All Publications

Believe it or not, Canada’s population will hit 40 million in June. It’s time we learned how to retain newcomers

As published by the Toronto Star Canada’s population is about to break the 40 million mark this June. Chief Statistician Anil Arora took to the stage last week to illustrate Canada’s surging society, and that number was his starting point […]

The business case for a smart transition

As published in Policy Magazine Alex Pourbaix prefers to talk about “diversification” rather than “energy transition” these days. As a longtime leader in the oil patch and now the executive chairman of Cenovus Energy Inc., Pourbaix has been at the […]

Chrystia Freeland must deliver on doctrine

As published in the Financial Post When Chrystia Freeland speaks, Canadian business leaders pay attention. When she speaks in Washington, they listen even more carefully. That’s because our deputy prime minister recently made the U.S. capital her venue of choice to tell […]

The difficulty in reading Canada’s economic tea leaves in a murky world of ‘what ifs’

As published in the Toronto Star The dissonance is almost commonplace nowadays when the job numbers come out the first Friday of every month. Canada’s unemployment rate is just five per cent — rock bottom, and that’s not just a […]

Federal budget’s tricky navigation between looming recession and a green future

As published in the Toronto Star The economic horizon must have been foreboding for Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. As she put together her third budget and the Trudeau Liberals’ seventh, it wasn’t just the now-usual pandemic spillover, inflation and the global strife […]

A federal budget at a serious time

For the latest research, analysis and perspective on business and policy in Canada, sign up for our newsletter today. Dear Friends, I’ve said many times over the past few months that we are living in a serious moment – a time of […]

Budget 2023: Canada’s economy faces mounting challenges – here’s how we overcome them

As published in The Globe and Mail As we approach the release of the federal budget, Canada is facing three converging and powerful challenges that require a coherent economic and fiscal strategy from the government. The first challenge is the […]

A green economy budget by Chrystia Freeland needs to go beyond the fear of missing out

As published in the Toronto Star Canada is about to get a FOMO budget. Fear of missing out is driving both Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and the private sector alike to clamour for the most productive ideas to make sure […]

Four low-cost, high-impact ways for Canada to lower emissions

As published in the Toronto Star In a train rushing from Ottawa to Toronto last Monday morning were all number of environmentalists, government officials, civic-minded analysts and lobbyists, all with emissions on their minds. They were armed with good ideas […]

Meeting Canada’s clean energy targets must include Indigenous partnerships

As published in the Toronto Star In January, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau toured three communities to highlight Canada’s role in the energy transition. “The world wants clean technology,” he said, “and Canada has the resources, the expertise and the skilled […]