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 […] William B.P. Robson – Toronto’s Farcical Budget Cycle – Around We Go Again
To: Toronto Taxpayers From: William B.P. Robson Date: March 14, 2019 Re: Toronto’s Farcical Budget Cycle – Around We Go Again Last week’s fanfare about Toronto’s council passing the city’s 2019 budget was farcical on several levels. One – perhaps too obvious to attract much comment – was that it happened in March: with two […] William B.P. Robson – Canada’s Cities Are Richer Than We Think
To: Canada’s Finance Ministers From: William B.P. Robson Date: January 14, 2019 Re: Canada’s Cities are Richer than We Think As Canada’s finance ministers know as well as anyone, our federal and provincial governments are in bad fiscal shape. Most have liabilities that vastly exceed their assets – and, whether by necessity or choice, are adding to their net […] Ottawa must prioritize the well-being of off-reserve First Nations citizens – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
The 1996 Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples made prominent reference to a 1613 treaty between the Dutch and Mohawk: “Three beads of wampum separating the two purple rows symbolize peace, friendship and respect. The two rows of purple are two vessels travelling down the same river together. One, a birch bark canoe, is for the Indian people, their laws, their customs, and their ways. The other, a ship, is for the white people and their laws, their customs and their ways. We shall each travel the river together, side by side, but in our own boat.”
The intent of much Canadian Indigenous policy since 1996 has been to “strengthen the canoe.” Overall, this has been a worthy exercise in the pursuit of reconciliation with those…
Wild Numbers: Getting Better Fiscal Accountability in Canada’s Municipalities
Canada’s municipalities are routinely missing the spending targets in their budgets by large amounts, undermining the ability of voters to hold them accountable, according to a new study from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Wild Numbers: Getting Better Fiscal Accountability in Canada’s Municipalities” authors William B.P. Robson and Farah Omran compare the annual spending projections […] Robson, Omran – Fiscal Transparency: How the Federal Government Can Get an A+
Federal budgets are an annual rite of spring in Ottawa, as is the deluge of advice to the Department of Finance. But budget-making is a yearlong process, and the work is now in progress. Accordingly, the C.D. Howe Institute is presenting a series of Intelligence Memos in the next few weeks, outlining recommendations that we […] Show Us the Numbers: Grading the Financial Reports of Canada’s Municipalities
Baffling financial presentations hamper councillors, ratepayers and voters seeking to hold municipal governments to account, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Show Us the Numbers: Grading the Financial Reports of Canada’s Municipalities,” authors William B.P. Robson and Farah Omran criticize nearly all of Canada’s larger municipalities for numbers that are obscure, […]