Politics This Morning: Canadians divided on more economic stimulus
With the economy in decline Canadians are divided on whether the Liberal government should do more or continue on the economic plan the party campaigned on, according to a new poll. “The economy is no doubt a growing cause of concern for Canadians and will test the level of confidence in this government, as it […]
Politics This Morning: Finance committee should hold hearings before budget released, says Raitt
The Liberal government should hold open and wide-ranging pre-budget consultations and allow the House Finance Committee to hold hearings before it presents a budget to Canadians, says Conservative MP Lisa Raitt. “Comments by both the Finance Minister and [Liberal MP] Wayne Easter paint a clear picture that the Liberals plan on introducing their first budget […]
Concerns about a so-called retirement income ‘crisis’ overblown
The following is an excerpt from the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s policy paper from its series From a Mandate For to a Plan to Govern. The full paper can be found here. The new government has made improving Canada’s retirement income system among its policy priorities. The prime minister argues that the “pillars of retirement security [need] […]
Politics This Morning: Trudeau to meet Tory
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be in Toronto today to tour the Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine and to meet Toronto Mayor John Tory. Mr. Trudeau will tour the facility at 8:45 a.m. with International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland and Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains where they will make an announcement. Mr. Trudeau and Mr. […]
Politics This Morning: Morneau continues pre-budget consultations
With the House of Commons not sitting and the Finance Committee not up and running, Finance Minister Bill Morneau has been travelling across the country to conduct pre-budget consultations with stakeholder groups. Yesterday he was in Halifax, and today he will be in Montreal where he will be the guest speaker at a luncheon hosted […]
Why the federal government needs to keep its promise to end income splitting
More of Canada’s children are living in poverty than ever before. A new report reveals that child poverty rates in Canada remain unconscionably high. Almost one-third of children in Toronto live in low-income households. Population measures of child health in Canada are also troubling, including above average rates of infant and under-five mortality and below […]
Banking and Finance
Budget’s $900-million cut in sick leave doesn’t account for replacement plan
The Conservative government booked almost $1-billion in savings from public service sick leave without showing the costs of a replacement plan, a “parlour trick” that critics say won’t be any cheaper than the existing regime. The government signaled in its 2015 budget that it would push ahead with reforms to the federal public service’s sick […]
Oliver balances economic and political realities in 2015 budget
Crafting a pre-election budget is a lot like juggling knives: The challenge of keeping so many sharp objects simultaneously aloft requires focus, precision and nerves of steel. Against the backdrop of a fall election, Finance Minister Joe Oliver appears to have done a commendable job of balancing both economic and political realities in the 2015 […]
‘Transactional’ budget rushes out money for individuals, larger projects to wait
The Conservatives’ 2015 budget is largely a piece of transactional politics, with a deliberate focus on moving the money for individuals in highly-marketed tax breaks out the door while the more transformative program money will take years to be doled out. The approach, which strategists say has served the party well in the past, is […]
