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FRASER UPDATE
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Latest Research Oct 28-Nov 3, 2019
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‘Have-not’ provinces received $2.1 billion more in equalization payments due to program design flaw
Why Is Equalization Still Growing? finds that due to a specific rule (created in 2009) within Canada’s equalization program, which transfers federal tax dollars to lower-income provinces, total equalization payments to “have-not” provinces must grow every year, even if the gap between richer and poorer provinces shrinks. As a result, total program costs over the past two years have been $2.1 billion (or 5.7 per cent) larger than they would have been without the rule.
Read More ([link removed])

Recent Commentary and Blog Posts
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Talks of a Trudeau mandate ignore reality and history ([link removed])
(Appeared in the Edmonton Sun) by Jason Clemens and Jake Fuss.
Sir John A. Macdonald’s Tories in 1867 are the only other party to form government after receiving less than 35 per cent of the popular vote.

Premier Ford should look west for deficit-reduction strategy ([link removed])
(Appeared in the Ottawa Sun) by Ben Eisen. 
Premier Ford’s first budget called for continued nominal spending growth.

Property tax imbalance erodes political accountability, discourages business investment ([link removed])
(Appeared in the Fredericton Daily Gleaner) by Josef Filipowicz and Steven Globerman.
The growth of capital investment in Canada slowed substantially from 2005 to 2018 compared to earlier periods.

Alberta’s fiscal plan—put the pedal to the metal ([link removed])
by Vincent Geloso.
To eliminate the deficit, the government’s four-year plan will cut program spending by 1.6 per cent over four years.

Trans Mountain expansion good for all Canadians—and Confederation ([link removed])
(Appeared in the Toronto Sun) by Ashley Stedman and Elmira Aliakbari. 
The oil and gas industry accounts for almost 8 per cent of Canada’s GDP.

Ford government should more forcefully target deficit, housing costs ([link removed])
by Livio Di Matteo.
Ontario's provincial net debt is pushing $360 billion.

The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. For more, call (800) 665-3558 ext. 590.

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