Liberal government faces tough fiscal choices in implementing progressive agenda
The briefing books being prepared for Prime Minister-designate Trudeau and his new Cabinet are likely warning of tough fiscal choices ahead. It will be very hard for the incoming government...
Wage suppression and the Federal Balanced Budget Act
In the October 2013 Speech for the Throne, the Canadian government announced it would introduce balanced-budget legislation. At the time this vague proposal attracted little interest from anyone, although a...
Want employment and wage growth? It’s skills stupid!
The recent election was full of varying promises to increase growth rates and employment levels. Few of these promises, however, addressed a critical weakness in our ability to compete in...
Time for a new government to deliver progressive change
After nearly 10 years of a Conservative government in Ottawa, the majority of Canadians voted for change on Monday. Now, after this long decade, the country can turn its mind...
The Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Next Canadian Economy
Economists have a strong predisposition towards trade liberalization, which is held to increase efficiency and boost productivity through greater specialization in those sectors in which we hold a comparative advantage....
The TPP: A secret deal that binds the hands that heal
Picture this: a patient returns to the office for a follow-up visit with their physician. When asked how the prescribed treatment is working out, they answer: “I don’t know, I...
Supply management and the folly of the TPP
The recent conclusion of the Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations between Canada and eleven other countries has resulted in the usual chorus of condemnation by right wing economists of Canada’s system...
Serious climate action requires emission reduction targets
Justin Trudeau has announced that the Liberals “won’t set a specific emissions target” for greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change. His reasoning is that, “what we need is not ambitious...
Government investment can reverse Canada's business innovation deficit
There has been a lot of talk during the federal election campaign about how to create more good, “middle-class” jobs. But there has been only limited recognition of the need...
Canada's childcare debate through Finnish eyes
As an early childhood researcher newly arrived from Finland, the current Canadian debate about universal childcare has been somewhat baffling. In Finland, universal early childhood education and childcare (ECEC) means...
