Archive for the ‘Governance’ Category
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Scheer is wrong to turn back the clock on Senate reform
Thursday, October 3rd, 2019
Scheer apparently prefers straight-up political patronage and says he’ll appoint Conservative senators “who would help implement a Conservative vision for Canada.” No sober second thought there. Just rubber-stamping and, no doubt, more of the embarrassing antics that long made the Senate one of the most reviled institutions in Canada.
Tags: ideology, jurisdiction, Senate
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Don’t Fret over Deficits and Debt
Thursday, September 26th, 2019
In 2017-18, federal program spending was 14.5% of GDP—an increase of 1.6 percentage points from 2015, but still shy of postwar levels — and slated to fall to 13.8% by 2023-24. On the other side of the ledger, federal revenues are also near all-time lows relative to GDP. Revenues as a share of GDP, at 14.5%, are two percentage points lower than the 50-year average of 16.4%, representing an annual loss of more than $40 billion.
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, jurisdiction, standard of living, tax
Posted in Governance Policy Context | No Comments »
The major federal parties are promising a stampede of tax giveaways, with no policy plan
Wednesday, September 25th, 2019
… Canada is operating with an antiquated tax system that was devised in the 1960s and implemented (decidedly imperfectly) in the early 1970s. It was built for a Canadian economy that isn’t even recognizable any more, in a global economic landscape that is utterly transformed… It needs a massive rebuild… rethought from the bottom up, if it is to be a catalyst for Canadian competitiveness this century rather than an impediment.
Tags: budget, economy, tax
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How do you tell a Conservative from a Liberal? Ask an economist
Friday, September 20th, 2019
Where once the party stood for bold, broad tax reform, it now confines itself to a clutch of micro-targeted “boutique” tax credits, such as for children’s fitness or transit passes: spending programs by another name, of precisely the sort of busy-bodying, social-engineering bent that Conservatives used to disdain, and not very effective even at that.
Tags: economy, ideology
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The debt, the deficit – and other things this election isn’t about
Thursday, September 19th, 2019
Canada has the lowest debt burden in the Group of Seven. The weight of federal debt is not heavy and increasing; it’s light and shrinking…. Relative to a $2.3-trillion economy, deficits of roughly $20-billion or less are small enough that the federal debt-to-GDP ratio will continue to steadily fall… Ottawa’s tax take today is smaller than at any other time in recent history…
Tags: budget, economy, featured, ideology, standard of living, tax
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Will the Liberals’ Broken Electoral Reform Promise Hurt Them?
Monday, September 16th, 2019
It was a “loud minority” who wanted electoral reform… Liberals are unlikely to revisit the issue and remind Canadian voters of that reversal. “The problem with electoral reform for the Liberals is that there is really no reward for doing it,” Bricker said. “What it does is promote opportunities for parties like the Greens and the NDP to do better.”
Tags: ideology, participation
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Make no mistake: elections do make a difference
Saturday, September 14th, 2019
… four big areas: Technology and the nature of work… Achieving some kind of stability amid the storm requires innovative approaches to education, training and social programs / Sharing the benefits of prosperity… individuals, indeed entire sectors of the new economy, aren’t paying their share / … alliances… As a trading nation, that’s of vital concern to Canada. Jobs are at stake. / Climate change and energy…
Tags: economy, featured, ideology, participation, standard of living
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To succeed in Ontario, leaders must understand we are Red Tories at heart
Friday, September 13th, 2019
In general, Ontarians are wary of abrupt change. They tend to value competent management over ideology. They usually see balance as a virtue. This is the Tory side of Red Tory-ism. But voters in Canada’s largest province are also willing to use the state to achieve social goals… In 1969, pressure from voters ultimately forced a recalcitrant Ontario government to sign onto Canada’s national, public medicare program. That is the Red side.
Tags: economy, ideology, standard of living, tax
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PC MPP who referees Ontario’s legislature wants to see better behaviour
Tuesday, September 10th, 2019
Speaker Ted Arnott singles out “repeated and contrived standing ovations” in the legislature’s daily question period, noting they “do not lead us to a higher standard of parliamentary decorum.” … “No question is enhanced by a gratuitous personal insult, and no response is elevated by the dismissive avoidance of a legitimate issue raised…
Tags: jurisdiction, participation
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Want to know which political parties are targeting you on Facebook?
Tuesday, September 10th, 2019
If you are on Facebook… chances are you’ve already given some thought to why certain ads are appearing in your newsfeed… Who Targets Me… [is] an Internet-based effort to help voters see which political parties are trying to catch their interest on Facebook… you’ll be able to learn whether you’ve been targeted because of your age, gender, your geography or maybe even your interests.
Tags: featured, ideology, participation
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