The CDHI Podcast

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.

When does it make sense to cut spending to reduce government debt? The answer from Harvard's Alberto Alesina may surprise you, and he tells host Michael Hainsworth it has everything to do with investor confidence.

Michael Hainsworth sits down with the Institute's Jeremy Kronick to talk about income inequality's effect on inflation, and the rising non-bank financial intermediary sector that could be diluting the effectiveness of monetary policy.

Sidewalk Labs CEO Dan Doctoroff tells Michael Hainsworth he’s optimistic the delayed decision on a 21st century “city within a city” will be a green light, discusses the data privacy issues with the Toronto Quayside plan, and outlines some of the advances the company has researched in sustainable and affordable housing.

New year, new opportunity. 2020 will be the Federal Government’s first real opportunity to build on the platforms of the October 2019 election. Queen’s University adjunct professor Don Drummond and the Institute’s Ben Dachis look ahead to the first full year of governing the new minority government.

Host Michael Hainsworth sits down with economist and Harvard professor Edward Glaeser to talk housing supply, the affordable housing crisis, and and why he believes the housing market is rigged against millennials.

In this episode of the C.D. Howe Institute podcast, Michael Hainsworth speaks to Alberta Finance Minister Travis Toews about his province’s plans to get back into the black within four years, lower corporate taxes, and go it alone on CPP. Also, Grant Bishop, the C.D. Howe Institute’s Associate Director, Research, provides some analysis on Alberta’s fiscal situation.

Canada punches above its weight in Artificial Intelligence Research, but investment is down. Deloitte Canada's Shelby Austin and Uber's Inmar Givoni join Michael Hainsworth on this episode to talk about the advantages of "buying Canada" and the challenges of future government support.

How are Canada’s coffers faring going into the election? C.D. Howe Institute Senior Fellow Glen Hodgson says Canada’s political platforms aren’t preparing for a potential recession — or even a slowdown. On this week’s podcast Michael Hainsworth delves into what the political promises mean if the economy goes south.

With Canada's 2019 federal election around the corner, and the possibility of a recession, why aren’t the major party leaders talking about what they would do in the event of a downturn? Bill Robson, President and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute talks with Michael Hainsworth on what spending versus tax cuts means for Canada’s economy.

Canada has a labour force problem. Many of us aren't matched to our jobs, and with A.I. on the rise and the continued march of automation, the problem is set to worsen. Miana Plesca from the University of Guelph and C.D. Howe Institute's senior policy analyst Parisa Mahboubi join host Michael Hainsworth to discuss why Canada underperforms the OECD on matching skills in the workplace.

As the political situation in the United Kingdom grows ever more precarious, Michael Hainsworth sits down with David Blancheflower, professor of economics at Dartmouth College and former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, to ask what Brexit means for Canada, broader relations with the EU, and offer some clues as to what the long term ramifications will be.

America is the big winner in the CUSMA trade pact, with more access to Canada’s dairy and poultry markets, increases in intellectual property protection for pharmaceuticals, and new rules on cross-border data flows all tilting the balance in favour of the U.S. In this episode, Michael Hainsworth talks to Dan Ciuriak about some of the controversial issues arising from the agreement.

In this episode, Michael Hainsworth sits down with auto industry veteran Dennis DesRosiers and Jon Johnson, former advisor to the Canadian government during the NAFTA negotiations, to take a deep dive into the murky rules of origin for autos laid out in the new Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement and the challenges they pose for the industry. Also on the subject of cars, Christopher Sands, senio...

Are there better options for getting Canadians the medications they need? Our health policy expert, Rosalie Wyonch, sits down with Michael to discuss the report released by Dr. Eric Hoskins calling for Ottawa to create a national pharmacare plan.

After significant amendments from the Senate, Bill C-69 is coming back to the House for third reading. The original bill would have created significant uncertainties for the energy sector by allowing Cabinet to intervene in the independent review process of any future resource project. The Institute's Associate Director of Research, Grant Bishop and host Michael Hainsworth sit down to discuss the...

Why is it almost impossible to catch all the dirty money being claimed in Canada? In this week’s episode, Michael discusses with Kevin Comeau, author of our much anticipated upcoming publication, on why we fail to catch money launderers 99.9% of the time.

Michael Hainsworth sits down with Peter Bethlenfalvy, President of the Treasury Board Secretariat of Ontario, to discuss the Ontario Government's latest budget. With Ontario's debt at unprecedented levels—a whopping 40% debt to GDP—Michael asks how the Ford administration can keep its campaign promise of a balanced budget without cutting front-line public services.

Now that Finance Minister Bill Morneau has released the 2019 Federal Budget, the Institute’s Rosalie Wyonch and Glen Hodgson sit down with host Michael Hainsworth to unpack the budget’s main themes and what it means for everyday Canadians.

The Federal Government hasn’t been saving for a rainy day. And that rainy day may be coming as early as 2020. The C.D. Howe Institute’s Bill Robson and Queens University economist Don Drummond discuss how to bring Canada back to a balanced budget in an environment of rising interest rates, slowing economic growth going into an election.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, recently paid a visit to the Institute to outline how Canada can better develop innovators. Following his speech, he sat down with Michael to discuss how Canada can continue to build its reputation as a global innovation leader.

This week, Michael sits down with Institute President and CEO Bill Robson to discuss the fiscal future of millennials and their children. Next, Bill takes us through recent Institute rankings of municipal budgets for transparency and accuracy. Finally, we take a sneak peek at the Institute’s upcoming federal shadow budget.

Despite clinical evidence showing the value of immunization, vaccination rates among adult Canadians are dangerously low. In our latest show, our hosts Alex McBrien and Laura Bouchard discuss with the institute's Policy Analyst - Rosalie Wyonch on the lackluster state of adult vaccination in Canada.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland will reveal Canada's broad negotiation goals when she testifies before the parliamentary committee on trade next Monday, August 14th. And Canada, the U.S. and Mexico will sit down for a first round of talks in Washington on the 16th. Hear from an award-winning trade economist on what to expect during these unpredictable times.

House rich, big-spending Canadians are taking a gamble on the risk of an economic shock in Canada. Join us for a conversation about some troubling mortgage and consumption trends in Canada, and the implications for policymakers concerned about a hard landing.