Believe it or not this is actually one of my more controversial views. I think it is important for communities large and small to have a few large, anchor employers – respecting the fact that ‘large’ is a moving target.…
Continue ReadingMore on Saint John’s leaky immigration hypothesis
I’ll pre-empt some emails and calls by further explaining my data for the column in the TJ today. In it, I raise the issue of the discrepancy between the estimated annual new immigrant numbers to the Saint John CMA compared…
Continue ReadingThe EI dance in the dark
Victor Boudreau is one of my favorite politicians but his comments in the paper reflect the challenge we face when trying to have a substantive debate on EI. He says: “No amount of training will change the fact we have…
Continue ReadingThe Jerkstore called. Do we need a few more?
I read a lot of biographies. In the last six months I have read biographies of CS Lewis, Calvin Coolidge, Catherine the Great, Genghis Khan, Thomas Jefferson, Rasputin, Glenn Gould, Lyndon Johnson, ExxonMobil, Winston Churchill and a book that was essentially…
Continue ReadingDo we need more jerks?
I hope you get a chance to read my column today in the TJ. I will post it hear sometime next week. It’s a bit clunky and the argument is thin but the kernel of the idea is one worth…
Continue ReadingDemystifying the benefits of out-migration: Smaller may not be better
I used to make the statement that bigger is not necessarily better and we may have to ‘right size’ the population of certain areas of Atlantic Canada to bring it more in line with the size of the economic pie…
Continue ReadingAlward wont’ fall on the EI sword (at least willingly)
One of the interesting things about Canadian politics is the wide variation between the parties and their ideology depending on where you are within the country. A Progressive Conservative in Alberta has only the most basic ties with a PC…
Continue ReadingWhat is the solution to skills shortages?
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…
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