In just 12 years, the province’s net financial position will have deteriorated by a staggering $80 billion
By Ben Eisen and Charles Lammam The Fraser Institute What a difference a decade makes. In 2007-08, Alberta had a balanced budget and was the only province whose financial assets exceeded its debts. In fact, the province’s net financial position (after adjusting for debt) stood at $35 billion – a nest egg to benefit future…
A rule requiring payments to grow – no matter what the circumstances – can only exacerbate regional friction
By Ben Eisen and Joel Emes The Fraser Institute The relative economic strength of Canada’s provinces has shifted in recent years, as former powerhouses struggle while former laggards improve. The nation’s equalization program is not equipped to respond fairly to these developments. In the past two fiscal years, Quebec has collected more revenue from natural…
Government debt has grown much faster than the economy in recent years, and little change is expected over the next several years
By Ben Eisen and Charles Lammam The Fraser Institute The Ontario government’s determination to keep adding new debt suggests it simply isn’t serious about getting the crucial debt-to-GDP ratio down any time soon. That’s bad news for taxpayers. The government has repeatedly stated the importance of bringing down the province’s debt-to-GDP (gross domestic product) ratio,…
B.C. students lead Canada in student performance in several areas while keeping per-student costs in public schools among the lowest in the country
By Ben Eisen and Angela MacLeod The Fraser Institute Are British Columbia's schools really “starved” for resources? After a close election and lengthy period of uncertainty, New Democratic Leader John Horgan and his cabinet have been sworn into office. Former NDP leader Carole James is the province’s new finance minister and former education critic Rob Fleming…
The burden foisted on future generations of Albertans is staggering. By 2019-20, Alberta’s net government debt is expected to reach $45.2 billion
By Ben Eisen and Steve Lafleur The Fraser Institute Big debt accumulation is becoming the new normal in Alberta – a province that could once boast of being debt free. It’s a significant problem that apparently will get worse before it gets better. The Alberta government recently published its annual report on the state of…
The Liberals won’t commit to a specific timeline to balance the books even though the deficit this year is expected to reach $28.5 billion
By Charles Lammam and Ben Eisen The Fraser Institute On the campaign trail in 2015, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals promised to hold federal deficits to $10 billion or less during their first few years in office before returning to a balanced budget in 2019-20. Unfortunately, that’s not how things turned out. The Liberal government’s deficit this year is…
What would Canada’s economy and public finances look like without Alberta? It wouldn't be pretty
By Ben Eisen and Steve Lafleur The Fraser Institute During his Canada Day speech, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accidentally caused a stir by forgetting to mention Alberta when listing all of Canada’s provinces and territories. It was surely an oversight rather than intentional and the prime minister immediately apologized. Nevertheless, his slip provokes an interesting…
Goals imposed by Ottawa rob provinces of the flexibility to adjust policy. And the feds could add conditions over time, using funds as leverage
By Charles Lammam, Hugh MacIntyre and Ben Eisen The Fraser Institute A recent federal announcement to work on a national framework for early learning and child care marks a worrisome evolution in policy in Canada. Daycare policy has been the domain of the provinces but the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wants to get involved –…
Greater federal involvement could fundamentally reshape our decentralized approach to education policy, lead to policy homogeneity and hurt student performance
By Ben Eisen and Angela MacLeod The Fraser Institute Now that Andrew Scheer is leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, there’s heightened interest in his policy ideas, including his plan to provide tax deductions of up to $4,000 per student for families with children in independent schools. Although Scheer is correct to spotlight the burden that…
Canadian evidence consistently shows minimum wage hikes result in fewer job opportunities for inexperienced and low-skilled workers
By Charles Lammam, Hugh MacIntyre and Ben Eisen The Fraser Institute The Ontario government recently proposed a series of changes to provincial labour laws, including a significant hike of the minimum wage to $15 per hour. But the proposed changes will hurt the vulnerable workers they’re meant to help. The proposal would increase the minimum wage from its current rate of…