To: Fiscal observersFrom: Don Drummond and William B.P. RobsonDate: June 2, 2025Re: Don’t Wait for Fall, Give Us a Budget Now Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his government will present a budget this fall. That is better than Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne’s earlier announcement that there would be no budget in 2025. But the fall will be too late. Before […]
The federal government’s decision not to present a budget this spring continues a troubling trend of late or absent federal budgets. Since 1994, the government has presented five budgets after the fiscal year began. Four of those late budgets appeared in the past decade. The government presented no budget at all in 2020. Presenting a budget late or never undermines transparency and […]
Published in The Globe and Mail. The Speech from the Throne delivered by King Charles III on Tuesday will be remembered as an anomaly, and not just because of the speaker. Here’s how it usually goes: A Throne Speech opens a legislative session, laying out the government’s priorities. Then, at the start of that legislative session, the […]
Published in Financial Post. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his government will present a budget this fall. That is better than Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne’s earlier announcement that there would be no budget in 2025. But the fall is too late. Before then Parliamentarians will be asked to approve a revenue-denting personal income tax reduction and substantial emergency spending without knowing the fiscal context. […]
May 27, 2025 – A recent federal directive aiming to expand the scope of the Canada Health Act (CHA) could spark legal tensions and shift costs to Canada’s provinces – all while leaving major drivers of two-tier healthcare untouched, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Reinterpreting the Canada Health Act: The 2025 […]
Reinterpreting the Canada Health Act: The 2025 “Holland Letter” and What it Means for Healthcare in Canada In January 2025, former health minister Mark Holland issued a new interpretation letter introducing the “CHA Services Policy,” which requires provinces to publicly insure medically necessary services delivered by non-physician professionals – particularly nurse practitioners – when those services […]
To: Concerned CanadiansFrom: Brian LewisDate: May 9, 2025Re: Charting Canada’s Post-Election Economic Course The votes are in, and Canada’s 45th federal election has delivered a strong minority government that appears stable enough to govern with confidence – though not unchecked – for the next few years. The timing is critical: With global uncertainty rising and structural […]
Published in the Financial Post. Canadians often complain that many of our brightest stars move south. The list of distinguished expats is long and impressive: artists, academics, entrepreneurs, managers, athletes and more. The phrase “brain drain” is familiar to all of us. Thanks to President Donald Trump, Canada has an unprecedented opportunity to reverse the […]
To: The new Government of CanadaFrom: Charles DeLand and Colin BusbyDate: May 1, 2025Re: Making National Unity Priority # 1: A Plan to Engage the West Mark Carney’s election victory gives him a sizeable minority government that now gets to deliver on a platform to spark economic growth, sew national unity, and deal with Donald Trump. […]
To: Economy watchersFrom: John LesterDate: April 30, 2025Re: Canada’s Next Government Must Find Additional Fixes for the Productivity Problem About a year ago, Carolyn Rogers, senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada, declared Canada’s productivity problem a national emergency. Judging from their election platforms, Canada’s major political parties did not get the message. Job one is clearly […]
A fast-paced look at overnight developments and breaking business news affecting today’s financial markets. Join BNN Bloomberg and William B.P. Robson on analysis of the federal election.
From: Don Drummond and William B.P. Robson To: Canadian economy observersDate: April 28, 2025Re: Voters Deserved Better from Three Major Election Platforms There were three economic issues we suggested last week that Canadians should ask going into today’s election: Addressing the country’s decades-long economic decline, increasing our resilience in the face of US trade aggression, and making […]
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To: Fiscal observersFrom: Don Drummond and William B.P. RobsonDate: June 2, 2025Re: Don’t Wait for Fall, Give Us a Budget Now Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his government will present a budget this fall. That is better than Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne’s earlier announcement that there would be no budget in 2025. But the fall will be too late. Before […] 
The federal government’s decision not to present a budget this spring continues a troubling trend of late or absent federal budgets. Since 1994, the government has presented five budgets after the fiscal year began. Four of those late budgets appeared in the past decade. The government presented no budget at all in 2020. Presenting a budget late or never undermines transparency and […] 
Published in The Globe and Mail. The Speech from the Throne delivered by King Charles III on Tuesday will be remembered as an anomaly, and not just because of the speaker. Here’s how it usually goes: A Throne Speech opens a legislative session, laying out the government’s priorities. Then, at the start of that legislative session, the […] 
Published in Financial Post. Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his government will present a budget this fall. That is better than Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne’s earlier announcement that there would be no budget in 2025. But the fall is too late. Before then Parliamentarians will be asked to approve a revenue-denting personal income tax reduction and substantial emergency spending without knowing the fiscal context. […] 
Reinterpreting the Canada Health Act: The 2025 “Holland Letter” and What it Means for Healthcare in Canada In January 2025, former health minister Mark Holland issued a new interpretation letter introducing the “CHA Services Policy,” which requires provinces to publicly insure medically necessary services delivered by non-physician professionals – particularly nurse practitioners – when those services […] 
To: Concerned CanadiansFrom: Brian LewisDate: May 9, 2025Re: Charting Canada’s Post-Election Economic Course The votes are in, and Canada’s 45th federal election has delivered a strong minority government that appears stable enough to govern with confidence – though not unchecked – for the next few years. The timing is critical: With global uncertainty rising and structural […] 
To: The new Government of CanadaFrom: Charles DeLand and Colin BusbyDate: May 1, 2025Re: Making National Unity Priority # 1: A Plan to Engage the West Mark Carney’s election victory gives him a sizeable minority government that now gets to deliver on a platform to spark economic growth, sew national unity, and deal with Donald Trump. […] 
To: Economy watchersFrom: John LesterDate: April 30, 2025Re: Canada’s Next Government Must Find Additional Fixes for the Productivity Problem About a year ago, Carolyn Rogers, senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada, declared Canada’s productivity problem a national emergency. Judging from their election platforms, Canada’s major political parties did not get the message. Job one is clearly […] 
A fast-paced look at overnight developments and breaking business news affecting today’s financial markets. Join BNN Bloomberg and William B.P. Robson on analysis of the federal election. 
From: Don Drummond and William B.P. Robson To: Canadian economy observersDate: April 28, 2025Re: Voters Deserved Better from Three Major Election Platforms There were three economic issues we suggested last week that Canadians should ask going into today’s election: Addressing the country’s decades-long economic decline, increasing our resilience in the face of US trade aggression, and making […]