Dear John,

I hope all is well with you and yours.

I wanted to reach out to provide a few thoughts as I reflect on the recent federal election and the work we do here at the Fraser Institute.

As with 2019, this election highlights that Canada remains a divided country, particularly geographically. The election again resulted in a minority government led by a party that received only 32% of the votes. It is clear that a majority of Canadian voters are not happy with the performance of the federal government.

I also know that many of you are greatly concerned about the future of our great country. We share your concerns. In large part due to the massive shift in federal policy since 2015 — namely higher taxes, higher debt-financed spending and more regulation of the economy — Canada has for the first time fallen out of the top 10 most economically free nations in the world.

Economic freedom is the engine that powers growth, prosperity, income mobility, and a broad array of improved social outcomes, including higher levels of life satisfaction. That is because happiness and self-worth emanate from being in charge of your own life.

The federal government’s approach to the economy and to people’s lives is the exact opposite, where government makes more decisions at the expense of entrepreneurs, business owners, investors and Canadians generally. This has predictably resulted in lower economic growth, higher taxes on the middle class, a legacy of massive debt (i.e. future tax increases) for young Canadians, and an exodus of business investment from the country.

This was the case before COVID, and unfortunately remains so today.

Despite all of this, my colleagues and I at the Fraser Institute remain optimistic.

The Institute has always played a significant role in informing Canadians about how government policies have affected their families and the economy more generally. Recently, we have been one of the few voices in the country holding this government accountable and one of the only voices raising concerns about the direction of policy in Canada.

A great example is the federal government’s persistent claim that they decreased taxes on the middle class. Our study Measuring the Impact of Federal Personal Income Tax Changes found that over 80% of middle class families are paying higher taxes as a result of the government’s income tax changes. This study and our leveraging of its findings since has garnered thousands of media stories, and its main conclusion has been mentioned over 100 times in Parliament. Today, you rarely hear this claim being made.

We have been the only think tank to consistently highlight that Canada’s fiscal situation is at near crisis levels.

We continue to be the most prominent think tank consistently arguing that Canada needs a change in policy direction – that more government spending, increased redistribution, and new and higher taxes are not the answer.

We have been one of the only national think tanks to consistently push back against the federal government’s attempt to destroy one of Canada’s most important industries, the energy industry.

And we were the only think tank to push back against the federal government’s continued interest in a wealth tax.

We provided valuable information that Canadians needed to be able to hold the government accountable, and we’ll continue to do so.

Prior to COVID, in late 2019, an Angus Reid poll asked Canadians what they thought the priorities of the federal government should be -- the number one priority was tax cuts for middle-income Canadians! The same poll revealed other key priorities in the minds of Canadians: keeping the deficit under control, improving access to health care, and growing the economy.

COVID has of course taken some of the attention away from the government’s performance on these issues but as this election showed, Canadians are increasingly concerned about the cost of living.

We have tremendous faith in Canadians. With an increased understanding of the impact of current government policies, Canadians will ultimately be better able to ensure that their elected representatives pursue policies that are more responsible and that will create a better and wealthier Canada for all Canadians.

Change will come, and we cannot give up.

At the Institute, we take the long view. The outcome of a single election will not determine our future.

We believe there is a wonderful and prosperous future ahead for Canada.

With your help, we will continue to hold governments accountable and educate Canadians about what policies are needed to increase economic growth and opportunity, improve our healthcare, and lower our taxes. And of course, we will continue to push back against special interest groups and politicians that continue peddling wildly exaggerated fears and damaging economic policies.

If you're able to, please consider making a donation today.

Thanks for being a friend and supporter of the Institute. Without you, we would not be able to do our good work.

Stay safe,

Niels Veldhuis
President