Informed views on some complex socio-economic issues
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Improving productivity and bargaining power only sure way to reduce cost of living
Published in the Globe and Mail on August 28th Like his promise to get a good trade deal with the U.S., Prime Minister Mark Carney’s promise to bring down the cost of living for Canadians may be more difficult to achieve than he suggested during the election campaign. Any action to bring prices down would create more harm…
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We can make globalization great again
Published in the Globe and Mail on August 21st U.S. tariffs, manufacturing subsidies, and anti-immigration and isolationist policies reflect a population discontent with trade and globalization that has been growing since the financial crisis of 2008. While the U.S. government may be the loudest voice against globalization, similar nationalistic policies can be seen in many other countries,…
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A better way to help the working poor
This article was published in Policy Options on June 25, 2025: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/june-2025/minimum-wage-alternatives/ Minimum wages are going up – Quebec raised its rate on May 1 and Ontario and British Columbia followed on June 1. Some see the increases as insufficient to meet current costs of living while others argue they are too costly and will lead to massive layoffs.…
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Land shouldn’t be treated like any other property
This articles was published in the Globe and Mail on March 25, 2025 A new poll shows that the Trump psychodrama has replaced housing affordability as the top concern of Canadians. But housing problems have not disappeared. The housing crisis may even be exacerbated by the trade war and will surely be a big issue in this…
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It is time to improve our countercyclical fiscal support
This article (with a different title) was published in the Globe and Mail on March 6, 2025 Federal and provincial governments plan to introduce pandemic-style measures to support businesses and workers if the U.S. administration carries out its tariff threats. Experience with past recessions suggests there is a risk this support may come too late…
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Perhaps an economic union with the U.S. is not a bad idea after all
This article was published in the Globe and Mail on January 23, 2025 Canadians younger than 55 do not have a deep emotional attachment to Canada, according to an Angus Reid survey, and their attachment is conditional on the country providing a good standard of living. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (and Jean Chrétien before him) were…
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Disaster costs are overwhelming private insurance. We need a national public insurer
This article was published in the Globe& Mail on January 13, 2025 The devastating wildfires around Los Angeles have caused more than US$100-billion in damages based on some estimates. These losses and increases in the scale and frequency of severe weather damage from hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding and forest fires will lead more insurers to pull back. Companies…
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The source of populism isn’t necessarily economics
(Published in the Globe and Mail on January 8th, 2025) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation this week, was pushed out for the same reason Donald Trump was again elected as U.S. president: growing populist discontent. And this goes beyond North America. Populist forces have recently had electoral successes in many other countries,…
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One does not simply gut the public service. Here’s the proper way to make cuts
This article was published in the Globe and Mail on Dec. 19, 2024 In the United States, Tesla’s Elon Musk will soon be co-heading the new Department of Government Efficiency with the goal of slashing federal spending. While we likely won’t have a flashy tycoon in such a role in Canada, similar cuts loom here.…
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The federal government did not meet a fiscal guardrail. So what?
This article was published in the Globe and Mail on Dec. 16th, 2024 Monday’s fall economic statement put the federal deficit for the last fiscal year at $61.9-billion. As a result, the federal government did not meet one of its fiscal guardrails. So what? Why are so many people up in arms that the government…
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