Canada’s governments must apply the lessons of COVID-19 to create a more gender-just future International Women’s Day, March 8th, is the annual commemoration that invites Canadians to take stock of the progress made toward gender equality in our country and beyond. But in 2023, more than three years after the COVID-19 crisis was declared, this…
MAiD is changing our health system to one designed to bury us at the lowest possible cost Decriminalizing “Medical Assistance in Dying” (MAiD) in 2016 apparently confirmed a powerful social bias in favour of personal freedom. Presented as a free choice – affecting no one else – euthanasia seemed acceptable to most Canadians. However, this…
Too bad there’s none on offer When the Premiers were first called to a sit-down lunch to talk about health care with Prime Minister Trudeau, there was plenty of talk about the potential for systemic change, innovation and accountability. It seemed that Canadians and their leaders were finally on the same page in recognizing that…
Gradually, entire cities are becoming unaffordable for working families A new report from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) shows that rents are skyrocketing in many, if not most, Canadian cities. No surprise there. But this year’s annual report also documents, for the first time, rent increases in vacant units. It shows rents going…
The competition will pressure governments to improve the public system Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s proposal to use private health centres to alleviate long wait lists has faced opposition from many quarters. It may seem counterintuitive, but Ford’s plan will actually ease the shortages of doctors and nurses. It was B.C.’s NDP government of the early…
Foreign-trained health professionals could help alleviate the strain Canada’s medical system is fast becoming a disaster area and a tragedy. There are not nearly enough family doctors to provide primary health care. Walk-in clinics were supposed to backfill this need, but many now do not take walk-ins as their registered patient load is already beyond…
When you give bureaucrats an inch, they take a mile
Charlottetown taxpayers are being taken to the cleaners by out-of-control city officials and government bureaucrats. After years of abuse, it’s time for Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King to shine a light on this sorry saga. To understand the plight of Charlottetown taxpayers, consider this scenario. Imagine you’re at your favourite restaurant. Although inflation might…
Bracket creep has cost taxpayers too much for too long
If a business overcharged you by $450, you might want an explanation. The least that business could do is stop overcharging you in the future. Prices for everything from groceries to gasoline are going up fast enough without overcharges on top. Prince Edward Island MLAs owe Islanders an explanation about their income tax bills. The…
Prince Edward Island has to stop digging into Islander families’ pockets
The government of Prince Edward Island seems happier to acknowledge inflation’s impact on your wallet than to do something about it. Prince Edward Island is one of only three Canadian provinces – along with Alberta and Nova Scotia – that does not index any tax brackets to inflation. As a result, the tax code pushes…
Eliminating trade barriers can help accelerate the economic recovery
By Alex Whalen and Ben Eisen The Fraser Institute Earlier this summer, the four Atlantic provinces formed the “Atlantic Bubble” as the region works toward freer movement of people amid the COVID crisis. And clearly, the pandemic’s effect on the economy underscores the value of free movement of people and goods, which – on the…