The Need for Speed: The Benefits of Faster Payments and How to Achieve Them
In this study, we estimate the efficiency gains associated with the introduction of the Real-Time Rail (RTR), Fast Payment System (FPS) in Canada. In a benchmark scenario, we estimate that these gains will amount to $3.24 billion over the first five years after introduction of the system. These gains will arise mainly from: 1) the […] Kearney, Johnson – Unpacking some of the Limitations of the Competition Bureau’s Report on Competitive Intensity in Canada
From: Elisa Kearney and Paul Johnson To: Canadian competition law observers Date: December 14, 2023 Re: Unpacking some of the Limitations of the Competition Bureau’s Report on Competitive Intensity in Canada The Competition Bureau’s new report on competition may have drawn flattering headlines, but what makes a good newspaper headline does not make sound policy. We urge caution before drawing […] Grant Sprague – Frameworks and Emission Caps: Another No-Consultation Ottawa Initiative
To: Canadians Concerned about Climate Change From: Grant Sprague Date: December 14, 2023 Re: Frameworks and Emission Caps: Another No-Consultation Ottawa Initiative Our federal environment minister went to Dubai for COP and all we got was a framework on an oil and gas emissions cap. No matter how the details of this “cap” and framework end up, there are […] Consumers Would Reap Rewards from a Fast Payment System in Canada
Canada is lagging behind peer countries in implementing fast payments for transactions that involve consumers, merchants and financial service providers, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. According to the study, the introduction of the Real-Time Rail (RTR) Fast…Canada must stem the surge in temporary foreign workers and international students – Globe and Mail
Recent years have seen an unprecedented increase in Canada’s non-permanent resident population, far surpassing increases in annual admissions of new permanent residents. The unbalanced growth in Canada’s temporary and permanent migration inflows will inevitably result in a growing undocumented population and forced deportations. Both developments risk inflaming Canada’s immigration politics and undermining public confidence in the immigration system.
It is imperative that the government take immediate steps to stem the continuing growth in foreign student and temporary foreign worker entries.
Several factors have contributed to the non-permanent resident (NPR) population surge, including ad-hoc programs aimed at expanding…
Verbatim: Health and Ageing
This Verbatim is based on a presentation to the federal government on November 17, 2023.Don Drummond is Stauffer-Dunning Fellow at Queen’s University as well as Fellow-in-Residence and Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute.Canada long ago missed the chance to properly prepare for the inexorable ageing of its population and its broader implications for healthcare, […] Kronick, Ambler – Inflation is Easing: Let Us Count the Ways
From: Jeremy M. Kronick and Steve Ambler To: Canadian Inflation Watchers Date: December 13, 2023 Re: Inflation is Easing: Let Us Count the Ways The Bank of Canada surprised no one by holding its target for the overnight lending rate at 5 percent last week. Early-December Statistics Canada releases showing a decline in third-quarter GDP and an uptick in the unemployment rate sealed […]Canada is Behind the Ageing Curve
Canada is behind the ageing curve and needs a strategic approach to better meet the needs of its rapidly surging senior population and address the broader implications for our healthcare system, society and economy. In Verbatim “Health and Ageing,” which is based on a…Jon Johnson – CUSMA and Dairy – Round Two
From: Jon Johnson To: Canadian Trade Watchers Date: December 11, 2023 Re: CUSMA and Dairy – Round Two Shortly after CUSMA came into effect in 2020, the US challenged Canadian practices in administering the tariff rate quotas (TRQs) for the 14 dairy products that comprise Canada’s dairy supply management system. Under a TRQ, a limited […]Drummond, Robson – Grading the Fall Federal Economic Statement
From: Don Drummond and William B.P. Robson To: Canadian fiscal observers Date: December 8, 2023 Re: Grading the Fall Federal Economic Statement Before the release of the federal 2023 Fall Economic Statement, we laid out a framework for grading it. We hoped for transparency about the government’s finances, frankness about the economic and fiscal challenges, and a halt to populist tax measures. […] Let it Fail? Reflections on the SVB Collapse and the US and Canadian Approaches to Bank Crises
Despite having highly similar economies, in banking the experience of the crisis-prone United States contrasts starkly with Canada’s stability. For each major US crisis, different reasons have been put forward to explain Canada’s comparative stability in the face of broadly similar shocks, an issue that arose again in the context of the failure of […]