Italy is on the verge of damaging the EU in a way that will dwarf Brexit
By PATRICK LUCIANI (AIMS Senior Fellow) • Financial Post, 8 December 2016 Rarely does a chance come along to shift a nation’s fortunes by changing its constitution. Italy had that chance and, in the process, could rid itself of an elite and bloated public administration and effectively abolish one branch of government — the Senate — that entrenches delay, waste, [...]
Measuring Austerity in Atlantic Canada
Recurrent political debates about public finance often include exaggerated accusations of “austerity” when a government decides to reduce spending. Though the language of “imposing austerity” has found its greatest use in Europe, it is also found in North America and Atlantic Canada. But all reductions on government spending do not amount to austerity. Austerity means significant reduction in spending [...]
Governments must plan to hold line on public sector employment
By JACKSON DOUGHART (AIMS Policy Analyst) and MARCO NAVARRO-GÉNIE (AIMS President) • The Charlottetown Guardian, 07 December 2016 Employment by the provincial government and municipalities is significant on Prince Edward Island, comprising nearly a fifth of all jobs. But unlike work in the private sector or the federal government, compensating this labour requires that wealth be taken from the local [...]
Radio: Austerity in the Atlantic Provinces (4)
PEI: Some Islanders mistakenly identify small public spending reductions with austerity measures. European countries like Greece and Portugal have genuinely experienced austere conditions, cutting their budgets by a quarter after the Great Recession. In contrast, P.E.I.'s government spends far more money that it did a generation ago. While recent years have seen a small decline in program spending, [...]
Making a move to three-tier health care
By DAVID ZITNER (AIMS Senior Fellow) • The Chronicle Herald, 01 December 2016 Most Canadians applaud the principles of the Canada Health Act that suggest all Canadians should have access to the comprehensive health care they need An editorial in the Nov. 1 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal recognizes, as did the Quebec courts, that Canadian Health Care [...]
New Brunswick’s Public Sector (One Pager)
With 81 provincial government employees per 1,000 residents, New Brunswick has a smaller public sector than the Canadian average. By this metric, the province's public sector is the smallest in Atlantic Canada. New Brunswick's public sector grew considerably, from 80 employees per 1,000 residents in 1997 to 93 per 1,000 in 2010. In the past half-decade, however, it has dropped [...]