Fiscal COVID: The Pandemic’s Impact on Government Finances and Accountability in Canada
Fiscal Covid The Pandemic’s Impact On Government Finances and Accountability in Canada Beyond its damage to Canadians’ health and their economy, COVID-19 strained public finances, and both highlighted and exacerbated gaps in governments’ accountability to legislators and voters. Spending by all senior governments jumped in the 2020/21 fiscal year – up 7 percent on average across […] Åke Blomqvist – Nightmarish Commercial Simply Wrong: Healthcare Outsourcing is not Privatization
From: Åke Blomqvist To: Canadians concerned about healthcare Date: July 10, 2023 Subject: Nightmarish Commercial Simply Wrong: Healthcare Outsourcing is not Privatization Following passage of the Ontario government’s Bill 60, the Ministry of Health has the option to contract out to independent clinics the provision of certain kinds of healthcare services normally provided in hospitals. Opponents have cast the bill as favouring “privatization” […] I’m not convinced the earlier rate hikes have worked their way through: Economist Jeremy Kronick
Jeremy Kronick, director of monetary and financial services research at the C.D. Howe Institute, joins BNN Bloomberg to preview the Bank of Canada’s next rate decision due on Wednesday, and explains why he believes there is no need for further interest rate hikes at this time. Drummond, Sinclair, Walker, Jones – An Unparalleled and Urgent Task Faces Premiers Next Week
From: Don Drummond, Duncan Sinclair, David Walker and David Jones To: Canada’s Premiers Date: July 7, 2023 Re: An Unparalleled and Urgent Task Faces Premiers Next Week When you journey to Manitoba this weekend for a crucial Council of the Federation meeting, the route to healthcare reform should be top of mind. Rarely has a summer road trip been […] Drummond, Sinclair, Walker, Jones – The Healthcare Crisis is Upon Us
From: Don Drummond, Duncan Sinclair, David Walker and David Jones To: Canada’s Healthcare Observers Date: July 6, 2023 Re: The Healthcare Crisis is Upon Us This past May, six Kingston family physicians retired from their practice, leaving no successors to refill prescriptions, check out a child’s persistent cough, the pain in dad’s knee, mom’s upset stomach, grandpa’s aches and […] C.D. Howe Institute Monetary Policy Council Says Bank of Canada Should Raise Overnight Rates to 5.00 Percent until Early 2024, Cut to 4.25 Percent by July of 2024
July 6, 2023 – The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) recommends that the Bank of Canada raise its target for the overnight rate, its benchmark policy interest rate, to 5.00 percent on July 12th. The MPC further recommends that the Bank keep the target at 5.00 percent at least until January of 2024, then reduce it to 4.25 percent by July of 2024.
The MPC provides an independent assessment of the monetary stance consistent with the Bank of Canada’s 2 percent inflation target. William Robson, the Institute’s CEO, chairs the Council.
Council members make recommendations for the Bank of Canada’s upcoming interest-rate announcement, the subsequent announcement, and the announcements six months…
Where Women Are Working
Greater labour force participation and better employment outcomes among women can help address some of the challenges posed by an aging population and have a positive impact on economic growth, productivity, gender equality and poverty reduction. Canada could add $150 billion to its annual GDP by boosting women’s overall workforce participation ($63.3 billion), encouraging their […] Mahboubi, Zhang – Exploring the Female Employment Gap
To: Canadians concerned about labour shortages From: Parisa Mahboubi and Tingting Zhang Date: July 5, 2023 Re: Exploring the Female Employment Gap The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the working lives of Canadians, with women affected differently than men. Our recent C.D. Howe Institute E-Brief examines how women fared before the pandemic, how the pandemic […] Nightmarish TV commercial simply wrong: outsourcing of health care isn’t privatization – Financial Post
Following passage of the Ford government’s Bill 60, Ontario’s ministry of health now has the option to contract out to independent clinics the provision of certain kinds of health-care services normally provided in hospitals. Its opponents have cast the bill as favouring “privatization” and as a threat to the Canadian model of public health care. An emotionally charged television commercial commissioned by the Ontario Public Service Employees’ Union (OPSEU) conjures up a dystopian future where stone-faced capitalists in dark suits push a gurney with a teary-eyed post-surgery patient through dim hospital corridors and present her with a touch screen that she must push to pay for pain relief. In case anyone…
We need to make municipal governments accountable for housing policy: C.D. Howe’s Dachis
Benjamin Dachis, associate vice-president of public affairs at the C.D. Howe Institute, joins BNN Bloomberg to talk about challenges for Canada’s housing market and few ways governments can help reduce prices. If they’re really going to transform health care, premiers must present a united front – Globe and Mail
When Canada’s premiers journey to Manitoba for a crucial Council of the Federation meeting from July 10 to 12, the route to health care reform should be top of mind. Rarely has a summer road trip been so vital to the present and future of Canada’s once cherished health care system. The premiers need to come out of the meeting prepared to follow a roadmap back home on real health reform.
From coast to coast to coast, Canadians are increasingly worried that health services will not be there for them. Memories of the record number of deaths from COVID-19 in long-term care homes still linger. There are millions of Canadians without family physicians and other providers of primary care, while long wait times and even closings of…
Health care in Canada is in crisis – The Hill Times
This past May, six family physicians in a Kingston, Ont., practice retired, leaving no successors to refill a prescription, check out a child’s persistent cough, the pain in dad’s knee, mom’s upset stomach, grandpa’s aches and pains, granny’s forgetfulness—every family’s worrying signs of potentially failing health. Ask any of the approximately 8,000 now-orphan patients about this being a crisis.
Combine that with hours of waiting in an emergency room—even longer to be admitted—and longer still to be discharged from hospital in the absence of an alternative, either a nursing-home bed or what people really want: home care and support in the community. These and other problems have been around a while. What’s new is that they are…