Federal government botches job file
A Calgary Herald editorial criticizes labour policies from the federal government. It quotes AIMS's Vice President of Research John Williamson, who fears that the government "is creating an EI trap." Read the full editorial on the Calgary Herald website. Canada has long relied on foreign workers to fill shortages in our labour force, but it’s worrisome that the Liberal government [...]
At AIMS, our bias is the market
AIMS President Marco Navarro-Génie responds to an editorial that appeared in two P.E.I. newspapers, which questioned the bias of research institutes, such as AIMS. Far from being hidden in our biases, he argues, AIMS puts its pro-market point of view right in the name: the Atlantic Institute for "Market" Studies. A recent editorial in the Journal-Pioneer has resurrected the old [...]
A really disruptive tax proposal
In the Telegraph-Journal, AIMS Vice President of Research John Williamson considers the proposal to increase the tax exemption on purchases from online U.S. retailers from $20 to $200. If enacted, such a policy proposal would unfairly disadvantage Canada's own retailers, Williamson argues, and so any reform should include Canadian businesses. Read this article on the Telegraph-Journal website. Listen to AIMS [...]
Radio: HST Exemption for U.S. Purchases
The federal government is considering a tax exemption for online purchases from the United States under $200. No doubt, this idea emanates from popular frustration with high taxes. Burdened consumers justifiably want a break. Unfortunately, this proposal would be bad policy. As more people shop on American retail websites, government revenues will be made up with higher taxes [...]
Bilingualism on the Supreme Court
On Aug. 17, 2016, AIMS Policy Analyst Jackson Doughart was a guest on News 95.7's Sheldon MacLeod show. They discussed the reform of the Supreme Court appointment process to include bilingualism.
Supreme Court justices should need only one tongue
AIMS Policy Analyst Jackson Doughart argues against the federal government's decision to consider only bilingual candidates for appointment to the Supreme Court. Bilingualism, Doughart argues, is largely a geographic privilege in Canada. There is no good reason for otherwise-qualified judicial candidates to be passed over for such a secondary consideration. This article appeared in the National Post, the Chronicle Herald, [...]