Recently I had lunch with a knowledgeable insider colleague who lamented over Manitoba’s lacklustre economic prospects. Brian Pallister's new provincial government had been dealt a terrible hand. The deficit likely exceeds a billion dollars on top of an unneeded and...
Public Sector
The Gulf States refuse to step up and accept their share of refugees
The Syrian civil war is now five years old, spreading deep economic and humanitarian costs around the world. The arrival of more than one million refugees and migrants in Europe is leading to tensions that could bring an end to internal mobility in the European Union....
Another fight over digital privacy is inevitable
Bill C-51, which is no longer a bill but a statute, the Anti-Terrorism Act, was controversial when introduced by the Canadian government last year. Its major feature expanded the remit of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service and made it easier for government...
How the Liberals can develop Canada’s Arctic Strategy
This op ed was originally published by Embassy on Monday, February 8, 2016: http://www.embassynews.ca/2016/02/10/How-the-Liberals-can-develop-Canada-Arctic-strategy/48207
Featured News
The Man who Saved the Plains Indians
At the time of Confederation, Canada’s Plains Indians were in a desperate situation. The same European-introduced guns and horses that resulted in a briefly glorious golden age for them had also resulted in constant inter-tribal warfare and the rapid disappearance of...
Renewed Talk of Abolishing the Indian Act
Political attacks on the Indian Act are back in the news, and that is a good thing. However, Canadian politicians, including First Nation politicians, need a credible plan about what to do before we pull out the champagne. Attacking the Indian Act is not a big deal...
Aging Opportunity
Did you know that Saskatchewan has significantly more government employees than all other province in Canada? This glut of government employees means taxpayers are paying a small bundle each year. Fortunately, the solution is fairly pain free for politicians – as bureaucrats retire, don’t rehire.
Essential Services
I do not understand how jetting people off to sun spots in the March break constitutes essential services.
They Speak with Forked Tongues
Teachers, nurses and public servants should heal themselves before casting stones.
Big-Spending Alberta Irks Both Neighbours
Alberta government-approved wage rates, benefit packages and fee schedules are routinely cited by B.C. public sector workers in seeking catch-up increases in their contract bargaining.
Public Sector Wages Sap Alberta’s Revenues
Alberta’s public sector wage bill has increased nearly twice as fast as the national aver-age over the past decade, according to a new University of Calgary study.
The Moose and the Modern Welfare State
Across Europe these days, countries are taking a lesson from Thidwick and shedding tens of thousands of public-sector workers. Much pseudo austerity has taken place. Other countries prefer hefty salary cuts. For these countries, austerity is a form of repentance for cheating, after years in which they routinely borrowed and spent more than they were permitted by European Union rules.
High Rates of Public Sector Employment Are Costly For Manitoba Taxpayers: Over time, Manitoba’s relatively large public sector can be significantly reduced without resorting to drastic cuts
Although public sector employment in Manitoba is high by Canadian standards, it can gradually be brought closer into line with the national average without resorting to any drastic and sudden cuts in either government employment or spending.
Public Workers a Waste: Taxpayers are being bled to pay for more government employees than other provinces
One in four Manitobans works for the public sector, either through a government department, Crown corporation, school division, health facility, municipality or some other taxpayer-funded entity.
Media Release – The Size and Cost of Manitoba’s Public Sector
Ben Eisen and Jonathan Wensveen examine the size and cost of Manitoba’s high rates of government employment. They argue that due to projected population growth, Manitoba can significantly reduce the size of its public sector incrementally over the next decade, without drastic cuts, by either freezing or making small reductions to government employment over the next decade.