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 Ottawa spent twice as much per Canadian in 2020 ($17,091) than height of WWII ($7,769)
VANCOUVER—The federal government is projected to spend $17,091 per Canadian in 2020/21, which is more than double what the government spent per person during the peak of the Second World War ($7,769) and nearly twice what was spent during the 2009 recession ($8,993), according to new research released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
And even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, Ottawa was already spending at record per person levels.
- Thursday, April 1, 2021
VANCOUVER—Canadians over the age of 65, who are projected to make up 23.4 per cent of the population by 2040, will account for 71.4 per cent of total health care expenditures in that year, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.
“As a result of Canada’s aging population and the higher per capita health care costs of seniors, Canada’s health care system is on track to become essentially a senior health care system over the next few decades, which will leave fewer health resources for everyone else in the absence of policy changes,” said Steven Globerman, a Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of 
TORONTO—The federal government’s plan to impose a $170 per tonne carbon tax in place nationally by 2030 will result in just under 99,000 fewer jobs in Ontario, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.
“The federal government has said the higher carbon tax will have ‘almost zero’ impact on the economy, but in fact, a tax of that magnitude will have significant effects on the economy and on Canadian workers across the country, including in Ontario,” said Ross McKitrick, a Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of 
“As an anti-poverty tool, minimum wage hikes are largely ineffective and can actually hurt the very people they’re supposed to help,” said Philip Cross, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of 
CALGARY—The COVID-19 economic shutdowns and recession have caused unemployment to rise, placing financial pressure on the Employment Insurance program and amplifying the need to substantially reform Canada’s EI system, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.
“The federal government has acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need for a ‘21st century’ employment insurance system, but tweaks to the status quo likely won’t be sufficient to address the underlying problems of Canada’s inefficient system,’” said Jake Fuss, a senior economist at the Fraser Institute and co-author of 
TORONTO—The Ontario government will spend more on interest costs in 2020-21 than post-secondary education, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.
“Interest must be paid on government debt, and the more money governments spend on interest payments the less money is available for the programs and services that matter to Ontarians,” said Steve Lafleur, a senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute and author of 
CALGARY—Saskatchewan remains Canada’s most attractive jurisdiction for mining investment, finds the 
VANCOUVER—If governments across Canada want to help increase productivity—and the possibility of a four-day work week—they should lower tax rates on business, capital gains and personal income, finds a new essay released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
TORONTO—Combined federal and provincial debt in Canada has doubled from $1.0 trillion in 2007/08 to a projected $2.0 trillion this year, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“Government debt—federally and in every province—has grown substantially over the past 13 years, creating serious fiscal challenges for Ottawa and provincial governments in the years ahead,” said Jake Fuss, a senior economist at the Fraser Institute and co-author of 
HALIFAX—Atlantic Canada’s dependency on federal spending—equaling over a quarter of the regional economy—leaves it vulnerable to any significant change in transfers from Ottawa, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.
“The economic crisis in the energy sector, particularly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, may shake the foundations of transfers from Ottawa to the provinces,’ said Fred McMahon, a resident fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of 
TORONTO—Ontario taxpayers will likely soon be covering the lion’s share of the tens of billions of dollars of federal transfers to Atlantic Canada and Quebec, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.
“The economic and fiscal crisis in Alberta and its energy industry will likely shake the foundations of federal transfers to the provinces,” said Fred McMahon, a resident fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of Fiscal Federalism and the Dependency of Atlantic Canada.
CALGARY—If policymakers want to help improve living standards in Indigenous communities, particularly in remote areas of Canada, they should help foster the construction of roads and other infrastructure between these struggling communities and larger population centres—not simply spend more money on government programs, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—Despite common misperceptions, capital gains taxes are not just paid by wealthy Canadians, and Canada already has a relatively high capital gains tax rate compared to other developed countries, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.
“Despite what many Canadians believe, most capital gains taxes are paid by ordinary Canadians and not the super wealthy, and raising this tax, would weaken Canada’s economic recovery,” said Alex Whalen, a policy analyst for the Fraser Institute and co-author of Correcting Common Misunderstandings about Capital Gains Taxes.
TORONTO—In recent years, personal freedom has declined significantly around the world—and the worst is likely yet to come, finds a new study released today by Canada’s Fraser Institute and the U.S.-based Cato Institute.
“Troubling developments include the Chinese Communist Party intensifying its attack on freedom, regimes in Hungary and Poland continuing to undermine the rule of law and suppress media freedom, and dictatorships in Egypt and other Arab countries ramping up repression,” said Fred McMahon, Dr. Michael A. Walker Research Chair in Economic Freedom at the Fraser Institute and co-author of this year’s Human Freedom Index.