Archive for the ‘Policy Context’ Category
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Canada must reorient its immigration system for the 21st-century economy
Saturday, December 26th, 2020
If Canadian companies and postsecondary institutions are going to get the talent required to expand the Canadian economy, the government must shift to an aggressive, co-recruitment model of top talent globally… Our immigration officials will have to be less application processors and more head-hunters for the entrepreneurs, engineers, researchers, finance professionals, marketers, salespeople and other strategic vocations required to fuel Canada’s economy and vibrant society for generations to come.
Tags: economy, globalization, immigration, standard of living
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Ottawa has its hands all over the economy — and that’s just fine with business leaders
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2020
“The concept is to bring a strong portfolio of public investments and private investment in a kind of renewed partnership between government, Canadian companies and pension funds and financial institutions in Canada to fully position our leadership in the world, (in areas) where we think Canada as a middle-sized country could make a difference”… they should have a strategy that pushes companies to be more competitive in the areas we are already good at.
Tags: budget, economy, globalization, ideology
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The die has been cast on Canada’s carbon tax. Now we just need the courage to implement it across the country
Wednesday, December 16th, 2020
… there are those who claim that our carbon-pricing policy is unfair, imposing higher costs on some… but Canada’s carbon pricing policy is obsessed with equity. It is revenue-neutral on a national basis, meaning that each province receives precisely the amount that carbon taxes would collect. It includes support mechanisms for the most vulnerable. And the carbon tax rebates received by most Canadians will exceed the carbon tax they pay. Only high polluters will be net losers
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living, tax
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Justin Trudeau goes all in on the carbon tax. It’s the right thing – for the environment, and the economy
Monday, December 14th, 2020
The aim is for people to do such a good job of reducing emissions, and thereby avoiding the tax, that revenues eventually spiral to zero. The carbon tax’s goal is its own obsolescence… Among economists, putting a price on carbon is generally seen as the most efficient way to push people and businesses to use less carbon… In taking the 2030 climate goals seriously, and choosing carbon pricing to achieve them, Ottawa is making the right move, rather than the easy move.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, jurisdiction, tax
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Want to tackle COVID-19 in low-income neighbourhoods? Let’s start with paid sick leave
Saturday, December 12th, 2020
… taking a day here to get tested or a couple days there to self-isolate eats up half the two-week entitlement… Plus, the benefit does not always offer enough money to make up for lost wages… But tweaks won’t do much about the power relationship between boss and employee. That fix can only come through provincial governments enshrining stronger worker protections and employer-paid sick leave into law…
Tags: economy, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, rights, standard of living
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How to Take on the Tech Barons
Sunday, November 8th, 2020
The pandemic has laid bare both the promise of technology — softening the blow of months at home — and its rougher edges, which include the consolidation of power and ever-greater personal data collection… to confront, among other things, the exposed gaps in the nation’s broadband network; the urgent need for broad online privacy protections; the rollout of 5G; growing consumer resentment of technologists; and the pitfalls of nascent technologies like self-driving cars, artificial intelligence and facial recognition.
Tags: economy, globalization, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization, rights
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Forget a guaranteed basic income. There’s a better way to make sure Canadians have enough money after COVID-19
Saturday, September 19th, 2020
We already have many well-entrenched programs serving many parts of the population quite well… To replace many of them with a single cheque would not only be legally difficult, but would also give the federal government a blunt instrument to deal with the complex and ever-changing problems of poverty, low income and inequality… It’s become painfully obvious that ensuring that there are enough affordable, high-quality child-care spaces is essential for a recovery.
Tags: child care, economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, participation
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The ‘supply crisis’ in Canada’s housing market isn’t backed up by the evidence
Sunday, September 13th, 2020
… Common complaints include a lack of new housing, burdensome regulation and flawed zoning… The vested interests behind the narrative are relentless, since there are billions in profit to be had. Why let pesky facts get in the way? … housing affordability will suffer to the extent that policy makers either buy into the misdirection, or use the narrative to deflect public pressure to take substantive action.
Tags: economy, housing, ideology
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Why do Canada’s wealthiest families get huge tax breaks?
Monday, August 24th, 2020
If you’re a billionaire looking to pass on your fortune tax-free to your kids, Canada is a great place to do it… Canada is the only G7 country that doesn’t have an estate tax… Of course, the absence of an inheritance tax is only one of several avenues that the elite have at their disposal to lighten their tax burden. The capital gains tax is another. And its distributional impact is huge… But change is in the air
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, standard of living
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Canadians risk becoming addicted to pandemic aid
Thursday, August 20th, 2020
We have remortgaged the house to get through the pandemic, as we should, but now we must pay for it, otherwise we are creating intergenerational inequity by effectively taxing future generations for today’s crisis. The way to address this particular moral hazard is a clear and credible economic and fiscal plan.
Tags: budget, economy, ideology, standard of living, youth
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