Taxes on Nicotine Products Should Reflect Degree of Harm or Risk
Harm reduction should be a major consideration in deciding tax rates on the profusion of new nicotine products, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “The Taxation of Nicotine in Canada: A Harm-Reduction Approach to the Profusion of New Products,” author Ian…The Bank of Canada’s $3-billion-a-week bond habit – Financial Post Op-Ed
Last week, the Bank of Canada announced it was lowering its purchases of federal government debt from at least $4 billion a week to $3 billion a week. The Bank presented this change as a response to positive economic news that, it noted, could also lead to an increase in its target for the overnight rate of interest in the second half of 2022, earlier than it had previously discussed. But with the Bank projecting economic growth of 6.5 per cent for 2021 and inflation above target at the end of the projection period, the question has to be asked: why is the Bank still buying any of the government’s debt?
When it started buying bonds as part of its quantitative easing (QE) program last year, the Bank was concerned about…
Lawrence Herman – Effecting Change Without Government Rule-making
From: Lawrence Herman To: Canadian Trade Watchers Date: April 27, 2021 Re: Effecting Change Without Government Rule-Making Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, there was talk in Western countries about supply-chain vulnerability and the need for reshoring, as it’s called. The issue arose not only in Canada, but in the United States – especially when Donald Trump was president – and in […] Rosalie Wyonch on The Agenda – The Economics of Paid Sick Days
In Ontario, calls for paid sick days have come from all corners for months now – from public health, the province’s science table, opposition parties, social media, and labour. Rosalie Wyonch, senior policy analyst at the C.D. Howe Institute, chats with The Agenda’s Steve Paikin about why this seems so difficult to implement.
David Vaillancourt – A Private Right Of Action For Abuse Of Dominance
From: David Vaillancourt To: House of Commons Industry Committee Date: April 26, 2021 Re: A Private Right of Action for Abuse of Dominance The abuse of dominance provisions of the Competition Act have historically been under-enforced. Harmful conduct by monopolists has gone unchecked for too long. The Canadian abuse of dominance regime is not working […] We can pay now or pay later but don’t think we won’t pay – Financial Post Op-Ed
In the C.D. Howe Institute’s shadow federal budget, released 12 days before Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland delivered the real thing this week, I and my coauthors, Don Drummond and Alexandre Laurin, recommended raising the GST back to seven per cent in 2023. This idea got attention — mostly about how a two-point hike in the GST was too politically painful to be realistic. Over time, though, even in the big-borrowing, low-interest-rate future described in the budget, every dollar spent on programs requires close to 100 cents of revenue. Painful or not, the permanently bigger federal government that this budget anticipates will require Canadians to pay for it.
Since the pandemic struck, the federal government has…
Benjamin Dachis – Tripped Up: The Pandemic Effect On Public Transit
From: Benjamin Dachis To: Canadian Transit Watchers Date: April 22, 2021 Re: Tripped Up: The Pandemic Effect on Public Transit COVID-19 has fundamentally changed lives across Canada. This change may be most pronounced in Canada’s major cities. Many of the things that make city life so vibrant – restaurants, entertainment, or learning from great colleagues at the office – […] High Spectrum Costs, Regulatory Impediments Slow 5G Rollout: Telecommunications Policy Working Group
April 21, 2021 – High spectrum costs and regulatory impediments impact the rollout of 5G and undermines Canada’s technological competitiveness, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute.
At their recent meetings, the Telecommunications Policy Working Group discussed spectrum policy and the consequences of high spectrum costs.
The Working Group agrees Ottawa’s primary goal should be to allocate spectrum most efficiently and ensure competitive access to spectrum. Improved spectrum allocation policy will enable the critically needed 5G infrastructure of the future.
Ottawa’s policy of auctioning off radiofrequency spectrum for telecommunications purposes is designed to minimize interference and ensure its…
Weighing the Options: Why the Bank of Canada Should Renew Inflation Targeting
Central Bank’s Inflation Targeting Doesn’t Need Overhaul In this report, leading monetary economist Stephen Williamson evaluates the alternatives to the Bank’s current inflation-targeting agreement, and finds that none of the other options are likely to improve upon the current agreement that has served Canada well since 1991. Williamson concludes the Bank of Canada should not […] Central Bank’s Inflation Targeting Doesn’t Need Overhaul
April 20, 2021 – The Bank of Canada should not overhaul its 2 percent inflation-targeting regime when it comes up for renewal later this year, says a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Weighing the Options: Why the Bank of Canada Should Renew Inflation Targeting” leading…S3 E9: Budget 2021 Reaction
Ottawa is kicking the cost of COVID-19 down the road and crossing its fingers we don’t encounter any additional economic or health crises between now and 2055. The Institute’s CEO Bill Robson is joined by Director of Research Alex Laurin and Senior Fellow Don Drummond to discuss the implications, why we can’t grow our way […] Don Drummond – Budget 2021 Leaves Canada Awash In Debt For More Than A Generation
From: Don Drummond To: Canadian Debt Watchers Date: April 20, 2021 Re: Budget 2021 Leaves Canada Awash in Debt for More than a Generation The C.D. Howe Institute 2021 Shadow Budget recommended the federal government return to around the pre-pandemic 30 percent of GDP net debt burden within two decades. Yesterday’s Budget shows that marker of fiscal […]