• Within commercially reasonable efforts, any personal information that you share with IFSD is kept physically and electronically secure, with access limited to staff that require it to perform necessary job functions. Information is used only for the purpose it was collected.


The Last Page

Consumer price inflation and funding for First Nations

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.

Canadian Housing Market Challenged by Pandemic Jolts: A year-long indicator analysis

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.

Testing platforms through fiscal credibility: A summary of the 2021 platforms of the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC), Conservative Party of Canada (CPC), and New Democratic Party (NDP)

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 Fiscal Credibility Assessment New Democratic Party Platform 2021

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 Fiscal Credibility Assessment Conservative Party of Canada Platform 2021

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 Fiscal Credibility Assessment Liberal Party of Canada Platform 2021

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).

Fiscal Sustainability under Alternative Scenarios

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?

Not the most alluring of tasks: reforming Canada’s fiscal practices, lessons from the Open Budget Survey (OBS) 2019

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.

The Election and Public Finances

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 Fiscal Credibility Assessment: New Democratic Party (NDP) Platform 2019 Costing

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.