Who was Barbara Mitchell?
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Interest Cost Risks to Government Budgets

Interest Cost Risks to Government Budgets is a new study that examines what would happen to government interest costs (essentially the interest paid on outstanding debt) and government budgets if interest costs returned to the near-historically low levels of 2019-20. Crucially, government interest costs could increase to $35.2 billion in 2021-22, a rise of $13.1 billion from the current projection based on the latest government budgets.

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Fiscal Lessons for Atlantic Canada from Saskatchewan

Fiscal lessons for Atlantic Canada from Saskatchewan is a new study that examines how Atlantic Canada, faced with ongoing budget deficits, can learn from Saskatchewan’s fiscal reforms during the 1990s, when the province went from the brink of insolvency to reducing taxes on personal income, businesses and investment, spurring economic growth.

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First Nations and the Petroleum Industry—from Conflict to Cooperation

First Nations and the Petroleum Industry—from Conflict to Cooperation finds that, to increase Indigenous ownership in the oil industry, First Nations should focus on small and medium-sized projects rather than mega-projects that require massive assistance from government.

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A New (Old) Fiscal Rule for Non-Renewable Resource Revenue in Alberta

A New (Old) Fiscal Rule for Non-Renewable Resource Revenue in Alberta is a new study that examines how Alberta’s budget deficits and mounting debt are due in part to its treatment of non-renewable resource revenue in the budget. The study recommends reinstating fiscal rules that require a certain amount of resource revenues be saved in order to stabilize provincial finances.

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Understanding Universal Health Care Reform Options: Activity-Based Funding

Understanding Universal Health Care Reform Options: Activity-Based Funding is a new study that finds paying hospitals for each patient they treat, also known as activity-based funding, instead of allocating pre-defined annual budgets could improve the quantity and quality of health care services while reducing wait times for Canadians. Nearly every other developed country with a universal health-care system has moved towards activity-based funding in recent decades, whereas Canada is among the last to continue to use lump sum payments.

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Ford Government Fiscal Policy Approach Mirrors that of McGuinty and Wynne

Ford Government Fiscal Policy Approach Mirrors that of McGuinty and Wynne finds that the current Ontario government is continuing the fiscal approach of the previous Wynne and McGuinty governments, excluding emergency COVID spending. In fact, according to 2021 budget forecasts, over the next three years government spending (minus interest costs) will increase by a cumulative total of 8.5 per cent compared to 6.6 per cent from 2010 to 2012.

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Caution Required When Comparing Canada’s Debt to that of Other Countries

Caution Required When Comparing Canada’s Debt to that of Other Countries is a new study that finds Canada’s relative debt position is much worse than the federal government suggests when compared to a larger group of advanced countries. In fact, while Canada does have the lowest net debt to GDP in the G7, Canada’s position falls to 11th when the analysis is expanded to include 29 advanced countries, including many European countries and Australia. What’s more, when gross debt—and not net debt—are measured, Canada is the 25th most indebted country out of the 29 included in the study.

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