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1. Fiscal Policy and Recessions: The Role of Public Infrastructure Spending

   Governments are often encouraged to respond to economic downturns by way of discretionary spending measures intended to stimulate growth, offsetting the negative impacts of reduced private sector activity. In recent decades, governments have placed ...

2. Federal government making up fiscal rules on the fly

   Appeared in Calgary's Business, January 5, 2020 Last month, before the holidays, the Trudeau government released its fall economic update, which revealed—among other issues—that Canada’s federal debt-to-GDP ratio increased, meaning Canada’s debt has ...

3. Prime Ministers and Government Spending: 2020 Edition

   This bulletin measures the level of per-person program spending undertaken annually by prime ministers, adjusting for inflation, since 1870. (The years from 1867 to 1869 were excluded due to a lack of inflation data). Per-person spending spiked ...

4. Fiscal update—increased spending and debt comes at a cost

   Nearly two months after the federal election, the Liberals released their fall fiscal update on Monday to inform Canadians about the status of the economy and government finances. Once again, the federal government failed to make ...

5. Throne speech ignores realities of federal finances

   In the recent throne speech, the federal government announced that its short-term priorities include increasing spending on government programs and reducing taxes for Canadians. Worryingly, these priorities will be financed entirely by ...

6. Trudeau activist government produces red ink and alienation

   As the dust settles from the federal election —which further exacerbated western frustration, if not outright separatist sentiments—it’s worth considering the policy ebbs and flows of the Liberal Party under Pierre Trudeau and his son ...

7. Next prime minister must consider risks of potential recession

   Appeared in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, October 2, 2019 Many economists have warned of a U.S. recession in the near future, due to multiple possible factors including the rise of trade protectionism, political turmoil and market volatility. Of course, a U ...

8. Canada’s federal finances at risk—repeating mistakes of the past

   Appeared in the Daily Gleaner, August 29, 2019 The latest economic news from the United States foreshadows recession. Recently, the U.S. stock market had its worst day in 2019, plunging 800 points. The bond market is showing weakness with short-term ...

9. Trudeau government spending has increased risk of trouble if recession hits

   Appeared in the National Post, August 20, 2019 There are increasing signs of a U.S. recession in the near future, which would inevitably affect Canada’s economy. The U.S. stock market continues to show increased volatility with an 800-point decline ...

10. Ottawa’s appetite for spending continues to grow

    Appeared in the Vancouver Province, August 16, 2019 With seemingly little regard for the consequences, the Trudeau government has increased spending throughout its mandate with no sign of change any time soon. This spending trend has been a stark ...