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1. Prime Ministers and Government Spending: Updated 2020 Edition

   This essay updates the previous 2020 measure of per-person program spending by prime ministers, adjusting for inflation, since 1870. This essay focuses on the potential level of spending in 2020 based on the government’s response to the COVID ...

2. Getting political responsibility right in times of crises

   More often than not, politicians are given too much credit for both economic expansions (i.e. prosperity) as well as recessions. That’s not to say that policies don’t matter because they do. But the idea that a politician or government ...

3. Pandemics, social upheaval and government spending

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

4. Trudeau government gets unlimited spending authority for six months

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, March 26, 2020 On Wednesday, the government passed legislation (which the Opposition members either supported or acquiesced to) giving sweeping powers to Finance Minister Bill Morneau, including the power to unilaterally spend ...

5. 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 ...

6. Any ‘Fair Deal’ for Alberta requires fundamental rethink of fiscal federalism in Canada

   Appeared in the National Post, February 12, 2020 On February 4, we had the honour of presenting to Alberta’s “ Fair Deal Panel,” which will make recommendations to the province on how it can secure a fair deal for Alberta within Confederation. As we noted ...

7. 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 ...

8. Trudeau sets another record—and not in a good way

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, February 5, 2020 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has set another record—increasing the federal debt (per person) more than any other prime minister (not facing a world war or recession) since 1870. He earlier set a spending ...

9. Morneau seems uninterested in perilous state of federal finances

   Appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, January 26, 2020 It’s hard to recall a time when Canada’s finances were so perilously close to rapidly deteriorating with seemingly little or no interest in Ottawa. Finance Minister Bill Morneau has been making the ...

10. Federal spending reaches highest level in Canadian history

    Appeared in the Financial Post, January 15, 2020 Sound fiscal policy is crucial for a healthy economy. A key component of sound policy is the appropriate size and role of government (i.e. government spending and regulations). Higher spending comes at the ...