CALGARY – Alberta’s poverty industry is at it again. A recently concluded review of Alberta’s welfare program saw the usual suspects trot out their heart-wrenching, single-mother-on-welfare anecdotes along with laments about welfare rates that are too low, affordable housing that…

The February 24, 1998, federal budget has properly been hailed as a landmark. It ends 30 years of profligate spending, irresponsible deficits, and rising interest costs. This is an achievement worth celebrating. We should not, however, let the celebrations of…

During their years as prime minister and finance minister, Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin have presided over a remarkable restoration of federal fiscal health. The federal budget for fiscal year 1993/94 showed a $42 billion deficit; this fiscal year, current…

Since the March 1996 federal budget was notable for the absence of measures with major short-term impacts on federal finances or the Canadian economy, its aftermath is an apt time to reflect on some of Ottawa’s longer-term fiscal conundrums. This…