Montreal – To mitigate political tensions about the transfers provincial governments receive through equalization, Canada should follow Australia’s example and establish an arm’s-length agency to recommend the level of equalization payments, says a new paper from the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Under equalization, a fixture of Canadian federalism since 1957, the federal government extends […]

Montreal – As regional trade negotiations become more complicated and contentious in the midst of Brexit, anti-NAFTA rhetoric in the United States and mounting opposition to CETA and the TPP, strengthening the World Trade Organization (WTO) should be a central objective of Canadian trade policy, says a new study from the Institute for Research on Public […]

Montreal – As the Trudeau government pursues its new collaborative vision for intergovernmental relations, the Harper legacy of smaller government and greater provincial self-reliance limits its room for action, writes Christopher Dunn in a report published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy. “The declining federal presence is a constraint Trudeau will face. The corporate tax […]

Montreal – The federal government should improve real employment opportunities for persons with disabilities by connecting them with employers, and by supporting employers in the provision of work accommodations, says a new study by the Institute for Research on Public Policy. “Canadians with disabilities should have access to real work for real pay, and their rights […]

Montreal – Canada’s trade policies are creating obstacles for small businesses engaging in cross-border online trade, says a new study from the Institute for Research on Public Policy. “Given that e-commerce reduces the extent to which distance limits trade, Canada can do more to realize the economic, social and political benefits of technology-enabled trade,” say authors […]

Montreal – To improve Canada’s lamentably poor innovation performance we must move beyond our traditional focus on research and development (R&D) and take steps to reinforce competition rather than hinder it, says a new report from the Institute for Research on Public Policy. “As the global market place becomes increasingly competitive, Canada’s innovation performance is clearly […]

Montreal – Canada’s trade policy priority should not be signing more trade deals, but rather finding alternative ways to support the development of Canadian-based firms that produce goods and services the rest of the world demands, says Jim Stanford. His commentary, which will be included in a forthcoming IRPP research volume, comes in the context of […]

Montreal – A new report by the Institute for Research on Public Policy, and Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communica­tion and Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management, calls for a new approach to organizing leaders’ debates in federal election campaigns. Released in the aftermath of controversies surrounding the way the leaders debates were managed during […]

Montreal – A new report by the Institute for Research on Public Policy outlines ways Canada can deal more effectively with corporate wrongdoing and white-collar crime. The report is based on a round table held in Toronto in November 2015 that brought together legal and academic experts and stakeholders for a frank exchange on how to […]

Montreal – As governments struggle to keep pace with rapid advancements in science and technology, a new report by the Institute for Research on Public Policy and the Canadian Academy of Engineering outlines how governments can better incorporate that knowledge in policy-making processes and improve the quality of government decisions. The report is based on a […]

Montreal – The federal government’s attempts to shift the tax burden from the middle class to the top 1 percent will not be enough to address rising income inequality, says a new book published by the IRPP in collaboration with the Canadian Labour Market and Skills Researcher Network. Based on extensive research on inequality trends and […]

Montreal – To address the growing long-term needs of Canada’s aging population, governments should expand community-based care instead of simply increasing the number of residential care beds, according to a new study by the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Drawing on research in Ontario and abroad, Paul Williams and his coauthors examine some promising community-based […]

Montreal – Global production processes are changing, and Canada has not kept pace with developments in the rest of the world, says a new study published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Production has become increasingly international in recent decades, with more businesses importing in order to export. The result is sophisticated production networks […]

Montreal – The Institute for Research on Public Policy is pleased to announce the appointment of Jennifer Ditchburn as editor-in-chief of Policy Options. An award-winning parliamentary correspondent, Ditchburn is one of Canada’s best-known and most respected analysts of politics and public policy. She brings to Policy Options two decades of experience covering the public debates […]

Montreal – After an incredibly successful year at the helm of Policy Options, editor Dan Gardner is leaving the magazine to write his next book and take on a significant new assignment in the Prime Minister’s Office. During his time at the IRPP, Dan completed the magazine’s transformation into a fully digital platform for public […]

Montreal – The economy is weak, the price of oil has collapsed, and the loonie is doing a swan dive, but Canadians are remarkably happy with the performance of the federal government and the general direction of the country, according to a new survey conducted by Nanos Research for Policy Options magazine. A large majority (60%) […]