Fraser Forum - January/February 2012: Longer than ever - Canadian Healthcare

In this issue:

Cut now, not later
by Niels Veldhuis, Milagros Palacios, and Charles Lammam
Program spending needs to be cut if provincial governments want to run a stable budget without deficits.

Federal government’s decit delay no surprise
by Niels Veldhuis, Charles Lammam, and Milagros Palacios
The Conservatives won't make their balanced budget target date. What steps could have been taken to meet the budget date?

Time for facts in the mining debate?
by Alana Wilson
There are many misconceptions about the mining industry in Canada, in February MiningFacts.org will launch to dispel some of these myths.

Why Europe is wrong about Canada’s oil sands
by Mark Milke
The EU should not have singled out Canadian oil sands for producing higher carbon emissions than other sources of oil.

Quebec risks driving away mining investment with Bill 14
by Jean-Francois Minardi
Quebec has long had the best policies for mining investment, but with Bill 14 this may change.

Subsidizaton of bitumen upgrading is unwarranted
by Gerry Angevine
Given TransCanada Corporation's plans to build a crude oil pipeline between Canada and the US, why isn’t raw bitumen being refined, or partially refined, in Alberta?

Longer than ever - a patient’s wait for health care
by Bacchus Barua and Mark Rovere
This year’s survey of health care wait times show that patients wait longer than ever.

Another route to native prosperity
by Terry Anderson and Dominic Parker
Addington Prize recipients discuss their winning paper regarding the state of First Nations reserves.

Bouazizi’s revolution
by Alan Dowd
Time magazine recently named The Protester as person of the year. Should it have been Mohammed Bouazizi for putting in motion the events that caused the Arab Spring?

The costs of the Canada-US border
by Alexander Moens and Nachum Gabler
Since 9/11, crossing the border into the US has become longer and more difficult. Here, the actual costs are examined.

How can Canadian policy makers combat black market tobacco?
by Nachum Gabler
Black market tobacco involves more than health risks. This article presents six policies that could end the prevalence of contraband tobacco.

Should the rich be condemned?
by Walter Williams
With all the talk of the 1% and the Occupy Wall Street movement, are the wealthy deserving of the criticism for their accomplishments?

Quarterly Research Alert
Our researchers summarize the findings of recent studies on: tax policy, economic policy uncertainty, and economic freedom.

Beer with your popcorn? Not in British Columbia
by Joel Wood
BC’s dated liquor laws make it impossible for revenues such as movie theatres to obtain a liquor license.

Assigning (proper) blame in the last financial crisis
by Mark Milke
Mark Milke reviews Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner’s new book Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon.