The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of 86 think-tanks. Its mission is to measure, study, and communicate the impact of competitive markets and government intervention on the welfare of individuals. To protect the Institute’s independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit fraserinstitute.org.
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VANCOUVER—If journalists and politicians want to more accurately assess Canada’s economic performance relative to other countries, they should stop using GDP growth figures that don’t account for population changes, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—With the federal carbon tax set to rise from $65 to $80 per tonne on April 1, two new essays—published today by the Fraser Institute—make two opposing arguments, to retain the tax (after fixing it) and to scrap the tax.
According to the first essay, Reforming the Federal Government's Carbon Tax Plan, the government should reform the tax to mitigate its negative economic impacts so the tax simply replaces—and doesn’t add to—other government regulations and mandates meant to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
VANCOUVER—The combined size of the federal, provincial, and municipal governments increased in all but two provinces over the 2007 to 2022 period (relative to the sizes of their economies), finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—Higher levels of per-student spending do not achieve higher student scores on standardized tests, either internationally or among the provinces, finds a new report published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—The federal government can reduce the top marginal income tax rate to 29.0 per cent—where it was before the Trudeau government increased it—and completely eliminate the three middle income tax rates of 20.5 per cent, 26.0 per cent, and 29.0 per cent by reforming and simplifying the tax code, finds a new report published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—The federal government’s requirement that all new vehicles sold by 2035 be electric could increase Canada’s power demands by as much as 15.3 per cent, requiring the equivalent of 10 new mega hydro dams or 13 large natural gas plants to meet the increased power needs, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—Canadian governments spent $52 billion in 2022 subsidizing businesses across all provinces—including federal, provincial, and local spending—finds a new report published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“These subsidies for businesses—also known as corporate welfare—come with huge costs to government budgets and taxpayers while doing little if anything to stimulate economic growth,” said Tegan Hill, associate director of Alberta policy at the Fraser Institute and co-author of The Cost of Business Subsidies in Canada: Updated Edition.
VANCOUVER—In countries with higher levels of economic freedom, people are less likely to subscribe to social norms that prioritize men over women in education, the labour force and political leadership, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
TORONTO—The Fraser Institute today released its annual rankings of Ontario elementary schools, allowing parents to compare the academic performance of schools across the province.
“Our Report Cards offer parents information they can’t easily get anywhere else, about how their child’s school performs and how it compares to other schools in Ontario,” said Peter Cowley, a Fraser Institute senior fellow.
VANCOUVER—Despite progress by various municipalities and the provincial government, significant impediments to homebuilding remain in Ontario, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
TORONTO—In a ranking of median employment incomes in the 15 largest metropolitan areas in Canada and the United States, Toronto ranked last, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—The federal government could balance its budget in one or two years with only modest spending restraint, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—Western countries including Canada can learn from Singapore’s pro-growth policies, which have helped transform Singapore from a comparatively poor country in 1965, when it gained independence, into one of the world’s richest countries, finds a new book published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
TORONTO—Ontarians will spend nearly as much on federal and provincial interest costs in 2023-24 as what the province spends on K-12 education, finds a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—Australia spends slightly less on its universal health care as a share of its economy, but routinely outperforms Canada on key health indicators. It also delivers universal health-care differently by including a large role for private hospitals, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
TORONTO—Combined federal and provincial debt in Canada has nearly doubled from $1.18 trillion in 2007/08 (the year before the last recession) to a projected $2.18 trillion this year, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—Wyoming, for a second year in a row, is considered far more attractive for investment than several Canadian provinces according to this year’s survey of petroleum-sector executives released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.
“The message from investors is clear—Canada’s onerous and uncertain regulatory environment continues to hurt the investment attractiveness of the country’s oil and gas industry,” said Elmira Aliakbari, director of the Fraser Institute’s centre for natural resource studies and co-author of the latest Canada-US Energy Sector Competitiveness Survey.
VANCOUVER—Higher university subsidies do not necessarily result in a more educated population, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
TORONTO—As a result of increasing restrictions on liberties in Hong Kong—once among the freest places on earth—it now ranks 46th in the latest Human Freedom Index report, released today by Canada’s Fraser Institute and the U.S.-based Cato Institute.
As recently as 2010, Hong Kong was the 3rd freest jurisdiction on earth. Mainland China has always been less free than the territory and this year, China ranks 149th out of 165 jurisdictions.