Publications

Let’s Worry About Skills, Not Outsourcing – April 15, 2013
If you landed back in Canada this week from outer space, or even southern Florida, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d hit a wormhole in time and that it was actually 1990. A debate is raging about whether business should outsource jobs if it makes the business more profitable. Wait, you might think, we settled this long ago. And except when it becomes campaign trail rhetoric in America, we understand that outsourcing is not a bad thing.

EI for Seasonal Workers is a Corrosive Economic Policy – April 8, 2013
There is no justification, in logic or in economics, for seasonal EI, and the dogged pursuit of this policy flies in the face of the interests of Canada and people who become trapped in the cycle of working seasonally and then receiving EI benefits while unemployed. Some day a politician will have the guts to say so, but apparently not today.

Marissa Mayer's Misstep And The Unstoppable Rise Of Telecommuting – April 1, 2013
The real issue is how we deal with three concerns: the promotion of families; humane methods to reduce greenhouse gases; and, finally, how to expand the geography of work and opportunity.

Obama’s Reactionary Jobs Plan – February 21, 2013
Does it bother anyone else that the president of the United States seems to believe that our collective future entails assembling battery parts in a government-subsidized factory for $9 an hour? Is that really what Americans envision for their kids -- an assembly line? Because when you look past Barack Obama's mesmerizingly hollow rhetoric, what he's proposing is a return of jobs that progress and prosperity have left behind.

The Celtic Workforce (Linda West) – October 9, 2012
PowerPoint slides which accompanied Linda West's speech The Celtic Workforce that she gave in Winnipeg, September 20, 2012.

Hey, Mitt, Voters Aren't the Obstacle – September 26, 2012
Voters are not the primary obstacle to reform. Forty-five-year-olds don't rise in revolt because somebody proposes raising the retirement age decades from now. One of the fastest growing federal liabilities is the Social Security disability system. Advocates for the disabled actually criticize the program for not doing more to get recipients back into jobs and off the dole.

The Trials of a Democratic Reformer – September 13, 2012
Former Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson once referred to Sacramento as a "cowtown," but Gloria Romero, a pro-labor Democrat who served as California's Senate majority leader from 2001 to 2008, takes exception to the belittling description. The capitol building in Sacramento, she says, has "the eighth most powerful economy in the world under that dome," and it operates not unlike other wealthy kleptocracies. "There's no other way to say it politely. It's owned."

Admitted But Excluded – August 29, 2012
Professor Bryan Schwartz describes the harmful impact of occupational licensing requirements that prevent skilled immigrants from working in the professions for which they are trained.

Media Release - Removing Occupational Barriers to Entry for Immigrants to Canada – August 29, 2012
Professor Bryan Schwartz, along with several colleagues, describes barriers to professional practice that unfairly prevent highly skilled immigrant professionals from working in the jobs for which they are trained. This publication describes the problem, and identifies a number of strategies for policy reform.

Why not let Quebec manage its own EI? – August 28, 2012
PQ Leader Pauline Marois says that if she becomes the next premier of Quebec she will demand that Ottawa transfer jurisdictions to Quebec, starting with employment insurance. In her mind, she wins either way. Ottawa’s agreement makes the “Quebec state” more powerful and readier for independence; Ottawa’s refusal proves that Quebec can never fulfill its legitimate aspirations within Canada.

How Big Government and Big Business Squeeze Entrepreneurs – August 20, 2012
Wisconsin's Elmer Kilian wants the chance to earn an honest living. So do Nevada's Lissette Waugh, Florida's Silvio Membreno and countless other entrepreneurs who have the drive and ability to put themselves and others to work.

Ontario's Tories take on the Unions — and It's About Time – June 29, 2012
Recently the Toronto Star has been entertaining its readers with a series of stories on how work gets done at the Toronto District School Board: $143 to install a pencil sharpener, $2,900 to install an electrical outlet, that kind of thing.

Qantas and Air Canada: A tale of two airlines – April 26, 2012
Conflict-plagued Air Canada could learn some lessons from Qantas- an Australian airline- that has comparable challenges but through management control and focusing on customer choice, the competition, and the future has been able to remain alive and vibrant.

Go West, Young Man or Woman – March 14, 2012
After all, the migration of young people is particularly driven by the labour market, said Serge Coulombe, an economics professor at the University of Ottawa. They also have less to lose and more to gain.

Co-operation Win-Win for Unions, Taxpayers – March 7, 2012
Winnipeg City Council should be applauded for dipping its toes into the waters of real reform. Under managed competition, a system that allows management and unions an opportunity to cut costs and improve services before the city considers going to competitive bidding.

The Big Census News – February 16, 2012
The 2011 census has revealed that several provinces with varying demographic challenges have had success attracting and retaining immigrants through the provincial immigrant nominee programs introduced in the late 90s, and expanded dramatically in recent years.

Honour Killings in Canada: An Undeniable Reality! – January 20, 2012
Wherever there is a bubble of ignorance, I am there to burst it. Canada, a lovely country known for its open-hearted acceptance of immigrants from a vast array of foreign lands, is quickly becoming a cesspool in which cultures are clashing. These clashes are usually swept under the rug by the host country (Canada) and those who are integrating (at varying degrees) in to the host country.

No 'Honour' in Killing – January 16, 2012
In our often too politically correct world where everyone is afraid of being branded a racist and therefore doesn't speak of such matters, there is a growing problem within some of our immigrant communities -- honour-based violence, which in some cases, becomes fatal.

Make Immigration Break Even – December 23, 2011
The Canadian government recently announced a moratorium on immigration applications for parents and grandparents of Canadians under the family reunification program. But rather than eliminating the program, as many opponents have urged, the government should instead find a way to ensure that sponsors are bearing its full costs. A reasonable way to reconcile concerns would be to charge an entrance fee to sponsored parents and grandparents through the family reunification program.

Media Release - Suicide Among Young Women of South Asian Origin – December 15, 2011
The suicide rate among young women of South Asian origin is disproportionately higher than other segments of the population in Western societies. In Canada, with its large South Asian population, this unexplored area is likely similar, even though not many mechanisms have been put in place to prevent and track such activity. Given that there are lives at stake, the policy gaps need to be addressed by lawmakers.