Reading Time: 4 minutesDisponible en français. This HillNote compares Canada’s productivity performance with that of other Group of Seven (G7) countries and Australia, which has a resource-rich economy that is similar to Canada’s. The HillNote is the second in a four-part series on… Read More ›
Economics and finance
The Home Insurance Market and Severe Weather Events in Canada
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible en français. Given the growing frequency and intensity of severe weather events around the world, like hurricanes, wildfires, floods and violent storms, households have had to make increasingly costly home insurance claims. Canada has not been spared; it even… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Federal Government Finances: Questions and Answers
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. This HillStudy consists of a series of questions and answers intended to provide a better understanding of economic statistics and federal government finances. It covers such topics as the following: production: gross domestic product (GDP); inflation: consumer price index; nominal and real… Read More ›
What is Productivity and Why Does it Matter?
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. This HillNote is the first in a series of four publications about productivity. The second in the series presents Canada’s productivity performance compared to other advanced economies. The third analyzes the main potential causes of Canada’s relatively… Read More ›
Executive Summary – The Parliamentary Financial Cycle
Reading Time: 3 minutesDisponible en français. One of Parliament’s fundamental roles is to review and approve the government’s taxation and spending plans. To fulfill this role, parliamentarians follow the parliamentary financial cycle, which consists of a continuous loop of activities that take place… Read More ›
Making Sense of Canada’s Defence Spending
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. Domestically, discussions about Canada’s defence spending are generally focused on the Department of National Defence (DND), including the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). However, in reporting their defence spending to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, or the… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Canada’s Equalization Formula
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. Equalization is a federal transfer payment program designed to reduce the differences in revenue-generating capacity among Canada’s 10 provinces. The program helps ensure that all Canadians have access to broadly comparable levels of public services. The Equalization program is… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Understanding the Public Accounts of Canada
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. The Public Accounts of Canada is an annual report of the Government of Canada’s financial activities for the fiscal year ending each 31 March. It includes consolidated financial statements, summaries of various financial reports, and additional analysis and information. It does not include Canada Pension Plan… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Measuring Democracy
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. Measuring Democracy examines three widely used democracy indexes: those produced by Freedom House, the Economist Intelligence Unit, and Varieties of Democracy (V‑Dem). This HillStudy explains how these indexes work, how each index evaluates the state of democracy in Canada, how they differ from each other and some possible limitations of… Read More ›
The Canadian Dollar: What Determines the Exchange Rate?
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible en français. From the beginning of World War II until 1950, and again from 1962 to 1970, the value of the Canadian dollar was fixed in relation to the U.S. dollar. The Bank of Canada was responsible for intervening… Read More ›