Think Tanks

Jan 18 2021 — Zach Paikin — The Institute for Peace & Diplomacy — In recent years, the core foundations underpinning Canada’s foreign policy have shifted from being coherent to contradictory. As Joe Biden enters the Oval Office, Ottawa’s principal task will be to bring its foreign policy in line with a new international context shaped by great power competition. However, the imperative for Canada over the coming years […]

Jan 16 2021 — Steve Lafleur and Jake Fuss — Fraser Institute — With the resignation of Rod Phillips, Ontario’s incoming finance minister Peter Bethlenfalvy inherits a difficult job. The province’s fiscal challenges long pre-date the global pandemic. Queen’s Park has mostly run uninterrupted budget deficits since 2008/09. Both the McGuinty and Wynne governments sketched out long paths to budget balance, neither of which came to pass. The […]

Jan 13 2021 — Robert Asselin — CD Howe Institute — You are taking on your new role at a challenging time. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing a brighter economic future for all Canadians will require a long-term plan and strategic investments in our productive capacity. Greater productivity drives economic growth, business investment and employment, which in turn will generate higher living standards, more […]

Dec 23 2020 — Bacchus Barua and Mackenzie Moir — Fraser Institute — As we continue our battle against COVID-19, another separate health-care crisis rages on. Wait times. Patients in Canada face the longest wait time for elective surgery on record—22.6 weeks (between referral from a family doctor to receipt of medically necessary treatment). Of course, the pandemic and the pre-emptive cancellations of procedures have influenced this historic […]

Dec 18 2020 — Ben Eisen and Alex Whalen — Fraser Institute — When many people think about threats to free and open trade to Canada, they immediately consider the protectionist outlook of outgoing President Donald Trump. In 2020, another obstacle to the free movement of products and people across boundaries has been the COVID-19 pandemic. However, even if the United States does adopt a more trade-friendly approach […]

Jan 1 2021 — Dan Kraus — National Newswatch — A year ago, there was much anticipation in the conservation community that 2020 would perhaps be the most important year ever for nature. Canada’s Nature Fund promised to accelerate the conservation of our wild spaces and species. There was a buzz about the new global initiatives to be shared at the International Union for Conservation […]

Dec 7 2020 — Foreign Affairs — When Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, I was full of hope for China. As a professor at the prestigious school that educates top leaders in the Chinese Communist Party, I knew enough about history to conclude that it was past time for China to open up its political system. After a decade of […]

Dec 5 2020 — Jason Clemens and Milagros Palacios — Fraser Institute — Since its election, the Trudeau government has consistently demonstrated its disinterest in targeting spending to those in need and limiting debt accumulation. Despite expected deficits of $381.6 billion this year and $121.2 billion next year, and the national debt (adjusted for financial assets) on track to reach $1.5 trillion by 2025-26, the federal government announced […]

Dec 3 2020 — Jason Clemens and Jake Fuss — Fraser Institute — Since coming to power in 2015, Prime Minister Trudeau—and his finance ministers—have characterized their management of federal finances as “prudent,” an adjective meaning to act with or show care and thought for the future. In other words, acting prudently would mean being judicious about borrowing and debt. And yet, based on this government’s performance pre-COVID, […]

Nov 29 2020 — Jason Clemens and Jake Fuss — According to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, next week the Trudeau government will provide an “update” on its 2020 spending. But in fact, the government has not delivered a full federal budget since March 2019, more than 20 months ago, demonstrating little regard for democratic accountability. The democratic tradition calls for annual budgets with the government […]

Nov 26 2020 — Public Policy Forum — With a Canadian workforce of 50,000, Bell Canada is a major player in Canada’s telecom industry and the cornerstone of so many of our work-from-home setups during the pandemic. President & CEO Mirko Bibic is at the helm of this historic company, and he joins Policy Speaking to discuss what’s on the horizon with key […]

Nov 21 2020 — Jake Fuss and Alex Whalen — Fraser Institute — Due to the pandemic and economic downturn—and subsequent increased government spending, shrinking economy and lower projected government revenues—the Higgs government in New Brunswick, like other provinces across Canada, faces a large budget deficit and rising provincial debt. More important than this year’s deficit, however, are the long-term fiscal challenges looming over the province. The Parliamentary […]

Nov 13 2020 — Public Policy Forum — Nixon conceded to John Kennedy. Al Gore conceded to George W. Bush. Will Trump concede to Biden? Anxieties are increasing as a transition becomes increasingly contentious and politicized. Host Edward Greenspon is joined by Maryscott “Scotty” Greenwood and PPF Fellow Sean Speer to discuss how the Democrats and Republicans did, the polarization of this U.S. […]

Nov 13 2020 — Dan Kraus — Nature Conservancy of Canada — Canada has been losing and saving species for a long time. Since European settlement, over 100 species have been lost here. These include plants and animals that are extinct and extirpated and species that are considered historic (no one has seen them in Canada for a long time). The number of lost species varies between […]

Nov 12 2020 — Tegan Hill and Ben Eisen — Fraser Institute — The Kenney government will release a three-year fiscal update later this month, and will be tempted to blame Alberta’s fiscal challenges on COVID-19. While the COVID-induced recession has certainly contributed to the province’s eye-popping budget deficit—projected to be $24.2 billion (2020/21)—and rapid debt accumulation, it represents a relatively small part of Alberta’s fiscal problems. In […]