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1. Federal budget continues the spending spree

   In this year’s federal budget, Finance Minister Bill Morneau confirmed the government is more than happy to continue down a risky path of deficit-financed spending. Once again, the government opted to throw money in every direction rather ...

2. When measured against history, Prime Minister Trudeau’s spending near peak levels

   The federal government plans to spend $8,337 (per person) this fiscal year. ...

3. Infrastructure a small share of the Liberal $29.4 billion deficit

   Appeared in the Ottawa Sun, April 2, 2016 A major theme in the lead-up to the recent federal budget was a commitment to increased infrastructure spending. The Liberals gave the impression that infrastructure would be a key driver of their deficit spending ...

4. Federal Liberals reject the party's successful pragmatism of the 1990s

   Appeared in the Ottawa Citizen, New Brunswick Telegraph Journal and Flin Flon Reminder The policy direction of the Liberal Party of Canada and its leader Justin Trudeau, as evidenced by the speeches, motions, and debate at the recent national party ...

5. Too early to declare the deficit slain(2)

   Appeared in the Vancouver Sun, Kelowna Daily Courier, and Penticton Herald, November 2013 After federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty unveiled his latest financial plan Tuesday, much of the media hype centred on the government's larger than expected ...

6. Balanced budget requires tough choices, not wishful thinking

   Appeared in Globe and Mail Economy Lab “There’ll be no doubt that we’re balanced in 2015,” federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told reporters after recently meeting with a group of private sector economists. This is among Mr. Flaherty’s most categorical ...

7. 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 ...

8. Canada's $6.4 billion corporate welfare budget

   Appeared in the National Post, Calgary Herald and New Glasgow News If there was a theme in the recent federal budget, it was how chock full it was with new corporate welfare. The underlying refrain was how big government will help big business with your ...

9. The stimulus spending never stopped

   Appeared in the Financial Post The key litmus test for the Harper government’s 2013 budget was always going to be how realistic it was with respect to achieving a balanced budget by 2015-16. The governing Tories have staked both their economic and ...

10. Canada's red-ink budgets: 45 of the last 65 years

    Appeared in the Calgary Herald Ever since the last recession, Canadians have been informed by pundits and the political class that stimulus spending—perhaps better labelled as “binge” spending—was critical to Canada’s economic recovery. But extra ...