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1. Less Ottawa, More Province, 2021: How Decentralized Federalism is Key to Health Care Reform

   A significant body of research suggests that Canada’s health care system consistently underperforms relative to most peer jurisdictions with universal health care systems. This underperformance continues despite the fact that Canada is one of the world’s ...

2. It’s easier for governments to increase spending than bring it back down

   As the COVID-19 crisis unfolds and governments across the country scramble to respond, public spending is increasing quickly, particularly at the federal level. Much of this spending is entirely reasonable and indeed necessary. ...

3. Notley government at two years—too much Rae, not enough Romanow

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald, May 12, 2017 Just over two years ago, Rachel Notley became the 17th Premier of Alberta. Upon taking office, Premier Notley’s government was confronted with serious fiscal challenges. Oil prices were down, the economy was ...

4. Wynne government reopens spending tap, exposes province to more risk

   Appeared in the Financial Post, May 10, 2017 The Wynne government recently tabled Ontario’s first balanced operating budget in a decade. While it’s good to see the province finally bring its annual operating expenditures in line with revenues, there are ...

5. Ontario’s budget opens the spending tap, drowns Ontarians in more debt

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, April 28, 2017 On Thursday, Finance Minister Charles Sousa tabled the Ontario government’s budget for the 2017/18 fiscal year. The government’s spin has focused on the fact that the operating budget is balanced for the first ...

6. Saskatchewan has a plan to balance its budget, Alberta doesn’t

   Appeared in the Calgary Sun, March 27, 2017 Alberta and Saskatchewan are energy-rich jurisdictions that fell on hard times as commodity prices fell. And both jurisdictions face significant fiscal challenges, with large budget deficits and substantial debt ...

7. Newfoundland & Labrador’s massive debt and deficits demand bold action

   Appeared in National Newswatch, February 15, 2016 On the easternmost part of the country, a fiscal storm is brewing. Newfoundland & Labrador’s provincial finances are in a dire state. The government’s latest projections have the province facing a ...

8. A new year’s resolution for Ontario’s government: Reduce spending

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, January 6, 2016 As the new year begins, many Ontarians are making resolutions to address long-standing problems or bad habits. For Ontario’s provincial government, the appropriate new year’s resolution is clear: it should ...

9. Another warning sign Ontario may not meet its balanced budget target

   Appeared in the Ottawa Citizen, November 10, 2015 The Ontario government has dug itself deep into debt and continues to spend more than the revenue it brings in each year. While it has pledged to eliminate the deficit by 2017/18, a new report from the ...

10. Alberta's Budget Deficit: Why Spending Is to Blame

    Alberta is headed toward its seventh deficit in eight years and the province is at risk of returning to a net debt position as early as next year. A popular narrative holds that the recent fall in oil prices is responsible for the deterioration of Alberta ...