The Principle of Targeting in Energy and Environmental Policy spotlights the effectiveness of energy and environmental regulations implemented by governments throughout Canada in recent years.  While championing the economic principle of ‘targeting’, the study finds that many of the applied regulations – such as bans on plastics bags, prohibitions against 100-watt incandescent light bulbs, household appliance standards and ethanol blending mandates – are inefficient, costly and do little to improve the environment.

A Longer-term Perspective on Canada’s Household Debt written by Philip Cross, former chief economic analyst for Statistics Canada, spotlights the nature of household debt in Canada since the 1970s, looks at Canadians’ net worth levels and explores debt-to-income ratios in other countries. It finds that Canadians are managing their debt levels responsibly with no evident strain to their incomes or balance sheets.

An Economic Assessment of the Investment Canada Act spotlights the economic impact of screening foreign acquisitions of Canadian companies. For example, the Act’s conditions essentially represent an increased cost for the buyer and consequently result in lower bid prices for Canadian companies. This ripple effect may discourage Canadian entrepreneurs from starting or expanding businesses—the lifeblood of economic and employment growth in the country.