This note briefly describes what inflation is and how it is measured.  It discusses the recent sharp increases in inflation in Canada, which has brought hardship to many Canadians, particularly First Nations.

Assessing how the Canadian dream of homeownership was affected through this challenging period can provide helpful context for understanding the impacts on this industry and help guide new policies to calm the market. In this note, we selected a number of metrics for both supply and demand in the housing market.

Using the framework, the platforms of the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC), the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), and the New Democratic Party (NDP) were assessed ahead of Election Day 2021. IFSD assessed the parties’ platforms in the order in which they were released and published its findings (LPC, CPC, NDP

IFSD finds that the New Democratic Party (NDP) Platform 2021 merits a rating of ‘pass,’ with ratings of ‘good’ for realistic economic and fiscal assumptions, a ‘pass’ for responsible fiscal management, and a’ fail’ on transparency.

IFSD finds The Conservative Party of Canada’s Platform with ratings of ‘good’ across two of the three assessment principles (realistic economic and fiscal assumptions, responsible fiscal management, and transparency).

IFSD finds that the Liberal Party Platform 2021 merits an overall rating of ‘good,’ with ratings of ‘good’ across the three assessment principles (realistic economic and fiscal assumptions, responsible fiscal management, and transparency).

Despite the unprecedented increase in COVID-related government spending, current government finances are estimated to be sustainable in the long run.  What happens if there is a moderate increase in interest rates or the government introduces a new program that rises spending significantly on a permanent basis?

Budgeting is about more than dollars, but about trade-offs.  How money is allocated, the value citizens get for the spending, and the long-term sustainability of public finances are crucial considerations.  How does Canada’s system compare to those of its international peers?  The International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Survey offers some perspective on transparency, legislative, and audit oversight.

In the 2019 federal election, between the two front running parties, there seems to be battle lines drawn between the party of fiscal responsibility and the party of policy leadership.  We are led to believe that these choices are mutually exclusive.  Both the Conservatives and the Liberals are to blame for this confusion.  The blame can be shared by the rest of us who have failed to explain the nuances of a well performing government budgetary system.  We have attempted to assess the party platforms for fiscal credibility but feel that we should now put these in some context.

IFSD finds that that the NDP Party Platform Costing merits an overall ‘pass’ rating including a ‘pass’ rating on the principles related to realistic economic and fiscal assumptions and responsible fiscal management; and a ‘fail’ rating with respect to transparency.

IFSD finds that that the Conservative Party Platform Costing merits an overall ‘pass’ rating, including a ‘pass’ rating on the principles related to realistic economic and fiscal assumptions and transparency; and a ‘good’ rating with respect to responsible fiscal management.

IFSD finds that the Bloc Québécois’ Platform 2019 Costing fails overall with respect to realistic economic and fiscal assumptions, responsible fiscal management and transparency.

The Green Party of Canada released a revised Platform 2019 Costing document on October 2, 2019. This document followed the initial release of a costing document on September 25, 2019 and a policy commitments document (Election Platform 2019 - Honest, Caring, Ethical Leadership) on September 15, 2019.

The Liberal Party Platform Costing merits an overall ‘good’ rating with a ‘pass’ on realistic economic and fiscal assumptions and a rating of ‘good’ with respect to the principles of responsible fiscal management and transparency.

The Green Party of Canada’s Platform Costing presents ambitious policy commitments without requisite economic and fiscal planning and transparency.

In October 2019, Canadians will go the polls to elect a new federal parliament. Political parties are busy preparing campaign strategies and plans, including policy platforms. Policy platforms have been an important staple of federal elections campaigns in Canada over the past three decades. For the 2019 federal election campaign, IFSD plans to assess the fiscal credibility of the election platforms of the major political parties. The purpose of this note is to outline, in advance, the principles and criteria that will be used to assess and score the platforms. As with government agendas after an election, there should be no surprises.

Over the past 60 years, there have been many attempts to expand and reform the Canadian healthcare system to include pharmaceutical drugs. In that time, changes have definitely been made at the provincial level to diminish the exorbitant costs of patented drugs. Many individuals remain without coverage and the cost of prescription drugs have increased sharply these past few years. This is no longer an issue of whether the federal government should do something or not. It needs to act since the current system is unsustainable.

An international evidence base supports early intervention as an effective and cost-efficient approach to improving outcomes. Programs like the Martin Family Initiative’s Early Years have the potential to do just that with First Nations on-reserve communities.

Since Confederation, only a select few have held the title of Member of Parliament (MP), representing their constituents in Canada’s House of Commons. Our ability to elect our MPs is a core element of representative democracy.

Following the Liberal victory in the 2015 federal election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent a strong message by establishing Canada’s first gender-equal cabinet. Since then, the federal government has been very vocal in its commitment to “embed feminism in all aspects of government work”.