Fraser Institute

Federal electric vehicle subsidies cost $355 per tonne of averted GHG, dwarfing price of carbon tax ($65)

VANCOUVER—Government subsidies for electric vehicle purchases are an extremely costly way to try to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.

“By essentially paying people to buy electric vehicles, governments across Canada are spending a lot of money despite questionable benefits,” said Jock Finlayson, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and co-author of A Review of Electric Vehicle Consumer Subsidies in Canada.

Average Danes pay high taxes to finance Denmark’s large welfare state

VANCOUVER—Despite common misperceptions, middle-class workers in Denmark pay relatively high taxes for Denmark’s large government, notes a new book published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“Foreign admirers, particularly social democrats, often point to Denmark as a policy model but few seem to appreciate who actually pays for the country’s large welfare state,” said noted Danish economist Lars Christensen, co-author of The Free Enterprise Welfare State: A History of Denmark’s Unique Economic Model.

Ottawa’s misguided Indo-Pacific trade strategy unlikely to succeed

VANCOUVER—The federal government’s new Indo-Pacific trade strategy (IPS), meant to encourage increased Canadian exports to Indo-Pacific countries such as India and China through subsidies and other preferential treatments, unwisely shifts attention from Canada’s largest trading partner and key source of prosperity, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.

Toronto ranks 102 out of 141 Canadian and US metropolitan areas on employment income growth from 2010-2019

TORONTO—In a ranking of employment income growth in the largest 141 metropolitan areas in Canada and the United States from 2010 to 2019, only three Canadian cities rank in the top half, with Toronto—Canada’s largest metropolitan area—ranking 102nd, so finds a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

Housing completions not keeping pace with population—2018-2022, population growth averaged more than 550,000/year compared to only 200,000 new homes

VANCOUVER—In Canada, the gap between the number of homes built and the number of additional people is the widest it’s been in 50 years, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.

Canada ranks 22nd out of 28 countries with universally accessible health care on psychiatric care beds

VANCOUVER—Canadians endure relatively poor access to mental health services when compared to what is available in other developed nations with universal access health care systems, particularly for psychiatric care beds, psychiatrists and psychologists, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“Making better use of limited resources, with a focus on improving the availability of services over time, will be essential to properly address Canada’s mental health care gap,” said Nadeem Esmail, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of Mental Health Care: How is Canada Doing?

1-in-6 government-funded surgeries in Quebec now take place in private clinics

MONTREAL—Private surgical clinics play an increasingly large role in Quebec’s universal health care system, and now perform 1-in-6 government-funded day surgeries, according to a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

Despite progress, Ottawa can do much more to promote success of permanent immigrant workers

VANCOUVER—While the federal government has made progress, it should enact more reforms to improve the economic performance of permanent immigrant workers, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.

Canada trails U.S. in annual economic freedom ranking; Hong Kong falls out of the top spot in economic freedom for the first time

TORONTO—Canada has one of the fastest growth rates in size of government in the world, suppressing the space for free exchange and Canadians’ economic freedom, according to the Fraser Institute’s annual Economic Freedom of the World report released today.

“In 2014, Canada ranked 71st in the size of government, its best historic ranking in this area, where lower rankings indicate taxation and spending. Due to its especially large COVD response, the country’s size of government ranking fell to 129th in 2020. It has now climbed back, but only to 99th place, Canada’s lowest ranking ever in size of government except for the COVID period,” said Fred McMahon, Dr. Michael A. Walker Research Chair in Economic Freedom with the Fraser Institute.

Federal spending restraint could have provided $18.7 billion in tax relief for Canadians and a budget surplus in 2023/24

VANCOUVER—If the federal government had self-imposed some meaningful spending restraint since 2015/16, it could have provided $18.7 billion of tax relief to Canadians while running a surplus of $4.6 billion this year (2023/24), finds a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“The cost of increased spending by Ottawa, largely paid for through additional debt is that Canadians have foregone any meaningful tax relief since 2015/16,” said Jake Fuss, director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Missed Opportunity: Federal Spending Increases Prevent Real Tax Relief for Canadians.

