William B.P. Robson – The Answer To Calgary’s Budgeting Woes Is … Better Budgeting!
To: The City of Calgary and the Province of Alberta From: William B.P. Robson Date: November 18, 2019 Re: The Answer to Calgary’s Budgeting Woes is … Better Budgeting! The dispute between the City of Calgary and the Province of Alberta over the city’s budget and provincial transfers needs a few facts. One, in particular, would help: the city’s […] Credit Check: Alberta’s Tax Credits Up For Elimination
Alberta’s 2019 budget, released yesterday, promises a return to a balanced budget by 2022/23 and reductions in spending after having the highest spending per capita of any province in 2017, spending 15 percent above nationwide average without delivering demonstrably superior outcomes. This is a budget that confronts hard choices and follows through on tax reduction […] Donald Drummond – Ministerial Mandate Letter: Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
As Canada forms its next government, the Prime Minister’s Office will be preparing ministerial mandate letters. In this special Intelligence Memo series, policy experts highlight key challenges and priorities in each minister’s portfolio. From: Donald Drummond To: The incoming Ministers of Crown‑Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services Date: October 25, 2019 As you embark as Ministers […] Alexandre Laurin – Ministerial Mandate Letter: Minister Of Finance
As Canada forms its next government, the Prime Minister’s Office will be preparing ministerial mandate letters. In this special Intelligence Memo series, policy experts highlight key challenges and priorities in each minister’s portfolio. From: Alexandre Laurin To: The incoming Minister of Finance Date: October 21, 2019 As you embark on the start of your term as Minister of […] William B.P. Robson – Six Months After Fiscal Year-end, It’s Time All Canada’s Legislators Saw The Numbers
From: William Robson To: Members of Federal and Provincial Public Accounts Committees Date: September 30, 2019 Re: Six Months after Fiscal Year-End, It’s Time All Canada’s Legislators Saw the Numbers The end of September marks six months since March 31, the end of the fiscal year for Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments. Six months […] William B.P. Robson and Farah Omran – A Bad Budget Habit Afflicts Most Senior Governments
From: William B.P. Robson and Farah Omran To: Canada’s finance ministers Date: July 12, 2019 Re: A Bad Budget Habit Afflicts Most Senior Governments Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments have spent a combined total of $91 billion more than they said they would since 2000. In our new C.D. Howe Institute Commentary we compare the budgets of Canada’s […] Big Spenders: Canada’s Senior Governments Have a Bad Budget Habit
Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments have spent a combined total of $91 billion more than they said they would since 2000, according to a new C.D. Howe Institute report. In “Big Spenders: Canada’s Senior Governments Have a Bad Budget Habit,” authors William B.P. Robson and Farah Omran compare the budgets of Canada’s senior governments […] Robson, Omran – Fiscal Accountability: The Path Forward
To: Canada’s finance ministers From: William B.P. Robson and Farah Omran Date: June 19, 2019 Re: Fiscal Accountability: The Path Forward In our new C.D. Howe Institute Commentary, we rated the fiscal accountability of Canada’s senior governments. To summarize, on the positive side, many governments have made notable improvements in their financial presentations, and in recent years results have […]Robson, Omran – Fiscal Accountability: Why it Matters
To: Canada’s finance ministers From: William B.P. Robson and Farah Omran Date: June 18, 2019 Re: Fiscal Accountability: Why it Matters We all know what it is like to stare at a mystifying financial presentation, wondering if we are dense, or if someone is trying to put something over on us. When the presentation is from our federal government, […]Show and Tell: Rating the Fiscal Accountability of Canada’s Senior Governments, 2019
Canada’s senior governments receive grades ranging from A to F for transparency and reliability in their financial reporting, in the C.D. Howe Institute’s latest fiscal accountability ranking. In “Show and Tell: Rating the Fiscal Accountability of Canada’s Senior Governments, 2019,” authors William B.P. Robson and Farah Omran grade the transparency and reliability of the federal, […] Bank of Canada Act doesn’t need tweaking – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Senator Diane Bellemare has launched an inquiry into revising the Bank of Canada Act to add full employment to the bank’s mandate. Senator Bellemare’s inquiry appears to reflect a view that the bank’s current framework – expressed in periodic agreements with the Parliament of Canada – of pursuing 2-per-cent inflation is deficient, and that requiring the bank to pursue an explicit goal related to jobs would improve it.
An alternative take on the situation is that the current framework is a sensible and highly successful way for the bank to pursue its existing mandate – which is in the Bank of Canada Act and already refers, among other goals, to mitigating fluctuations in employment and promoting the economic and…
Time to Tweak or Re-boot? Assessing the Interest Arbitration Process in Canadian Industrial Relations
Policymakers should ensure the public interest is a priority in arbitrated public-sector labour settlements, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Time to Tweak or Re-boot? Assessing the Interest Arbitration Process in Canadian Industrial Relations,” author Richard P. Chaykowski assesses the current state of the arbitration system and raises several concerns. They […]