Search

Search results

1. Alberta’s woes threaten Canada’s finances from coast to coast

   Ottawa annually pocketed $22 billion more in revenue from Alberta than it spent in the province. ...

2. Trudeau government shows no interest in properly targeting assistance—despite deficits

   Appeared in National Newswatch, December 3, 2020 Since its election, the Trudeau government has consistently demonstrated its disinterest in targeting spending to those in need and limiting debt accumulation. Despite expected deficits of $381.6 billion ...

3. Trudeau government’s approach to federal finances anything but ‘prudent’

   Appeared in the National Newswatch, December 2, 2020 Since coming to power in 2015, Prime Minister Trudeau —and his finance ministers —have characterized their management of federal finances as “prudent,” an adjective meaning to act with or show care and ...

4. Canada’s spending and deficits higher than comparable countries during pandemic

   Governments around the world have significantly ramped up spending due to the COVID-19 recession. However, recent data from the International Monetary Fund’s semi-annual fiscal monitor reveals that Canada has largely outpaced other ...

5. Trudeau government should heed looming risks to federal finances

   Appeared in the Globe and Mail, October 23, 2020 The federal government along with several prominent economists have downplayed the near-term risks to federal finances. Some have actually characterized Ottawa’s financial position as basically “ sound.” ...

6. Federal finances remain vulnerable to fluctuating interest rates

   Appeared in Calgary's Business, August 20, 2020 There’s been a lot of movement in Ottawa lately, including Bill Morneau’s resignation as federal finance minister, with Chrystia Freeland taking his place. Unfortunately, the Trudeau government’s recent ...

7. Trudeau government—and provincial governments across Canada—can learn from past fiscal consolidations

   Introduction Prior to the COVID recession, Canada faced significant fiscal challenges. These challenges were most severe at the provincial level. For example, Ontario had run uninterrupted deficits for over a decade, while Alberta had ...

8. The finance minister said what? Part 5

   On July 8, Finance Minister Bill Morneau delivered the federal government’s economic and fiscal “ snapshot,” which pins the federal deficit at $343 billion in 2020. The finance minister lauded (yet again) that the government’s fiscal ...

9. Morneau doubles down on deficit-spending plans

   Appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, February 6, 2020 Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau recently confirmed that, should a recession occur, Ottawa will turn on the spending taps using borrowed money (i.e. deficits). This government’s lack of fiscal ...

10. Trudeau activist government produces red ink and alienation

    As the dust settles from the federal election —which further exacerbated western frustration, if not outright separatist sentiments—it’s worth considering the policy ebbs and flows of the Liberal Party under Pierre Trudeau and his son ...