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Janvier 14, 2014 2:00AM

Canada 2020: The Right Scope and Size of Government
Sean Speer, Charles Lammam
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The Clerk of the Privy Council's Blueprint 2020 exercise is a positive step in redefining the role and functions of the federal public service in Canada. It asks important questions about how the public service needs to evolve, what best practices it should adopt, and how the federal public service can come to represent a competitive advantage for the country. We laud the Clerk and the entire public service for this introspective initiative.

However, a key question omitted from the blueprint document is: what's the right size and scope of the federal government in 2020?

Étiquettes:
blueprint 2020, privy council, size of government, optimal size of government, canada, public service in canada, public service, government spending
Janvier 9, 2014 2:00AM

A necessary New Year's resolution for Ontario
Sean Speer, Charles Lammam
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Another year has come and gone and Ontario's weak public finances remain largely unchanged. The provincial government did little to improve its fiscal position in 2013 and recently signalled it intends to continue with debt-financed spending into the New Year. But the status quo isn’t serving Ontarians well. For 2014, the government should chart a new course that places provincial finances on a more sound footing. That would be a much-needed New Year's resolution for Canada’s largest province.

Étiquettes:
ontario, ontarios finances, ontario government, government spending, debt-financing, deficit, debt, budget, interest payments
Janvier 9, 2014 2:00AM

More money won't solve Aboriginal woes
Mark Milke, Ravina Bains
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If Canadians wonder why little progress has been made in bringing prosperity to First Nations communities, they just received another reminder from an Ottawa-based think tank that reinforces the status quo approach to Aboriginal policy: spend more tax dollars.

In a recent column published in PostMedia papers ('Catching up on Aboriginal services is not cheap,') Brian Lee Crowley of the Macdonald Laurier Institute took issue with and was highly critical of our recent study, which documented a portion of the tax dollars spent on Aboriginal matters.

Étiquettes:
aboriginal spending, government spending, aboriginal issues, first nations communities, first nations, aboriginal policy, brian lee crowley, aboriginal services
Janvier 7, 2014 3:42PM

Measuring government in the 21st century
Livio Di Matteo
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Étiquettes:
measuring government, size of government, optimal size of government, government spending, programs spending, public sector efficiency, cost-effectiveness index
Janvier 6, 2014 2:00AM

Interest payments on government debt a painful reminder that there are no free lunches
Sean Speer, Hugh MacIntyre
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With the holiday season now behind us, the oncoming flood of credit statements to Canadian households is a powerful reminder that there are no free lunches. Borrowing to pay for current consumption brings interest payments, and ultimately, the need to pay off principal balances. Most Canadians are intimately familiar with this reality when it comes to their household finances. But this same reality also applies to governments. As taxpayers, Canadian families are also responsible for interest on government debt. And these payments are significant.

Étiquettes:
government debt, interest payments, government spending, deficit, federal government, provincial government, debt servicing, old age security, budget
Décembre 20, 2013 2:00AM

Ontario, the Diffident Enabler, Needs to Change
David MacKinnon
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For many years, Ontario has been the quiet enabler for the vast system of subsidies the federal government provides to Atlantic Canada, Quebec and Manitoba. With rare exceptions, it has stood by as equalization grew and as the federal government incorporated subsidies to regions in more and more of its regular programming.

In recent years, evidence has been accumulating that the regional subsidy system is much bigger than it appears on the surface, unsustainable for both Alberta and Ontario and entirely counterproductive because it discourages growth in all recipient provinces.

Étiquettes:
equalization, government spending, program spending, government subsidies, subsidies, ontario, alberta, regional subsidies, quebec
Décembre 10, 2013 2:00AM

Ever Higher: Government spending on Canada's Aboriginals since 1947
Mark Milke
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Ever Higher-Government spending on Canada's Aboriginals since 1947
Étiquettes:
government spending, aboriginal spending, aboriginal policy, federal government spending, provincial government spending, aboriginal affairs, northern development canada, health canada
Décembre 3, 2013 2:00AM

Policy reforms in Australia and what they mean for Canada
Stephen Kirchner, Sean Speer, Jason Clemens
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Étiquettes:
pension, canada pension plan, Australia, pension reform, CPP, government spending
Novembre 25, 2013 2:00AM

Unseen Equalization: Provincial Subsidies in Federal Programs
David MacKinnon, Jane Loyer, Frazier Fathers, Milagros Palacios
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Étiquettes:
equalization, provincial subsidies, government spending, program spending, employment insurance, cultural programs, immigration settlement, federal employment, economic development agencies, airport ground rental arrangements
Novembre 21, 2013 2:00AM

Senate expense scandals just one small example of government's failure to manage our money
Charles Lammam, Hugh MacIntyre
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Allegations of expense scandals in the Senate have shocked many Canadians and rightfully so. Although unsettling, such antics are not an isolated case; they are part of a larger institutional problem with government.

Étiquettes:
federal government, government spending, program spending, auditor general reports, auditor general, federal government failure, senate scandal, canadian coast guard, national defence, social insurance numbers