Outgoing BoC head Mark Carney had some interesting things to say about outsourcing yesterday: Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney says the controversial temporary foreign workers program should not be used to drive wages down or to fill lower-skilled jobs.…
Continue ReadingNew Brunswickers tilting at windmills
From a recent TJ column: While it would be hard to argue there is widespread unrest across New Brunswick, there certainly are a lot of spirited battles underway on a number of fronts. Civil servants are outraged about proposed changes…
Continue ReadingAdvocating side deals
The IMF yesterday warned about Canada’s economic growth trajectory and suggested the federal government may have to get back into the stimulus business. Why? Because economic growth will drop from 1.8% to 1.5%. When Canada’s economy grows by 1.5% its…
Continue ReadingThe glue that binds communities together
Here’s a recent column I wrote in the T-J. It’s a business column so I worked in the biz angle at the bottom. I spent most of last week roaming the vast, empty desert that makes up the state of…
Continue ReadingA career delimiting effort
Lots of folks tell me I have to elevate my analysis to a national perspective or at least to develop some broader theories related to economic development that are applicable far and wide. I have grappled with this and have…
Continue ReadingWhat would full employment look like in New Brunswick?
Someone asked me this and when I said we would need another 50,000 to 70,000 people working right now in New Brunswick (or about the entire employment base currently in the Saint John CMA), I got an incredulous response. While…
Continue ReadingWhat will be your legacy?
From a recent TJ column: I recently appeared before the Nova Scotia Commission on Building our New Economy to provide my views on how Nova Scotia could foster a stronger economic foundation for the future. The commission is chaired by…
Continue ReadingDeficit chickens coming home to roost
From my TJ column last Saturday: One of the challenges facing government when it comes to budgetary deficits and debt is that the public doesn’t really understand how it impacts them specifically. It’s a vague notion that people don’t spend…
Continue ReadingRemembering Ralph Klein
I was sorry to see former Alberta Ralph Klein passed away. He was a colourful guy and presided over a period of prosperity in Alberta. I had an interesting Ralph Klein moment way back when he was first elected. I…
Continue ReadingA more intelligent export strategy
The government announced its new and anticipated export strategy this week and I wrote some thoughts about it in my Telegraph-Journal column this morning. I awoke to an email criticizing my views and suggesting that I don’t understand the purpose…
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