Archive for the ‘Policy Context’ Category
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The Comeau decision is a ‘big deal,’ as it could lead to free trade in all of Canada
… our Constitution actually means exactly what it says… courts have been following the precedent of a politically tainted, wrongly decided Supreme Court decision from the prohibition era called Gold Seal, which interpreted the constitutional provision protecting interprovincial free trade with an absurd narrowness… “section 121 of the Constitution Act, 1867 has not fallen into desuetude,” the court wrote. “Its disuse or neglect has arisen as a result of an unfounded judicial interpretation which effects have continued for nearly a century.”
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living
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How Ontario smothers businesses with bureaucratic love
… the province had no idea how much it was spending, where or on what… too much in tax credits rather than cash and too much for big, established firms… The practical effect of spending billions of dollars encouraging innovation is to employ several thousand officials to patrol the economy… Maybe if government increased the return to successful innovation… by limiting its confiscation of the fruits of that innovation to a fifth or a tenth rather than a half…
Tags: economy, ideology, privatization, standard of living, tax
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Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz says Canada should reject TPP
Nobel-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz says Canada should reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal because it is a flawed trade agreement that benefits big business at the expense of working people… Stiglitz said the deal would cost Canada jobs and weaken the government’s ability to make regulations, including those meant to protect the environment.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, rights, standard of living
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A stunning $7,500 per household is the annual cost of unfree provincial trade
Roughly $165 billion of goods and nearly $200 billion of services are traded within Canada, between provinces — that’s roughly one-fifth of Canada’s economy. Big as these flows are, they could be larger.
A myriad of costly trade barriers gets in the way. Different regulatory standards, certifications, inspections, and other non-tariff impediments make interprovincial trade more costly than necessary… These trade barriers aren’t mere nuisances. They do significant damage to our economy.
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living
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Myth of Canadian complacency has permeated our highest echelons
… pundits have used cultural theories to explain Canada’s poor record of ideas commercialization, even while acknowledging that there is no hard data to support such assertions… Canada ranks near the top for ambition and for public investment in R&D. Yet, we’re at the bottom of the rankings in tangible business creation and scaling from startup phase to high-growth phase and ultimately to large enterprises.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, standard of living
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Court victory for Ontario couple sets new precedent for precarious workers
The pair went on to spend three decades working together for a Toronto-area furniture company renovating kitchens. When the business closed in 2009, the Keenans were abruptly let go, with no notice or severance. The reason: their company had classified them as “independent contractors,” a category with no protection under Ontario’s employment laws.
Tags: crime prevention, economy, participation, pensions, rights, standard of living
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Big Pharma’s lesson on the perils of private-sector research
The core problem remains weak R&D in the Canadian private sector. The public sector, by OECD standards, is generous. So is university funding for research… But the private sector remains way behind businesses in, for example, Scandinavian countries, the United States, Israel, Japan and South Korea… R&D rose in countries with lower drug prices than Canada, the United States being the exception… Canada has among the highest drug prices in the world… but the country is losing its share of pharmaceutical R&D.
Tags: economy, globalization, pharmaceutical, standard of living
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Amid avalanche of lost jobs, confusion reigns about EI eligibility
Claims that cutbacks to EI are eroding the safety net for workers who pay into the program are mostly untrue. The program is working reasonably well for those it aims to cover. Nonetheless, improvements can and should be made for certain pockets of workers… The existence of a large proportion of unemployed Canadians without benefits doesn’t mean that EI is broken. Instead, it implies that a sizable share of today’s labour force cannot be served by an insurance-like program.
Tags: economy, ideology, participation, standard of living
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EU quietly asks Canada to rework trade deal’s thorny investment clause
The investor-to-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism Canada negotiated on CETA was consistent with other deals… But critics point to how expensive things can get for taxpayers when corporations sue governments for interfering with trade. Americans have proven particularly skilled at winning, or dragging out, these disputes. And that’s the problem… Anti-American suspicions have fuelled an anti-trade movement… in key countries like Germany and France.
Tags: economy, featured, globalization, ideology, privatization, rights
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Doctors, lawyers concerned about small-business tax changes
… to ensure “Canadian-Controlled Private Corporation (CCPC) status is not used to reduce personal income tax obligations for high-income earners.” … the Liberals could reduce or eliminate the small-business tax deduction for these businesses and could also eliminate the ability to split income through dividend-paying shares issued to spouses and adult offspring. For CCPCs that currently use these tax breaks, the changes could be significant.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, privatization, tax
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