The government requires a complete 180-degree turn in policy
By Jason Clemens Milagros Palacios and Niels Veldhuis The Fraser Institute In a recent interview, federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland explained the need to focus on economic growth to deal with many of Canada’s fiscal issues, including our high debt levels. Minister Freeland is correct that higher rates of economic growth would solve many of…
Government intervention in films and television is both expensive and unwarranted
The much-anticipated Island of Bryan (Season 3) started on HGTV a few weeks ago. The series follows well-known builder and entrepreneur Bryan Baeumler and his family as they try to rejuvenate an abandoned resort in the Bahamas. Baeumler is a successful TV personality from Ontario. And clearly, many Canadians enjoy his shows. But here’s the…
The pandemic has obviously changed many things in a relatively short period, including housing demand in municipalities across Canada. Consider the Greater Toronto Area, where the detached housing market is red hot while the market for smaller apartments and condos is not. But as apartment renters enjoy this new landscape of lower prices and more…
The province appeals to mining investors because it’s able to match its relatively strong endowment with competitive policies
By Jairo Yunis and Alex Whalen The Fraser Institute As Newfoundland and Labrador deals with the effects of COVID-19 and recession, good news economic stories appear to be in short supply. However, a recent survey of investors sheds light on the province’s mining potential. Mining plays an important role in the province’s economy and the…
COVID-19 has exacerbated the problem but it’s not the primary cause of our wait-time crisis
By Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua The Fraser Institute With a full year of life with COVID-19 behind us, and the hope of mass vaccination on the horizon, it’s time for policy-makers to refocus some of their attention on our other health-care crisis – long wait times for medical care. Although the number of patients…
Job losses and economic contraction will be substantial
By Alex Whalen and Elmira Aliakbari The Fraser Institute As the New Brunswick economy emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and recession, the federal government’s new plan to raise its carbon tax will have major economic consequences for the province. Under the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, the original plan was to raise the carbon…Governments need to start planning for the recovery and developing plans to put their finances in order
By Steve Lafleur and Jake Fuss The Fraser Institute As expected, every government budget in Canada this year has been covered in red ink. The pandemic has squeezed tax revenue while governments have boosted spending to combat the public health crisis and deep recession. But after a year of social distancing and with the rollout…
A new study’s calculations indicate particular hardship for the manufacturing sector based largely in southwestern Ontario
By Elmira Aliakbari and Jason Clemens The Fraser Institute As Ontarians in the southwestern region are well aware, the last 15 years have not been kind economically. In many ways, this part of the province never recovered from the 2008-09 recession. Now, the federal government’s plan to increase its carbon tax to $170 per tonne…To attract the investment required to develop resources, mitigating the risks of policy uncertainly needs to be a top priority
By Jairo Yunis and Elmira Aliakbari The Fraser Institute The COVID recession has hurt Canada’s natural resources sector, with supply disruptions, commodity price declines and greater uncertainty regarding future demand. Not surprisingly, capital investment in the Canadian mining industry has dropped to its lowest level since 2009. Of course, business investment should be a key…
Needs to start to unwind emergency spending implemented early in the pandemic
By Alex Whalen and Jake Fuss The Fraser Institute Now that the dust has settled on the Nova Scotia Liberal leadership race, new Premier Iain Rankin and provincial Finance Minister Labi Kousoulis will turn their attention to the upcoming 2021-22 provincial budget. Nova Scotia already faces a projected $779-million budget deficit for 2020 and a…