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1. COVID underscores problems with government intervention

   Appeared in the Vancouver Province, August 5, 2020 Some economists justify government intervention by citing “market failure”—that is, the failure of the free market and price system to allocate resources efficiently. In other words, under certain ...

2. Trudeau government should provide fiscal update—now

   Three months into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Parliamentary Budget Officer has called out the federal government on the need for a fiscal update to provide some direction as to the fiscal implications for Canada of dealing with the ...

3. Federal debt may eclipse $1 trillion for first time in Canadian history

   The fiscal response to the COVID-19 crisis has been large at the federal and provincial levels. The reduction in economic activity and subsequent reduced government revenues has produced massive deficits. At the provincial level, ...

4. Canada must tailor trade practises for post-COVID world

   The effects of COVID-19 will transform the international world order and affect Canada’s role in it. First, the meteoric rise of China, with its aspirations of world leadership and greater respect, will come to a crashing halt. Despite ...

5. Taxpayers likely to feel city hall’s COVID cash crunch

   Municipalities in Ontario are reeling from the pandemic. Some have announced large drops in revenues. Toronto, for example, projects a $1.5 billion loss in revenues in 2020 if there’s a three-month lockdown followed by a six-month ...

6. Pandemics, social upheaval and government spending

   Federal deficit estimates range from $100 billion to $200 billion for fiscal year 2020-21. ...

7. If history is any guide, COVID-19 will transform Canada in heretofore unknown ways

   COVID-19’s disruption of Canadian life is being met with extraordinary government action. Indeed, some are saying we’re in a war against the virus and war requires mobilization of all resources with associated powers. The minority Trudeau ...

8. China sees trade as tool of state policy, diplomatic weapon

   In a recent speech in Montreal, Cong Peiwu, China’s ambassador to Canada, noted that while cooperation between Canada and China with COVID-19 was appreciated, it nevertheless was not enough to compensate for the tense relationship between ...

9. Coronavirus shockwaves felt around the world economy

   The recent economic blows to economies around the world resulting from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, raise the spectre of a supply-side shock vaguely reminiscent of the oil price shocks of the 1970s. Back then, we ...

10. Government policies hurting—not helping—on several fronts

    Picture if you will the following scenario. There’s a forest fire underway. How to deal with it? One logical approach is to deploy firefighters and waterbombers to extinguish the fire. Another approach is to light a number of smaller and ...