If the goal of a vacant-homes tax is to improve housing affordability, it doesn't work. But if its goal is to improve housing availability, it does. That's the conclusion of a new C.D. Howe Institute report called "Ripple Effects: The Impact of an Empty-Homes Tax on Canada's Housing Market". The authors used Vancouver's 2017 empty-homes tax as a ca…

Federal and provincial governments in Canada are too casual about deficits and public debt, according to Globe and Mail columnist Andrew Coyne and economist Trevor Tombe of the University of Calgary. In our latest C.D. Howe Institute podcast episode, Coyne and Tombe discuss the long-term challenges to government balance sheets that we can see comin…

Canada needs to return to the immigration system that made us the envy of the world. Economists Mikal Skuterud and Christopher Worswick explain that choosing economic immigrants based on their likelihood of success is key to the long-term success of the country on the whole.

From cows to cars, Canada is at risk of entering the trilateral review of CUSMA from a position of weakness unless Ottawa steps up and encourages the private sector to do the same. Veteran trade lawyer and C.D. Howe Institute Senior Fellow Lawrence Herman joins Michael Hainsworth to explain why he’s raising the alarm two years ahead of the talks.…

Solving Canada’s healthcare crisis requires a combination of strategic policy reforms, technological innovation, and a shift towards more collaborative care models. On this episode of the CDHI Podcast, policy analysts Tingting Zhang and Rosalie Wyonch tell host Michael Hainsworth about the five key strategies for success the provinces should be pay…

Are Canadians Willing to Pay for Net Zero? with A.J. Goulding and Nik Nanos

How do we get global powers to work together to solve the world’s polycrisis? Financial Times Chief Economic Commentator Martin Wolf dives into the profoundgenerational shifts in demographics, climate change, technology, and geopolitics responsible for the state of nations and the globe.

Building more LTC facilities won’t solve Canada’s long-term care crisis. The C.D. Howe Institute’s Rosalie Wyonch tells host Michael Hainsworth that the solution involves rethinking the way we deliver care, and each province could benefit from the lessons learned by their neighbours.

If you care about the direction of the country, you mustcare about tax reform. That’s the sentiment from the Canadian Tax Foundation’s Heather Evans who warns “fiscal pollution” is clouding our ability to attract business development. But is a 2 percent increase in the GST the solution?

Populist budgets don’t get A+ grades. But why? And what’s wrong with the budget Ontario’s Conservative government recently tabled? The C.D. Howe Institute’s Bill Robson tells Michael Hainsworth that it’s about morethan just deficit spending.

Ottawa has rolled out the first stage of its national pharmacare program. But it’s a far cry from what the NDP required to prop-up the minority government. Former federal health minister Dr. Jane Philpott joins former Alberta health minister Fred Horne and the Institute’s Rosalie Wyonch to discuss why $1.5 billion isn’t anywhere near enough to pay …

Securing Canada’s supply chains comes with risk. HEC Montréal Professor and C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-In-Residence Ari Van Assche debunks COVID-era theories about why we ran out of masks, toilet paper, and bicycles as well as how we can avoid the same fate in the future.

Raise the GST and luxury taxes. Balance the budget. End SupplyManagement for the dairy industry. In the C.D. Howe Institute’s Shadow Budget 2024, Bill Robson and Don Drummond warn that we’ll suffer more later if we don’t take the fiscal medicine now.

Curing what ails Canada’s healthcare system requires us taking the financial bull by the privatization horns. Dalhousie University political science Professor Katherine Fierlbeck and host Michael Hainsworth discuss the importance of accurately framing the nature of our system so we can understand it’s expectations – and limitations.…

The Deep Freeze has put Albertans on notice: The fear of rolling blackouts is real. As a recent massive cold front from the Northwest Territories that flooded the province and its neighbours led to concerns about its citizens' ability to keep the lights on, and the furnaces too. Kent Fellows, a C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-In-Residence,Assistant Prof…

Can Canada’s fraying social safety net catch new immigrants? And if not, what’s the solution as headlines reveal many are sleeping in shifts, dying on the streets, and not able to leverage their skillset in their new homeland? Former Ontario MPP Mitzie Hunter, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Toronto Mayor John Tory join Michael Hainsworth to revis…

How would the price of milk threaten Canada’s auto industry? Bill C-282 risks upturning trade negotiations with the world, especially our biggest trading partner. And if Donald Trump returns to the White House, Martha Hall Findlay tells the Institute’s Bill Robson and Michael Hainsworth that all bets are off.…

