A budget unworthy of the name
This is a shopping list, with little regard for balance sheets, fiscal projections, the state of the economy, and the requirement governments be careful stewards of the public purse.
Feds ‘shooting themselves in the foot’ on cannabis excise tax as some producers choose illicit market over bankruptcy
Cannabis marketing CEO Lisa Campbell says she expects more than half of the existing licensed producers and retailers will fold in a year, well before ISED’s strategy table consultations conclude.
Searching for consensus in a divided country
The reaction to the budget is all the more pertinent for the Liberals at a time when culture war issues are eclipsing already meagre policy-related consensus-building.
Freeland promises Canada will ‘build big things here,’ but will we really?
Who actually will own the new, big things to be built in Canada? Whose big new ideas will be used? Who will profit from the big, new opportunities? Will Canadians be more than employees of foreign multinationals?
Environmental experts praise budget’s ‘transformational’ investments, but say feds still avoiding ‘a really honest conversation about the future of the oil and gas industry’
Budget 2023 proposes $5.6-billion over the first five years for a new hydrogen investment tax credit, along with ‘tens of billions’ across multiple departments to speed up the transition to a clean electricity grid.
Scant new funding on defence and foreign policy in budget
Budget 2023 pledges $13.5-million for creation of National Counter-Foreign Interference Office and $48.9-million to combat diaspora harassment.
Canadians should be able to claim gym membership as a medical expense
Exercise is proven to be one of the most effective and underprescribed medications for the prevention and treatment of chronic health diseases.
The U.S. is besting Canada on investing in research and it will have consequences
President Joe Biden’s historic investments in research will also make it increasingly difficult for Canada to attract top talent and keep those we already have here.
Feds should use upcoming budget to defend, not defund, the CBC
Alongside sustainable funding, we need legislation to guard against a quiet, uncontested end to the CBC with the mere stroke of Prime Minister Poilievre’s pen or a reversal of budgetary priorities.
Canada built world-leading research institutes—now it’s letting them collapse
Finding solutions for humanity’s most-pressing issues, such as mitigating the effects of climate change or preventing future pandemics, will require decades of concerted effort.
