Early 2020 presents Canada with two challenges: amenic economic growth, and nervousness about the federal government's fiscal stewardship. The C.D. Howe Institute's Shadow Federal Budget for 2020 addresses both. It contains a number of measures to improve the rewards from work, saving and...

The C.D. Howe Institute's Shadow Federal Budget for 2019 looks past the overspending and deficits the federal government has adopted as its fiscal signature since its election in 2015. Instead, our focus is on ensuring the competitiveness and dynamism of the Canadian economy in the near and...

The 2016 edition of the C.D. Howe Institute's annual Shadow Federal Budget puts a sustainable financial position and fiscal path at the centre of its plans. Confidence that the country will successfully navigate an environment of slower global growth and population aging is an essential backdrop...

The 2015 federal budget's reduction of the mandatory minimum withdrawals from registered retirement income funds (RRIFs) and similar tax-deferred accounts will reduce the risk that many Canadians will outlive their savings. Yet with yields on safe investments so low, and longevity continuing to...

Canada is in the happy position of being able to address its fiscal challenges not just through eliminating deficits, but also by promoting growth in the economy and the tax base. This report takes a two-pronged approach: first, an accelerated plan to achieve budgetary surplus in three years;...

Canadians can be proud of their country's relatively strong recovery from the 2009 slump, but should not be complacent. Canada's fiscal situation is strong only by comparison with the dire situations in other major advanced countries. Our national saving rate is too low to support needed...

The Federal Government’s spending and borrowing cushioned the impact of COVID-19 on Canada’s economy, but have put national finances on an unsustainable path. The upcoming budget must make tough choices to put Canada on a path back to fiscal stability. As the health crisis abates, Canada...