The CDHI Podcast

Raise the GST and luxury taxes. Balance the budget. End Supply Management for the dairy industry. In the C.D. Howe Institute’s Shadow Budget 2024, Bill Robson and Don Drummond warn that we’ll suffer more later if we don’t take the fiscal medicine now.

Curing what ails Canada’s healthcare system requires us taking the financial bull by the privatization horns. Dalhousie University political science Professor Katherine Fierlbeck and host Michael Hainsworth discuss the importance of accurately framing the nature of our system so we can understand it’s expectations – and limitations.

The Deep Freeze has put Albertans on notice: The fear of rolling blackouts is real. As a recent massive cold front from the Northwest Territories that flooded the province and its neighbours led to concerns about its citizens' ability to keep the lights on, and the furnaces too. Kent Fellows, a C.D. Howe Institute Fellow-In-Residence, Assistant Professor of Economics and Associate Program Director of the Canadian Northern Corridor Research Program at the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary, joins us to discuss.

Can Canada’s fraying social safety net catch new immigrants? And if not, what’s the solution as headlines reveal many are sleeping in shifts, dying on the streets, and not able to leverage their skillset in their new homeland? Former Ontario MPP Mitzie Hunter, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Toronto Mayor John Tory join Michael Hainsworth to revisit an engaging and entertaining Regent Debate.

How would the price of milk threaten Canada’s auto industry? Bill C-282 risks upturning trade negotiations with the world, especially our biggest trading partner. And if Donald Trump returns to the White House, Martha Hall Findlay tells the Institute’s Bill Robson and Michael Hainsworth that all bets are off.

Inflation acts as an additional tax on Canadians, and when inflation is high, the pain is exacerbated. So what’s the solution? Host Michael Hainsworth speaks to C.D. Howe Institute CEO Bill Robson and Director of Research Alexandre Laurin to understand how Ottawa can ease the pain no matter the inflation rate.

Why does it seem politics today is stuck in neutral? Veteran political journalist and award winning author Paul Wells explains the increasing divide between policymakers and the public they serve, why short-term thinking sabotages long-term goals, and why valuable institutional knowledge is leaving the public service.

If Ottawa is to play a role in solving the housing crisis, it must be strategic and stay out of the way of municipalities. The C.D. Howe Institute's Benjamin Dachis tells host Michael Hainsworth that changing the tax treatment for both homeowners and rental developers would go a long way towards encouraging more construction.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a threat to democracy. Yoshua Bengio, Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Operations Research at the Universite de Montreal and the Scientific Director of the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms joins host Michael Hainsworth to discuss how we should deploy AI in government, for national security and to benefit humanity.

Join host Michael Hainsworth in this enlightening discussion as we delve deep into Canada's housing crisis. In this episode, we hear from Romy Bowers, President and CEO of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and Bob Dugan, CMHC's Chief Economist. Discover the challenges facing Canada's housing market and the promising solutions these experts bring to the table.