The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has recently announced its intention to mount a constitutional challenge relating to equalization. This decision has been justified by arguments that are not accurate and displays a lack of understanding of the...
In recent days, Premier Smith has endured criticism from many people about her recent announcements relating to treatments for what is often described as gender transition. Instead, she deserves praise for decisions that are as important for how they were made as for...
Canada’s relatively weak productivity is one of the most discussed but least resolved economic problems confronting Canadians. The problem is often attributed to inadequate investment, insufficient competition, internal trade barriers and many other possibilities. The...
Canadians need to find a path that avoids the problems identified here
A Snapshot of Property Rights Protection in Canada After 10 years
The writ has been dropped and Albertans are off to the polls on May 29. That leaves just four weeks for political leaders and voters to sort out what is arguably the most divisive, yet significant, issue for this election - health care. On Day 2, NDP leader Rachel...
A month ago, the Chronicle Herald published an article in which I argued that the Atlantic Canada economy is unsustainable and that the region has become a major burden on Canada. The starkest evidence of that is that other Canadians are obliged to contribute $6,400...
For many years, there has been debate about equalization and other transfer programs and their impact on Atlantic Canada and other regions. Much of this discussion has been technical and difficult to follow. The debate has also been misleading because it focused on...
It is time for a fundamental course change by Atlantic Canadians respecting equalization and other regional subsidies. We’ve had a half-century of remarkably large subsidies to Quebec and Atlantic Canada, recently amounting to several thousand dollars per citizen per...
Equalization and many other subsidies provided to Canadian regions are one of the most widely discussed but least understood aspects of our national life. They are widely discussed because the funding devoted to these subsidies is large and their political impact...
In recent years, equalization and other regional subsidies have captured the attention of many Albertans. Much useful research has been done at the University of Calgary and by the former Wildrose Party. There has been extensive comment in Alberta’s media on Canada’s...
The stated objective of Canada’s equalization program is to ensure provincial governments in less-prosperous regions of the country are able to deliver high-quality public services to residents. This is a worthwhile, even noble objective. That the program is motivated...
Frontier Senior Fellow David Mackinnon discusses the problems with Canada’s antiquated equalization system and how it suppresses growth in recipient provinces. On 580 CFRA News Talk Radio on December 11, 2018 with Rob Snow. Listen here.
Earlier this week, as a Senior Fellow with both the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies and the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, I made a presentation to independent Senators in Ottawa. Senators were advised that Canada’s regional subsidies were ineffective. The...
It is time for a fundamental course change by Atlantic Canadians respecting equalization and other regional subsidies. Earlier this week I made a presentation to independent Senators in Ottawa on this subject, in which I advised them that Canada’s regional subsidies...