Declining Vital Signs: Canada’s Investment Crisis
Business Investment in Canada Not Keeping Pace with Workforce or Competitors Abroad Recent figures on Canada’s stock of capital and new investment prefigure lower incomes for Canadian workers, according to a new report released by the C.D. Howe Institute. Authors William B.P. Robson and Miles Wu examine Canada’s stock of business capital and new investment, […] John Lester – Canada’s Support For R&d Is Unbalanced. A Patent Box Would Help.
To: Canadians concerned about innovation From: John Lester Date: September 16, 2021 Re: Canada’s Support for R&D is Unbalanced. A Patent Box Would Help. Election platforms for both major parties contain pledges to reform Canada’s support system for research and development. That is good news, because there is much to improve. Canada provides too much R&D support to […] William B.P. Robson on BNN – Canada’s Business Investment Is Lagging Other Countries
Bill Robson, CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute, joins BNN Bloomberg to discuss how business investment in Canada is falling behind other OECD countries, and how this could impact wages and productivity growth for our country going forward.
William White on BNN – Central Banks Are Caught in a Debt Trap
William White, Senior Fellow at C.D. Howe Institute and former Bank of Canada Deputy Governor, joined BNN Bloomberg to discuss the role of central banks as inflation rises around the world and the challenges of rebuilding Canada’s economy ahead of a federal election.
Dachis, Kronick – Campaign Housing Platforms Conceal A Central Flaw
To: Canadian housing watchers From: Benjamin Dachis and Jeremy M. Kronick Date: September 15, 2021 Re: Campaign Housing Platforms Conceal a Central Flaw All the major political parties have put out their plans to deal with the housing market crises in Canada’s cities. The focus is on affordability; how to make home ownership easier for Canadians currently priced out […] Charles DeLand on The Agenda – Who has the Best Climate Plan?
Ahead of the federal election, The Agenda looked at the various party platforms on climate change. The C.D. Howe Institute’s Associate Director of Research Charles DeLand spoke to Steve Paikin alongside Mark Jaccard, Professor of Sustainable Energy and Director of the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University; Sarah Petrevan, Policy Director at Clean Energy Canada; and the Globe and Mail’s Adam Radwanski.
S3 E19: Election 2021: The Final Stretch
In the home-stretch of Election 2021, how have the key parties fared? The NDP’s Jagmeet Singh and the PPC’s Maxime Bernier stole some of the thunder from the Liberals and Conservatives. Strategists Jenni Byrne and Scott Reid join the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast to discuss what’s going on in the final days. S3 E18: Hawks vs Doves: Canada’s Fiscal Situation with Don Drummond and Kevin Milligan
Is now the time to pay for COVID-19 and to raise interest rates? Queen’s University Stauffer-Dunning Fellow and Adjunct Professor Don Drummond is worried about saddling the next generation with today’s debt, while University of British Columbia Professor Kevin Milligan believes a harsh cure may do more damage than good. Can Federal Government Policy Solve The Housing Affordability Problem? – Toronto Star Op-ed
All the major political parties have put out their plans to deal with the housing market crises in Canada’s cities. The focus is on affordability. In other words, how to make home ownership easier for Canadians currently priced out of the housing market. But is there much the federal government can do? Unfortunately, the answer is no, with most levers – especially those that will encourage more supply – at lower levels of government.
First, let’s understand the constraint on affordability. The amount Canadians pay for their mortgages out of their disposable income is roughly the same as 30 years ago. However, with house prices skyrocketing, fuelled by low interest rates, the constraint to home ownership is getting the…
Should We Worry About Deficits When Interest Rates Are So Low?
Should Canadians worry about the level of government debt when interest rates are so low? Yes. But the primary danger doesn’t come so much from Canada. Instead, it comes from the fiscal behavior of the US government. There is a serious possibility that the US is on a fiscally unsustainable path. Canadian policymakers must take […]The Parties’ Housing Promises Are Built On Unsound Foundations – Financial Post Op-ed
A basic principle of good governance in Canada is that governments set mandates for crown corporations and regulatory authorities and those arm’s-length institutions then make use of the tools at their disposal to design actual policies. This principle is under threat on the campaign trail as politicians weigh in on one of the issues voters care most about these days, housing affordability.
All parties have put out ideas and plans for taming Canada’s housing markets. They all acknowledge the need to increase supply — which at the end of the day is the only real long-term fix — while trying to free up extra cash for people to make a down payment on a home in their desired neighbourhood. But in the blizzard of proposals there…
Distilled Wisdom: Top Legal and Economic Experts on the Most Needed Competition Reforms
September 9, 2021 – After ten years and over twenty meetings, the C.D. Howe Institute’s Competition Policy Council has summarized the key measures that the next Canadian government should focus on for legislative reform of the Competition Act.
Competition law and policy has recently been elevated to the main stage of the Canadian policy debate. For example, Budget 2021 marked the first major move of the federal government to respond to the added interest in competition law and policy, with an increase in the Competition Bureau’s budget. This attention, including discussion of Competition Act matters at hearings of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology in April 2021, brings opportunity for…