The organization awarded A grades to Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. British Columbia and Ontario received A- grades
For the second year in a row, Alberta has registered an F in the annual Red Tape Report Card issued by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business during Red Tape Awareness Week. In releasing the report card on Tuesday, the CFIB said Alberta holds the provincial record for worst grades over time, getting Ds and…
It’s time to reform the tax code, eliminate exemptions and cut corporate subsidies, while significantly reducing spending
By Steve Lafleur and Ben Eisen The Fraser Institute Alberta’s recovery from the recent recession has been slow and, for many, painful. More than four years after oil prices plummeted in late 2014, private-sector employment in the province still hasn’t recovered to pre-recession levels. Although there will always be factors outside the provincial government’s control…
The federal government and oil-and-gas producing provinces are on a collision course and Alberta may well quit Confederation
Countries have broken up for very serious reasons: slavery, religion and ethnic tensions, for example. But no country has ever been at risk of breaking up because of a harmless gas like carbon dioxide. Canada could, thanks to an ideologically-driven federal government. Carbon dioxide makes up a tiny portion (.04 per cent) of our atmosphere…
If the rest of Canada won’t listen to other forms of conversation about the importance of the energy sector, how about a song?
Things have devolved into such a state of ridiculous zaniness on Canada's energy scape that perhaps it's time to express our travails through that time-proven panacea for all forms of hurt: the country and western song. Such songs can timelessly and eloquently express a range of sentiments and emotions. They’re anthems to spirit, grittiness and…
For far too many people, life is losing its lustre. Here's a systemic remedy that will take us into a new era of prosperity
Day by day, the storm signals are more evident. Let’s start with Peak America. It’s no longer the world’s top economy (China’s gross domestic product is $22 trillion compared to America’s $19 trillion), suffers under bitterly tribalized politics and is led by an oligarch with a growing list of symptoms of aged maladies. Are would-be…
‘Every Albertan owns the energy resources in the ground and we have a duty to defend those resources,’ says Premier Notley
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announced on Sunday that the province is mandating a short-term reduction in oil production in response to the historically high oil price differential. The provincial government says that differential is costing the national economy more than $80 million a day. Production of raw crude oil and bitumen will be reduced by…
But the oil price differential poses a significant challenge for the province’s recovery if it is left unchecked
The Alberta government announced on Friday that it’s deficit has dropped by $1.3 billion since its Budget 2018. But new economic headwinds pose a challenge for the province’s recovery if left unchecked. The government said there is a $500-million “risk adjustment remaining in place to protect against price volatility” on crude oil. In releasing its…
The populist trinity of direct democracy – initiative, referendum and recall – is incompatible with the Canadian political system
The recent Robyn Luff controversy in Alberta illustrates two much broader issues. One is that this MLA, like many Canadians, doesn’t understand how the Westminster-style parliamentary system works. The other is the remarkable persistence of the notion that MLAs are merely delegates of their constituents. Luff, the Calgary-East MLA, complained about being forced to toe…
When a province mandates a single curriculum, it eliminates diversity and experimentation that can lead to better methods
By Jason Clemens and Angela MacLeod The Fraser Institute The recent release of the latest Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) has Albertans again concerned about declining math scores. It would be wrong and misplaced, however, to blame teachers without understanding the role of the education bureaucracy. In reality, teachers are mandated to teach curriculum imposed by…
‘The price of our resources continues to be driven down thanks to Canada’s decades-long failure to build new pipelines’
Alberta Premier Rachel Notley has appointed three envoys to work with key energy leaders to look for solutions to close the historically high oil price gap. That gap, says the government, is “robbing the Canadian economy of more than $80 million a day.” “The price of our resources continues to be driven down thanks to…