The federal equalization program — which distributes dollars to poorer provinces based on their ability to raise revenues — is rather simple in theory and noble in intent. According to the Canadian Constitution, equalization exists to “ensure that provincial governments…

The contribution by Ken Boessenkool takes the series from theory and testing to policy. In his paper, Boessenkool, a private policy analyst and commentator, makes the case for a practical change to the current equalization program: removing non-renewable natural resource revenue from…

The current debate on Ottawa’s equalization payments to economically disadvantaged provinces is not primarily, as Stephane Dion asserted in these pages last week, about special treatment or about disincentives that the program creates for recipient provinces – as worthy as…

Equalization was designed to give cash to economically weaker provinces so that they would have total revenues that are comparable to a representative Canadian average. And at that task, the program works remarkably well. In doing so, however, the program…

This new AIMS study, the first in AIMS Oil & Gas Series, outlines a win-win strategy to reduce the overall cost of equalization and put more money into the hands of the provinces in the long term. The paper’s author Ken…