• Employment & Unemployment,  Inequality,  Macroeconomics,  Research

    The Failures of ‘Trickle-Down’ Economics in Alberta

    Since its election in 2019, the current provincial government in Alberta has emphasized a classic ‘trickle-down’ economic strategy. It argues that by boosting profits of private business, capital investment will grow, and job-creation, rising incomes, and economic growth will then ‘trickle down’ to the rest of the population.

  • Environment & Work,  Inflation,  Research

    No Correlation Between Inflation and Carbon Pricing

    Canadian conservatives have repeatedly tried to pin the blame for post-pandemic inflation on the present federal government, and even personally on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (with their ‘JustInflation’ label). The latest incarnation of that strategy claims the surge in inflation over the last two years is due to the federal carbon tax – which applies in those provinces (such as Ontario and Alberta) which have refused to participate directly in the Canada-wide carbon pricing system. In this report, originally published in Canadian Dimension magazine, Centre for Future Work Director Jim Stanford shows there is no empirical correlation or theoretical link between carbon taxes and economy-wide inflation. Top Ten Reasons We…

  • COVID,  Future of Work,  Research,  Trade Unions

    The Future of Working from Home

    The historic expansion of remote and home work during the first stages of the COVID pandemic was both extraordinary and vitally important in helping families, and the economy, through the challenges of that crisis. Some two-thirds of employed Canadians worked totally or mostly from home at some point during the pandemic. Remote work was essential to preserving incomes, maintaining economic activity, and providing essential services at a time when face-to-face encounters were potentially deadly.