C.D. Howe Institute

When you've got more than 2,500 international investor agreements worldwide, you're bound to have disputes. But as trade lawyer and C.D. Howe Institute Senior Fellow Lawrence Herman points out, reforms to the dispute resolution mechanisms need reformation for greater transparency – and to ensure foreign investors still trust that their capital is being respected.

Could the Bank of Canada seen the inflation beast coming? C.D. Howe Institute's Jeremy Kronick and Steve Ambler tell host Michael Hainsworth that the Institute saw several signs of it rearing its ugly head long before the Bank raised borrowing costs. But what about now?

Privatized healthcare isn't new to Canada. But for Medcan CEO and Chair Shaun Francis, breaking the government monopoly on how we're cared for requires competition – and patient education.

The economics of supply chain politics doesn't add up. C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-In-Residence Dan Ciuriak tells host Michael Hainsworth that meeting geopolitical goals by binding the invisible hand of the markets only ties it behind a country's back.

You're at risk of running out of money in retirement. On episode eight of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast, CEO Bill Robson tells host Michael Hainsworth why we need to change the rules regarding RRIFs today to ensure Canadians live long – and prosper.

As we come out on the other side of COVID-19, Canada's labour shortage is quickly improving. However, as C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-In-Residence and University of Waterloo Economics Professor Mikal Skuterud tells us on episode seven, the fuel for the economic recovery requires targeted immigration.

Solar and wind won't get us all the way to Net Zero by 2050. On episode six of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast, Simon Fraser University's John Richards and OPG's Gary Rose tell host Michael Hainsworth that Small Modular Reactors are the solution, and they're coming sooner than you think.

What does the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in California mean for Canada? In episode five of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast, Elevate Export Finance's Peter Hall tells host Michael Hainsworth that SVB can learn a lot from our financial expertise, and that Canadian banks may benefit from the need for capital in Silicon Valley.

When it comes to reaching “net zero” emissions by 2050, Canada has a plan – to have a plan to reduce carbon in homes and businesses. That's according to the University of Calgary's Brian Livingston and Erica Myers in the fourth episode of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast. Learn how we'd be better off spending a fraction of money reducing our home's carbon footprint than buying an electric car.

In episode three of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast, we ask what should Federal Budget 2023 look like? According to the C.D. Howe Institute's CEO Bill Robson and Fellow-in-Residence Don Drummond, Ottawa needs to reign-in spending or risk re-accelerating inflation. But what about climbing debt loads, a healthcare system in crisis, and the constant march of climate change?

What should healthcare in Canada look like after COVID-19? Dr. Robert Bell and William Falk join the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast for our second episode to discuss privatization and the future of telemedicine.

What will 2023 bring for inflation, the housing market and healthcare? In episode one of the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast's fifth season, the Globe & Mail's Andrew Coyne joins host Michael Hainsworth for insight into the year ahead.

Women find it substantially harder to get back into the workforce than men. But why? According to economics professors Ana Ferrer and Tammy Schirle, when the Employment Insurance system was built in 1940, it didn't have working women in mind. But there are four key solutions to the problem.

The patient wasn't in stable condition even before the pandemic hit. The prognosis for Canada's healthcare system isn't good – but there's a cure. C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-in-Residence and Queen's University Adjunct Professor Don Drummond joins registered nurse Jillian Gratton and host Michael Hainsworth to discuss.

Canada's small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) face numerous challenges to scaling-up to compete on the world stage. There are ways to remove those barriers to financing and deepen capital markets. Michael Denham, National Bank of Canada's Vice Chair of Commercial and Financial Markets, tells C.D. Howe Institute Podcast Host Michael Hainsworth that there are three key hurdles to overcome.

The Bank of Canada's balance sheet has ballooned under COVID-19. The C.D. Howe Institute's Jeremy Kronick and Steve Ambler join host Michael Hainsworth to discuss why, why it won't be coming down any time soon, and how taxpayers may be on the hook as interest rates skyrocket.

Ottawa wants to slash greenhouse gas emissions from Canadian home heating. But is the goal little more than hot air? The C.D. Howe Institute's Charles DeLand tells host Michael Hainsworth that cutting emissions to 0% by 2050 will cost more than $6 billion a year and we need to start renovating homes now.

COVID-19 has intensified the need for digital and STEM skills, but Canada lags in this area. Why? For insight into the solutions to a generational problem, Jayson Hilchie of the Entertainment Software Association of Canada joins C.D. Howe Institute CEO Bill Robson and host Michael Hainsworth to discuss the two paths Canada must take to remain competitive and fuel our economy.

Canada's Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) is missing details required to make informed decisions about a way forward. And 2030 is right around the corner. But C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-in-Residence Kent Fellows tells host Michael Hainsworth he's optimistic Canada's oil patch will remain competitive for years to come even if the ERP doesn't factor it in.

