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The Study In Brief In Canada, most government cash benefit payments require recipients to file a tax return. Individuals who fail to participate in the tax system, often the most vulnerable in society, may forgo important government benefits (or even entitlements to government services when such services are tied to tax return information). The September 2020 Speech from the Throne committed the…

July 19 – Ottawa’s review of the Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) program is welcome news, but bolder thinking is needed to substantially improve the effectiveness of the tax credit, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Tax Support for R&D and Intellectual Property: Time for Some Bold Moves,” author John Lester says the review, announced in…

August 23, 2022 – Canada faces a serious shortage in employees with digital and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills amid a tight labour market and rising demand for digital-oriented jobs.  To address this, Canada needs to increase its supply of people with digital skills by developing and attracting talent as well as investing in reskilling and upskilling its…

March 10, 2022 – The federal government needs to get serious about preparing Canada to meet future challenges by focusing on achieving growth and fiscal sustainability in its 2022 budget, according to the C.D. Howe Institute’s latest Shadow Budget. In “Getting Serious: A Shadow Federal Budget for 2022,” authors William B.P. Robson, Don Drummond and Alexandre Laurin examine the federal government’…

The Study In Brief Due to rapid digitalization across the economy and an aging population, Canada faces digital and STEM skills shortages. The COVID-19 pandemic has also intensified the need for digital and STEM skills and contributed to the existing shortages. These skills shortages can hurt businesses and affect economic growth. To respond, Canada needs to increase its supply of people with…

The Study in Brief As a primary pillar of Canada’s social safety net, Employment Insurance (EI) has proven itself to be slow to react to downturns, weakening its ability to automatically stabilize the economy. It has also gone off track from its original main goal: to provide insurance against unpredictable job losses. EI should be modernized with an eye to making it a more effective counter-…