The populists are the problem. Back in the 1990s the then-most populist premier in Canada would regularly invoke “Martha and Henry” as “severely normal Albertans” when justifying policy choices. Ralph Klein kept his finger firmly on the pulse of these…

MAX Policy is a collection of provocative ideas and policy solutions generated by the minds at the Max Bell School of Public Policy. Could a carbon tax make Canada’s tax system more efficient? I am asking and answering this question as…

A carbon tax, properly packaged, is a vote winner for Conservatives. Yes, you read that right. Way back in February, BC (Before COVID) I wrote a piece entitled “To win the next election, Conservatives need a credible climate pan.” It built on…

Will there be a federal election before next spring? In a word, no. Recent challenges for the Liberals, plus the selection of Erin O’Toole as the new Conservative leader, has ramped up speculation about a snap election. Liberals and Conservatives…

Ken Boessenkool and Dan Robertson have spent their lives advising Canadian political leaders. The economic impact of financial crisis of 2008-2009 still reverberates. The most consequential result of the financial crisis, however, was not economic but political. People blamed the elites for…