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—Today—Monday, June 19—Canadians celebrate Tax Freedom Day, the day in the year when they start working for themselves, not government, finds a new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
Until the recent Canadian wildfires sent plumes of smoke over the densely populated cities around the Great Lakes and Eastern Seaboard, few people in those cities had ever experienced the weird orange haze of a forest fire or the temporary spike in fine particulates and pervasive smell of smoke. And understandably, many people reacted with some alarm. We city dwellers typically only see wildfires on television, usually alongside footage of fire crews and water bombers valiantly trying to put them out, which creates the impression they are somehow unnatural events that must be avoided at all costs. Of course, in reality, forest fires are not only natural but are essential to the life cycle of the forest ecosystem.
VANCOUVER—According to many key metrics including incomes and life expectancy, life in Poland improved dramatically after the country transitioned from socialism to a market democracy, finds a new book published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank, in partnership with think-tanks in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom.
“When Poles finally discarded the yoke of socialism, life in Poland improved dramatically on virtually every measure of economic wellbeing,” said Matt Mitchell, Fraser Institute senior fellow and coauthor of The Road to Socialism and Back: An Economic History of Poland, 1939–2019.
TORONTO—Major cities in Ontario, as defined by Statistics Canada’s Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs), rank among the lowest in the country for growth in median employment income from 2008-2019, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisanCanadian public policy think-tank.
TORONTO—Despite a housing shortage in many cities across the country, the number of housing units in 26.4 per cent of Canada’s urban neighbourhoods—more than one-in-four—actually declined from 2016 to 2021, according to a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
CALGARY—As the federal government promises to increase spending in areas of provincial jurisdiction, including pharmacare, dental care, and childcare programs, provincial policymakers should remember that future transfers are not guaranteed, potentially leaving enormous costs to the provinces to continue those programs in the future, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
In 2021, the Government of Canada enacted the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, more commonly discussed as “Net-Zero Emissions 2050.” The goal of this Act is to ensure that in the year 2050, Canada’s emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere are balanced by actions within Canada that pull greenhouse gases back out of the atmosphere, or at least, prevent some from entering that would otherwise have done so.
VANCOUVER—Younger Canadians aged 18 to 24—50 per cent of whom favour socialism as their preferred economic system—need to understand the real misery socialism inflicted on countries that tried it such as Poland. This is the main lesson of an upcoming book to be published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank, working in partnership with think tanks in the U.S., Australia and the U.K.
TORONTO—Canada’s national capital region had the highest median employment incomes in the country in 2019—the last year unaffected by COVID—while energy-centred census metropolitan areas (CMAs) also rank high, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—During the pandemic, despite high levels of government spending and debt accumulation, Canada’s economy underperformed compared to most other advanced countries, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“While governments across Canada, particularly the federal government, increased spending markedly during COVID, it’s now clear we didn’t get much bang for our buck,” said Livio Di Matteo, professor of economics at Lakehead University, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute and author of Global Aftermath: The Economic and Fiscal Effects of COVID in Canada and the World.
VANCOUVER—Long waits for surgery and medical treatment cost Canadians almost $3.6 billion in lost wages and productivity last year, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
Preliminary data suggest that an estimated 1.2 million patients waited for medically necessary treatment last year, and each lost an estimated $2,925 (on average) due to lost wages and reduced productivity during working hours.
VANCOUVER— Saskatchewan remains Canada’s top-rated jurisdiction for mining investment, according to the Annual Survey of Mining Companies released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
Nevada is the top-ranked jurisdiction worldwide for mining investment in this year’s survey, followed by Western Australia.
CALGARY—Despite misperceptions that government deficits have no cost, higher deficit-financed spending by provincial governments over the past 50 years has led to higher taxes and higher debt-servicing costs, according
to a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.
TORONTO—Enrolment at independent schools in Ontario—as a share of total enrolment—increased over a recent 19-year period, while the share of enrolment in government schools declined, according to a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“For their children’s education, parents in Ontario are increasingly choosing options outside the government school system,” said Michael Zwaagstra, senior fellow with the Fraser Institute and co-author of Where Our Students Are Educated: Measuring Student Enrolment in Canada, 2022.
VANCOUVER—The wage premium and more generous benefits that government workers in Canada enjoy over their private-sector counterparts is one area governments could look to reduce costs following the recession, finds a
new study published by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
TORONTO—Despite rising population and growing demand, more housing was constructed in Canadian cities during the 1970s than what is presently being built, according to a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“The reality is simple: Canada is not building enough homes to keep up with population growth or basic demand,” said Steve Lafleur, senior fellow with the Fraser Institute and co-author of Canada’s Housing Mismatch: Canadians want ground-oriented homes, but not enough are being built.
VANCOUVER—The federal government’s decision to increase already high levels of spending and continued budget deficits will hinder the Bank of Canada’s efforts to tame inflation, finds a new study released today by the
Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank.
VANCOUVER—Unlike Canada, other universal health-care systems around the world have managed to reduce their surgical backlogs by using the private sector to their advantage and incentivizing greater efficiency through
alternative funding models, according to a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
TORONTO—Between 2005 and 2019, large cities in Southwestern Ontario—in particular Windsor and London—have gone from being amongst the most prosperous cities in Canada (as measured by median household income) to being amongst the least prosperous, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
Stress Testing the Federal Fiscal Anchor