The economic fall out of COVID-19 could be permanent for Canada's youth. The Institute's Parisa Mahboubi tells Michael Hainsworth they've been hit with a one two punch of diminished education and poorer job prospects.

COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the continuing collapse of Canada's healthcare system. But the pandemic is only a symptom of an underlying problem. The C.D. Howe Institute's Rosalie Wyonch tells C.D. Howe Institute Podcast host Michael Hainsworth that bold changes are needed – and we can look to the Dutch model for inspiration.

Raising interest rates to cool inflation is only part of the solution. But as the C.D. Howe Institute's Bill Robson and Jeremy Kronick tell host Michael Hainsworth, fiscal policy that increases corporate Canada's productive capacity to meet demand isn't likely, leaving the central bank with the task of dousing the inflationary fire from 2 years of COVID-19 spending.

With more than 100 days into the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, how do we avoid climate change from becoming just the latest casualty? RBC's Colin Guldimann, the Pembina Institute's Jan Gorski, and the The C.D. Howe Institute's Charles DeLand tell Michael Hainsworth how we can keep our goals on track.

Inflation is at a new 31 year high and the Bank of Canada is taking the unusual step of warning that interest rates are set to substantially rise. Former Bank of Canada governors David Dodge and Stephen Poloz sat down with Michael Hainsworth to discuss what's different this time around, and why fiscal policy needs to take the wheel when monetary policy has only one lever to pull.

The economic consequences of the Ukraine-Russia War are in the trillions. What does it mean for Canada, energy security and climate change? Dan Ciuriak and Monica Gattinger of the University of Ottawa tell Michael Hainsworth the fall-out has only just begun.

Cutting-off Vladimir Putin and his enablers from global finance is the world's primary weapon against the #UkraineRussiaWar. But as Kevin Comeau writes in his latest Intelligence Memo, it's a weapon weakened by bureaucracy in Canada.

It's time to get serious about paying for COVID-19 and preparing for the next crisis. The C.D. Howe Institute's Bill Robson tells Michael Hainsworth it's time to talk about spending cuts and tax increases. #podcast #cdnpoi #caneco

COVID-19 has left its mark on Canadian retailers. However, what does this mean for your favourite "touchless" commerce? Retail analyst Bruce Winder joins Michael Hainsworth and the C.D. Howe Institute's Vice President, Research Daniel Schwanen to discuss his new report.

Canada's healthcare system is failing. With the elderly population three times greater than when Tommy Douglas proposed Medicare, Queen's University's Don Drummond and Duncan Sinclair discuss why the Canada Health Act is failing against its five famous principles, and what to do about it.

Elementary school students educated primarily online during the pandemic are falling behind by as much as an entire letter grade, according to a study delivered by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Brown University Professor of Economics Emily Oster says it's enough of an impact that policy makers need to consider student performance when making decisions on school closures.

Canada's federal, provincial, and territorial governments have over the last 20 years routinely blown their budgets. Senior governments have overshot their spending targets by a combined $119B, while underestimating tax revenue by as much as $143B. C.D. Howe Institute CEO Bill Robson joins Michael Hainsworth to discuss why governments are so far off their mark and what can be done to fix budgetary disconnects.

If most Canadians want to die at home, why don't we? Two out of three will die in a hospital and the cost is enormous. Doctors James Downar and Kieran Quinn offer solutions to cut costs and give us the end of life we want.

We welcome back RBC's John Stackhouse and Cynthia Leach to discuss how an estimated $280B saved by Canadian households during the pandemic will impact economic recovery, and what role public policy should play in guiding Canada out of the pandemic tunnel and into the light.

In part one of a two-part series, RBC's John Stackhouse and Cynthia Leach join our Michael Hainsworth to discuss the road to reducing Canada's 730 million tonnes GHG to net-zero. With COP26 now behind us, the hard work of selling climate change action at home begins and Canada's biggest bank has spent the last year investigating how best to shift to a net zero policy by 2050, or sooner, and calls it “The $2T Transition”.

The gig economy worker has been doing much of the heavy lifting during COVID-19, delivering everything from shopping packages to dinner. But when one loses their job, they fall through Employment Insurance holes in Canada's social safety net. Author David Gray asks: should gig workers be covered by the EI regime? The answer, not surprisingly, is complicated.

In the home-stretch of Election 2021, how have the key parties fared? The NDP's Jagmeet Singh and the PPC's Maxime Bernier stole some of the thunder from the Liberals and Conservatives. Strategists Jenni Byrne and Scott Reid join the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast to discuss what's going on in the final days.

