In the mid-1990s, National Post’s prolific columnist William Watson wrote he would miss deficits when they were gone. It was a way of pointing out that stultifying inertia would replace the refreshing force of reform once Canadian governments got their…

Ottawa has been widely criticized for a sluggish response to the events of Sept. 11. While the recent bill on terrorism sparked positive reviews, the rush and admitted lack of preparedness surrounding it is worrying. Many reasons can be cited…

Alberta’s fiscal performance in the second half of the 1990s made possible two significant achievements: lower debt and tax reform. But more recently, Alberta has allowed its underlying spending path to grow much faster than a reasonable estimate of future…

When it comes to taxes, most of the pressure put on Ottawa takes the form of calls for “lower” taxes. Left in the shadows are the more tricky questions of “better” taxes, or even “fairer” taxes. That is unfortunate because…

Albertans are currently witnessing the spectacle of federal cabinet ministers liberally sprinkling dollars across our province. And while the attention may be welcome, the unfortunate reality is that each new dollar Ottawa doles out costs Albertans at least 35 cents. …