Category Canada – Politics
The Liberals’ carbon tax proposal
Stéphane Dion and the Liberals are floating the idea of a carbon tax: Liberals say carbon tax will be revenue-neutral: [I]nternal policy discussions are still underway and a number of proposals are under consideration. One proposal under study would replace the federal fuel excise tax – which applies to gasoline and diesel used for vehicles […]
Canada’s income redistribution strategy: take from the rich, give to the median
There have been any number of MSM stories based on StatsCan’s recent release on earnings and income. Median earnings from market income for individuals in 2005 are pretty much the same as they were back in 1980, and market income inequality has – by any measure – increased over the past 25 years. This isn’t […]
The federal government’s proposed tax cuts are just as stupid as we’d feared
Sigh. The Conservatives set out an Economic Statement this afternoon, and it includes a measure to further reduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 6% to 5%. From this, I infer that the Conservative government is willfully stupid: Reducing the GST is bad economics. Just ask anyone who has given any thought to the […]
Jockeying for position at the Bank of Canada
In my post on Mark Carney’s appointment to the top job at the Bank of Canada, I said That’s twice in a row that a governor has been an external candidate – although he has worked there before. I suspect that Bank employees who are thinking about the top job will start sending their CVs […]
The new Governor of the Bank of Canada…
…is Mark Carney. That’s twice in a row that a governor has been an external candidate – although he has worked there before. I suspect that Bank employees who are thinking about the top job will start sending their CVs to the Department of Finance or perhaps the IMF. The days of appointing a governor […]
Mulroney’s economic legacy
Brian Mulroney’s* memoirs came out this week. The initial reactions have so far concentrated on his settling of accounts with Lucien Bouchard, but there have been a few comments about Mulroney’s desire to polish his claim to a positive judgment from future historians. This is of course the goal of all former politicians, but when […]
Who will be the new Governor of the Bank of Canada?
Bank of Canada Governor David Dodge will not seek second term: Governor David Dodge has informed the Bank of Canada’s Board of Directors and the Minister of Finance that he will not seek a second term as Governor. While Governor Dodge’s term continues until 31 January 2008, he indicated he is making his plans known […]
Quebec elections: Spot the trend
In the last two elections, the ADQ – not the official opposition – picked up votes from the governing parties: first from the PQ, and then from the Liberals. This time around, they won 41 seats out of 125, and finished second in another 40-odd ridings. As one columnist said, the ADQ leader might as […]
Live blogging from the Quebec election
Here I am at ground zero of the Canadian political scene. Politics at the federal level invariably revolves around what’s happening in Quebec – and what’s happening in Quebec is a provincial election. And in this provincial election, what’s happening in the Quebec City area may be determine who wins. And the key to the […]
The price of Kyoto
A voting majority of the House of Commons has passed a resolution calling upon the government to "honour the principles and targets of the Kyoto Protocol in their entirety". Now, we already know that Canada cannot and will not reach its target for greenhouse gas emissions. If we go by the – admittedly questionable – […]
Worthwhile Canadian Initiative 
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