Who was Barbara Mitchell?
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The index published in Economic Freedom of the World 2013 measures the degree to which the policies and institutions of countries are supportive of economic freedom. The cornerstones of economic freedom are personal choice, voluntary exchange, freedom to compete, and security of privately owned property. Forty-two variables are used to construct a summary index and to measure the degree of economic freedom in five broad areas: (1) size of government; (2) legal system and property rights; (3) sound money; (4) freedom to trade internationally; and (5) regulation.

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In 2011, more than six million Canadians were enrolled in some type of registered pension plan.

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This paper reviews the literature on teacher education, certification, and hiring, showing that there are great differences in the effectiveness of teachers in public schools. Better teachers are not necessarily those with more education and more experience, the two traditional variables used when determining salaries.

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The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement currently under negotiation will secure a trade alliance between Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. These countries have a combined economy (GDP) of over $27 trillion, comprising nearly 35 percent of global GDP and about one third of global trade.

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This study examines the effects of worker choice laws in the US—commonly referred to as “right to work” (RTW) policies—and applies the findings to British Columbia and to Ontario. RTW laws have been enacted by 24 US states; these laws prohibit collective bargaining agreements between employers and unions from forcing workers represented by a union to pay dues for its representation.

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This paper reviews the history of Canadian immigration policies and documents that the present policies impose on Canadians a fiscal burden of $20 billion annually. The existence of this burden is attributed to flaws in the current immigrant selection process, some of which are addressed through recent changes in policies adopted by the government.

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This paper addresses the Canadian government'’s controversial limits (or caps) on the blocks of spectrum that can be acquired for the upcoming auction of 700 MHz spectrum on January 14, 2014. Large Canadian carriers (TELUS, Bell, and Rogers) have expressed concern over Verizon’s possible participation in the auction. While the perceived scenario of Verizon acquiring one or more smaller wireless carriers and then successfully bidding for prime spectrum has garnered national attention, the broader issue of whether the policies being implemented by the government are in the interests of Canadian wireless customers is equally significant. This paper argues that preventing large incumbent carriers from unduly restricting competition in the future can and should be addressed through the Competition Act, rather than through “handicapping” the competitive process, including spectrum auction caps.

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