This study from the MEI describes how the federal government’s proposal to cap the energy sector’s greenhouse gas emissions would cause substantial economic losses, without achieving any net reduction in global emissions.

Provincial governments in Canada should implement cash-for-care systems to encourage home care, while respecting taxpayers’ ability to pay, according to this publication from the MEI.

The federal government’s bill to impose a surtax on the revenues of digital companies would hurt Canadian consumers according this MEI publication. “No matter how the government dresses up its digital tax bill, it is Canadian consumers who will once again pay for it,” said Olivier Rancourt, Economist at the MEI and author of the publication.

The Quebec population is aging faster than the current long-term care residence system can handle, which forces us to consider new ways of doing things. The government of Quebec must allow more seniors to remain in their homes by doing a better job of supporting informal caregivers, shows this new publication released by the MEI.

The demands on police in non-criminal areas have grown as governments have saddled officers with increasing responsibilities divorced from their core mission. With pressure coming from all sides, including recent calls to “defund the police,” this new MEI paper proposes to outsource non-core tasks to auxiliary private security agents in order to make the best use of scarce police time and public resources.

Proposals to increase taxes on the rich resurface often in the news. MEI researchers conclude in this study that, however the term “rich” is defined, this selective taxation does not pay, due to its longer-term indirect effects. By penalizing those who create wealth, this gives rise to a number of adverse effects that threaten the prosperity of all Canadians.

For over a year now, statistics have shown an unusual rise in the general price level as calculated by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The highest seen in 40 years, this increase has fuelled public debate as well as anxiety among Canadians. Researchers at the MEI believe that the actual deterioration in purchasing power is much more pronounced than the official rate would indicate, and they challenge the validity of the metrics employed by Statistics Canada which in their view do not reflect the true inflationary pressure experienced since the beginning of this year.

With students across Canada preparing to go back to school, the MEI released this study on how to improve educational outcomes. Vincent Geloso, Senior Economist at the MEI, concludes that it is an illusion to think that the quality of education will be improved merely by increasing government spending.

The Canada-US softwood lumber dispute that has lasted some forty years is good for neither country, MEI researchers conclude in this publication. The drop in Canadian production has direct consequences on this country’s forestry industry, and is not offset by the increased production south of the border, which leads to a net loss in the volume of wood available in the American market. This artificially induced greater scarcity of wood leads to higher costs for consumers.

On November 22 last year, the federal government introduced Bill C‑11, the Online Streaming Act, in the House of Commons. Its goal is to allow the CRTC to regulate online streaming services. The Netflixes and Disneys of the world, as well as platforms like Spotify and YouTube, are targeted by the bill. It will potentially cover almost all audio and audiovisual content accessible online in Canada. This MEI publication warns against the possible economic, cultural, and legal consequences of this bill.