The Ascent of the Loonie and Decline of Manufacturing: A Global Attack on U.S. Dollar That Canada Can Do Little About; McGuinty Wrong to Pressure Harper; Main Solution to Cut Corporate Taxes; Loonie Will Decline
Flaherty Aces Economic Statement - Among Highest Performance Scores Recorded; Main Reservations - Not Enough Infrastructure Spending and Debt Repayment; Concern Volunteered about Fate of Manufacturing, Need for Tax Simplification, and Other Issues
Throne Speech - Strong Praise for Commitments on Crime, Income/Corporate Taxes, Inter-Provincial Trade Barriers, and the Arctic; Mixed Views on GST Cut and Native Issues
Throne Speech and Surplus: Pay Down The Debt and Control Spending
Liberal Minister Kathleen Wynne Leading by Wide Margin: PC Schooling Promise Stirs Unease about Integrating Immigrants
Income Trust Policy - Opposition Fails to Make Inroads
A Mixed Picture of Terrorism: Terrorist Threat Perceived as Declining, Yet Ottawa Earns Failing Grade for Preventing Would-Be Terrorists from Entering the Country and Panel Calls for Tough Trade and Investment Prohibitions against Terror-Sponsors like Iran
Unions: Constructive on Health and Safety in the Workplace, But Undermine Economy, Taxpayers, and Democracy, Backing Lunatic Fringe Groups in Canada and Abroad Layton Top Union Advocate and Harper Top Advocate of Non-Unionized Employees and Canada’s International Competitiveness
Harper Cabinet Shuffle - Good But Not Great; MacKay Appointment to National Defence Inspired; Keeping Flaherty at Finance a Strong Move; Prentice, Ablonczy, and Bernier Appointments Good; Other Appointments Acceptable
Assessing Harper’s Ministers - Honeymoon Over; Top Performers - Harper, MacKay, Flaherty, and Day; Most Stable Performers - Harper and Day; Issue Priorities - Taxes and Trade, Crime and Defence
The Bre-X Fraud: Business Panel Assigns Responsibility Widely
Takeovers: Investment Reviews a Blow Against Both Business and Taxpayers; Building Global Business Players in Canada Requires Better Tax Policy and Better Non-Business Policies
Mackenzie Pipeline: Federal Government Role Should Be to Facilitate Private Enterprise Development, Overcoming Aboriginal and Inter-government Impediments; North American Security of Supply Canada’s Top Benefit
Grading Harper: Strong on Defence, International/Interprovincial Relations, Near Failing Grades on Taxation Policy
Québec: PQ in Fundamental Decline; Duceppe May Have Been Unable to Save the Provincial Party; Federalists Politicians, Not Constitutional Reform, Are Key to Conquest of Separatism
Oil Prices
The Canadian Dollar: Business Panel Forecasts $ 0.90 in April, 2008, Sees $ 0.86 as Ideal Exchange Rate, Gives Very High Performance Scores to Governor Dodge
Taxes: Federal Government’s Achilles’ Heel
Quebec Election Results Good for Canada, Harper Rises in Business Panel’s Esteem, Probability of Eventual Secession is 15%
Harper’s Second Budget: Middling Grades as Economic Instrument, Kudos as Election Device
Bank ABM Fees
Greenhouse Gases: Business Panel Largely in the Middle between Fraser Institute and U.N. Panel on Climate Change
Assessing Harper at Cabinet Shuffle Time: Baird Appointment Celebrated But Opinion Divided on Both Government’s Strongest Suit, Integrity, and Its Weakest, the Environment
