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1. Ontario’s 2015 Budget: an exercise in wishful thinking

   Appeared in the Financial Post Ontario’s 2015 budget, like those of years past, needed a concrete plan to get government finances on a sound footing. Yet again, the budget failed to deliver. Instead, the government continues to delay the tough decisions ...

2. More compensation restraint would help ease Ontario’s budget troubles

   Appeared in the Waterloo Region Record, April 9, 2015 Amid a gathering fiscal storm, the Ontario government will soon table its budget for the coming fiscal year and beyond. There’s a lot riding on getting things right. A recent study found that debt is ...

3. Quebec budget shows progress but bolder fiscal reforms still needed

   Appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, April 4, 2015 The day before delivering his budget speech, Quebec Minister of Finance Carlos Leitão called the budget a “good news budget.” Indeed, Quebec’s 2015 budget continues to make progress on tackling deep ...

4. Alberta’s budget: $11.4 billion in extra taxes

   Appeared in the Calgary Herald Premier Jim Prentice dropped hints for months that the 2015 provincial budget was a once-in-a-generation chance to “fix” Alberta’s finances. That didn’t happen. Instead, the province raised taxes on Albertans in a manner ...

5. Budget 2015: Quebec’s twin fiscal challenges require bold action

   Premier Philippe Couillard recently declared that government finances and the economy are his top priorities, stating that “the goal is clear: consolidation of public finances and economic re-launch.” This is laudable. ...

6. Quebec’s 2015 Budget: Bold Action on Debt and Taxes Needed

   Whether it's economic growth, job creation, the unemployment rate, or investment growth, Quebec has generally lagged other Canadian provinces and even American States. There are many reasons for the province's relatively weak performance but ...

7. Upcoming budget a chance for BC to get the basics right

   Appeared in the Vancouver Sun On February 18th British Columbians will be watching to see if finance minister Mike de Jong’s budget sets out a plan to deliver on his government’s ambitious goals with respect to economic growth and job creation. And the ...

8. Ottawa drops hints for 2014 budget

     Fiscal policy is really about taxes and spending and the federal government recently provided some hints on its plans in these areas. In the recent Speech from the Throne, the government reaffirmed its commitment to balancing the budget by 2015-16 and ...

9. It's not our problem; Ontario Liberals kick deficit can down the road

   Appeared in the Financial Post The May 2 minority Liberal budget is a politically expedient document that likely avoids an election but unfortunately fails to tackle Ontario's looming fiscal crisis. The longer the province waits, the more difficult ...

10. Not Your Prairie NDP

    Appeared in the Vancouver Sun Too often in politics, particularly during election campaigns, citizens conflate political brands with policy. That is, too often we make assumptions about the policies of political parties based on a perception rather than ...