October 2014

The Conservatives Propose Family Policy for a Bygone Age

The Harper government’s tax package released Thursday is a throwback to the family policies of a bygone era. It turns its back on the pressing need for affordable, high quality child care; introduces a new tax measure which will mainly benefit traditional families with a stay at home spouse; and brings back the old family allowance in a modified form.

The government’s token response to calls for a national child care program is to modestly increase the Child Care Expense Deduction – representing a tiny fraction ($395 million) of the government’s package exceeding $26 billion. This...

The problem with patient-pay private health clinics

This past week, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall took to Twitter to ask the question: “Is it time to allow people to pay for their own private MRIs in Saskatchewan like they can do in Alberta?” This came after a radio show in which he’d received a call from a patient who’s been waiting three months for an MRI  one of many Saskatchewan patients who are,...

Fossil fuel incumbents and the case for green subsidies

If it is to transition to a green economy, Canada must end the continued subsidization of fossil fuels. These subsidies come at the expense of the public purse and favour the development of carbon-intensive energy options over cleaner, low-carbon options such as wind, solar and biomass more deserving of public funds.

major international study recently concluded that globally, governments spend over $600 billion per year in direct and indirect subsidies to the...