The recent appreciation of the Canadian dollar has prompted calls for the Bank of Canada to intervene. The clamouring is motivated by the sentiment that a higher exchange rate is putting an unwarranted damper on economic growth and might push…

A number of armchair economic quarterbacks have taken to criticizing the federal government for accelerating the GST cut to 5 per cent earlier this year. These armchair dwellers point to the cut as wrong-headed fiscal policy and bad economic policy.

There is a very interesting story buried in the recent TD Bank report on equalization payments, but it’s not the one that generated most of the heat and light. The interesting story got buried as a result of confusing the…

In the early 1990s, the Alberta government set the standard for having a clear and closely controlled fiscal framework. The focus of that fiscal framework was on eliminating deficits and debt. Today, Alberta faces a period of surpluses and savings,…

The recent hankering for special deals under the equalization program demonstrates exactly why special deals should not be granted. For in the long run, special deals will only threaten to undermine the program itself.