Godbout, Samoisette – On Its Anniversary, Has the Goal of the Canada Learning Bond Been Achieved?
From: Luc Godbout and Luce Samoisette To: Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Finance and Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of National Revenue Date: March 19, 2024 Subject: On Its Anniversary, Has the Goal of the Canada Learning Bond Been Achieved? Twenty years ago, the federal government launched an initiative to promote post-secondary access for children from low-income families with a Canada Learning Bond […] Godbout, Samoisette – Maximiser le bon d’études canadien en l’offrant à tous les enfants de familles à revenu modeste
De: Luc Godbout et Luce Samoisette À: Chrystia Freeland, ministre des Finances et Marie-Claude Bibeau, ministre du Revenu national Date: 19 mars 2024 Sujet: Maximiser le bon d’études canadien en l’offrant à tous les enfants de familles à revenu modeste Il y a 20 ans, le budget fédéral annonçait une nouveauté afin de favoriser l’accès […] Rosalie Wyonch – The Lingering Pharmacare Questions
From: Rosalie Wyonch To: Healthcare observers Date: March 18, 2024 Re: The Lingering Pharmacare Questions The Liberals and NDP have reached a deal on pharmacare, but there are many challenges to overcome. It will take years to implement and many questions remain unanswered. Canada is the only developed country with universal insurance for hospital and physician services but not […] Canada’s immigration system isn’t living up to its potential. Here’s how to fix it – Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Canada’s immigration point system is designed to select for skilled individuals who have the potential to contribute to our country’s economic growth and meet its evolving labour needs. Since the mid-2010s, it has yielded improvements in the overall labour market outcomes for immigrants.
However, recent policy changes warrant immediate attention – especially as the role of skilled immigrants has become increasingly vital. Compared with similar countries, it’s evident that there are several missed opportunities and systemic challenges hindering our immigration system from reaching its full potential and enhancing the well-being of all Canadians.
Canada and Australia, in particular, share similarities in their skilled…
Pharmacare in Critical Condition with Dr. Jane Philpott, Fred Horne and Rosalie Wyonch
Ottawa has rolled out the first stage of its national pharmacare program. But it’s a far cry from what the NDP required to prop-up the minority government. Former federal health minister Dr. Jane Philpott joins former Alberta health minister Fred Horne and the Institute’s Rosalie Wyonch to discuss why $1.5 billion isn’t anywhere near enough to pay for the medications Canadians consume today, and how likely the program is to survive.
Kudos to Nova Scotia for a budget that declines to profit from inflation – Financial Post
Nova Scotia’s budgets do not always make national headlines, but the one recently delivered by Minister of Finance and Treasury Board Allan MacMaster got some well-deserved attention. It indexed the province’s personal income tax to inflation. Starting next January, the thresholds for all Nova Scotia’s tax brackets and its non-refundable credits for spouses and dependents will rise with the consumer price index each year.
As Alexandre Laurin and I argued in a recent C.D. Howe Institute report, this move is long overdue. Price surges during the pandemic reminded everyone that inflation and taxes are a toxic combination. Governments that tax nominal amounts even when inflation is eroding money’s purchasing power dodge…
Strength in Diversity: What We Can Learn from BC’s Target-benefit Plans
With the significant decline in single-employer defined-benefit (DB) pension plans in the private sector, it’s important to understand other alternatives. One such alternative is the target-benefit plan. The regulation of target-benefit plans (TBPs) in all provinces across Canada can be made more straightforward and effective using lessons learned from real-life experiences. With target-benefit plans currently […] Laurin, Dahir – Here’s a Suggestion: A Revenue-Neutral Tax Reform for an Economic Boost
From: Alexandre Laurin and Nick Dahir To: Canadians concerned about economic growth Date: March 14, 2024 Re: Here’s a Suggestion: A Revenue-Neutral Tax Reform for an Economic Boost A change in Canada’s tax mix was among the ideas circulating last summer at the C.D. Howe Institute’s two-day conference on tax policy. This country is an average-tax nation overall, but relies […] BC’s Target-benefit Plans Need Flexibility to Thrive
Target-benefit plans (TBPs) need regulations to be clear in their objectives and flexible to allow these plans to thrive, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Strength in Diversity: What We Can Learn from BC’s Target-benefit Plans,”…EU Opportunities for Canada: Reflections on a Steadily Deepening Partnership
Canada is a trading nation, and there is no doubt that one of Canada’s most important economic relationships is with the European Union. In this webcast, Bill Robson and Ailish Campbell, Ambassador of Canada to the European Union, discuss the geopolitical framework and the structure and architecture of the relationship between Canada and the EU.
Kronick, Ambler – No Rate Cut Yet. Here’s Why
To: Interest rate watchers From: Jeremy M. Kronick and Steve Ambler Date: March 13, 2024 Re: No Rate Cut Yet. Here’s Why Headline inflation in January moved back into the Bank of Canada’s 1 to 3-percent target range. Yet last week, the Bank again held steady on its overnight rate. Why is the Bank reluctant to cut? There are […]A federal budget two weeks after fiscal year begins – what’s the excuse? – Globe and Mail
Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland has announced that the 2024 federal budget will be delivered on April 16. That is more than two weeks after the April 1 start of the budget year: fiscal 2024-25.
Late federal budgets have become a pattern. The 2023 budget was delivered March 28 – just three days ahead of April 1, and nowhere near early enough for Parliament or anyone else to even consider the fiscal plan before the year started. In both 2022 (April 7) and 2021 (April 19), the government also failed to get the budget out before the new fiscal year began. Go back a year earlier, and the situation was even worse. There was no budget.
It should be clear: Timely budgets with their tax and expenditure plans are good.…