One of the big stories coming out of Queen’s Park on the government’s fall economic update was the possibility of reductions in education spending.
government spending
November 18, 2014
10:00AM
There was an aura of complacency in Queen’s Park as the Ontario government released its update on the state of provincial finances.
November 15, 2014
9:00AM
When French President Francois Hollande visited Canada recently, one hopes the Gallic leader looked around. If he did, he would have noticed a stark difference in the economic opportunities between the two countries with the advantages mostly on this side of the Atlantic.
October 23, 2014
10:00AM
Since the turn of the millennium, the ever-increasing cost to taxpayers of government sector pension plans has been made evident time and again. Contribution rates have been hiked, often doubling in one decade, or the plans have been partly bailed out by governments—or both.
October 21, 2014
6:00AM
Scrutiny of government tax and spending policies remains an important hallmark of Canadian democracy. And yet, while federal and provincial government finances routinely make headlines, municipal governments often escape the fiscal spotlight. This makes it difficult for taxpayers to know how local governments spend tax dollars and whether they deliver value for money.
October 4, 2014
6:00AM
Murray Smith, a former Alberta cabinet minister in the Ralph Klein government, the one that privatized government liquor stores and licence registries in 1993, once told me about a side benefit of such divestments (and I paraphrase): fewer distractions, which led to more focused government.
September 20, 2014
10:00AM
Ever wonder why it's difficult for politicians to govern wisely? Part of the reason is straw men created by some in the media. Here's an example. Both the Toronto Star's Rick Salutin and the Vancouver Sun's Daphne Bramham recently offered up some faulty non-issues.
August 23, 2014
9:00AM
Back in 1950, the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development spent $922 per registered “Indian.” As of 2012, the renamed Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada spent $9,056 per registered First Nations person.