Central bankers increasingly sense their obsolescence, and rightly so. The more people turn to private currencies and conduct transactions without intermediaries, the less bureaucrats control the economy. In February 2019, a 33-page Bank of Canada “Crypto Money” discussion paper unwittingly …
Why Rent Control Fails To Ensure
The holidays are a time when many of us count our blessings, and think of society’s least fortunate. While there are many things that can be done to help those in need, some policies designed to do so backfire. Rent …
Why Provinces Need Fiscal Constitutions
The decision to turf laws that ensure taxpayer protection and balanced budgets most often come back to haunt the politicians you make such decisions.Properly designed, such legislation can serve as a fiscal constitution that delivers superior long-term policy and better …
Don’t Punish Canadians for China’s Wrongdoings
The first free-trade agreement between China and Canada appears all but dead, derailed by a diplomatic dispute. Insofar as gains from trade are not realized, Canadian consumers and entrepreneurs will suffer. Despite the gravity of Beijing’s many wrongdoings, trade should …
High Taxes Create Cheese and Cigarette Criminals
In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith described a smuggler as “a person who, though no doubt highly blameable for violating the laws of his country, is frequently incapable of violating those of natural justice, and would have been, in …
Marijuana Won’t Pay the Bills
Legalize and tax marijuana and the budget will balance itself. Marijuana advocates from stoners to recreational users to the Prime Minister have tried to convince us of this for years. It makes some sense that a product so commonly used …
Big Government Often Begets Bigger Government
Minimum wage hikes by provincial governments across Canada last year were sold as a policy to make life easier for workers. However, minimum wage advocates had overlooked some of the negative consequences of the policy, and are now prescribing yet …