New Impetus Needed to Complete a Canada-Caribbean Trade Deal
January 10, 2013 – Canada should step up efforts to wrap up a trade deal this year with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), according to a report released by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “A Canada-CARICOM “Trade-not-Aid” Strategy: Important and Achievable,” author Phil Rourke says a Canada-CARICOM trade deal could serve as a model for agreements with other low- and middle-income countries.
- To read the study click here
- To read a summary of the study click here
- To read an Ottawa Citizen editorial citing the study click here
- To read an article on the study in Caribbean Journal click here
Money Never Sleeps: The Real Reasons for the Cash Build-up on Corporate Balance Sheets
January 16, 2012 – While critics have raised alarms about the rising cash holdings on corporate balance sheets, there are broader, long-term reasons for the move to cash that go far beyond a knee-jerk reaction by business to current economic uncertainty, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Not Dead Yet: The Changing Role of Cash on Corporate Balance Sheets,” Finn Poschmann finds corporate cash holdings have increased in waves over the past quarter-century in response to changing economic conditions and business process improvements.
- To read the study click here
- To read a summary of the study click here
- To read a Wall Street Journal article on the study click here
- To read a Financial Times article on the study click here
Monetary Policy Council Urges Bank of Canada to Hold Overnight Rate at 1.00 Percent
January 17, 2013 – The C.D. Howe Institute’s Monetary Policy Council (MPC) recommended that the Bank of Canada maintain its target for the overnight rate, the very short-term interest rate the Bank targets for monetary policy purposes, at 1.00 percent at its next announcement on January 23, 2013. The Council further called for the Bank to hold the target at 1.00 through mid-year, recommending a target of 1.25 percent by January of 2014.
- To read the MPC announcement click here
- To read the Bank of Canada’s Jan. 23 rate announcement click here
- To read a Globe and Mail article citing the recommendation click here
- To read an MNI (Deutsche Boerse Group) article on the recommendation click here
Managing the Cost of Healthcare for an Aging Population: Provincial Perspectives
January 23 and 30, 2013 - Canada’s provinces face a common challenge in managing the rising cost of healthcare for an aging population, and ensuring that demographic change does not compromise other major government programs, manageable tax rates, and debt control. The challenge is not identical everywhere, however. Some provinces are aging faster than others, some are more vulnerable to age-related increases in spending than others, and some will see more robust growth of their tax base than others – so the urgency and appropriate responses differ across the country. To date the Institute has published papers on Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. The remaining papers in the series will be published in February.
- To read one or all of the papers click here
- To read a CBC report on the study click here
- To read a Vancouver Sun report on the study click here
C.D. Howe Institute Appoints Malcolm Hamilton as Senior Fellow
January 24, 2013 – The C.D. Howe Institute has appointed Malcolm Hamilton as an Institute Senior Fellow. Mr. Hamilton’s area of focus will be human resources policy, with a special emphasis on pensions and retirement savings. Prior to his recent retirement, Malcolm Hamilton had been a Partner with Mercer (Canada) where he had been employed since 1979. He specializes in the design and funding of pension plans in both the private and public sectors and has been a frequent speaker at pension conferences and the author of papers published by the Canadian Investment Review, Benefits Canada and the Canadian Tax Foundation.
- To read the announcement click here
- To read an article on the announcement in Benefits Canada click here
January 29, 2013 – The C.D. Howe Institute has appointed USC Law Professor Edward Kleinbard as an International Fellow. Professor Kleinbard’s area of focus is international business taxation. Prior to joining USC he was Chief of Staff of the U.S. Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation.
- To read the announcement click here
The Board and Staff of the C.D. Howe Institute mourn the passing of Roger Phillips, who served on the Institute’s Board from 1991 through 2003, and subsequently was an honorary director. He was an exemplary supporter of the Institute, deeply engaged in its policy work and passionate about its mission. In 2006, he contributed what was then the largest gift in the Institute’s history, donating $1 million to create the Institute’s first endowed chair, the Roger Phillips Scholar in Social Policy. We offer our sympathy to his family and friends, and are pleased to acknowledge our profound gratitude for his contributions.
JANUARY 2013 C.D. HOWE INSTITUTE OP-EDS
Private sector should take on CMHC’s role: Globe and Mail
Canada’s trade-not-aid strategy starts in the Caribbean: Embassy Magazine
What if there were no 1%-ers? Financial Post