Lisa Raitt – Canada’s Housing Crisis is a Test for Policymakers
From: Lisa RaittTo: Housing watchersDate: December 4, 2024Re: Canada’s Housing Crisis is a Test for Policymakers Canada’s housing crisis isn’t just about soaring prices and shrinking supply – it’s a test of our country’s ability to adapt and innovate. Families are paying more than 40 percent of their budgets on shelter-related costs like rent, transportation, […]Lawrence Herman – Shooting Ourselves in the Trade Foot
From: Lawrence Herman To: Trade observers Date: December 2, 2024 Re: Shooting Ourselves in the Trade Foot Just when the Americans have elected an aggressive president and just before the Canada-US-Mexico Agreement is due for re-negotiation, the Liberal government, with all-party agreement, supports an egregiously protectionist piece of legislation that will only make Canada’s political problems with the Trump […]William Robson on BNN Bloomberg – GST Holiday Would be a ‘Short-Term High’ for Canadians
William B.P. Robson, President and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute, warns Ottawa’s proposed GST break may bring temporary relief to Canadians but could be harmful long-term.
Ed Waitzer and Keith Ambachtsheer – Alberta Pensioners Deserve Better Answers About AIMCo Purge
From: Ed Waitzer and Keith AmbachtsheerTo: Canadian pension observersDate: November 25, 2024Re: Alberta Pensioners Deserve Better Answers About AIMCo Purge The wholesale dismissal this month of AIMCo’s highly respected board and senior management team is difficult to understand. The Alberta government has a lot of explaining to do, even after last week’s reappointment of three directors and the installation of […]William Robson and Don Drummond – GST holiday feeds Canada’s addiction to populist junk fiscal policy
Published in The Globe and Mail.
Canadian governments are loudly zealous about protecting us from potentially addictive stuff that could hurt our physical and mental health – think of junk food, booze and other drugs, or misinformation and other online “harms.” Yet they themselves are pushing fiscal junk. The federal government’s latest – a goods and services tax holiday from mid-December to mid-February, 2025, and a $250 handout to everyone with earned income under $150,000 – is yet another feel-good move that undermines our fiscal and economic health.
As with the Ontario government’s recent pledge of a $200 handout for its taxpayers, one big question is: Will the bribe buy the government a bounce in the polls? If…
Fiscal Accountability by the Letters: The Report Card for Canada’s Senior Governments, 2024
Canadians and their elected representatives know too little about how Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments tax and spend. The explosion of spending and debt since the COVID-19 pandemic has made transparency in government budgets and financial statements, and the information they should reveal about governments’ capacity to deliver public services, more important than […] Eichenbaum, Alexopoulos and Kronick – Let’s Reclaim the Billions We’re Paying for Canada’s Internal Trade Barriers
Studies suggest that removing interprovincial trade barriers alone could boost Canada’s GDP by up to 7%, adding over $160 billion to the economy. To achieve meaningful reform, experts suggest independent tribunals, stronger cost-benefit analysis, and federal-provincial deals to reduce barriers in exchange for tax incentives. Charles Eagan – A Path to Trusted AI
From: Charles EaganTo: AI observersDate: November 11, 2024 Re: A Path to Trusted AI Artificial Intelligence (AI) has infiltrated our lives for decades, but since the public launch of ChatGPT showcasing generative AI in 2022, society has faced unprecedented technological evolution. With digital technology already a constant part of our lives, AI has the potential to […] Stockwell Day – Only if Imprudence Prevails Will a Trump Presidency be Disastrous for Canada
From: Stockwell Day To: US Election observersDate: November 4, 2024 Re: Only if Imprudence Prevails Will a Trump Presidency be Disastrous for Canada The ability of Canada’s political leaders to treat our relationship with the US, and with the US president, with the highest priority and care, has always been of paramount importance. With today’s US election […]Eichenbaum, Alexopoulos, and Kronick – Here’s how Ottawa’s productivity working group could have made a difference
Published in The Hill Times.
It’s a good start: on Aug. 27, the federal government announced that “the Honourable Anita Anand, President of Treasury Board, will immediately set up a working group to examine productivity and inform the government’s economic plan. The working group will address barriers to achieving greater efficiencies for businesses so we can help increase productivity across the country.” Anand highlighted restrictions on internal trade and overly burdensome regulations as critical, closely linked areas that policymakers must address.
The minister is right. However, for this working group to provide real value for Canadians, we need it to produce actionable ideas that can be swiftly implemented—and not just…
Brian Lewis – What to Watch for in the Ford Government’s Fall Economic Statement
Published in TVO Today.
Ontario’s upcoming fall economic statement presents the Ford government with an opportunity for strategic policy announcements ahead of a possible 2025 election. Traditionally an update on the province’s fiscal outlook, this year’s FES is likely to be shaped more than usual by political considerations — for example, the government plans to issue a $200 cheque to every Ontarian.
The Ford administration faces a delicate balancing act: introducing new initiatives while keeping an eye on provincial finances amid economic uncertainties. At a minimum, the FES offers insight into the government’s fiscal outlook and reports on key policy priorities. It should also tell us whether the province is focused on…
Colin Busby – Ultimatum Day Arrives: What to do about Bill C-319 and OAS?
From: Colin BusbyTo: Pension observersDate: October 29, 2024Re: Ultimatum Day Arrives: What to do about Bill C-319 and OAS? In late September, the Bloc Québecois, which holds 33 seats in the House of Commons – enough to give the Liberal minority government (153 seats) the votes it needs to pass votes of confidence – gave […]