Policy Series 241
Crown Corporations
Revival of Rail Transit in Canada Questioned by Latest Policy Report
WINNIPEG, [March 12 2024] Canada's transit landscape is experiencing a profound transformation as eight major cities embark on the ambitious journey of developing rail transit systems. This marks a significant departure from the conventional wisdom of the 1950s when...
MB/SK/AB NeeStaNan Utilities Corridor: First Nations-Led Utility Corridor is a 21st-Century Nation-Building Initiative
“The trading of goods has been in our DNA as Indigenous People for centuries, but somewhere along the way this was lost. It’s time to regain our prosperity, for the betterment of our communities and for our country.” – NeeStaNan website
Move Forward on an All-Season Road to Northern First Nations
Manitobans – including First Nations in some of our most remote communities – deserve much improved access to public infrastructure and opportunity. First Nation leaders in Northern Manitoba have a point about expanding all-season road access to some of the most...
Featured News
Weaponizing the Law
The indictment of former U.S. president Donald Trump for crimes invented by his political opponents is the most egregious example yet seen of the weaponizing of the law. The United States is now full of examples. However, in Canada, we also see the law being...
“Looking At” Seizing Control Over Western Canada’s Natural Resources
OTTAWA, REGINA - Last week, two things happened that could have profound impacts on natural resources development in Saskatchewan. One is a hint the federal government might want to take control of natural resources away from the provinces, and the other is the...
MPI to Take a Large Loss?
Unsurprisingly, with a government automobile insurance monopoly, MPI’s history is marked by politics
Cox: Downtown Rethink
This article entitled People in Toronto won't stop working from home and it's impacting the city paints a relatively negative picture about downtown prospects - noting that Toronto office vacancy rates have just hit their highest level since 1995. Looks like the...
Is Canada a Socialist Country?
Proponents of evermore expensive government social programs often point to other nations, usually in Scandinavia, as places Canada should emulate. These advocates call those nations, erroneously, Socialist or Social Democratic. However, they are not. It is important...
Timeless Wisdom – The Politics of Successful Structural Reform
It’s a well-known pattern in public policy – profligate politicians damaging their economies with out-of-control spending, massive borrowing and higher taxes – inevitably leading to fiscal crisis, sharp declines in growth and ultimately rapidly falling currency value...
Sale of Sask Government Liquor Stores Leaves Manitoba an Odd Outlier
First Alberta, then Saskatchewan, but will Manitoba follow? Next year will be the final year for the Saskatchewan government retails alcohol—nearly 100 years after it began. This history demonstrates how long government keeps its hands on something once it starts, but...
Grant Devine Transformed Saskatchewan Politics
Book Excerpt With the agriculture prices being driven up during the 1970s due to the global scare that the world was going to suffer an impending food shortage, governments rushed to flood the market with more food. This sudden increase in production caused excess...
57 Policy Proposals for Future Leaders to Help Make the Canadian Economy Soar
Executive Summary The various federal political parties are all promoting the policy agendas they believe will foster a sustainably high quality of life for all Canadians. It remains to be seen whether they will attain the success that they aim to achieve. In some...
Lessening Saskatchewan’s Reliance on Commodity Bonanzas
Saskatchewan is the beneficiary of elevated pricing and improved long term prospects for nearly all of the many commodities it produces: grain, oilseeds, oil, gas, potash, uranium, and even gold, copper and forestry products. While this very good news for both its...
CMHC, Ottawa’s Favourite Stealth Torpedo
Just a few months ago, the national discussion was about house prices and a lack of affordability. No longer, with houses, townhouses, and condominium prices cresting, imminent data may likely confirm serious price declines. Mortgage carrying costs are rising, as...