We are too dependent on two of our top three customers: the U.S. and China. And both of these are increasingly hostile
Canada relies on exports. In any given year, about 45 per cent of our economy is in foreign trade. For much of the past, our exports have been mainly in the agriculture and resources sectors. These are still important, but services (think international education), manufactured goods (e.g. Lululemon clothing) and technology (e.g. the Canadarm robotic…
Despite a struggling economy, Calgary’s restaurant scene is more robust than ever, with new and exciting venues opening regularly. Last week, I attended the media preview of another great restaurant in the downtown area – NUPO, in the Hotel Arts, smack dab in Calgary’s up-and-coming East Village district. NUPO features a predominantly vegetarian menu with…
Centralization undermines bottom-up co-ordination already underway between the provinces and territories
Advocates for centralized financial regulation have met their match in Canada. The nation is proof that competition between intranational jurisdictions can foster diverse, prosperous capital markets. In the research paper, The Federal Takeover of Canada’s Capital Markets, we argue the decades-long push for a national securities regulator is a solution in search of a problem.…
Report says barriers cost between $3,500 and $9,200 per Canadian household every year
Alberta has the fewest obstacles to trade within Canadian borders, according to a report released on Thursday by the MEI (Montreal Economic Institute) and the Canadian Constitution Foundation. The Internal Trade Provincial Leadership Index developed by Mark Milke ranks the provinces and territories according to their number of barriers to trade, as measured by exceptions…
The good news is the Constitution guarantees free trade among provinces. But do federal officials have the political will?
If there’s one near unanimous consensus among economists, it’s that free trade increases productivity and boosts growth. The flip side is that tariffs, quotas and other trade barriers generally reduce welfare. A recent study by the International Monetary Fund suggests Canada – on account of trade impediments between the provinces – is forgoing a four…
The annual national price tag for maintaining internal barriers may top $130 billion
Interprovincial free trade, the lowest hanging fruit on the tree of Canadian economic policy, never fails to raise the federal government’s thirst for marvellously empty rhetoric, especially during the toastmaster circuit of every election cycle. So it was earlier this year when New Brunswick’s very own Dominic LeBlanc – minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs…
Government-erected barriers mean firms have few incentives to improve efficiency, cut costs and satisfy consumers
Economists love competition. They tell students how competition between firms leads to lower prices and greater quality. Beyond the classroom, few dispute the benefits of competition. So why are so many Canadians unaware that governments across Canada shield close to one-third of the economy from competition? When economists speak of competition, they don’t refer only…
Studies suggest these constraints cost the Canadian economy up to $130 billion a year. But we can change that
By Sen. Jane Cordy and Sen. Diane Bellemare Canada’s framework for interprovincial trade is patchy at best. While Canada has signed on to free trade agreements with countries around the world, there are significant barriers to the free flow of goods and services within our own borders. Studies have suggested that these interprovincial trade constraints…
Our premiers regularly meet to discuss liberalizing trade. Year after year, decade after decade, nothing concrete is ever accomplished
By Marco Navarro-Genie and Alex Whalen Atlantic Institute for Market Studies Opinions vary as to whether the meeting of Canada's premiers in mid-July in St. Andrews, N.B., was a success. The expectations for those hoping for freer trade within Canada were high. But if the expectations were high, they were largely created by some of…
‘Evidently, increased trade uncertainty has taken a toll on Canadian small and medium businesses in July’
Alberta’s economy may be slowly recovering but there’s still some angst among the province’s small business owners. According to the latest Business Barometer by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the optimism levels of entrepreneurs took a bit of a dip in July declining 0.7 points to 55.8, one point below the national index of…
Canada relies on exports. In any given year, about 45 per cent of our economy is in foreign trade. For much of the past, our exports have been mainly in the agriculture and resources sectors. These are still important, but services (think international education), manufactured goods (e.g. Lululemon clothing) and technology (e.g. the Canadarm robotic…
