Finance committee  That's my view. Again, the reason is that different provinces have very different arrangements with local authorities. It's really hard, from the point of view of Ottawa, to design a program that fits all sizes across the country. I do think the federal government has the capabi

Finance committee  I think they have a case that their books are strained. When we think about the frame of the long-run sustainability of fiscal policy, it is the case that over the next 20 years the provinces will have a big health care burden that they face. That's not true as much for the feder

Finance committee  Sure. It does depend on how we structure such a benefit, but often when the basic income proposals are made, the idea is that we replace existing benefits. The thing about existing benefits is that they are very often based on need. If you are disabled and you need a wheelchair,

Finance committee  Again, when we think about transit authorities specifically and local government issues, the virus is creating some debt here and the question is whether that debt should sit on transit authorities and local governments, on provincial books or on federal books. That's how we shou

Finance committee  For some aspects of data, Statistics Canada has to go out to the provinces or to Canadians and do a survey, and it can take a long time. For other pieces of data and data sources, the Government of Canada is already collecting it. This is what we call “administrative data”, data

Finance committee  I've taken no money from the Liberal Party of Canada. I do currently have a contract through ESDC about a microeconomic simulation.

Finance committee  I think what's important for our fiscal policy, whether it's federal, provincial or thinking of everything together, is to have a fiscal policy that is sustainable in the long run. What we're facing right now in the current crisis is an extraordinary circumstance. By partially sh

Finance committee  I hope the member would agree with me that when the crisis has calmed down and partially abated, it will be time to take stock of our fiscal policy to ensure that it is sustainable for the long run. I certainly would agree that we need to have a sustainable policy and that the em

Finance committee  Thanks for the question. It's always a pleasure to take a question from the member. I have given policy advice over the last few weeks to the Government of Canada. I have not taken pay for it. What I can say is that I'm a professor at a public university and paid by tax dollar

Finance committee  I have the floor, please, remember.

Finance committee  I have the floor.

Finance committee  I'm trying to answer your question, sir.

Finance committee  I would like to answer your question.

Finance committee  Sure. I do take policy questions when they come from the Department of Finance, when they come from the Prime Minister's Office, and also when they come from an opposition member who's looking for some help on a private member's bill, as you would know from the summer of 2017, w

Finance committee  I was happy to do it. It was a solid bill. I will do it again.