Prolonged slow economic growth begets social and political turmoil, as the expectations of many for a better standard of living are frustrated
In this federal election campaign, the parties have proposed numerous taxpayer-funded programs to address various ostensible social problems. But no major party has made economic growth a significant focus of its election campaign. The social problem areas cited include unaffordable education from preschool to post-secondary, a tax system that’s insufficiently progressive and provides too many…
Higher taxes discourage business investment, business startups, entrepreneurialism and investment in education
By Jake Fuss and Tegan Hill The Fraser Institute Before Canadians go to the polls on Oct. 21, they should understand each party’s tax plan, which unfortunately range from bad to worse to downright naive. Let’s start with the NDP and Green Party, which have similar plans. Both propose a new “wealth tax” and would…
Lost in the click bait of this election campaign were the substantive issues that affect ordinary and everyday Canadians
The 43rd Canadian federal election has been, by any stretch of the imagination, a very strange campaign. First there was the Justin Trudeau’s blackface scandal. Then there was Andrew Scheer’s dual citizenship/resume exaggeration controversy. Finally, there was an exchange caught on video decrying Jagmeet Singh wearing a turban. Lost in the click bait were the…
How could I not be grateful that I have the freedom to question the practices of my government through direct contact with politicians and through the press?
I always get very excited at election time. This is the moment when we can freely choose who will represent us, the moment when we play a vital role in the direction of our government. As I read statistics on voter turnout, however, I’m confused as to why others don’t share my enthusiasm. Perhaps I…
Liberal and Tory proposed tax cuts insufficient to improve Canada’s diminishing tax competitiveness
By Tegan Hill and Ben Eisen The Fraser Institute With less than a week before Canadians go to the polls, there has been little focus on Canada’s tax competitiveness, which is unfortunate given the major real-life impact of tax policy on Canadians. Yes, both the Conservative and Liberal party have pledged to cut personal income…
The brutish mother of all federal elections is (mercifully) nearing its conclusion. But a few twists and turns are still possible, as the leader of the third party recently showed us. The Tories are ahead of the Liberals in most opinion polls, albeit by a narrow margin of one to two per cent. The former…
Even overlooking the personal smears, record fudging, or repressing the truth, the parties are filled with contradictions of the things they stand for
If there were any idealism left regarding the virtues of Canadian politics, the current federal election campaign is almost certain to have smashed it. Good governance and the common good were not the winners in last week’s English language debate. Thursday's French language debate was a slight improvement, but a one-off exception hardly undoes the…
Canadians will elect a new House of Commons on October 21. We’ve already seen the political parties and their leaders staking out positions on an array of fundamental issues. Whether it’s climate change, taxes, employment, foreign policy, immigration or health care, we have a pretty good idea where each party stands. But what if we…
Why conservatives like Scheer are held to a different standard than liberals like Trudeau
Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer have both had to deal with some controversial matters during this fall’s federal election. It was revealed that Trudeau appeared in either blackface or brownface on three occasions, the last one at age 29 when he was a teacher at a private school. He and…
It’s right for Canadians to value a just society that leaves no one behind. But relying on ever-increasing spending to do so is driving us toward bankruptcy
I know what it means to live in poverty. I grew up in a large family in a small village in Cape Breton, the fourth of eight children. My father was a wonderful man who struggled with alcoholism his whole life. We had no running water and only a coal stove to heat the house.…
In this federal election campaign, the parties have proposed numerous taxpayer-funded programs to address various ostensible social problems. But no major party has made economic growth a significant focus of its election campaign. The social problem areas cited include unaffordable education from preschool to post-secondary, a tax system that’s insufficiently progressive and provides too many…
