Search Results for: Economy

Old Gigs, New Gigs: Are Courts and Legislators Reinterpreting an Age-Old Debate for the New World of Work?

Courts and legislatures are deciding whether your Lyft driver is an independent contractor or an employee. The classification is a big deal, affecting workers' protections through to retirement. This paper surveys the current state of the gig economy and how courts, tribunals and legislatures in North America and the UK are tackling the issue of employment classification.

Date: Monday September 30, 2019


DDP Research Memo #4: Talking Past Each Other on Immigration

This report examines Canadians' opinions on immigration and their populist and nativist tendencies. It also surveys election candidates' use of social media across platforms.

Date: Thursday September 26, 2019


Averting a Double-whammy

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a fiscal conundrum for governments: How can they dig themselves out of debt in a manner that protects the financial futures of younger generations? Governments should opt for a mix of fiscal strategies that favour smart tax increases.

Date: Thursday September 10, 2020


Understanding the Nature and Experience of Gig Work in Canada

Gig work & gig workers are on the rise, fuelled by technology that makes this form of work more easily accessible. What does this mean for Canada’s labour market and how should we respond? Understanding how workers enter, navigate and experience the gig economy is a critical component to better understanding what policies are required to best protect and support them. This report explores what we know, and what we need to know, about the nature of Canada’s gig economy and the experiences of its workers.

Date: Tuesday June 30, 2020


Accelerating Growth in Carbon Management: Policy Recommendations for the Federal Government

...zero conversation is how we reconcile our undeniable climate needs with a strong and growing economy. Doing so means helping existing industry transition to a low carbon economy, while capitalizing...

Date: Thursday March 3, 2022


Canada’s Complicated Tango with the U.S.

As a presidential election looms in the United States, Canada is facing three possible scenarios for its outcome. Trade with the U.S. remains largely as healthy as it was 30 years ago, but that could change as the country’s neighbour to the south looks inward. To combat this, Canada must continue to diversify while also trading south.

Date: Thursday October 1, 2020


Getting Canada Back on Track after COVID-19 with a Comprehensive Innovation Plan

...the digital economy, it must refresh, rebuild and play the long game for innovation. A nation impatient for solutions is primed to get back to the job of building a...

Date: Wednesday February 23, 2022


Emerging Stronger: Addressing the Skills Under-Utilization Challenge for the Future of Work in Canada

How can Canada use its highly skilled workforce as we transition to a knowledge economy? In their new report, AJ Tibando and Arvind Gupta explore Palette Inc., a not-for-profit platform that was created to upskill diverse and non-traditional workers in an ICT sector biased against hiring them. It looks like the Palette model is working.

Date: Friday June 12, 2020


Job Polarization in Canada

Job polarization is one of several trends — including automation, offshoring and the growing importance of the gig-economy — that were already of general interest prior to the onset of the pandemic, but which have been pushed even further into the centre of public policy discussions by the arrival of COVID-19. As Canadian policymakers consider how to build back the economy after the pandemic, addressing the problems created by job polarization needs to figure prominently in their priorities.

Date: Thursday April 15, 2021


Solving for shortages in New Brunswick: Employer Experiences and the Labour Market Across Atlantic Provinces

Employers across Atlantic Canada are facing skills shortages and are turning to newcomers to fill job vacancies. Yet retention in the region remains a problem, and many immigrants who relocate elsewhere in Canada report employment as a leading cause for their decision to move away. A consultation with local business leaders, business council representatives, educators and immigrant workers provided insights into challenges and policy opportunities.

Date: Tuesday November 24, 2020


The Unclaimed Middle Ground Between Unrestrained Fiscal Spending and Unreasonable Restraint

No one strikes out to claim the middle ground and yet that may very well be the most prudent strategy for a balanced economic recovery. There is a path for Canada between unnecessary fiscal restraint that stymies growth and excessive large-scale spending.

Date: Thursday October 15, 2020


The Missing Article

Since 2021, 65 bilateral agreements involving 45 countries have been reached under Article 6 of the landmark Paris Agreement on climate change. Canada is not among them.

Date: Thursday November 30, 2023


The Future is Now: Creating Decent Work Post-Pandemic

Artificial intelligence, advanced robotics, the sharing economy and other emerging technologies were expected to upend the nature of how people work, eliminate an array of routine and repetitive tasks, and put pressure on social support frameworks designed for a different era. These impacts expected to be felt in the near to medium term suddenly find themselves present. The need to reinvent Canada's social and economic policy frameworks has a newfound urgency.

Date: Friday June 12, 2020


Future Proof: Connecting Post-Pandemic Canada

What public policy measures are needed to ensure that Canada’s digital connectivity infrastructure fully supports an inclusive, competitive post-pandemic economy?

Date: Monday October 4, 2021


Reforming Canada’s Income Support Framework

The economic crisis caused by COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the need to reform Canada’s income-support framework. Combine this with the looming risks of automation and age-related labour shortages, and we have a strong case for creating a modern framework that promotes work and minimizes earning losses for dislocated workers. As we rebuild our economy following the crisis, Canadian policy-makers will need to grapple with this complex and critical task.

Date: Thursday August 20, 2020