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...
The Trump administration has unveiled a long list of punishing tariffs that will affect everyone. This time around they will not exempt Canadian steel and aluminium. Is this the beginning of a worldwide trade war, or simply a clever negotiating tactic by a President...
Export Development Corporation, ‘EDC’, a Crown lending corporation owned by the federal government, has found itself in controversy by virtue of providing funding to a mining company, Turquoise Hill. This mining firm utilized offshore entities to minimize taxes it...
Decades of steady trade liberalization have served Canada’s economic development. As the Montreal Economic Institute’s Mathieu Bédard noted recently in FP Comment (“Trump’s anti-NAFTA myths spread north,” July 14), the NAFTA years...
For the past 14 years, Vancouver surgeon Dr. Brian Day has led the charge for health-care reform, pushing for the right of patients to pay for private care if their health and well-being are threatened as a result of waiting in a stagnant and overburdened public...
The path to net zero, based on the much disputed belief that carbon dioxide is a pollution, is more steep and impractical than most people realize. Replacing fossil fuels with clean electricity will require much more power generation and a greatly upgraded grid to...
Since taking office in 2006, the Harper government has negotiated over 40 separate international trade agreements and has championed the idea of free trade around the world as a means of economic and political liberalization and progress. While Canada’s approach...
With an abundance of natural resources, and a bustling agriculture industry, trade is vital to the Saskatchewan economy. The province exports more products per capita than any other province, and recently overtook British Columbia to become the fourth largest...
Many economists agree that free trade promotes economic growth, reduces poverty and benefits all countries that participate. The World Trade Organization is supposed to facilitate global trade by helping to reduce and eventually eliminate barriers like tariffs and...
It’s widely accepted by many economists that free trade promotes economic growth, fights poverty, reduces inequality and is beneficial to all countries that participate, on both sides of the trade. Yet, an important piece of the international free trade puzzle, the...
When thinking of foreign policy, one thinks of the processes and actors involved with federal governments making decisions about how to best pursue national interests and interact in an increasingly complex world. But many aspects of foreign policy formulation have...
The Canada-Europe Free Trade Agreement is a major milestone for the country. The potential impact will be hugely positive, especially for prairie agriculture. Among the greatest beneficiaries would be cattle ranchers in several provinces. Increased duty-free access to...
When governments hand out cash for infrastructure projects, it’s easy to think small. Politicians love summer festivals, hockey rinks, small craft harbours and city parks. The money gets out the door quickly and everyone can see the results. Grants can be geographically matched to political objectives. And projects typically face little opposition.
First Nations considering a blockade of Highway 63- the route leading to Alberta’s oilsands, should consider that many Aboriginal communities find employment and revenue sources in the oilands.
As Hurricane Sandy hits the east coast, now is a good time to take some time to remember something very important - economics. Slate obliges: Even in these polarized times, there are some things politicians of both parties can agree. Price gouging, for example, is...