Philip Cross

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Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute

Philip Cross spent 36 years at Statistics Canada, the last few years as its Chief Economic Analyst. He wrote Statistics Canada's monthly assessment of the economy for years, as well as many feature articles for the Canadian Economic Observer. After leaving Statistics Canada, he worked for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. He has been widely-quoted over the years, and now writes a bi-weekly column for the National Post and other papers.

Recent Research by Philip Cross

Do Budget Deficits Matter? Essays on the Implications of Government Deficits and Debt

— Jun 8, 2022

Low Interest Rates and the Cost of Government Debt and Canada’s Budget and Deficit Cuts in the Late 20th Century: An Amazing Success Story are the latest installments in an essay series on government deficits that emphasize the risks of higher interest costs on government debt, and note the similarities between today’s federal fiscal situation and the mid-1990s when interest costs consumed one of every three dollars of government revenue. At that time, the government enacted major reforms—including spending reductions—to help dramatically reduce the federal debt.

Canada’s Faltering Business Dynamism and Lagging Innovation

— Sep 29, 2021

Canada’s Faltering Business Dynamism and Lagging Innovation is a new study that examines how economic growth and business investment have been faltering in Canada. The study finds that Canada’s economic growth (measured by GDP, adjusted for inflation) over the past decade was the slowest since the 1930s, stalling productivity and hampering the country’s ability to encourage innovation or new business start-ups.

The Implications of Slowing Growth in Canada’s Labour Force

— Apr 22, 2021

The Implications of Slowing Growth in Canada’s Labour Force is a new study that finds Canada’s shrinking labour force participation rate will likely hinder economic recovery and contribute to rising budget deficits in governments across the country. The percentage of Canadians working or looking for work has continued to drop for decades, predating the COVID-19 pandemic.