In this chapter, Don Drummond makes the case that with large deficits there was little room for the Bank of Canada to reduce interest rates to stimulate the economy and generate revenues. It was imperative that the deficit be eliminated. Tax rates were already high so the government had no...

With an ageing population and declining labour force growth productivity is becoming increasingly important as a source of economic growth. Despite this importance, governments fear the productivity word because of public misunderstanding of its meaning. For many years the author believed that...

This article summarizes the elements that are in common in most economists' recommendations on how to raise productivity in Canada. Some of the recommendations require governments to tackle issues such as removing interprovincial trade barriers and reforming employment insurance where firmly...

Canada’s recent productivity growth has been low by historical and international standards. Canadian and international studies have suggested this may be partly due to firm-level determinants. A chance to study this hypothesis has arisen from improved availability of firm-level data through...