 2025 – Canada is facing threats to its economic security and territorial integrity from the US. Responding to these threats is job one, but Canada’s next government must not lose sight of the need to strengthen its economy, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “An Economic Strategy for […]
Canada is facing threats, and responding to them is job one. But our next government must not lose sight of the longer-term need to reduce our dependence on the US, raise our prosperity, to defend our sovereignty, and put Canada’s debt on a sustainable path.
Published in The Hub The federal election call has predictably triggered promises of tax cuts and handouts. These promises are a bait-and-switch. It could be a quick reverse—shortly after the election, the winner announces that a look at the books has revealed worse-than-expected numbers and forced a change in plans. Or, worse, the switch could […]
To: Potential federal finance ministersFrom: Don Drummond, Alexandre Laurin and William B.P. RobsonDate: April 2, 2025Re: Sustainable Growth-Friendly Tax Reform: The 2025 Shadow Budget The federal government’s fiscal policy over the past decade has featured ballooning spending, excessive borrowing, and growth-discouraging taxation. With US trade aggression darkening the picture, Canada urgently needs tax changes that will encourage […]
Published in The Globe and Mail. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently said that President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff scheme, due on April 2, will feature country-specific rates. What that means for Canada, like all U.S. trading partners, depends on which real or imagined transgressions Mr. Trump and his officials use to justify their actions. […]
Bill Robson, president and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute, says federal leaders must protect Canada’s tax system if Trump decides to target Canada’s GST.
In the age of Trump, how do you prepare Canada’s finances for a protracted trade war? The C.D. Howe Institute’s Bill Robson and Don Drummond advise we balance the books, raise the GST, and tell Canadians why the pain is necessary.
The US isn’t the only issue Canada’s Finance Minister will have to address. Bill Robson and Don Drummond advise how we can balance the books – lowering the debt ratio and restoring fiscal surpluses by 2028.
Amanda Lang interviews Bill Robson, President and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute on whether reining in spending should be a priority for the next federal government.
From: Matthew McLeishTo: Economy observersDate: March 20, 2025Re: Provincial governments are walking a tightrope of fiscal short-termism – it’s time to get serious Economic concerns have dominated Canadian politics in recent years, with inflation and post-pandemic recovery taking centre stage. The cost of living tops most polls – 71 percent in one survey last summer – as an issue. […]
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From: Alexandre Laurin and Nick Dahir To: Campaign promise observers Date: April 14, 2025Re: Missing Detail: Tax Savings Lower than Advertised Both Liberals and Conservatives have pledged to lower the bottom marginal federal personal income tax (PIT) rate if elected. The Liberals propose reducing the rate from 15 percent to 14 percent, while the Conservatives aim to […] 
To: Canada’s trade warriors From: William B.P. RobsonDate: April 7, 2025Re: Next Up: A Fight with Trump Over the GST The “reciprocal” tariff rates announced by Donald Trump on last week were worse than expected – not only because they were high, but because the calculations behind them were absurd. The idea that a country’s trade balance with the […] 
Canada is facing threats, and responding to them is job one. But our next government must not lose sight of the longer-term need to reduce our dependence on the US, raise our prosperity, to defend our sovereignty, and put Canada’s debt on a sustainable path. 
Published in The Hub The federal election call has predictably triggered promises of tax cuts and handouts. These promises are a bait-and-switch. It could be a quick reverse—shortly after the election, the winner announces that a look at the books has revealed worse-than-expected numbers and forced a change in plans. Or, worse, the switch could […] 
To: Potential federal finance ministersFrom: Don Drummond, Alexandre Laurin and William B.P. RobsonDate: April 2, 2025Re: Sustainable Growth-Friendly Tax Reform: The 2025 Shadow Budget The federal government’s fiscal policy over the past decade has featured ballooning spending, excessive borrowing, and growth-discouraging taxation. With US trade aggression darkening the picture, Canada urgently needs tax changes that will encourage […] 
Published in The Globe and Mail. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently said that President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff scheme, due on April 2, will feature country-specific rates. What that means for Canada, like all U.S. trading partners, depends on which real or imagined transgressions Mr. Trump and his officials use to justify their actions. […] 
Bill Robson, president and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute, says federal leaders must protect Canada’s tax system if Trump decides to target Canada’s GST. 
In the age of Trump, how do you prepare Canada’s finances for a protracted trade war? The C.D. Howe Institute’s Bill Robson and Don Drummond advise we balance the books, raise the GST, and tell Canadians why the pain is necessary. 
Amanda Lang interviews Bill Robson, President and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute on whether reining in spending should be a priority for the next federal government. 
From: Matthew McLeishTo: Economy observersDate: March 20, 2025Re: Provincial governments are walking a tightrope of fiscal short-termism – it’s time to get serious Economic concerns have dominated Canadian politics in recent years, with inflation and post-pandemic recovery taking centre stage. The cost of living tops most polls – 71 percent in one survey last summer – as an issue. […]