• About
    • About the Director
  • Contact
  • Publications Index
  • Australia
  • Français
Centre for Future Work

A non-partisan centre of excellence, developing timely and practical policy proposals to help make the world of work better for working people and their families.

  • Research
    • Research
    • Sector Bargaining Clearing House
  • Coverage & Commentary
  • PowerShare
  • False Profits
  • Online Learning
    • Debunkers’ Academy
    • Economics for Everyone: How to Cut Through the Jargon
  • Research
    • Research
    • Sector Bargaining Clearing House
  • Coverage & Commentary
  • PowerShare
  • False Profits
  • Online Learning
    • Debunkers’ Academy
    • Economics for Everyone: How to Cut Through the Jargon
  • Commentary,  Fiscal Policy,  Public Sector Work,  Trump Tariffs

    This Is Not An Ordinary Federal Budget

    October 8, 2025 /

    As the federal government prepares to table its next budget on November 4, most of the public debate has centred on how big the deficit will be – as if that is the only metric of significance to Canadians. This is predictable and disappointing. At a moment when Canada as a country faces unprecedented challenges to our prosperity and sovereignty arising from Donald Trump’s trade war and other threats, a much more important question is how will the budget equip Canada to protect itself against Trump’s attacks, reorient away from so much dependence on the U.S. market, and invest in the things (including physical and social infrastructure) necessary to a…

    Read More
    James
  • Commentary,  Finance,  Globalization,  Trump Tariffs

    Bringing Capital Home Would Boost Canadian Growth, Reduce Trade Imbalance with U.S.

    September 27, 2025 /

    Donald Trump claims his aggressive trade actions are justified because of ‘unfair’ trade practices by other countries, that result in big U.S. trade deficits. But the real cause of those perpetual U.S. trade deficits is ongoing capital inflows to the U.S. from other countries – including Canada. In this commentary originally published in the Toronto Star, Centre for Future Work Director Jim Stanford shows that Canada is now a huge net lender to the U.S., with a positive foreign investment balance there of $1.6 trillion. Bringing some of that capital back to Canada would not only help to finance the major projects we are undertaking to protect our economy against…

    Read More
    Jim Stanford
  • Commentary,  Globalization,  Macroeconomics,  Trump Tariffs

    Elbows Up for Canada’s Economy

    September 27, 2025 /

    On September 15, 40 progressive economists and policy experts gathered in Ottawa for the ‘Elbows Up Economic Summit.’ The Summit was co-sponsored by the Centre for Future Work, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), and several other national civil society organizations. It was co-chaired by Centre Director Jim Stanford and Peggy Nash, Executive director of the CCPA.

    Read More
    Jim Stanford
  • Commentary,  Environment & Work,  Finance

    Financial Disclosure not Enough to Steer Investment in the Energy Transition

    September 27, 2025 /

    In the following commentary, Centre for Future Work Director Jim Stanford looks back at a landmark speech given in 2015 by Mark Carney – at the time the Governor of the Bank of England, now Prime Minister of Canada. The speech was a powerful expose of how private financial investors tend to have too short of a time-frame (seeking to maximize immediate stock market returns or quarterly profits) to properly account for the long-run consequences of certain investments (such as investments in fossil fuel production). Carney termed this financial myopia the ‘tragedy of the horizon’, and advocated for more explicit voluntary financial disclosure by financial institutions and corporations in the…

    Read More
    Jim Stanford
  • Commentary,  Industry & Sector,  Trump Tariffs

    The Role of Industrial Policy in Defending Canada Against Trump’s Attacks

    September 27, 2025 /

    There is growing awareness of the importance of targeted supports for key high-value industries, as part of the effort to protect Canada’s economy in the wake of Donald Trump’s trade war. His tariffs have deliberately targeted Canada’s most important value-adding, high-tech manufacturing industries – including auto, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, machinery, trucks, and manufactured wood products. The goal is clearly to undermine the viability of those industries, to the advantage of U.S.-based locations. That would reinforce Canada’s growing (and precarious) reliance on unprocessed natural resource products to pay our way in world trade.

    Read More
    Jim Stanford
  • Commentary,  Trump Tariffs

    Trump’s “Shakedown” Must be Resisted: Media Coverage of Centre for Future Work Report

    July 31, 2025 /

    The Centre for Future Work’s new report on trade talks between Canada and the U.S. has received extensive coverage in Canadian media, as the August 1 deadline to reach a ‘deal’ with the U.S. looms. The report, “A Bad Deal With Trump is Worse Than No Deal At All,” lists several reasons why locking in one-sided U.S. tariffs in a non-binding memorandum with the erratic U.S. President would hurt Canada much worse than other U.S. trading partners, and reduce chances of rolling back Mr. Trump’s aggressive trade war through either international dispute settlement or in U.S. courts.

    Read More
    Jim Stanford
  • Commentary,  Globalization,  Technology,  Trump Tariffs

    Giving Donald Trump Some of His Own Medicine on Services Trade

    July 9, 2025 /

    The Canadian government recently abandoned its new Digital Services Tax (DST), which since January 1 2024 had collected a 3% levy on all revenue in Canada from sales of digital advertising or marketplace services. The companies which dominate this industry (like Google, Meta, Amazon, or AirBnB) typically avoid most or all normal corporate income tax, by shifting revenue and profits from countries like Canada to tax havens where taxes are low or zero.

    Read More
    Jim Stanford
  • Commentary,  Industry & Sector,  Public Sector Work

    Public Health Care Is Not Just a ‘Cost’… It’s an Economic Driver

    June 19, 2025 /

    Spending on Canada’s medicare system is typically understood simply as a major ‘cost’ item for government budgets. Seldom do Canadians consider the other side of the coin: public health care is also a pillar of Canada’s economy, and a powerful driver of growth, job-creation, and innovation.

    Read More
    Jim Stanford
  • Commentary,  Industry & Sector,  Skills & Training

    Supporting Skilled Trades Labour Supply as Canada Embarks on Historic Building Boom

    June 19, 2025 /

    Canadian governments and industries are getting set to launch a major expansion in infrastructure and housing construction, as part of the ‘elbows up’ response to uncertainty caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. One potential challenge in that strategy will be ensuring adequate supply of skilled construction workers.

    Read More
    Jim Stanford
  • Commentary,  Labour Standards,  Wages

    Albertans’ Economic Hardship Reflects Provincial Policy Choices, not “Attacks” by the Rest of Canada

    May 30, 2025 /

    In this commentary, originally published in the Toronto Star, Centre for Future Work Director Jim Stanford rebuts claims that the living standards of Albertans have been harmed by “attacks” on the province’s oil industry (as claimed by Conservative leaders Andrew Scheer and Pierre Poilievre). In fact, the province’s oil output (and the profits of the oil industry) have never been higher.

    Read More
    Jim Stanford
123

Recent Posts

  • This Is Not An Ordinary Federal Budget
  • Happy Minimum Wage Day, Canada!
  • Bringing Capital Home Would Boost Canadian Growth, Reduce Trade Imbalance with U.S.
  • Enormous Jobs Potential from Energy Transition Investments
  • Elbows Up for Canada’s Economy

About Us

Read more on our About page.

The Centre for Future Work is a progressive labour economics research institute, founded in Canada in 2020. The Centre is a unique centre of excellence on the full range of economic issues facing working people. It is independent and non-partisan.

Archives

  • October 2025
  • September 2025
  • August 2025
  • July 2025
  • June 2025
  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • October 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
Centre for Future Work 2025 ©
  • Website design by Cedar Bluff Graphics