To increase productive growth investment, the government has to start with the banks
It’s taken some time to get there, but even the Tories admit (reluctantly) that the Canadian economy is in recession. The big question for the electorate is: can government do anything to improve the situation? All of our party leaders have plans to stimulate the economy; regrettably, they’re offering up the same tired old corporate…
A simple cost/benefit analysis would kibosh many of their proposals
One thing for sure in the 2015 federal election – we can’t say that we don’t have enough time to consider the issues. Unfortunately, it is still not easy. Politicians have the habit of adjusting their positions as the campaign moves on. Issues are complex and may not always seem consistent. The NDP just removed…
Proposing a balanced budget reflects a failure to grasp the modern economic role of government
The 2015 federal election will go down in history for establishing a new record and confirming a reality check. First, it will be recorded as the longest campaign in Canadian electoral history. Our political campaigns used to be a sprint to the finish line. This time, it is a marathon of perpetual political bashing and…
The power of political parties and modern communications has corrupted the practical reality of representative government
Politics in Canada is hitting new lows. Our last few federal elections have been filled with negative attack ads, robo calling scandals and bitter animosity. Meanwhile the House of Commons has become a partisan war zone, where artless backbenchers earn political points firing barbed insults across the floor. It is no surprise that municipal politics…
At least the Harper Conservatives have a plan, beyond expressing platitudes
Before those suffering Harper Derangement Syndrome get their shorts in a knot (as if that will not ever happen), let me enumerate the reasons why First Nations peoples – especially those at the grassroots level – should strongly consider voting for the Conservative government. First, let me agree that the Tories are not perfect and…
The Canadian economy is vulnerable today because ‘markets’ couldn't care less about Canada's, or anyone’s, standard of living
As Stephen Harper prepares for the real election campaigning to begin after the Labour Day long weekend, he must be praying for some good news on the economic front. The news so far has been pretty miserable. With a year of falling oil prices, month after month of stagnant (or worse) GDP growth and a…
The 2015 vote could lead to deep uncertainty about how we'll even choose our Parliament in the future
Election campaigns are supposed to highlight differences. Stark differences provide alternatives that can inform voter choices. As the grind of this 11-week federal election campaign unfolds, the policy proposals and attempts by the parties to define themselves – and each other – create the narrative that will inform voters' final choices on Oct. 19. However,…
It will take political courage to improve Canada's health care system
I spent my life teaching actuarial science at a university. As a result, I calculated lots of numbers: averages, expected values, variances. But, they were only numbers. What I didn’t see was the individual human story behind each calculation. But now that I am the human face of one of those stories, I see it…
We need to understand – and measure – the problem before we dive into expensive fixes
As summer winds down, we can count on at least two topics to attract an increasing share of Canadians’ attention: their children – yes, the new school year is just about upon us – and the federal election to be held on October 19th. These two subjects converge in the parties’ campaign promises related to…
Trudeau's autobiography reads like it was written by committee; Mulcair's is not telling the whole story
Both Justin Trudeau and Tom Mulcair recently wrote political autobiographies. The Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, had the good sense to write about hockey, which many Canadians actually care about. When self-serving politicians write about themselves, the results are usually badly written and filled with clichés (as both these books are). Worse, they are boring. Reading…