From: Glen Hodgson and Colin Busby To: Canadian economy observers Date: May 19, 2026 Re: Canada’s Tariff Problem Made in Canada Canada is furious about Donald Trump’s tariffs – and rightly so. But while Ottawa and the premiers have spent months railing against American protectionism, they have had a hard time addressing a more embarrassing truth: Canadian governments have been imposing figurative “tariffs” on ourselves for decades. They’re called internal trade barriers and fixing them is entirely within our control if we choose to act. The […]
To: ‘Nation Building’ observers From: Kate Koplovich, Alexandre Laurin and Colin Busby Date: May 14, 2026 Re: The New Sovereign Wealth Fund: So Much Money, So Many Questions Ottawa is pitching Canada’s “first” national sovereign wealth fund as a way to give every Canadian “a stake and the opportunity to benefit” from nation-building projects. The plan? Borrow $25 billion to capitalize the fund, which aims to […]
Published in The Hill Times. Having finally reached the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s old two per cent target of GDP defence spending in early 2026, Canada now faces a far steeper, and more critical climb: raising that share to five per cent by 2035. Meeting this new goalpost—and boosting military capabilities in an increasingly insecure […]
From: David Jones and Tasnim FarihaTo: Major project watchersDate: April 9, 2026 Re: A Better Way to Assess Major Projects Canada stands at a defining moment for its economic future. For years, weak productivity growth and chronic delays in building major infrastructure have held back the country’s economic performance. Projects have stalled in regulatory limbo, hindering […]
Published in The Hill Times. Canada stands at a defining moment for its economic future. For years, weak productivity growth and chronic delays in building major infrastructure have eroded the country’s economic performance. Projects have stalled in regulatory limbo, drying up investment in the face of uncertainty, and as a result, Canada’s competitiveness has slipped. And […]
by Colin Busby and Nicholas Dahir Canada’s NATO commitment to raise defence spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035 will prompt a reshaping of federal finances. Defence spending will approach $150 billion by 2034/35, roughly triple current levels, and rival the annual amount of major transfers to provinces. Under the status quo, higher defence […]
April 2, 2026 – Having reached the 2 percent of GDP defence spending benchmark, Canada must present a credible financial plan to augment its military capabilities and meet its new 5 percent defence spending target, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “A Steep Climb: Financing Canada’s NATO Commitment while Maintaining […]
From: Benjamin DachisTo: Ontario Municipal Owners of Electricity Distribution CompaniesDate: March 10, 2026Re: The Time is Coming for Solutions to Ontario’s Electricity Distribution Needs Ontario’s ambitions to build housing and electrify cars, home heating, and other things, is about to hit a bottleneck: municipally owned electricity distribution companies putting the bill for massive grid upgrades […]
From: Christopher WorswickTo: Concerned CanadiansDate: March 3, 2026Re: Hold the Outrage and Just Buy the F-35s Canadian anger toward Donald Trump is understandable, but there is a real risk that this leads to poor policy choices. A case in point is the growing pressure to revisit the decision to buy a fleet of American F-35 fighter […]
Published in The Globe and Mail. Canadian anger toward U.S. President Donald Trump is understandable, but there is a real risk that this leads to poor policy choices. A case in point is the growing pressure to revisit the decision to buy a fleet of American F-35 fighter jets. In economics, we think that governments should set policy […]
From: A.J. Goulding To: Major project observers Date: February 24, 2026 Re: Why Boring is Best for Nation-Building Canada is in the throes of major project mania. A renewed focus on major projects is welcome, provided they help build a stronger, more productive economy. And while the projects identified to date may all be worthy, they do […]
How will Canada’s new Defence Investment Agency strengthen our sovereignty? Canada’s top soldier, General Jennie Carignan, on the Arctic, a 400,000-strong civil defence force, and whether purchasing F-35 fighter jets from a key ally remains in Canada’s best interests.
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From: Glen Hodgson and Colin Busby To: Canadian economy observers Date: May 19, 2026 Re: Canada’s Tariff Problem Made in Canada Canada is furious about Donald Trump’s tariffs – and rightly so. But while Ottawa and the premiers have spent months railing against American protectionism, they have had a hard time addressing a more embarrassing truth: Canadian governments have been imposing figurative “tariffs” on ourselves for decades. They’re called internal trade barriers and fixing them is entirely within our control if we choose to act. The […] 
To: ‘Nation Building’ observers From: Kate Koplovich, Alexandre Laurin and Colin Busby Date: May 14, 2026 Re: The New Sovereign Wealth Fund: So Much Money, So Many Questions Ottawa is pitching Canada’s “first” national sovereign wealth fund as a way to give every Canadian “a stake and the opportunity to benefit” from nation-building projects. The plan? Borrow $25 billion to capitalize the fund, which aims to […] 
Published in The Hill Times. Having finally reached the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s old two per cent target of GDP defence spending in early 2026, Canada now faces a far steeper, and more critical climb: raising that share to five per cent by 2035. Meeting this new goalpost—and boosting military capabilities in an increasingly insecure […] 
From: David Jones and Tasnim FarihaTo: Major project watchersDate: April 9, 2026 Re: A Better Way to Assess Major Projects Canada stands at a defining moment for its economic future. For years, weak productivity growth and chronic delays in building major infrastructure have held back the country’s economic performance. Projects have stalled in regulatory limbo, hindering […] 
Published in The Hill Times. Canada stands at a defining moment for its economic future. For years, weak productivity growth and chronic delays in building major infrastructure have eroded the country’s economic performance. Projects have stalled in regulatory limbo, drying up investment in the face of uncertainty, and as a result, Canada’s competitiveness has slipped. And […] 
by Colin Busby and Nicholas Dahir Canada’s NATO commitment to raise defence spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035 will prompt a reshaping of federal finances. Defence spending will approach $150 billion by 2034/35, roughly triple current levels, and rival the annual amount of major transfers to provinces. Under the status quo, higher defence […] 
From: Benjamin DachisTo: Ontario Municipal Owners of Electricity Distribution CompaniesDate: March 10, 2026Re: The Time is Coming for Solutions to Ontario’s Electricity Distribution Needs Ontario’s ambitions to build housing and electrify cars, home heating, and other things, is about to hit a bottleneck: municipally owned electricity distribution companies putting the bill for massive grid upgrades […] 
From: Christopher WorswickTo: Concerned CanadiansDate: March 3, 2026Re: Hold the Outrage and Just Buy the F-35s Canadian anger toward Donald Trump is understandable, but there is a real risk that this leads to poor policy choices. A case in point is the growing pressure to revisit the decision to buy a fleet of American F-35 fighter […] 
From: A.J. Goulding To: Major project observers Date: February 24, 2026 Re: Why Boring is Best for Nation-Building Canada is in the throes of major project mania. A renewed focus on major projects is welcome, provided they help build a stronger, more productive economy. And while the projects identified to date may all be worthy, they do […] 
How will Canada’s new Defence Investment Agency strengthen our sovereignty? Canada’s top soldier, General Jennie Carignan, on the Arctic, a 400,000-strong civil defence force, and whether purchasing F-35 fighter jets from a key ally remains in Canada’s best interests.