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A reason to smile: National dental care is a smart health care investment

The federal Liberal-NDP agreement has resulted in the first step toward a national dental care program, starting with children. There’s a strong case to grow this public investment

Federal Budget 2022: What we're watching for

This budget could herald the beginning of a Pearsonian period of progressive policy making

Five resources to understand the future of transportation

Electric vehicles have emerged as the poster child of the zero-carbon economy. If we could only manage to replace all our internal combustion engines with batteries, it seems, we’d be well on our way to a greener world. But is achieving net-zero emissions really that straightforward? And is a society and economy dependent on personal vehicles—zero-emission though they may be—actually the future we aspire to?

Preventing a downward spiral for transit isn’t complicated

Convenient, accessible public transit isn’t a nice-to-have for cities. It’s an essential part of urban life and can’t be left to wither.

All's fare?

Public transit budgets deserve better than farebox recovery revenue.

Charting a way forward in Budget 2022

Opening remarks to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance regarding the 2022 federal budget on Feb. 3, 2022

A well-being approach to governance

The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the strong connections between health and broader social, economic and political circumstances. It's time for a well-being approach to governance that is capable of addressing these connections.

Platform Crunch: Liberals release costed platform

We dive into what the Liberal Party has promised ahead of the 44th Canadian election.

Platform Crunch: Conservatives release five key planks

We dive into what the Conservative Party has promised ahead of the 44th Canadian election.

Budget 2021 falls short on transformational climate action

Given the existential threat posed by climate change, leading climate experts argue that we should be spending 1-2% of GDP—that’s $20-40 billion per year—to aggressively decarbonize. Budget 2021 falls short.

Budget 2021 analysis: Does it deliver?

Federal Budget 2021 was expected to deliver between $70-100B in COVID-19 recovery funds. Does it deliver and will funds be allocated in meaningful ways? Our experts weigh in.

Budget Watch 2021: How Canada can budget for Buy America

Canadian business is understandably concerned about Buy America conditions on Biden’s US$2.3-trillion COVID recovery plan. But lobbying U.S. governments for waivers for Canadian suppliers can only get us so far. In addition, the Trudeau government should increase the pool of transit, water and green energy projects these firms can bid on—by attaching sustainable and social purchasing criteria to badly needed public infrastructure upgrades here in Canada.

Budget Watch 2021: Climate action more necessary than ever

Chump change won’t cut it here. The federal government should be spending upwards of $40 billion per year to accelerate our transition to a net zero carbon economy.

Record deficits? You mean record surpluses, for dirt cheap

The interest rate the federal government pays on debt hasn’t been this low since the Second World War (and possibly earlier).