Federal Spending Keeps Soaring with Each Fall Statement
Successive fiscal updates from the federal Minister of Finance since 2019 show projected federal spending growing by leaps and bounds, even after COVID-related measures drop out of the projections. The government’s last pre-COVID projections, in its 2019 fall economic statement, showed federal spending of $421 billion in the 2024/25 fiscal year, the last year in […] S4 E18: Uneven Odds: Men, Women, and the Obstacles to Getting Back to Work with Kids
Women find it substantially harder to get back into the workforce than men. But why? According to economics professors Ana Ferrer and Tammy Schirle, when the Employment Insurance system was built in 1940, it didn’t have working women in mind. But there are four key solutions to the problem.
Hodgson, St–Arnaud – The Oilpatch is Gushing Money. Where’s the Boom?
From: Glen Hodgson and Charles St-Arnaud To: Alberta economy watchers Date: December 19, 2022 Re: The Oilpatch is Gushing Money. Where’s the Boom? Alberta has earned a reputation over many decades for being a boom-bust economy. Strong oil demand and high prices create boom times for jobs, incomes, investment and government revenues, while slowdowns and recessions too often follow […] Bringing Home Less Than Half: METRs for Low-Income Families With Children
The tax system’s full impact on a family’s financial gain from work depends on the combined effect of both taxes paid and cash benefit reductions or benefit “clawbacks.” Benefit clawbacks act as hidden tax rates since they reduce the effective gain from working as a way to generate additional income. Income-tested benefits are clawed back […] Brian Livingston – Counting Carbon IV: A Reality Check on Our Emission Reduction Plan
To: The Hon. Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change From: Brian Livingston Date: December 16, 2022 Re: Counting Carbon IV: A Reality Check on Our Emission Reduction Plan The federal government’s ambitious Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) set out targets for seven economic sectors as it aims to cut 2030 emissions by 42 percent from 2019 levels. […] COVID Vaccine Campaigns Saved $Billions in Damages
Vaccination campaigns against COVID-19 saved Canada billions in averted health and economic costs, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. …Brian Livingston – Counting Carbon III: A Reality Check on Our Emission Reduction Plan
To: The Hon. Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change From: Brian Livingston Date: December 15, 2022 Re: Counting Carbon III: A Reality Check on Our Emission Reduction Plan This Intelligence Memo (IM) is the third in a series (see earlier IMs on transport and, oil and gas) dealing with the seven sectors of the Canadian economy […] Damage Averted: Estimating the Effects of Covid-19 Vaccines on Hospitalizations, Mortality and Costs in Canada
COVID-19 vaccines, along with the emergence of less deadly variants of the disease, provided a route out of rotating lockdowns and ongoing uncertainty. Canada rapidly achieved some of the highest vaccination rates in the world following significant efforts to quickly develop, evaluate, procure, distribute and administer COVID-19 vaccines. As of Oct. 9, 2022, 80.3 percent […] What’s for Christmas Dinner? Inflation
Inflation is everywhere. Christmas dinner is no exception. Prices rose across the board between October 2020 and 2021 and most festive dinner staples accelerated further one year later to October 2022. Side plates cost more. Bread and butter rose in cost by 17 and 20 percent year-over-year to October 2022. Fresh vegetables and potatoes saw […] Brian Livingston – Counting Carbon II: A Reality Check on Our Emission Reduction Plan
To: The Hon. Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change From: Brian Livingston Date: December 14, 2022 Re: Counting Carbon II: A Reality Check on Our Emission Reduction Plan The federal government’s ambitious Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) sets out targets for seven economic sectors as it aims to cut 2030 emissions by 42 percent from 2019 levels. […] S4 E17: Labour Shortages in the Healthcare Sector
The patient wasn’t in stable condition even before the pandemic hit. The prognosis for Canada’s healthcare system isn’t good – but there’s a cure. C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-in-Residence and Queen’s University Adjunct Professor Don Drummond joins registered nurse Jillian Gratton and host Michael Hainsworth to discuss.
Brian Livingston – Counting Carbon: A Reality Check on Our Emission Reduction Plan
To: The Hon. Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change From: Brian Livingston Date: December 13, 2022 Re: Counting Carbon: A Reality Check on Our Emission Reduction Plan The federal government’s ambitious Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) last March set out targets for seven sectors that make up the total Canadian greenhouse gas emissions. It aims to cut […]