Is now the time to pay for COVID-19 and to raise interest rates? Queen's University Stauffer-Dunning Fellow and Adjunct Professor Don Drummond is worried about saddling the next generation with today's debt, while University of British Columbia Professor Kevin Milligan believes a harsh cure may do more damage than good.

How will the US Federal Reserve normalize central bank policy without crashing the economy? Dallas Federal Reserve President and CEO Robert S. Kaplan tells Michael Hainsworth why he's not focused on raising interest rates any time soon, and the role the Delta variant of COVID-19 may play.

As the Delta variant fuels a fourth wave of Coronavirus, small business in Canada is worried about another lockdown. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business reports only one third of businesses are back to "normal" and it fears Ottawa is moving too fast on winding-down support programs. President and CEO Dan Kelly joins the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast's Michael Hainsworth to discuss his petition calling for a plan to help SMB's stay open - and avoid further restrictions.

As the debate over vaccine passports continues, time is slipping away. In the report “Vaccine Ins and Outs: An Exploration of the Legal Issues Raised by Vaccine Passports,” two of its authors joined the C.D. Howe Institute Podcast to explain why a well designed passport will work – and is critical to putting COVID-19 behind us.

With most of Canada partially vaccinated and 41% going into a “two dose summer”, is now the time to pull back on COVID-19 related stimulus spending? The Institute's Bill Robson and Jeremy Kronick tell Michael Hainsworth that the economic data support the move as consumers prepare to open their wallets wide.

Bill C-10's attempts to amend Canada's Broadcasting Act has it performing a high-wire act of its own. Globe & Mail columnist Andrew Coyne and Youtube's Jeanette Patell sit down with Michael Hainsworth to discuss criticism around Canadian content requirements, and why they feel the bill's foundational concern is flawed: that the playing field requires leveling in the first place.

The 1st anniversary of CUSMA is around the corner. But what does the future look like for the Canadian automotive industry in a post-CUSMA, and a post-COVID world? We turned to KPMG Canada's Joy Nott and Transport Canada's Megan Nichols to learn how much the breakdown in supply chain management over the last 15 months and a new trade deal will change the sector forever.

Cigarette smoking is the single largest cause of avoidable premature death in Canada. It’s estimated to cut 10 years off a smoker’s life. Cigarettes have gotten a 21st century makeover since they were first introduced in the 19th century. Concordia University economics professor Ian Irvine says Ottawa should tax vape-based products as a harm reduction strategy aimed at kicking the habit. But by how much?

Meeting Ottawa’s climate plan requires our cars and light trucks to cut GHG by 34 percent over the next decade. What’s it going to take to make the transportation sector do the heavy-lifting on reducing Canada’s carbon footprint? Host Michael Hainsworth learns there’s no “silver bullet,” it’s more like “silver buckshot.”

Ottawa is kicking the cost of COVID-19 down the road and crossing its fingers we don’t encounter any additional economic or health crises between now and 2055. The Institute’s CEO Bill Robson is joined by Director of Research Alex Laurin and Senior Fellow Don Drummond to discuss the implications, why we can’t grow our way out of the fiscal hole like we did after the Second World War, and why a consumption tax would be a more effective tool than a wealth tax.

With vaccinations ramping up, our attention turns to the post-pandemic recovery. But how can the country recover without women in the workforce? Dr. Jennifer Robson of Carleton University and McGill’s Ken Boessenkool tell Michael Hainsworth that now is not the time to build a national childcare program from scratch, but work needs to begin now on providing more accessible and affordable childcare, building on structures already in place.

Times of crisis open the door to new economic theories. As governments inflate debt to address them, talk about Modern Monetary Theory has grown into a chorus in some circles – particularly as the Americans discuss the “Green New Deal.” But as report authors Farah Omran and Mark Zelmer tell host Michael Hainsworth, Modern Monetary Theory has a serious flaw: relying on politicians to do the right thing.

Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh’s plan to pay for the pandemic is to tax the companies that benefitted the most from the coronavirus response. It would inject more than $5B into Canada’s coffers. Taxing big business is one thing, but how will the NDP help small businesses weather the third wave of infections and beyond? Host Michael Hainsworth found the party leader is preparing for an election he doesn’t want.

The explosive growth in demand for green bonds is expected to return post-COVID. C.D. Howe Institute Senior Fellow Glen Hodgson tells Michael Hainsworth the pandemic has given the oil patch, foreign investors, and Ottawa an opportunity to rebuild the economy around green thinking.

Governments are increasingly using industrial policy to give their Industry 4.0 economies a competitive edge. How should Canada respond after past failures in guiding the invisible hand of the markets? C.D. Howe Institute VP of Research Daniel Schwanen and Fellow-in-Residence Dan Ciuriak on lessons learned, and why we can’t fear the future.