Some of the myths surrounding the American health care system.
Some of the myths surrounding the American health care system.
Publication of an Economic Note on the consequences of aging of the population and the impending mass retirement of the baby boom generation.
The aging of the population and the impending mass retirement of the baby boom generation (those born between 1947 and 1966) have been generating plenty of ink lately. These are disturbing phenomena because of the economic and financial problems they risk creating, notably labour shortages and lower economic growth. Another result would be lower growth in government revenues just as requirements and spending levels are pushed higher, especially in the health care sector. The situation is particularly worrying in Quebec, for at least two reasons.
Publication of an Economic Note on the consequences of aging of the population and the impending mass retirement of the baby boom generation.
Quebec’s child-care model.
L’exercice auquel se sont livrés les trois principaux partis en publiant leur cadre financier respectif est utile pour éclairer le choix des électeurs mais on aurait souhaité plus de transparence. Les données qu’ils ont fournies permettent d’apprécier partiellement leur capacité de réaliser leurs engagements. Chacun des trois cadres financiers comporte des silences ou des imprécisions, de sorte qu’il n’est pas possible de porter un jugement péremptoire. De plus, les approches différentes n’autorisent pas une comparaison directe des cadres financiers, mais seulement un rapprochement.
The debate over the freeze on university tuition fees in Quebec.
Publication of an Economic Note and an opinion poll on social assistance reforms.
In the past dozen years, the number of people on social assistance has fallen sharply across North America. In Quebec, the number of recipients went from 813,200 in March 1996 to 492,941 in October 2006, or 6.4% of the population, the lowest level since the late 1970s. Despite this, the province has the continent’s highest proportion of people on social assistance apart from Newfoundland and the District of Columbia. This reflects both a traditionally higher level and a lower reduction than elsewhere.
The Report Card on Quebec’s Secondary Schools provides an annual, independent measurement of the extent to which each school meets basic needs. The Report Card thus serves several purposes. For one thing, it facilitates school improvement, and for parents who have a choice between several educational institutions, it can help them make an enlightened decision.
With the stated aim of preventing “two-tier” childcare from emerging, the Quebec government recently blocked subsidized private daycare centres from engaging in extra-billing for supplementary activities. This coercive measure is a logical outcome of the centralization and standardization process that began a decade ago. Although the Quebec childcare model is seen by many as being among the most advanced in Canada or even the world in terms of family policy, the perverse effects of government management are being felt increasingly. Does this policy really suit the parents it was meant to help?
The perverse effects of anti-scab measures.
The perverse effects of anti-scab measures.
The perverse effects of anti-scab measures.
Publication of an Economic note on the living standards of people in Quebec.
Publication of an Economic note on the living standards of people in Quebec.
How do the living standards of people in Quebec compare with those elsewhere in North America? This issue stirs up a profusion of emotional reactions from diverse standpoints. Differences of opinion stem in part from the fact that the available data fail to provide a clear image and can easily cause confusion. Some vague general indicators suggest that living standards in Quebec may be comparable to those in Ontario. Other more objective data show, however, that Quebec is relatively poor compared to the other Canadian provinces and U.S. states.
Publication of an Economic note on the living standards of people in Quebec.
The economic consequences of a strong union presence in Quebec.
Si le gouvernement peut trouver quelques centaines de millions de dollars à consacrer à autre chose qu’à des dépenses additionnelles, il devrait donc réduire les impôts au lieu de les consacrer à un fonds des générations. La dette publique du Québec est certainement préoccupante, mais elle continue de diminuer en pourcentage du PIB et malgré l’équilibre précaire actuel, il y a longtemps que le gouvernement du Québec ne «paie plus l’épicerie» en s’endettant.
Publication of Le Point de l’IEDM on the impact of a personal income tax reduction on government’s budgetary revenues.
In a consultation paper released February 16, the Quebec government chose to follow a very restrictive interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling in the Chaoulli case. The government document suggests providing guaranteed access for certain treatments and permitting private insurance only for knee, hip or cataract surgery. However, it would be well worth broadening the discussion to include a model the court decision hinted at, namely duplicate insurance covering all types of health care.
Debate between Norma Kozhaya, Economist at the MEI, and Pierre Lefebvre, Professor of Economics at UQAM.
Debate between Norma Kozhaya, Economist at the MEI, and Paul Saba, co-president of the Coalition des médecins pour la justice sociale.
The economic consequences of a strong union presence in Quebec.
Publication of an Economic Note on the economic consequences of a strong union presence in Quebec.
The Report Card on Quebec’s Secondary Schools provides an annual, independent measurement of the extent to which each school meets basic needs. The Report Card thus serves several purposes. For one thing, it facilitates school improvement, and for parents who have a choice between several educational institutions, it can help them make an enlightened decision.
Publication of an Economic Note on the economic consequences of a strong union presence in Quebec.
