C.d. Howe Institute

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.