La Fièvre De L’or – La Presse Opinion
Je me méfie de l’or qui provoque des poussées de fièvre chez les spéculateurs. Mais avec les taux d’intérêt cloués au plancher, certains investisseurs sérieux considèrent maintenant le métal jaune pour remplacer partiellement les obligations dans leur portefeuille, car celles-ci ne parviennent plus à jouer pleinement leur rôle stabilisateur.
En début de carrière, lorsque je faisais mes dents dans le journalisme économique, j’ai probablement trop rencontré de petits promoteurs miniers et de gold bugs, ces adorateurs du métal précieux qui, bien avant les furieux adeptes du bitcoin, voient dans l’or, les conserves et les armes à feu, des moyens de survie après l’effondrement de la civilisation et de la monnaie.
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Ian Irvine – Tobacco Harm Reduction (part Three) – Regulatory Policy
From: Ian Irvine To: Canadians Concerned About Vaping Date: September 4, 2020 Re: Tobacco Harm Reduction (Part Three) – Regulatory Policy The purpose of regulatory policy is to limit harmful outcomes and promote positive outcomes. How does this apply to e-cigarettes and other harm reduction products? Advertising and information. Governments should consider how much messaging on reduced […] C.D. Howe Institute And Max Bell School Providing Opportunities For The Policy Leaders Of The Future
The C.D. Howe Institute is partnering with the McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy to provide research opportunities for students in the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program, working alongside the Institute’s research team. Funded by the Max Bell…Cra Auditor Incentives Raise Fairness Concerns
Tax auditors’ incentives to raise more tax revenues have been amplified by higher targets and added funding for the Canada Revenue Agency. In “Assessing the Canada Revenue Agency: Evidence on Tax Auditors’ Incentives and Assessments,” authors Kenneth Klassen and Nick…Bank of Canada Should Keep Overnight Rate at 0.25 Percent and Maintain Federal Bond-Buying Program: C.D. Howe Institute Monetary Policy Council
September 3, 2020 – The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) recommends that the Bank of Canada keep its target for the overnight rate, its benchmark policy interest rate, at 0.25 percent at least until September of 2021. Most MPC members also recommended that the Bank of Canada continue its quantitative easing program through the period until its next overnight rate announcement on October 28th.
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. The Council’s principal recommendations are about the overnight rate target. Members make recommendations for the Bank of…
Assessing the Canada Revenue Agency: Evidence on Tax Auditors’ Incentives and Assessments
CRA Auditor Incentives Raise Fairness Concerns Authors Kenneth Klassen and Nick Pantaleo explore the pressure on the CRA to raise more tax revenues, as well as assess the efficiency of the audit process and the fairness of results. Incentives to increase assessments were amplified by recent funding for the CRA that carries an expectation that […] Ian Irvine – Tobacco Harm Reduction (part Two) – Nicotine Use In Canada
From: Ian Irvine To: Canadians Concerned About Vaping Date: September 3, 2020 Re: Tobacco Harm Reduction (Part Two) – Nicotine Use in Canada Statistics Canada released data on smoking prevalence in Canada last month. It was great news for the health community in that it signalled the biggest decline in smoking prevalence experienced in a lifetime. Current […] The Downturn Was Bad Enough. Don’t Quadruple It! – Financial Post Op-ed
We knew the number would be big. Just how big was the question.
Statistics Canada released its initial estimate of second-quarter GDP on Friday. Output dropped by 11.5 per cent compared with first-quarter GDP and by a little over 13 per cent compared with the second quarter of 2019. This is the largest recorded quarterly decline since Statistics Canada began reporting quarterly GDP numbers in 1961.
The estimate was scary enough but the way it was reported may have caused either unnecessary panic or unnecessary pessimism. Media reports emphasized the “annualized” change in GDP, which was a drop of 38.7 per cent, which is worse than scary. Does this mean Canadian GDP will actually wind up falling almost 40 per cent, as it…
We should stop regulating wholesale internet rates – Financial Post Op-Ed
In Canada, if regulation doesn’t work, the answer always seems to be more regulation. And so it is now with wholesale internet rates.
In August, the Cabinet (mildly) criticized the CRTC’s new wholesale internet rates, noting that because they are so low, they may “undermine investment in high-quality networks.” This sentiment is justified, but the Cabinet needs to go much further. This is an opportunity for Canada to finally accept that our government-directed internet “market” is not working — and to create a system of real, authentic competition.
First, why is the CRTC setting internet rates anyway? Canada has a form of wholesale internet regulation that is unique in the world. In Canada, as in most countries,…
Ian Irvine – Tobacco Harm Reduction (part One) – Guiding Principles
From: Ian Irvine To: Canadians Concerned About Vaping Date: September 2, 2020 Re: Tobacco Harm Reduction (Part One) – Guiding Principles The central challenge for governments in the area of e-cigarette use is to formulate policies that simultaneously encourage smokers to switch to vaping (or quit nicotine use entirely) and to discourage young people from starting. To […] Lawrence Herman – Huawei And The Canada-china Agreement
From: Lawrence Herman To: Canadians Concerned About Trade Date: September 1, 2020 Re: Huawei and the Canada-China Agreement Is Ottawa prevented from excluding Huawei from Canada’s 5G system because of the 2014 Canada-China investment protection treaty? Would excluding Huawei on national security grounds give the company grounds for claiming compensation under that agreement? China’s ambassador to Canada has said […] Jon Johnson – An American Dispute Resolution Proposal Arrives With A Softwood Ruling
From: Jon Johnson To: US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Date: August 31, 2020 Re: An American Dispute Resolution Proposal Arrives with a Softwood Ruling On August 24, a WTO panel released its decision in United States – Countervailing Measures on Softwood Lumber from Canada, rejecting US Department of Commerce arguments that benchmark prices for softwood […]