The revoking of Keystone XL’s permit by US President Joe Biden his first day in office highlights the risk for Canada of depending on a single country for its petroleum product exports. This Economic Note points out that the construction of new pipelines on Canadian soil would help the country reduce this risk and maximize revenues from oil exports, thus encouraging job creation and improving Canadians’ living standards.

Based on our analysis and findings, the blueprint for restarting Canada’s energy sector is very simple. Nearly all the breakthroughs and advances were the work of individuals or companies, which had the pressure of dealing with an immediate problem or constraints that required a new approach. The question should be about what should be done, and not done, by government.

The return to a balanced budget in the medium term is necessary, and it must be achieved by controlling governmental expenditures. One way to do this is to set up a standing expenditure review committee, as the federal government did following the financial crisis of 2008-2009, shows this publication.

As he takes office, President Joe Biden is inheriting a health crisis, an economic crisis compared by some to the 1929 crisis, and mismanaged public finances. This Economic Note sketches a picture of the budgetary policy of President Trump, under whose management the federal government’s debt grew by 36%.

L’année 2021 s’annonce comme étant charnière pour la survie de nombreuses entreprises québécoises. Les mesures sanitaires mises en place dans la foulée de la pandémie ont eu pour effet de freiner les opérations d’un grand nombre de commerces et d’entreprises qui fournissent des emplois aux familles du Québec. Afin d’assurer le maintien et la progression de notre niveau de vie, le gouvernement devra poser des gestes concrets.

A climate of censorship seems to be taking hold on our university campuses, within our cultural institutions, and even among the general public. This new puritanism hurts the economy and makes Quebecers poorer. Indeed, this publication shows that we would be richer if we had even more freedom of expression.

The Quebec government has announced stricter lockdown rules before the holidays. Yet repeated lockdowns, even if partial, are likely to inflict the effects of an economic depression on SMEs rather than those of a simple recession. This Economic Note prepared by Peter St. Onge in collaboration with Maria Lily Shaw paints a worrisome picture.

Our health care system is hard-pressed to withstand the repeated blows of the pandemic. One of the issues highlighted by the health crisis is the urgent need for more hospital beds, as Canada lags behind many other countries in this regard. This research paper prepared by Peter St. Onge in collaboration with Maria Lily Shaw, proposes some concrete solutions.

With the Quebec government about to review the province’s forest regime, environmentalists are busy trying to reduce the development of this natural resource. This publication shows, however, that we could increase the harvest of our forests without undermining the renewal of the resource.

A dialogue of the deaf has been going on for months now between those who support lockdowns and those who have doubts about their effectiveness. Both camps often display a lack of civility, with insults flying in all directions. It is therefore quite difficult to find a good summary of the arguments of both sides. It is with a view to addressing this lack and helping people make up their own minds that the MEI has prepared this debate between two experienced economists on the costs and benefits of lockdowns.