Ottawa’s anti-oil ideology will hit the economy hard

Ottawa’s anti-oil ideology will hit the economy hardRisks killing the golden goose while doing nothing for the environment A tonne is a tonne is a tonne. Whether emitted by an oilsands mine in Fort McMurray, an auto plant in Oshawa, or a private jet manufacturer in Montreal, a tonne of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere has the exact same effect on our…

Capping energy industry emissions is all pain, no gain

Capping energy industry emissions is all pain, no gainApplies only to oil and gas sector. Quebec aircraft manufacturers, Ontario auto plants get a free ride It’s hard to wrap one’s head around what $45 billion represents. It’s such a huge number that, for most of us, it essentially becomes meaningless. And yet, it’s about as much as our federal government spends in a…

Consumers will foot the bill for Trudeau’s digital services tax

Consumers will foot the bill for Trudeau’s digital services taxJust another way of increasing the taxpayer burden Earlier this year, the federal government announced its intention to add one more tax onto the pile already being paid by taxpayers, this one on digital services. This new tax would be a three per cent levy on the total revenues of companies in the online services…

Canada must begin to export green energy natural gas to Europe

Not to do so hurts us, our allies and the environment

Canada must begin to export green energy natural gas to EuropeGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz recently completed a trip to Canada to discuss, among other things, Europe importing Canadian natural gas. With the invasion of Ukraine, and the sanctions that followed, Germany, which imported 55 per cent of its natural gas from Russia in 2021, has had to reopen some coal plants and has started looking…

Softwood lumber dispute is bad for consumers and producers

The big losers from the tariff are, without a doubt, American consumers

Softwood lumber dispute is bad for consumers and producersBy Olivier Rancourt and Gabriel Giguere The Canadian softwood lumber dispute with the United States, which has been dragging on for some 40 years now, is long overdue for a resolution. Despite setbacks before WTO and NAFTA tribunals, accusations of subsidized production from American decision-makers and producers continue. The accusations have notably led to the…

With high inflation, capital gains are overtaxed even more

High inflation distorts the application of the capital gains taxes that many of us pay

With high inflation, capital gains are overtaxed even moreBy Valentin Petkantchin and Olivier Rancourt Montreal Economic Institute The 5.7 per cent year-on-year inflation Canada registered in February has not been seen since the early 1990s. Expansionary monetary policies and the economic sanctions accompanying the Russia-Ukraine war suggest that significant inflation is here for a while. High inflation not only erodes our purchasing power,…

Trudeau’s spending spree hitting Canadian families hard

The federal debt is now over $1.26 trillion!

Trudeau’s spending spree hitting Canadian families hardBy Gabriele Giguère and Olivier Rancourt Montreal Economic Institute The Bank of Canada’s decision to increase the policy interest rate by 0.5 percentage points, up to one per cent, was necessary in the current context. The soaring inflation that is hitting the Canadian economy full force, reaching 5.7 per cent in February, must be reined…

To fight inflation, bank rate hike must happen in March

It’s time to tackle the inflation that is undermining our living standards

To fight inflation, bank rate hike must happen in MarchBy Miguel Ouellette and Olivier Rancourt Montreal Economic Institute Despite the recommendations of many economists to raise the target for the overnight rate, the Bank of Canada has decided to maintain the status quo – at least for now. Like these experts, we believe that the central bank must begin gradually raising rates at its…

How to reduce our emissions without penalizing rural regions

Policies should be fair for all Canadians, regardless of where they happen to live

How to reduce our emissions without penalizing rural regionsBy Miguel Ouellette Olivier Rancourt and Krystle Wittevrongel Montreal Economic Institute Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions is one of the big concerns of our age. The numerous diverging interests pitted against each other on this issue make it a real puzzler for policy-makers, though. After many years of public policies aimed at reducing GHGs, layered…

Consumers will pay for fed’s crusade against tech companies

Stop punishing consumers for the choices they make because simply they fail to conform to yours

Consumers will pay for fed’s crusade against tech companiesFor the past several months, the Trudeau government has been on a crusade against the so-called GAFA companies (Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon). Different government departments have stated that these tech giants are not paying their “fair share” in Canadian taxes and use news content without compensation. They are looking to the European GAFA tax…