Inflation acts as an additional tax on Canadians, and when inflation is high, the pain is exacerbated. So what’s the solution? Host Michael Hainsworth speaks to C.D. Howe Institute CEO Bill Robson and Director of Research Alexandre Laurin to understand how Ottawa can ease the pain no matter the inflation rate.…

Why does it seem politics today is stuck in neutral? Veteranpolitical journalist and award winning author Paul Wells explains the increasing divide between policymakers and the public they serve, why short-term thinking sabotages long-term goals, and why valuable institutional knowledge is leaving the public service.…

If Ottawa is to play a role in solving the housing crisis, it must be strategic and stay out of the way of municipalities. The C.D. Howe Institute's Benjamin Dachis tells host Michael Hainsworth that changing the tax treatment for both homeowners and rental developers would go a long way towards encouraging more construction.…

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a threat to democracy. Yoshua Bengio, Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Operations Research at the Universite de Montreal and the Scientific Director of the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms joins host Michael Hainsworth to discuss how we should deploy AI in government, for national securit…

Join host Michael Hainsworth in this enlightening discussion as we delve deep into Canada's housing crisis. In this episode, we hear from Romy Bowers, President and CEO of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and Bob Dugan, CMHC's Chief Economist. Discover the challenges facing Canada's housing market and the promising solutions thes…

You wouldn’t let your contractor go over budget without asking why. So why should we give Ottawa a pass? Neil Moss of The Hill Times joins C.D. Howe Institute CEO Bill Robson and host Michael Hainsworth to discuss why MPs weren’t keeping an eye on spending during the pandemic – or today.By C.D. Howe Institute

We’ve been complaining about Canada’s productivity problem for 50 years. One of the secrets to solving our problem is by creating companies that scale up from start up to world class. According to Charles Plant, C.D. Howe Institute author and Founder of The Narwhal Project, the solution isn’t throwing more money at the problem: it’s turning Canadia…

2022 Donner Prize winner Ryan Manucha and Michael Hainsworth discuss booze, cigarettes, and interprovincial trade in a growing isolationist environment around the world, and the politics at play as we try to remove those barriers to growth.By C.D. Howe Institute

When you’ve got more than 2,500 international investor agreements worldwide, you’re bound to have disputes. But as trade lawyer and C.D. Howe Institute Senior Fellow Lawrence Herman points out, reforms to the dispute resolution mechanisms need reformation for greater transparency – and to ensure foreign investors still trust that their capital is b…

Could the Bank of Canada seen the inflation beast coming? C.D. Howe Institute's Jeremy Kronick and Steve Ambler tell host Michael Hainsworth that the Institute saw several signs of it rearing its ugly head long before the Bank raised borrowing costs. But what about now?By C.D. Howe Institute

Privatized healthcare isn’t new to Canada. But for Medcan CEO and Chair Shaun Francis, breaking the government monopoly on how we’re cared for requires competition – and patient education.By C.D. Howe Institute

The economics of supply chain politics doesn’t add up. C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-In-Residence Dan Ciuriak tells host Michael Hainsworth that meeting geopolitical goals by binding the invisible hand of the markets only ties it behind a country’s back.By C.D. Howe Institute

One in three Ontarians do not have access to workplace health and dental benefits. In its Commentary titled "Better for Workers, Better for All? Assessing a Portable Health Benefits Plan in Ontario," the C.D. Howe Institute investigates a possible solution for that almost 30% of those in the province who need coverage.…

You’re at risk of running out of money in retirement. On episode eight of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast, CEO Bill Robson tells host Michael Hainsworth why we need to change the rules regarding RRIFs today to ensure Canadians live long – and prosper.By C.D. Howe Institute

As we come out on the other side of COVID-19, Canada’s labour shortage is quickly improving. However, as C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-In-Residence and University of Waterloo Economics Professor Mikal Skuterud tells us on episode seven, the fuel for the economic recovery requires targeted immigration.By C.D. Howe Institute

Solar and wind won’t get us all the way to Net Zero by 2050. On episode six of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast, Simon Fraser University's John Richards and OPG’s Gary Rose tell host Michael Hainsworth that Small Modular Reactors are the solution, and they’re coming sooner than you think.By C.D. Howe Institute

What does the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in California mean for Canada? In episode five of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast, Elevate Export Finance’s Peter Hall tells host Michael Hainsworth that SVB can learn a lot from our financial expertise, and that Canadian banks may benefit from the need for capital in Silicon Valley.…

