Search

Search results

1. The real election losers—balance sheet, health care, federalism

   On health-care wait times, Canada consistently ranks lowest among comparable countries with universal health care. ...

2. Trudeau government fuels economic uncertainty

   The prime minister’s mandate letter raised the idea of taxing "extreme wealth inequality.” ...

3. Comparing pre-recession economic performance—Chrétien vs. Trudeau

   Appeared in the Globe and Mail, February 11, 2021 The contrast between the current Trudeau Liberal government and its Liberal predecessor under Jean Chrétien could not be more stark. As the Trudeau government prepares its 2021 budget, which by all ...

4. Comparing Economic Performance in Five Pre-Recession Periods

   This study contrasts the economic performance in the last five pre-recession periods: 1986–1989 (Mulroney), 1997–2000 (Chrétien), 2005–2008 (Martin-Harper), 2011–2014 (Harper), and 2016–2019 (Trudeau). It includes multiple measures for income, labour, and ...

5. Memo to Finance Minister Freeland—we have an investment crisis in Canada

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, August 19, 2020 When Bill Morneau was appointed federal finance minister in 2015, many hoped his time in business, think-tank background and oft-repeated zeal for “evidence-based policy” would help guide policy decisions. He ...

6. Blog series part 1—Trudeau government produced string of deficits, raised taxes on middle class

   The Trudeau Liberals were elected in 2015 promising a new direction in tax, spending and borrowing policies from the previous 20 years. For instance, in their 2015 platform, the Liberals stated that: “Canada’s economy has faltered, and ...

7. Reality of government matters when assessing policy options

   In 1969, UCLA economist Harold Demsetz formalized an important concept in comparative economics—the Nirvana fallacy. His argument was that it was inappropriate, misleading and potentially counterproductive to compare hypothetical ideal ...

8. Trudeau government rejects almost every principle of historic 1995 Liberal budget

   Appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, March 6, 2020 If recent history is any guide, the Trudeau government will table its next federal budget sometime next month. Last month, however, marked the 25th anniversary of the 1995 budget, the most important and ...

9. Alberta could pull policy levers that would spread the pain

   Appeared in the National Post, October 24, 2019 In response to the federal election results, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced his government will create a panel to look at ideas for reforming Alberta's role within Canada. He also put the ...

10. Federal Deficits and Recession: What Could Happen

    There are serious financial risks associated with running deficits during times of positive economic growth. One of the principal risks is that the budget cannot be balanced regardless of economic conditions because a permanent imbalance between how much ...