Carney’s fiscal plans put the public service at risk
Austerity masked as modernization has a history. Former Conservative PM Stephen Harper offers the real lessons for navigating the balance between fiscal targets and institutional capacity.
Feds’ spending review to-do list: rethink regs, Crown corps, and costly consultants
Too often, well-meaning restructurings don’t have the right execution plan, or reforms add complexity. If the Carney government is serious with this spending review, it must be honest about what hasn’t worked and why.
House committee summons ministers, CEOs to testify on $1-billion loan for Chinese-made ships
BC Ferries announced in June plans to purchase four ships built by a Chinese state-owned company, with help from a Canada Infrastructure Bank loan. Now, MPs are calling on Ministers Gregor Robertson and Chrystia Freeland to answer for what Conservatives call an ‘outrageous’ loan.
Environment groups want ‘national interest’ defined in Liberals’ One Economy law
The government needs to have a ‘national conversation’ about what it means to have a project meet Bill C-5’s criteria, says Anna Johnston, a staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law.
Federal major projects office ‘should not take the place of proper consultation with First Nations,’ says AFN national chief
Bill C-5 will create a major projects office with an advisory council of Indigenous representatives, but leaders from those groups are still waiting for details as to what that means for their input.
Digital services tax retreat risks showing ‘Canada will fold’ in Trump trade talks, warn experts
The DST has long been a sticking point in Canada-U.S. relations, after the Liberals tried to close what they saw as a loophole for American firms raking in millions of dollars in Canada without paying taxes.
Finance Canada to boost spending 10 per cent by 2027 as debt costs, transfers rise
The department plans to spend $150-billion this fiscal year, up more than $14-billion from three years ago.
PSPC’s three-year $17.5-billion spending plan lacks clear roadmap to future goals, say insiders
With billions on the line and a track record of failed targets, how PSPC plans to deliver on its goals is unclear from its recent departmental plan. ‘Fact is, if the department can’t meet the expectations of delivery for this new government, then heads will roll,’ says Sahir Khan.
Certainly in chaos: Canada’s path to unshakable leadership
By shifting project approvals from ‘whether’ to ‘how,’ streamlining interprovincial trade, and accelerating infrastructure, the One Canadian Economy Act is a positive step. Now, that same urgency must be applied to empower Canadian city regions to compete globally while safeguarding our national interest—and win.
Turning goals into results
In a country of many competing interests and multiple governments, getting them all to co-ordinate their activities to achieve the ambitious goals outlined at the beginning of this piece will be complicated and difficult.
