Sep 18 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — One of the best things about the federal election campaign so far has been the Parliamentary Budget Officer and his independent costing of election promises. A rigorous accounting of the onslaught of political promises during an election campaign allows voters to understand not simply their benefits but also their costs. That’s why Yves Giroux has […]
Sep 8 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — Justin Trudeau couldn’t ask for a better economic backdrop to launch his campaign for re-election. Employment numbers on Friday showed a hiring frenzy — again — in August. Employers filled 81,000 new positions in just one month, and more than 300,000 so far this year, more than 470,000 in the past 12 months. The unemployment […]
Aug 20 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — There’s a short but jarring paragraph in Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion’s report last week on what went wrong in the SNC-Lavalin controversy. When the commissioner asked Finance Minister Bill Morneau what kind of analyses his department had done on the economic damage that could flow from SNC-Lavalin having to go to trial, Morneau replied that […]
Jul 26 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — If there were ever a time to deploy fiscal and political power against racism in Canada, it’s right now. U.S. President Donald Trump and the new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson have set a new standard for the scope of political conversation that echoes around the world, including here. With their openly racist comments sending […]
Jul 25 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — Both the federal Liberals and Conservatives circled July 18 in their calendars to celebrate key moments in tax policy. For the Conservatives, it was the second anniversary of Justin Trudeau’s Attack on Small Business. Finance critic Pierre Poilievre held court in a family-run Italian deli and warned of Liberal tax hikes to come. Not to […]
Jul 19 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — There’s no doubt the list of Liberal pre-election spending announcements that the Conservatives are tallying up involves somewhat spurious math. Even they will admit that. They’ve lumped together this week’s $22 million for an urban climate centre in Edmonton with $2.2 million for high-speed internet access in Eastern Ontario and many, many more announcements that […]
Jul 11 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — It’s Christmas in July again — a joyous event that seems to come around every four years before federal election campaigns, when money and ribbon-cutting flow as freely as rum and eggnog in December. Federal ministers are fanning out across the country on official business, handing out a few million dollars for daycare here, a […]
Jul 9 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — In his zeal to define all taxes as bad and appeal to the populist he knows is residing in all of us, Andrew Scheer has boxed himself in on climate change. We are all well acquainted with the Conservative leader’s loud and active opposition to a federally imposed carbon tax. He and his MPs repeat […]
Jul 5 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — National consensus on the urgent need for Canadians to do something about climate change? Check. Political consensus that the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions is a goal worth shooting for? Check. Court decisions confirming the federal government has ample scope to act decisively? Check. Growing realization that electrification on a grand scale is our best […]
Jun 7 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — It’s undeniable. New numbers published Friday show Canada’s labour market is delivering new jobs, better wages and opportunity in every demographic. Here’s some even better news: immigrants — recent and long-settled both — are a central part of the labour-market strength in Canada, a trend that points to receptive employers, adaptable skill sets among workers […]
Jun 2 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — If there was ever any doubt that the federal Liberals wanted to use their feminism as a political weapon, it will be put to rest this week. About 9,000 activists and community organizers from around the world attending the Women Deliver summit in Vancouver this week will be the backdrop for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau […]
May 31 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — A second visit from the White House, a second flipping of the bird to Canada on the way out. Almost a year ago, Donald Trump was in a room with Justin Trudeau and the other leaders at the G7 summit in Charlevoix, Que., making nice with the free-traders around the table only to then disown […]
May 28 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — A cynic would say a modern-day populist embraces disruption for disruption’s sake. It’s a way to keep anti-establishment supporters motivated and everyone else constantly off kilter. On fiscal policy, Ontario Premier Doug Ford fits the bill. Since the rollout of his first budget, his government has been bathing in disruption, facing outcry from constituency after […]
May 23 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — Two years ago now, Andrew Scheer spent the final days of his campaign to lead the Conservative party brandishing his credentials as a fiscal and social conservative. He would balance the budget quickly, within two years. He would give parents a tax writeoff if they send their children to private schools or do home schooling. […]
May 21 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — Within a couple of hours of Andrew Scheer delivering a key speech on economic policy last week, Finance Minister Bill Morneau popped up on Twitter and Facebook with a highly scripted critique of the plan — complete with the requisite students forming a human backdrop behind him. An ad by any other name, the two-minute […]