Ambachtsheer, Hamilton and Waitzer – Assuring the sustainability of the Canada Pension Plan: A new consensus is required
Published in the Globe and Mail The creation of the Canada and Quebec pension plans in the 1960s and subsequent amendments to them in the 1990s is a compelling story of how governments worked together to create and sustain one of Canada’s greatest public-policy achievements. Today we are faced with the thorny issue of how […]William B.P Robson – Government Must Clarify or Drop the 2024 Budget’s Capital Gains Tax Changes
To: Canadian taxpayers From: William B.P. Robson Date: May 6, 2024 Re: Government Must Clarify or Drop the 2024 Budget’s Capital Gains Tax Changes The 2024 federal budget announced higher capital-gains taxes that will be effective June 25. Instead of paying tax on half of all gains under current rules, individuals will pay tax on half of gains under […]Prospects for the World Economy in the Polycrisis with Martin Wolf
How do we get global powers to work together to solve the world’s polycrisis? Financial Times Chief Economic Commentator Martin Wolf dives into the profound generational shifts in demographics, climate change, technology, and geopolitics responsible for the state of nations and the globe.
Canada Does a Poor Job Stewarding Our Energy Future: Nanos Research Poll
A new poll commissioned by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and the C.D. Howe Institute indicates that three in five Canadians (60 percent) now believe “Canada does a very poor or poor job at developing a shared long-term vision for Canada’s energy future.” This is a…Uncertainty and the Burden of Proof in Canadian Competition Law
• There are good reasons to take stock of Canadian competition law. The vulnerability of digital markets to market power stemming from network externalities and scale economies encourages reflection on whether the Competition Act continues to be suitable for present times. • Recently, a number of statutory amendments have been proposed to amend the […] Beware Overreach in Competition Law Reforms
May 1, 2024 – Many of the federal government’s recent reforms in competition law sensibly strengthen the enforcement powers of the Competition Bureau and private actors seeking redress for allegedly anti-competitive behaviour. However, amendments to the Competition Act that…Munn, Manley and Duncan – Short-sighted Capital Gains Changes Will Bring Long-Term Consequences
From: Duncan Munn, John Manley and Dwight Duncan To: Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland Date: April 30, 2024 Re: Short-sighted Capital Gains Changes Will Bring Long-Term Consequences This month’s federal budget asks the wealthiest among us to pay for spending initiatives to address intergenerational fairness. A better way to finance new spending would be to arrest and reverse Canada’s growth and […]Kronick, Ambler – No Rate Cut Yet. Here’s Why There Should Have Been
To: Interest rate watchers From: Jeremy M. Kronick and Steve Ambler Date: April 26, 2024 Re: No Rate Cut Yet. Here’s Why There Should Have Been The latest data indicate that the battle against inflation is almost over. Despite this, the Bank of Canada again held its policy rate at 5 percent this month. What gives? The Bank, like many other central […] Chris Bonnett – Aspiration and Ambiguity. That’s the Pharmacare Story
From: Chris Bonnett To: Pharmacare Watchers Date: April 24, 2024 Re: Aspiration and Ambiguity. That’s the Pharmacare Story For decades, pharmacare has been a day late and a dollar short. How much did Bill C-64 change that? Very few Canadians have no drug insurance, but a much larger number probably need more coverage. The lack of an integrated national drug system […] Drummond, Robson – The 2024 Federal Budget Gets a Grade of D
To: Canadian Budget Watchers From: Don Drummond and William B.P. Robson Date: April 24, 2024 Re: The 2024 Federal Budget Gets a Grade of D Before the federal budget, we laid out a 10-point grading scheme. We were hoping the document would deserve better than the ‘D’ we gave the government’s fall economic statement. Unfortunately, it falls well short of what […] William B.P. Robson – An Unserious Budget With Unserious Projections
To: Canadian public finance watchers From: William B.P. Robson Date: April 23, 2024 Re: An Unserious Budget With Unserious Projections Last week’s federal budget showed again – as if it were needed – that this government is not serious about public finances. It was late, given that the 2024/25 fiscal year started more than two weeks ago. It […] Seniors’ Care Scenarios with Rosalie Wyonch
Building more LTC facilities won’t solve Canada’s long-term care crisis. The C.D. Howe Institute’s Rosalie Wyonch tells host Michael Hainsworth that the solution involves rethinking the way we deliver care, and each province could benefit from the lessons learned by their neighbours.