Free trade? Not with a border like this
In his regular column appearing simultaneously in the Chronicle Herald and the Moncton Times and Transcript, AIMS President Brian Lee Crowley, shares his recent frustrating experience while crossing the Canada/U.S. border. With new areas of border cooperation constantly being explored between our two nations — including an eventual jointly administered continental perimeter, having U.S. customs inspectors working in the Port of Halifax — the importance of intelligent border priorities is crucial. Crowley explains how the current focus on what the U.S. does at the border has caused Canadians to lose sight of their own country’s priorities. For a country whose livelihood depends on free trade with its neighbour to the south, Canada’s border operations look unorganized and petty to an individual trying to bring in commercial goods in a tiny one-time transaction. Just imagine what a nightmare it must be for those who have to get that $1-billion in commercial trade across the line every day
AIMS prescribes “Better Medicine”.
Better Medicine is a brilliant collaboration of essays by some of Canada’s leading authorities in health care policy. Introduced and edited by Dr. David Gratzer, author of the award winning book “Code Blue”, and co-sponsored by AIMS, Better Medicine features academics, journalists, policy analysts, and physicians as they examine and analyse the past, present, and future outlook of Canada’s health care system. In addition to AIMS’ sponsorship role, Better Medicine includes an edited version of the Institute’s influential paper “Public Health, State Secret”. AIMS has constructed a page stemming from our main Healthcare site which contains information on how to obtain a copy of Better Medicine, as well as a four-part series on fixing Canada’s health care system composed of three excerpts from this prestigious new collection, and an editorial overview by Dr. David Gratzer.
Long time AIMS friend tells the Empire Club to “look south”.
Derek Oland, a long time friend and supporter of AIMS, recently spoke to the Empire Club in Toronto about the lost opportunities of regional trans-national trade initiatives. Speaking about the beleagured economy in Atlantic Canada, Oland was quick to point out that it wasn’t always this way.
Modest But Meaningful Change: Reforming Equalization
This paper by Professor Paul Boothe of the University of Alberta focuses on a specific reform proposal. Boothe begins by reviewing a number of concerns with the current program related to its affordability/sustainability, its adequacy to meet its constitutional mandate, its transparency and accountability and its volatility.
Equalization and the Treatment of Non-renewable Resources
The paper by Professor Paul Hobson of Acadia University begins by reviewing the equity and efficiency rationale for equalization based on a simple theoretical model with costless migration and provinces that differ only in their endowments of natural resources.
Ten Reasons to Remove Nonrenewable Resources from Equalization
In this paper, Kenneth Boessenkool, a private policy analyst and commentator, makes the case for a practical change to the current equalization program: removing non-renewable natural resource revenue from the formula used to calculate equalization.
The Incentive Effects of Fiscal Equalization Grants
In this paper, Professor Bev Dahlby of the University of Alberta, extends the theoretical work of Smart (1998) that shows that equalization grants give recipient governments the incentive to set tax rates too high because a portion of the resulting loss of revenue is made up through equalization.
What’s Wrong with Equalization: Social Insurance and Moral Hazard
In this third paper based on the public choice approach, Professor Herb Grubel of the Fraser Institute argues strongly against transfers to individuals and governments in lower income regions of the country.
Federal Grants Under the Discipline of Global Forces
Professors Michel Boucher and Jean-Luc Migué from École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP) and the Fraser Institute respectively uses a public choice framework to analyze empirically the impact of trade liberalization on intergovernmental transfers.
Equalization: Neither Welfare Trap or Helping Hand
Annette Ryan of the Prince Edward Island Department of Finance responds to critics of Equalization, arguing it is unfair to expect equalization to reduce inter-provincial disparity when no one argues that within-province transfers should eliminate all intra-province disparities.