Apr 21 2020 — Andy Blatchford — Politico — In the span of a month, Donald Trump has proposed militarizing the U.S.-Canada border, cutting off N95 mask exports to Canada and then reopening the Canadian frontier despite a raging pandemic. The Canadian response? Challenge accepted.
Nov 7 2019 — Andy Blatchford — Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says there's a "compelling case" to be made for his province to exit the half-century-old Canada Pension Plan — an idea sure to face increasing scrutiny over the coming months. With growing frustrations in his province about its place in the federation, Kenney has revealed that a deeper analysis is on the way to consider Alberta's potential withdrawal from the national pension plan. […]
Oct 30 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada kept its key interest rate on hold Wednesday, leaving the country as an exception compared to other advanced economies that have begun to respond to a weakening global economy. In its explanation, the central bank argued that inflation is on target and the domestic economy has held up well in many respects, […]
Oct 29 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — Big business is adding its voice to a broader call for economy-lifting changes in Canada following an election campaign widely criticized for its dearth of deep policy discussion. The Business Council of Canada, a lobby group representing chief executives of the largest corporations, has released a report underlining its concerns around obstacles like the aging […]
Oct 27 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — Business leaders want Canada's newly elected lawmakers to shift their attention to the economy following an election campaign that sorely lacked a critical conversation: how to secure the country's future prosperity. Much of the campaign's focus zeroed in on pocketbook commitments, which were designed to win individual voter support. Pledges emphasized redistribution of government money, with […]
Oct 22 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — The Liberals won more seats Monday than any other party, but came up short in their effort to return to Parliament with another majority mandate. Unlike in Justin Trudeau's first term, this time the Liberal prime minister will have to strike agreements with political rivals as he tries to win their support to pass legislation and, […]
Oct 16 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — The annual inflation rate was 1.9 per cent in September for a second-straight month, keeping the indicator close to the Bank of Canada's ideal two per cent target. The new numbers released Wednesday in Statistics Canada's latest consumer price index report showed that price growth was once again held back by lower gas prices. Inflation […]
Sep 28 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh kept their campaign machines rolling Saturday — and they focused their efforts on their parties' historic strongholds. Scheer promoted the Conservatives' pledge to build a national energy corridor during a stop in Edmonton, where he took the stage with an old friend: Alberta Premier Jason Kenney. Scheer, […]
Sep 25 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — The incomes of Canada's top one per cent grew at a faster pace than everyone else in 2017 — and, overall, they saw their taxes edge down, a new study says. Statistics Canada has found that in 2017, the average total income of all tax-filers rose 2.5 per cent to $48,400 compared to the previous year. The average income growth of the bottom half of tax filers […]
Sep 25 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — The incomes of Canada's top one per cent grew at a faster pace than everyone else in 2017 — and, overall, they saw their taxes edge down, says a new study. Statistics Canada has found that in 2017 the average total income of all tax-filers rose 2.5 per cent to $48,400 compared to the previous year. The average income growth of the bottom half of tax filers […]
Sep 18 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — Canada's annual inflation rate slowed slightly to 1.9 per cent in August under the weight of declining gasoline prices. Inflation was firm enough to stick close to the Bank of Canada's ideal two per cent target — and August was the sixth straight month that price growth was 1.9 per cent or higher. The steady price picture, on its […]
Sep 17 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — The federal government ran a $14-billion deficit in 2018-19, according to its latest annual financial report, the third year in a row with a shortfall bigger than $10 billion. The deficit for the fiscal year that ended March 31 was $900 million smaller than the government projected in last spring's federal budget, however. Revenues in 2018-19 expanded by $21 […]
Sep 11 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — Chambers of commerce from Canada's biggest cities will release a campaign wish list Wednesday urging political parties to commit to establishing national data-governance standards, making government research more available for businesses and fully harnessing the value of intellectual property. These issues are likely to draw more attention from politicians than in the past. Experts, however, have doubts any party will go far enough to prepare Canada to compete […]
Sep 6 2019 — Andy Blatchford — The Canadian Press — OTTAWA — Canada's economy posted a job surge last month of 81,100 net new positions, the bulk of which were part time, in the services sector and picked up by young people. Statistics Canada said in a report Friday that, even with the increase, the August unemployment rate stayed at 5.7 per cent as more people looked for work. The jobless […]
Sep 4 2019 — Andy Blatchford — OTTAWA — The Bank of Canada says it's staying put on interest rates as it gauges the extent of the damage that deepening trade conflicts are having on the domestic and global economies. The rate decision Wednesday kept the central bank's overnight rate at 1.75 per cent and followed a solid second-quarter rebound for the Canadian economy. The announcement came as other central banks around the world […]