Retail shopping has become a many-faceted experience for both buyers and sellers. Already increasing in use before the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on shopping habits, e-commerce continues to evolve, offering new ways for retailers to sell and consumers to buy their products. Consumers now...

The pandemic has kicked Canadian government debt to high levels. Federal and provincial budget plans could well see it go higher for decades and even generations. The 2021 federal budget demonstrates the sensitivity and fragility of Canada’s fiscal prospects. In this E-Brief, we explore...

Business investment in Canada lags investment in the United States and in other advanced economies. The gap has widened during the COVID-19 crisis, notably in intellectual property products. Without public policies that promote saving and investment, Canadian workers will not get the capital...

The pandemic has highlighted and amplified the economic, social and health vulnerability of many Canadians. There is much that should be done. But how much can be tackled without risking large costs in the future? And what are the most effective and efficient approaches? Canadians should weigh...

The importance of Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) audits to the administration of the Canadian tax system is self-evident. So is the need for CRA to conduct high-quality audits. While audit outcomes are subject to appeals and court challenge, it is not desirable to rely frequently on appeals and the...

With Toronto City Council due to discuss an increase in the land transfer tax (LTT) on highend homes at an upcoming meeting, this independent analysis of the impacts of such a move is intended to help inform the deliberations. In this E-Brief, we evaluate the economic cost of raising LTT...

The Bank of Canada and the Government of Canada will renew their inflation targeting agreement later this year, and a number of proposals have come forward for expanding the mandate of monetary policy beyond its central goal of achieving and preserving price stability. These proposals include...

In this E-Brief, we focus on the well-established link between regulation/policy and productivity, and explore the regulatory and policy changes needed to boost Canada’s overall and financial services productivity. We look at specific regulations and policies that hinder productivity growth...

The Bank of Canada’s mandate is to target an inflation rate of 2 percent, but financial instability can have important effects on economic activity, which can influence the Bank’s ability to hit that target. The concern is that monetary policy and financial stability might work at...

The current pandemic and the accompanying economic lockdowns have led to the deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression. Fiscal and monetary authorities have acted in kind, with unprecedented stimulus and expansion of balance sheets. The Bank of Canada, for its part, dropped the...