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 […]
May 17 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — Heavy on symbolism, light on detail. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer left Parliament Hill on Thursday for Toronto’s financial district to roll out his proposals for Canada’s economy, the second in a series of policy speeches meant to define his campaign to become the next prime minister. He evoked the memory of gold magnate Peter Munk, […]
May 2 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — In what world does inciting a national unity crisis enhance investor certainty? Alberta Premier Jason Kenney was true to form on Thursday, landing in Ottawa and delivering a glibly logical list of reasons why the federal Liberals’ bill to change the way natural resource projects are approved is just all wrong.
Apr 26 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — The fresh batch of federal fiscal numbers that popped up Friday reaffirmed what Ottawa has been seeing through much of 2018: a generous flow of tax revenue to finance government announcements that don’t exacerbate the deficit. February saw a fiscal-year-to-date surplus of $3.1-billion, propelled by an 8.6 per cent increase in tax revenue compared to […]
Apr 23 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — It was bold and controversial at the time, and remains so today. Critics were quick to pounce when the federal Liberals presented their big and expensive tax-and-transfer package of the 2015 election campaign as an experimental remedy to income inequality and the populism it often spawns, They said the tax elements of the package — […]
Apr 16 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — A month ago, tens of thousands of Quebec students inspired by a Swedish teenage activist abruptly left their schools and spilled into city streets across the province to demand action on climate change and place blame on their parents’ generation for neglect. It’s not just students on a tear.
Apr 14 2019 — Heather Scoffield — Toronto Star — There’s a new assessment of how well-prepared Canada’s economy is for a fast-changing world of technology-driven work and business, and as these reports tend to go, it ain’t pretty. Canadian workers aren’t properly trained, we’re not having enough babies to supply a robust workforce, and if our entrepreneurs find a way to embrace technology, they […]