Shortcomings in Seniors’ Care: How Canada Compares to its Peers and the Paths to Improvement
Among 11 countries surveyed by the Commonwealth Fund, Canada’s seniors’ care ranks eighth, ahead only of France, the UK and Sweden. At the provincial level, some provinces compare more favourably to international jurisdictions while others, particularly Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec, sit at the bottom of the ranking. PEI, Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba, rank […] Barry Gros – A Revised Scorecard for Ontario’s Proposed Framework for Target Benefits
To: Ontario’s Pension Policy Branch From: Barry Gros Date: September 20, 2023 Re: A Revised Scorecard for Ontario’s Proposed Framework for Target Benefits On September 1, the Ontario Ministry of Finance posted a Follow-Up Consultation Document on the regulation of target benefit pension plans, with a request for feedback by October 17. Among the three […] Kronick, Robson – Easy Populist Targets Lead to Bad Policy
From: Jeremy M. Kronick and William B.P. Robson To: Finance Ministers and Critics Date: September 19, 2023 Re: Easy Populist Targets Lead to Bad Policy In public policy, as in life generally, we often recognize mistakes by others more easily than we recognize mistakes we make ourselves. Italy just goofed big-time with a windfall tax on its banks, and […] Chris Bonnett – Two Options to Get Better Pharmacare Faster
From: Chris Bonnett To: Pharmacare Watchers Date: September 17, 2023 Re: Two Options to Get Better Pharmacare Faster Nothing is more dangerous than an idea. Émile Chartier is credited with those words or similar, finishing with “…when it’s the only one we have.” Canada has tried for nearly 80 years to implement “national pharmacare” – defined here as a […] Mikal Skuterud – Who’s Working in Canada? Why We Don’t Really Know
From: Mikal Skuterud To: Labour Market Observers Date: September 15, 2023 Re: Who’s Working in Canada? Why We Don’t Really Know In 2022, Canada’s population grew by more than 1 million people for the first time in its history. Although Ottawa’s ambitious targets for new permanent residents receive much attention, the reality is that 58 percent of 2022’s record-breaking […] Charles DeLand – Time to Come Clean on Going Green
To: Canada’s political class From: Charles DeLand Date: September 14, 2023 Re: Time to Come Clean on Going Green Ottawa’s policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will cost Canadians both directly and indirectly. In 2021, the Royal Bank estimated that reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 could cost as much as $2 trillion – almost three-quarters of last year’s GDP. We will also need […] The 1 Million Difference
The number of temporary residents (TR) working in Canada is growing; however, policymakers are in the dark due to a large difference in data estimates. Information from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey (LFS) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) does not match up on the labour supply contribution of Canada’s TR population – workers, […] How we can actually achieve national pharmacare – Hill Times Op-Ed
Nothing is more dangerous than an idea.
Émile Chartier is credited with those words or similar, finishing with “…when it’s the only one we have.”
Canada has tried for nearly 80 years to implement “national pharmacare”—defined here as a fully public national drug insurance plan—without success. We should ask why.
One reason is an unrelenting insistence that only a fully public plan will work. Fifty years ago that may have been true. When Ottawa didn’t act, we found an alternative: provinces and employers stepped in.
Between us and a good-quality universal drug insurance plan lie four problems, all of which matter right now. The Liberal-NDP supply-and-confidence agreement promises…
Ambler and Kronick – In Praise of the Pause
From: Steve Ambler and Jeremy M. Kronick To: Monetary Policy Observers Date: September 12, 2023 Re: In Praise of the Pause The Bank of Canada held its policy rate at 5 percent last week – a smart move. Although the Bank’s governing council may have made its decision ahead of the weak GDP the week before, those numbers underlined the reasons to hold. […]Glen Hodgson – Fires and Floods: It’s Time for Some Insurance Plans
From: Glen Hodgson To: Canadian Climate Watchers Date: September 11, 2023 Re: Fires and Floods: It’s Time for Some Insurance Plans Fires, floods and severe storms have hit across the country, with climate change the probable cause. These severe events have destroyed housing, commercial property and infrastructure with a lengthy recovery period ahead. Insured and uninsured losses will […] Broken Spending Estimates with Bill Robson and Neil Moss
You wouldn’t let your contractor go over budget without asking why. So why should we give Ottawa a pass? Neil Moss of The Hill Times joins C.D. Howe Institute CEO Bill Robson and host Michael Hainsworth to discuss why MPs weren’t keeping an eye on spending during the pandemic – or today.
Italy’s bank tax fiasco: Canada must learn lessons on the evils of populist tax policy – Globe and Mail
In public policy, as in life generally, we often recognize mistakes by others more easily than we recognize mistakes we make ourselves. Italy just goofed big-time with a windfall tax on its banks, and Canadians should take notice.
Last month, the coalition government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced a surtax of 40 per cent on the profits of the country’s banks. The announcement triggered a crash in bank stocks – a loss of €10-billion in a single day – and a storm of criticism from investors, economists and elected representatives, including members of the coalition.
Ms. Meloni’s government has since backtracked, capping the amount at 1 per cent of bank assets, and exempting smaller banks. But the…