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1. Trudeau government tax policies puzzling in light of finance minister’s admission

   In a recent year-end press scrum, Finance Minister Bill Morneau (pictured above, right) said something unexpectedly telling. Although it did not receive widespread attention, Morneau all but admitted that raising tax rates changes the ...

2. GST revenues from carbon-pricing—likely another tax grab

   This week, as Canadians were sliding into their holiday mindset, the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) released a report estimating the GST revenues collected by the federal government through existing carbon-pricing schemes in four ...

3. 2016 census—Canadians are living and working longer

   Statistics Canada recently released the latest data from the 2016 census. One of the biggest takeaways: seniors are working later in their lives and living longer than ever. Indeed, in 2015, the labour market participation among seniors ...

4. U.S. and Canada take diverging paths on net neutrality

   The Trump administration recently announced its plan to repeal virtually all of the U.S. government’s existing net neutrality rules. Under the Obama administration, net neutrality rules subjected Internet service providers (ISPs) such as ...

5. Trudeau government’s new housing benefit seems to ignore regional differences

   As part of its National Housing Strategy, the Trudeau government announced today that it will directly subsidize low-income households with an average of $2,500 annually for housing costs. Details are pending, but the logic is simple: if ...

6. The key fiscal lesson of Canada’s first 150 years—spend prudently

   As 2017 draws to a close, Canadians can reflect not only on the outcomes of the last year, but in this milestone 150th year of the federation, also where we are headed. What shall Canada’s economic achievements be as the next 50 years ...

7. Minister McKenna wrong on Ontario’s coal phase-out

   Environment Minister Catherine McKenna (pictured above) recently reaffirmed the Trudeau government’s commitment to phase-out coal as a power source. In an interview with CBC News, McKenna once again credited the Ontario coal phase-out ...

8. Looming U.S. tax changes threaten Canada’s competitiveness

   Besides the negative trade actions taken by the United States against Canada in the form of duties imposed on exports of airplanes and softwood lumber, and the Trump administration’s problematic demands during NAFTA negotiations, ...

9. Changing tax rules for diabetics—another missed opportunity for positive tax reform

   Many Canadians living with type 1 diabetes may see their income tax bill increase as a result of the Trudeau government’s revised interpretation of the Income Tax Act. According to Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier, “advances in ...

10. Professor conflates taxes with transfers—just like the Trudeau government

    In a recent commentary in the Financial Post titled “Misleading the middle class,” Simon Fraser University professor Rhys Kesselman criticized our analysis of how federal tax policy changes have increased the amount of income tax paid by ...