government spending

Blog

Oct 15, 2019

Party leaders ignore crucial facts and figures in election debates

Ed Finn

The depletion of tax revenue through profligate business bounties is a cunningly devised strategy, giving political leaders the excuse that they simply don't have the means to improve social services.

Blog

Feb 1, 2019

NDP governments' approaches to health-care funding demonstrate fiscal prudence, new study says

David J. Climenhaga

The facts don't support the myth New Democratic Party governments always try to break the bank with health-care spending.

Columnists

Jan 15, 2019

Rethinking public debt: Former IMF chief economist tackles a taboo

Duncan Cameron

A core belief of neoliberal capitalists is that government budgets must be balanced to prevent the accumulation of public debt. But is public debt necessarily bad?

Blog

Mar 20, 2018

Manitoba's 2018 budget is the most disappointing budget ever

Lynne Fernandez

Manitoba premier Brian Pallister's Trump-esque statement that budget 2018 was going to be the "best budget ever" has fallen a bit flat.

Blog

Feb 28, 2018

Top disappointments of Budget 2018, by the numbers

Brent Patterson

The Council of Canadians had a first look at Budget 2018 tabled by Finance Minister Bill Morneau on February 27 and they didn't like what they saw. Here are their initial observations.

Columnists

Jun 27, 2017

The next NDP leader needs to articulate change

Duncan Cameron

Memo to NDP leadership candidates: please articulate what comes after austerity.

Columnists

Mar 24, 2017

This may be the budget that ended deficit phobia

Rick Salutin

This budget rocked, in one sense: it did a 180 on the stifling monomania of the last 30 years -- the obsession with deficits.

Blog

Sep 27, 2016

Household debt is far too high -- and why it's going to go higher still

David Macdonald

When the National Balance Sheet came out this month, the focus was on the need for households to pay down that debt... somehow. But we need to look at the broader debt picture across all sectors.

Blog

Aug 24, 2016

Why are Dalhousie University students carrying costs for governments and CEOs?

Stephen Kimber

Dalhousie University is ponying up $300,000 USD to cover the cost for nine of the province's best and brightest (and richest) to attend an "entrepreneurship acceleration program" at MIT. Why?

Blog

Aug 17, 2016

Foundering ferry deal leaves Nova Scotia holding the purse

Stephen Kimber

As a new ferry sails through the same passenger-challenged, money-losing storm en route to the same subsidized disaster, should the premier still be unconditionally committed to it?

government spending

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