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Just over two decades ago, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act put the regulation of corporate compliance on the map. It has since become a governance preoccupation, spawning armies of compliance professionals, commanding a substantial portion of every board’s agenda and costing hundreds of billions of dollars. Elaborate legal mechanisms — such as sentencing guidelines, whistleblowing regimes and personal…

This week’s federal budget focuses on spending initiatives that, in the name of intergenerational fairness, it asks the wealthiest among us to pay for. A better way to finance new spending would be to arrest and reverse Canada’s growth and productivity challenges. Not only does the budget not do that, but its increase in the capital gains inclusion rate from 50 per cent to 66 per cent for…

The federal expenditure management system looks good on paper. Transparency is served by publication of five-year spending plans for major spending categories in the annual budget and detailed information in the government’s main estimates and departmental plans. Efficiency and effectiveness are served by setting objectives for program spending and requiring departments to report on the…

February 28, 2024 – Alberta’s plan to withdraw from the Canadian Pension Plan (CPP) in favour of establishing its own Alberta Pension Plan (APP) would gamble on the retirement security of Canadians, affecting individuals both within Alberta and across the nation, says a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. In “Pension Roulette: The Risks and Consequences of Alberta Leaving the CPP," author…

To: The Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Finance From: Alexandre Laurin and Nicholas Dahir Date: January 8, 2024 Re:  Charities Fall Victim to Federal Tax-the-Rich Plan The end of 2023 last week marked the likely end of full tax relief for some charitable giving. The federal government has yet to table its legislation for reforming the alternative minimum tax (AMT), but if…

February 15, 2024 – The federal government must curtain excessive spending, balance its budget, and make room for growth-enhancing income-tax relief, says the C.D. Howe Institute's 2024 Shadow Budget. In “Less for Ottawa, More for Canadians: The C.D. Howe Institute’s 2024 Shadow Budget,” William B.P. Robson, Don Drummond and Alexandre Laurin note that the pandemic produced a huge jump in federal…