Government Role

Cost of only thinking in the short-term

A recent article in The Guardian suggested that the government shutdown in the United States is only the most obvious example of short-term thinking.

According to the author governments have become more and more reluctant to look at the long-term impact of decisions. This is having a devastating impact when it comes to issues like climate change.

High dollar blamed for Canada's lack of competitiveness

Bank of Canada Senior Deputy Governor Tiff Macklem blamed the increase in the Canadian dollar for Canada's loss of competitiveness in a recent speech to the Economic Council of Canada. A second factor was weak productivity growth, which can be traced back to lack of investment in research and development.

Tuition freeze seen as economic development tool

The government of Newfoundland and Labrador sees it's freeze on university and college tuition as having economic benefits as well as helping make post-secondary education more accessible for people from all financial backgrounds. With an ageing population, Newfoundland and Labrador is expecting to face a labour shortage.

Weak National Household Survey data confirms decision to scrap long-form census is bad for the economy

When the federal government announced it was going to scrap the long-form census, many business groups like the Canadian Chamber of Commerce or the Toronto Board of Trade were opposed. They argued that the businesses needed the information from the long form census to make effective decisions about how to invest. A voluntary survey would not provide the same quality of data as the long form census.

More evidence of problems with Temporary Foreign Worker Program

A Calgary Herald article revealed more problems with how the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is operating. Access to information requests revealed that many companies are being allowed to only pay temporary foreign workers minimum wage. This contradicts a requirement of the program that workers be paid at or near market rates.

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