C.d. Howe Institute

In the midst of the worst pandemic in 100 years, addressing gaps in access to healthcare services in Canada has become a priority. The problem of a fractured provincial-based healthcare system has been exacerbated by COVID-19. With as many as 11,000 cancer, gynecologic, and other elective surgeries postponed each week in Ontario alone, the solution is in part more bodies. But as we learn from the C.D. Howe Institute’s Rosalie Wyonch and Doctor John Kingdom of Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, we can’t just throw more money at doctors to fill the gaps.

2020 will be known as “the year of unprecedented times.” As COVID-19 vaccine injections begin, we look back at how Canada handled the pandemic – what we did right and what we did wrong – with crisis communications expert David Herle of The Gandalf Group, and the C.D. Howe Institute’s CEO Bill Robson.

Ontario Liberal leader Steven Del Duca says if made premier, he would make education his top priority. But by 2022 it’s expected COVID will be behind us as vaccines are distributed through the course of next year. So what’s his plan to get the economy back on track? And is now even the time to talk about that? Del Duca believes the time to set aside partisan politics in the COVID fight has come — and tells host Michael Hainsworth that the tipping point was Ford’s lack of focus on a safe return to the classroom.

The second wave of COVID-19 is upon us, and hard lessons learned over the spring aren’t necessarily being applied today. So how do we flatten the curve going into the holidays? Hear insights from Colleen M. Flood, University of Ottawa Research Chair in Health Law & Policy; Paul Jenkins, former Senior Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada; and C.D. Howe Institute policy analyst Rosalie Wyonch.

What will it take to put Canada on the path to prosperity in a post-COVID world? The economy is forecast to rise in 2021 but it’s a case of “one step forward, two steps back.” Taxing our way out of Coronavirus debt isn’t the solution, warn Goldy Hyder and Robert Asselin of the Business Council of Canada. And Deloitte’s Chief Economist Craig Alexander tells us the solution was obvious before even the first confirmed case.

With the U.S. Presidential election right around the corner, what would Donald Trump's re-election mean for Canada? Michael Hainsworth put that to the Wilson Centre’s Christopher Sands and former PMO communications director Scott Reid, and learned how we might navigate four more years of a Trump presidency.

With the U.S. Presidential election right around the corner, what would a Joe Biden win mean for Canada? Michael Hainsworth sits down with the Wilson Centre’s Christopher Sands and former PMO communications director Scott Reid, to find out if a Biden victory will smooth over some of the cracks in the US-Canada relationship.

Open Banking is the future of finance. But how do we convince our banking system to “move fast and break things?” EY Canada’s Abhishek Sinha outlines to Michael Hainsworth the key pillars that are critical to innovation and success in the financial services sector of the 21st century.

The C.D. Howe Institute’s Fiscal and Tax Working Group is urging Ottawa to recommit to the idea of fiscal sustainability. As former finance ministers John Manley and Janice MacKinnon tell Michael Hainsworth, the federal government can’t do the heavy lifting of restarting the economy on its own.

COVID-19 laid bare the Achilles Heel of global trade. But as Canada’s Chief Trade Commissioner Ailish Campbell at Global Affairs Canada tells host Michael Hainsworth, not all of Canada’s exporters and importers were hit — or are recovering — equally.

COVID-19 has highlighted the need to break down interprovincial trade barriers. But how do we clean up the patchwork nature while protecting workers? Two influential economists tell host Michael Hainsworth what it would take to boost the economy during a pandemic.

COVID-19 has revealed “pre-existing conditions” in Canada’s healthcare system. Queen’s University professors Dr. Duncan Sinclair and Don Drummond tell host Michael Hainsworth that the solution is to spend money on young people to keep them healthy – and address the fiscal and healthcare crunch of an aging population.

Sustainable Finance isn’t a buzzword, it’s the future of finance. But why is Canada lagging China, and the E.U.? RBC’s Andy Chisholm tells host Michael Hainsworth Canada needs to focus its efforts to compete.

What does the real estate market look like after quarantine? Host Michael Hainsworth speaks with OMERS President & CEO Blake Hutcheson and CIBC Capital Markets economist Katherine Judge for insight into the commercial and industrial property markets.

Vaping is safer than smoking. But is Canada taking the right approach to a technology that could save lives? C.D. Howe Institute Research Fellow and Concordia University professor Ian Irvine says the drop in cigarette sales illustrates vaping’s upside.

Canada is emerging from the first wave of the pandemic with high levels of private and public debt. That's why the Crisis Working Group on Monetary and Financial Measures is urging Canada to recommit to getting our fiscal and monetary houses in order once COVID-19 has passed. Working Group co-chair Mark Zelmer and C.D. Howe Institute Associate Director of Research Jeremy Kronick join host Michael Hainsworth to discuss the key fiscal anchors that will keep Canada’s economy from floating adrift post pandemic.

We're starting to get quantifiable data on the impact of COVID-19 on Canadian businesses. More than half say they won't survive beyond the next 90 days without revenue. Economist and C.D. Howe Institute Senior Fellow Glen Hodgson tells us the survey findings will help us anticipate a few key factors as Canada starts the process of re-opening the economy.

What are the lessons of COVID-19 for Canada’s healthcare sector? Newly appointed Senior Fellow and former Ontario Finance Minister Janet Ecker leans on her experience with SARS and the 2008 financial crisis to offer insight into the crisis and how to be better prepared financially and logistically for the next pandemic.

Analysis of Ottawa's $82 billion emergency response package from the C.D. Howe Institute's Vice President of Research Daniel Schwanen and Associate Director of Research Grant Bishop reveals encouraging support for gig economy workers, struggling homeowners, and small and medium-sized businesses. But is it coming soon enough?

Ottawa is preparing its 2020 Federal Budget, and the Institute is urging Parliament Hill to cut the corporate tax rate and address the impact of COVID-19 on the Canadian economy. President & CEO Bill Robson tells host Michael Hainsworth, further measures may be required.