Government Spending

Reforming Employment Insurance for the 21st Century analyzes problems with Canada’s EI system, such as providing unequal benefits depending on where a worker lives, and not covering the self-employed or those who work in the growing ‘gig’ economy. The study also highlights several ways Canada’s employment insurance system could be reformed, including the idea of an Unemployment Insurance Savings Account.

Atlantic Canada’s Precarious Public Finances finds that the financial positions of the four Atlantic provinces are unsustainable, and they will face rising debt-to-GDP ratios in the coming years in the absence of policy changes or improved economic growth. Crucially, the Atlantic provinces’ finances are more vulnerable than those in other provinces because of a number of economic and demographic factors in the region, such as an older population, high tax and interest rates, and a greater dependency on federal transfers from Ottawa.