Publication of an Economic Note on the economic consequences of a strong union presence in Quebec.
Quebec stands out with the highest rate of unionization among Canadian provinces and U.S. states. Unions enjoy more extensive legal privileges in Quebec than elsewhere. Is this an asset or a drawback for the Quebec economy? Following a general outline of Quebec’s union situation in the North American context, this Note will examine the economic consequences of a strong union presence.
Health care reform in Canada.
Publication of an Economic Note on the harmful effects of the capital tax.
Publication of an Economic Note on some of the myths surrounding the American health care system.
Publication of an Economic Note on the harmful effects of the capital tax.
Publication of an Economic Note on some of the myths surrounding the American health care system.
In the debate over Canada’s health care system, the United States provides a convenient scarecrow. We hear constantly that 45 million Americans have no health insurance, that public health care spending is inadequate and that the U.S. system is characterized by unbridled capitalism. These perceptions, however, fall into the category of urban myth. It is true that the U.S. health care system suffers from a number of problems and is far from perfect, but the causes of these problems are not what most people believe.
Publication of an Economic Note on some of the myths surrounding the American health care system.
Publication of an Economic Note on some of the myths surrounding the American health care system.
Publication of an Economic Note on some of the myths surrounding the American health care system.
Reproduction of an Economic Note on the effects of anti-scab laws.
Reproduction of an Economic Note on the effects of anti-scab laws.
Publication of an Economic Note on the harmful effects of the capital tax.
Funding higher education.
Publication of an Economic Note on the harmful effects of the capital tax.
Publication of an Economic Note on the harmful effects of the capital tax.
Imposing a direct tax on a factor of production such as capital is a way of taxing the very process of production and wealth creation instead of taxing individual income or consumption. This involves substantial costs in terms of economic efficiency, and it harms the competitiveness of Canada and Quebec.
Funding higher education.
Publication of an Economic Note on the effects of anti-scab measures.
Publication d’une Note économique sur les effets des mesures anti-briseurs de grève.
Publication of an Economic Note on the effects of anti-scab measures
In 1977, the Quebec legislature amended the Labour Code to introduce measures prohibiting employers at establishments affected by legal strikes or lockouts from replacing the striking or locked-out workers. According to the government then in power, these measures were introduced with the twin goals of preventing violence and making labour conflicts shorter. These arguments are still raised today, even though studies show that strikes have generally not been shortened.
Le ministre canadien des Finances Ralph Goodale annonçait la semaine dernière que l’excédent budgétaire fédéral pour 2004-2005, que le gouvernement prévoyait être de 4 milliards de dollars, atteindra 9 milliards, soit le même montant que l’année précédente. Le ministre prévoit affecter une partie de ce montant au remboursement de la dette et le reste à de nouvelles dépenses, comme le réclament de nombreux groupes de pression. L’IEDM rappelle pour sa part qu’une baisse des impôts comporterait des avantages beaucoup plus significatifs pour l’économie canadienne.
Publication of an Economic Note on health care financing in Canada.
Publication of a Léger Marketing/MEI public poll on health care financing.
The Canadian health care system has deteriorated in recent years despite the injection of billions of extra dollars in government funds. A simple increase in public spending will not be sufficient to solve the problems or to meet the needs of an aging population. Major changes are required to limit costs by improving efficiency in the provision of health care.
The positive economic impact of a reduction in personal income tax.
Publication of a Research Paper on the expected economic impact of a reduction in personal income tax.
Quebecers are the most heavily taxed citizens in North America. The top marginal personal tax rate is higher than in any other province, and hits the Quebec taxpayer beginning at the relatively low income of $53 405. In fact, the top marginal rate is reached faster in Quebec than in any of the G-7 countries. The promised reduction could correct this situation by reducing marginal rates by one third. The time is right to implement a real tax reform in Quebec.
A widely held view, disseminated by student associations in particular, suggests that improving access to higher education means students should pay little or nothing in fees. Despite this view, a growing number of university administrators and various people in academic and political circles are arguing in favour of higher tuition fees to deal with what they regard as underfinancing that is affecting the quality of higher learning.
Economic Note on university financing published by the MEI.
Economic Note on university financing published by the MEI.
Low tuition fees do not mean high enrolments; in fact, the contrary is true.
The rising cost of health care is a long term problem that calls for long term solutions.
Have social programs been dismantled in Quebec?
The effects of laws banning strike replacements.
The history of public finance in Quebec since the 1960s can be summed up as follows: rapid spending growth and accumulated deficits until the mid-1990s, followed by a few years of budget cuts and elimination of the deficit, and then a resumption of spending growth right up to now. Contrary to what some people suggest, the Quebec government has not undergone a drastic slimming down in the last few years. Spending growth has continued since 1997.
The effects of laws banning strike replacements.
Reduced corporate and individual tax rates and its impact on economical growth.
Reduced corporate and individual tax rates and its impact on economical growth.
