Category Canada – Politics
Economic policy advice for the NDP, Part IV: Corporate income taxes
Here is my first recommendation to the NDP on corporate income taxes: accept the fact that previous NDP positions have been – to put it kindly – painfully amateurish and should be discreetly tossed into the Dumpster of Disavowed Doctrines. It's tabula rasa time, and the long path back to reality-based policy starts below the […]
Economic policy advice for the NDP, Part III: The GST
The NDP has never been a fan of the GST, and persuading Canadian progressives of its merits is a never-ending variation on the theme of "but these go to eleven:" Progressive Person: How do we raise the tax revenues we need for the social programs we want to implement without tanking the economy?Economist: Consumption taxes. […]
Economic policy advice for the NDP, Part II: Defending big government
A while ago, there was a spurt of articles bemoaning the 'out-of-control' spending of the federal government, making the point that federal spending has been outpacing the rate of growth of GDP over the past five years. We are presumably expected to believe that future federal governments will be obliged by the inexorable logic of […]
Economic policy advice for the NDP, Part I: Inequality
One of the themes being played up in the NDP's convention is its attempt to 're-brand' (up to, but not quite, including dropping the 'New' from its name), and part of this is apparently an attempt to develop a credible economic platform. The NDP has historically been pretty consistent in its refusal to take advice […]
More on the open letter supporting the OPBO
Kevin Milligan's open letter has received some attention ([1], [2]), and that's all to the good. Kevin has been doing a good job of making the case for a strengthened and a more independent Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (do mosey on over to his blog for more), so the following points are largely […]
An open letter in support of the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer
UBC's Kevin Milligan is to be congratulated for taking the initiative of organising an open letter signed by 130 people (so far), almost all of whom are economics professors, and whose political allegiances span – as far as I can tell – pretty much the entire spectrum of the Canadian mainstream: The Office of the […]
On extending EI to the self-employed
One of the outcomes of the latest political psychodrama is that a 'blue ribbon panel' will be set up to look at the idea of extending EI benefits to those who are self-employed. There are at least two reasons for taking this idea seriously: The number of people who are self-employed has been increasing as […]
EI reform: Jack Mintz piles on
I am pleased to report that another voice has been added to the public debate on whether the Liberals' proposals for EI are dumber than a sack of hammers or if they are simply pointless. Jack Mintz has written an op-ed for the National Post on the topic, and it starts thus: Jack Mintz: 360 […]
Is fiscal conservatism about deficits or debt?
I was on CPAC Sunday evening, on a roundtable with two other economists: David MacDonald (who coordinated the alternative budget for the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives); and Glen Hodgson (Chief Economist for the Conference Board). [You can watch it here – SG.] The topic was Canada's projected $50 billion federal deficit; should we be […]
A plea for a sensible change to EI
The Canadian Labour Congress' Andrew Jackson is worried about EI claimants who might be exhausting their benefits. If the opposition is serious about using EI reform as a cudgel for bashing the government, they would do well to read Andrew's post.
Worthwhile Canadian Initiative 
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