C.d. Howe Institute

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.