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1. State of federal finances worse than previously thought

   The latest federal budget showed that public finances are in poor shape and Ottawa is ill-prepared for a possible economic recession. But a recent Parliamentary Budget Office report suggests the situation may be worse than the government ...

2. Canada has completely lost its business tax advantage over the U.S.

   Many factors affect Canada’s ability to attract and retain investment, entrepreneurship, and skilled workers. Some of them—such as global swings in commodity prices—are not within the government’s direct control. But government policies ...

3. An unconditional basic income—a bad idea for many reasons

   Appeared in the National Post, May 1, 2018 Almost 50 years ago, a Canadian Senate report declared that a basic income “is an idea whose time has come.” Ever since, the idea resurfaces every so often, with support that spans the political spectrum. Most ...

4. Canadians—there was no middle-class tax cut

   Appeared in the Vancouver Province, April 30, 2018 With tax season just behind us, many Canadians are realizing the full weight of the income taxes they paid in 2017, and some may wonder about the much-heralded middle-class tax cut promised by the ...

5. Cost of tax compliance in Canada—no relief in sight

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, April 29, 2018 For millions of Canadians, the tax return deadline is a reminder of the drudgery and cost of complying with an increasingly complicated income tax system. Back in 2016, to the excitement of many, Prime Minister ...

6. Federal infrastructure spending—a mess of delays and misguided priorities

   Appeared in the Globe and Mail, April 27, 2018 In 2015, the Trudeau government came into office on the promise of running small annual budget deficits of no more than $10 billion for three years to finance new spending on infrastructure projects that ...

7. Grits and Tories both wrong on Ontario minimum wage policy

   Appeared in the Toronto Star, April 24, 2018 The Ontario Liberals and Ontario PCs both recently announced how they intend to help the working poor if they win the next election. Unfortunately, neither party has the right policy for targeting those who ...

8. Canadians will receive meagre rate of return on CPP contributions

   Appeared in the Financial Post, April 4, 2018 Misperceptions plague the public’s view of the Canada Pension Plan (or CPP). Mark Machin, CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB)—the organization tasked with investing CPP contributions ...

9. At least 1.8 million Ontarians will pay more in income taxes

   Ontario’s recent budget is jammed packed with new policies ahead of the upcoming provincial election. But what’s missing is any sign that the government wants to improve its uncompetitive personal income tax (PIT) system. In fact, the ...

10. Surprise—Alberta’s government debt burden is approaching Quebec’s

    The recent provincial budgets released by the Quebec and Alberta governments are a study in contrasts of government debt. On one hand, Quebec has a high-debt government that’s aiming to reduce its debt burden. On the other hand, Alberta ...