When it comes to reaching “net zero” emissions by 2050, Canada has a plan – to have a plan to reduce carbon in homes and businesses. That’s according to the University of Calgary's Brian Livingston and Erica Myers in the fourth episode of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast. Learn how we’d be better off spending a fraction of money reducing our home’s …

In episode three of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast, we ask what should Federal Budget 2023 look like? According to the C.D. Howe Institute’s CEO Bill Robson and Fellow-in-Residence Don Drummond, Ottawa needs to reign-in spending or risk re-accelerating inflation. But what about climbing debt loads, a healthcare system in crisis, and the constant m…

What should healthcare in Canada look like after COVID-19? Dr. Robert Bell and William Falk join the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast for our second episode to discuss privatization and the future of telemedicine.By C.D. Howe Institute

What will 2023 bring for inflation, the housing market and healthcare? In episode one of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast’s fifth season, the Globe & Mail’s Andrew Coyne joins host Michael Hainsworth for insight into the year ahead.By C.D. Howe Institute

Women find it substantially harder to get back into the workforce than men. But why? According to economics professors Ana Ferrer and Tammy Schirle, when the Employment Insurance system was built in 1940, it didn’t have working women in mind. But there are four key solutions to the problem.By C.D. Howe Institute

The patient wasn't in stable condition even before the pandemic hit. The prognosis for Canada's healthcare system isn’t good – but there’s a cure. C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-in-Residence and Queen's University Adjunct Professor Don Drummond joins registered nurse Jillian Gratton and host Michael Hainsworth to discuss.…

Canada’s small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) face numerous challenges to scaling-up to compete on the world stage. There are ways to remove those barriers to financing and deepen capital markets. Michael Denham, National Bank of Canada’s Vice Chair of Commercial and Financial Markets, tells C.D. Howe Institute Podcast Host Michael Hainsworth t…

The Bank of Canada’s balance sheet has ballooned under COVID-19. The C.D. Howe Institute’s Jeremy Kronick and Steve Ambler join host Michael Hainsworth to discuss why, why it won’t be coming down any time soon, and how taxpayers may be on the hook as interest rates skyrocket.By C.D. Howe Institute

Ottawa wants to slash greenhouse gas emissions from Canadian home heating. But is the goal little more than hot air? The C.D. Howe Institute's Charles DeLand tells host Michael Hainsworth that cutting emissions to 0% by 2050 will cost more than $6 billion a year and we need to start renovating homes now.…

COVID-19 has intensified the need for digital and STEM skills, but Canada lags in this area. Why? For insight into the solutions to a generational problem, Jayson Hilchie of the Entertainment Software Association of Canada joins C.D. Howe Institute CEO Bill Robson and host Michael Hainsworth to discuss the two paths Canada must take to remain compe…

Canada's Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) is missing details required to make informed decisions about a way forward. And 2030 is right around the corner. But C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-in-Residence Kent Fellows tells host Michael Hainsworth he’s optimistic Canada’s oil patch will remain competitive for years to come even if the ERP doesn’t factor it…

The economic fall out of COVID-19 could be permanent for Canada’s youth. The Institute’s Parisa Mahboubi tells Michael Hainsworth they’ve been hit with a one two punch of diminished education and poorer job prospects.By C.D. Howe Institute

COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the continuing collapse of Canada's healthcare system. But the pandemic is only a symptom of an underlying problem. The C.D. Howe Institute's Rosalie Wyonch tells C.D. Howe Institute Podcast host Michael Hainsworth that bold changes are needed – and we can look to the Dutch model for inspiration.…

Raising interest rates to cool inflation is only part of the solution. But as the C.D. Howe Institute's Bill Robson and Jeremy Kronick tell host Michael Hainsworth, fiscal policy that increases corporate Canada's productive capacity to meet demand isn’t likely, leaving the central bank with the task of dousing the inflationary fire from 2 years of …

With more than 100 days into the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, how do we avoid climate change from becoming just the latest casualty? RBC’s Colin Guldimann, the Pembina Institute’s Jan Gorski, and the The C.D. Howe Institute’s Charles DeLand tell Michael Hainsworth how we can keep our goals on track.By C.D. Howe Institute

Inflation is at a new 31 year high and the Bank of Canada is taking the unusual step of warning that interest rates are set to substantially rise. Former Bank of Canada governors David Dodge and Stephen Poloz sat down with Michael Hainsworth to discuss what’s different this time around, and why fiscal policy needs to take the wheel when monetary po…