Ottawa’s new building energy efficiency regulations will add more than $71,000 to cost of new homes in Ontario by 2030

TORONTO—The cost of a newly constructed home in Ontario will increase by $71,818, on average, by 2030 as a result of the federal government’s stricter energy efficiency regulations for buildings, according to a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.

COVID school closures across Ontario lasted 135 days minimum—longest in Canada, imposing life-long costs on children

TORONTO—The prolonged COVID-19 school closures across Ontario from 2020 to 2022, imposed life-long costs on children, despite evidence available to policymakers early on that closures wouldn’t slow the transmission of COVID-19 and that the harms could outweigh any possible benefits, finds a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

Government sector accounts for more than 86% of new jobs in Canada since pandemic began,

TORONTO—The government sector accounted for 86.7 per cent of all new jobs in Canada since the pandemic began in early 2020, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

Eight out of ten provinces recorded increases in per student spending (inflation-adjusted) in public schools

VANCOUVER—Despite common misperceptions, education spending, specifically per student spending in public schools across Canada increased in 8 of ten provinces between 2012-13 and 2020-21, finds a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“Contrary to what we often hear, spending is on the rise in public schools across Canada, and in most cases, it’s outpacing inflation and enrolment changes,” said Michael Zwaagstra, senior fellow with the Fraser Institute and co-author of Education Spending in Public Schools in Canada, 2023 Edition.

Only 2 Canadian cities rank in top half of 141 metropolitan cities in Canada and the US on employment income

TORONTO—In a ranking of employment incomes in the largest 141 metropolitan areas in Canada and the United States, only two Canadian cities rank in the top half, with most Canadian metro areas ranking near the bottom, finds a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“Canadians in our largest urban centres are generally earning less employment income than people living in comparable American cities,” said Ben Eisen, Fraser Institute senior fellow and co-author of Comparing Median Employment Income in Large Canadian and American Metropolitan Areas.

The average Canadian family paid more in 2022 on taxes than it did on housing, food and clothing combined

CALGARY—The average Canadian family spent 45.3 per cent of its income on taxes in 2022—more than housing, food and clothing costs combined, finds a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“Taxes remain the largest household expense for families in Canada,” said Jake Fuss, director of Fiscal Studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Taxes versus the Necessities of Life: The Canadian Consumer Tax Index 2023 Edition.

Average Swedes pay high taxes to finance large government

VANCOUVER—Despite common misperceptions, middle-class workers in Sweden—a country often celebrated by social democrats in Canada—pay relatively high taxes for Sweden’s large government, finds a new book published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

Canada’s aging population could lower per person income (broadly measured) by $11,200 over the next 20 years

VANCOUVER—Under fast-aging population projections, Canada’s aging population could lower per person GDP, a broad measure of income, by $11,200 by 2043, finds a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

Top 20 percent of Canadian income-earning families pay 53% of all taxes

CALGARY—The top 20 per cent of income-earning families pay more than half (53.1 per cent) of total taxes including personal income, sales and property taxes, according to a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent non-partisan Canadian think tank.

“Despite the common misperception that top earners don’t pay their ‘fair share’ of taxes, in reality these households pay a disproportionately large share of the total tax bill,” said Jake Fuss, director of fiscal studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Measuring Progressivity in Canada’s Tax System, 2023.

Health-care costs for typical Canadian family will reach almost $17,000 this year

VANCOUVER—A typical Canadian family of four will pay an estimated $16,950 for public health-care insurance this year, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

“Canadians pay a substantial amount of money for health care through a variety of taxes—even if we don’t pay directly for medical services,” said Bacchus Barua, director of health policy studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of The Price of Public Health Care Insurance, 2023.