Canada’s Productivity Problem with Michelle Alexopoulos and Jeremy Kronick
Since the mid-1980s, US labour productivity has grown by about 100 percent. But in Canada, it’s only grown by roughly 40 percent. Lower productivity means the economy grows more slowly — and that means Canadians’ paychecks grow more slowly as well.
Why is Canada less productive? And what can be done about it? Michael Hainsworth speaks with the University of Toronto’s Michelle Alexopoulos and the C.D. Howe Institute’s Jeremy Kronick to get answers.
Grant Bishop – We need repeal, or a provincial challenge, to hasty and overbroad new Competition Act greenwashing rule
From: Grant BishopTo: François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry of Canada, cc: Matthew Boswell, Commissioner of Competition; Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; provincial attorneys generalDate: September 20, 2024Re: We need repeal, or a provincial challenge, to hasty and overbroad new Competition Act greenwashing rule Since the blowback to […] Daniel Schwanen – New Thinking Needed on Labour Rules at Supply Chain Choke Points
To: Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon and Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez From: Daniel Schwanen Date: September 6, 2024 Re: New Thinking Needed on Labour Rules at Supply Chain Choke Points Millions of Canadians and hundreds of thousands of businesses were relieved when the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) ordered Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City to resume services, and […] Daniel Schwanen – Ordering the rail workers back was the right thing to do
Published in The Globe and Mail
Millions of Canadians and hundreds of thousands of businesses were relieved to hear that on Saturday, the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) had ordered the country’s two major national railways, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Kansas City, to resume services, and for their workers to return to their jobs. At the same time, it sent their contract disputes to binding arbitration.
This decision, taken at the behest of Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon, came after lockouts by the two companies last week, and strikes called by members of the Teamsters union.
The CIRB had ruled earlier this month that the rail transport of commodities is not an essential service – not resulting in…
Grant Bishop – Ottawa’s New Greenwashing Rule Infringes Freedom of Expression
From: Grant Bishop To: Attorneys General of Provincial Governments Date: July 24, 2024 Re: Ottawa’s New Greenwashing Rule Infringes Freedom of Expression The new greenwashing rule hastily crammed into the Competition Act in last month’s omnibus budget bill has cast a chill over communications by Canadian companies – many of whom have scrubbed content from their webpages in response. The […] Uncertainty and the Burden of Proof in Canadian Competition Law
• There are good reasons to take stock of Canadian competition law. The vulnerability of digital markets to market power stemming from network externalities and scale economies encourages reflection on whether the Competition Act continues to be suitable for present times. • Recently, a number of statutory amendments have been proposed to amend the […] Competition Policy Council
Vibrant, dynamic competition lies at the heart of a robust economy, and supportive competition policy is essential to innovation, growth, and consumers’ wellbeing. The Competition Policy Council comprises top-ranked academics and practitioners active in the field of competition policy. The Council is chaired by interim chair Elisa Kearney, Partner at Davies, Ward, Phillips & Vineberg […] A Step Too Far: Enshrining Structural Presumptions Governing Mergers in the Competition Act is Not Good for Canada’s Competitiveness
Competition law reform is proceeding in Canada in a piecemeal fashion involving three different bills. Bill C-56, An Act to amend the Excise Tax Act and the Competition Act, received Royal Assent on December 15, 2023. Bill C-59, The Fall Economic Statement Implementation Act, is currently at Second Reading in the House of Commons. Bill […] Lawrence P. Schwartz – StatsCan Data Enriches Competition Surveys: Let’s Have More, Please
To: Canada’s Competition Law Community From: Lawrence P. Schwartz Date: January 29, 2024 Re: StatsCan Data Enriches Competition Surveys: Let’s Have More, Please The Competition Bureau’s recent study on competition finds that “competitive intensity” decreased from 2000 to 2020. Does this important study deal adequately with the available Canadian research and the continuing questions about competition policy? In one […] Gullo and Exner-Pirot – Improving Canada’s Competitiveness
From: Michael Gullo and Heather Exner-Pirot To: Ministerial Working Group on Regulatory Efficiency for Clean Growth Projects Date: January 25, 2024 Re: Improving Canada’s competitiveness Canadian workers, industry and the federal government share a common goal of a strong economy and a healthy environment. This includes building infrastructure to support a low carbon energy system, as well as increasing […] Sen, Masson – Cheers to Ontario’s New Alcohol Marketing Framework
From: Anindya Sen and Paul R. Masson To: Ontario competition watchers Date: January 10, 2024 Re: Cheers to Ontario’s New Alcohol Marketing Framework Real competition is coming to Ontario alcohol retailing on January 1, 2026 after last month’s announcement about replacing the province’s Prohibition-era hodgepodge of rules. These reforms, which follow along the lines of our 2014 C.D. Howe […] How the Price of Milk Threatens Canada’s Auto Industry with Bill Robson and Martha Hall Findlay
How would the price of milk threaten Canada’s auto industry? Bill C-282 risks upturning trade negotiations with the world, especially our biggest trading partner. And if Donald Trump returns to the White House, Martha Hall Findlay tells the Institute’s Bill Robson and Michael Hainsworth that all bets are off.