Reading Time: 3 minutes A rule requiring payments to grow – no matter what the circumstances – can only exacerbate regional friction
Author: Ben Eisen
Ben Eisen is a Senior Fellow in Fiscal and Provincial Prosperity Studies and former Director of Provincial Prosperity Studies at the Fraser Institute. He holds a BA from the University of Toronto and an MPP from the University of Toronto’s School of Public Policy and Governance. Prior to joining the Fraser Institute Mr. Eisen was the Director of Research and Programmes at the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies in Halifax. He also worked for the Citizens Budget Commission in New York City, and in Winnipeg as the Assistant Research Director for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. Mr. Eisen has published influential studies on several policy topics, including intergovernmental relations, public finance, and higher education policy.
Why Ontario can’t seem to ease its debt burden
Reading Time: 3 minutes Government debt has grown much faster than the economy in recent years, and little change is expected over the next several years
B.C. government wants to fix a school system that isn’t broken
Reading Time: 3 minutes B.C. students lead Canada in student performance in several areas while keeping per-student costs in public schools among the lowest in the country
Alberta’s dangerous debt binge isn’t over yet
Reading Time: 3 minutes The burden foisted on future generations of Albertans is staggering. By 2019-20, Alberta’s net government debt is expected to reach $45.2 billion
Trudeau should accept responsibility for spending choices
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Liberals won’t commit to a specific timeline to balance the books even though the deficit this year is expected to reach $28.5 billion
Alberta is the engine that drives Canadian growth
Reading Time: 3 minutes What would Canada’s economy and public finances look like without Alberta? It wouldn’t be pretty
Ottawa should leave daycare policy to the provinces
Reading Time: 3 minutes Goals imposed by Ottawa rob provinces of the flexibility to adjust policy. And the feds could add conditions over time, using funds as leverage
Federal support won’t help independent schools or education
Reading Time: 3 minutes Greater federal involvement could fundamentally reshape our decentralized approach to education policy, lead to policy homogeneity and hurt student performance
Ontario’s proposed labour law changes will hurt young workers the most
Reading Time: 3 minutes Canadian evidence consistently shows minimum wage hikes result in fewer job opportunities for inexperienced and low-skilled workers
Alberta finance minister fear-mongers after credit rating downgrade
Reading Time: 3 minutes Rather than raise the spectre of massive disruptions to public services, Ceci should look to Saskatchewan for an example of productive spending discipline