Category Mike Moffatt
A Marketing and Brand Management Guy Examines the Liberal Campaign
Since everybody else is kicking the Liberals while they are down, I thought I'd join in the fun. I've taught marketing at the University level and my private-sector day job is mostly marketing. As someone who does marketing for a living, I found the last Liberal campaign truly baffling.
Why Vote?
I mentioned in an earlier thread that I've been voting for the Greens consistently since 2003 (both at the federal and provincial level). Prior to that, I rarely voted at all because I believed it was irrational. What lead this economist to change his mind?
Politics, Business Loans and Market Failure
A story that is getting a lot of play in London, Ontario: Diamond Aircraft has raised the stakes in its fight to secure a $35 million Canadian government loan that would allow it to restart the D-Jet programme. It promises to develop unmanned and special mission aircraft for the North American market at its London, […]
Number of Possible Debates Between Harper and Ignatieff
On Twitter, Andrew Potter asked the (presumably rhetorical) question: Has anyone done the math on "anytime, anyplace"? How many potential debates is that? A brazillion? And Harper can't make one? Although Andrew probably wasn't looking for a 'real' answer, I thought I'd try to give him one. Now, if we use a loose definition of […]
Public Policy and Nichols’ Law of Catcher Defense
A post where I disagree slightly with a WCI colleague. There is some hesitation here – not because I am afraid to publicly disagree with a colleague, rather it is because she's smarter than I am and therefore I am not entirely convinced I am correct.
Estimating the Impact of the HST
In the last month we have seen two studies released on the impact of the HST - Consumer Impacts of BC’s Harmonized Sales Tax (PDF) by Jonathan R. Kesselman and The Impact of Sales Tax Reform on Ontario Consumers: A First Look at the Evidence (PDF) by Michael Smart. Both papers examine the impact that HST had on the prices of […]
Worthwhile Canadian Initiative – The Shameless Self Promotion Edition
After doing a few dozen radio interviews, I just finished up my first ever TV interview. If there's anything at all usable after they edit my ummms, ahhhs, and pauses, I'll be on Global with Sean O'Shea discussing the economic impact on Canada of the earthquake in Japan. I believe it will be on at […]
Fiscal Policy, the Environment, and How Not to Solve Policy Problems
Canada and by extension the Canadian government faces a number of challenges. There are two in particular I find fascinating:
Reconciling the Minimum Wage Literature
I'm a health and fitness nut, so I read a lot of health studies as well as using my own body as a guinea pig. I've discovered a lot of things – for instance, I don't know if using creatine monohydrate leads to more strength gains than using a placebo, but I do know it makes you […]
Helmer for the Defense: The Liberals and the CIT
In CIT Cuts: The Waiting Until We Can Afford It Argument I characterise the Liberal position on the corporate income tax as incoherent at best and advocating counter-cyclical tax policy at worst. My very good friend and dodgeball teammate Jesse Helmer has an excellent defense of the Liberal position. In the interest of fairness, I thought you […]
Worthwhile Canadian Initiative 
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