Jul 12 2019 — Behind The Numbers — The extraordinary surge in popular support for expanding public health care, a “Green New Deal” and other progressive policies demonstrates a powerful public appetite for meaningful social change. Decades of neoliberal austerity and “the market made me do it” politics, which boosted inequality in most countries, have also created pent-up demand to change the rules […]
Jul 11 2019 — In February 2018, the Liberal government in Canada announced it would be releasing in the future a new legislative framework for recognizing Indigenous rights and title, with a heavy emphasis on Indigenous self-governance.
Jul 6 2019 — Macdonald-Laurier Institute — In MLI’s latest Quarterly Economic Report, Munk Senior Fellow Philip Cross points to the serious structural problems hampering the Canadian economy. With deficit-fuelled spending running amok and continued weakness in investment and exports, Cross argues that the economy’s slow growth was entirely predicable. “The stall in the Canadian economy over the last six months was […]
Jul 4 2019 — Policy Options — “You’ll miss birthdays, you’ll miss anniversaries and graduations,” Jason Kenney warned his team when he addressed the United Conservative Party caucus after their election win in Alberta. Outgoing NDP Speaker Bob Wanner added hockey games to that list during an orientation for new MLAs before going on to inform the group they would have “an […]
Jun 24 2019 — Anindya Sen — CD Howe Institute — Bill 115 has been passed by the Ontario legislature, and with it, the current government has embarked on the path of a truly competitive retail alcohol market in the province. With respect to beer, this reform should lead to availability at more grocery stores with enhanced choice in pack sizes. Convenience stores will also be […]
Jun 21 2019 — Jakob Edler — IRPP — Canada faces a triple innovation challenge: decreasing productivity growth, a growing gap in R&D investments and a need to harness innovation more directly for the good of society. Those challenges cannot be tackled if the country remains in its supply-side policy silo. Decades of government-led attempts to promote productivity and innovation through measures like R&D […]
Jun 21 2019 — Canada 2020 — To all Canadians – Of the more than 300 first ministers in our country’s history, only 12 have been women We are these women. More than half of Canadians are women and girls, but women, in all their diversity, continue to be underrepresented in every level of politics. This is especially true in our most […]
Jun 21 2019 — Kathryn Folkl — Nature Conservancy of Canada — As summer emerges Canadians are enjoying nicer weather and the sights and sounds that nature brings us. But bird songs, once a familiar sound, are become increasingly faint whether at the local park or in our own backyard. The 2019 State of Canada’s Birds Report has been issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada on […]
Jun 18 2019 — Broadbent Institute — Every Google search, credit card purchase, social media interaction, and doctor’s visit leave traces of information about you, where you’ve been, who you’ve interacted with, and what you like. What’s more, advertisers, data brokers, and government agencies can collect and analyze the digital breadcrumbs you leave behind as you go about your day. Welcome to […]
Jun 17 2019 — Policy Options — In the spring of 2018, Rukmini Callimachi, a national security reporter with The New York Times, published a podcast series titled “Caliphate. ” Canadian listeners were shocked to hear the voice of a young man named Abu Huzaifa (his nom de guerre) admit to Callimachi that he had carried out executions as a member of […]
Jun 13 2019 — Behind The Numbers — The urgency of the global climate crisis could not be more obvious than in India right now, where a 50ºC heatwave is causing “heavy casualties” both directly through heat-related deaths and indirectly through water and food shortages. Canadians have been spared that kind of heat so far, but it’s little consolation to the Albertan communities […]
Jun 12 2019 — Rosalie Wyonch — CD Howe Institute — One option for achieving universal prescription drug insurance coverage would see each province include drugs alongside doctors and hospital bills in the existing medicare system. In my new C.D. Howe Institute paper, I evaluate various options for implementing universal pharmacare to estimate the additional cost of providing drug coverage for people with no insurance. Across […]
May 27 2019 — Jake Fuss and Milagros Palacios — Fraser Institute — Throughout its mandate, rather than acting to reduce the federal budget deficit, the Trudeau government has made “investments” in the form of more and more spending. Of course, this plan relies on a wave of good fortune, with positive economic growth and higher-than-expected revenues each year, to finance the government’s proclivity for spending. However, recent […]
May 24 2019 — Behind The Numbers — Regulation. It’s not something many of us have time to think about. Most people are busy working, keeping the household running smoothly and generally living their lives. When we do think about how things are regulated, it’s usually after something terrible has happened: planes drop out of the sky, killing hundreds of people; a food […]
May 23 2019 — Macdonald-Laurier Institute — Despite the successful negotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) last year and a recent deal on eliminating steel and aluminum tariffs, the ratification of the USMCA remains anything but certain. Vocal critics have declared that Canada gave away too much on intellectual property (IP) in negotiations with the US and Mexico. They claim the […]