I've written something with four of Canada's leading economists. We think it's important. The federal government has subverted Canada's world-renowned skills based immigration system. It's time to bring it back. Take some time to read and distribute. 👉 cdhowe.org/publication/...

Shot … chaser

There's a difference between ensuring implicit biases don't create blind spots that keep us from selecting the best candidate versus explicitly restricting the set of candidates eligible for a position. Take some time to reflect on this piece from my colleague. financialpost.com/opinion/opin...

A clip from last night's inaugural episode of @tvotoday.bsky.social on TVO. Full episode here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0tF....

Should Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program be reformed, scrapped, or kept as is? @jeyantvo.bsky.social asks @mikalskuterud.bsky.social (@uwaterloo.ca) and Elizabeth Long (LM Law Group) tonight at 8pm on The Rundown. www.tvo.org/the-rundown

Please take some time to read the recommendations of the @CDHoweInstitute's Immigration Targets Council. The challenges are much bigger than the raw numbers. Canada's immigration policy needs a fundamental course correction. cdhowe.org/publication/...

It's free and fun. Join us! 👇

My thoughts on the CPC’s call to shut down the TFW Program. youtu.be/_gBjxpkjUbk?...

Special week visiting the kids at St. James Orthopaedic and Surgical Hospital in Jinja, Uganda. Consider giving. A small amount can make a huge difference in a kid’s life. 👉 one4anotherintl.ca

An update.

Winter population growth in Canada is always slow but this year it was especially slow. Only 0.2% annualized. Lowest on record and perhaps in Canada's history.

Anyone else having difficulty accessing the Open Government Data Portal the past couple of days? 👉https://open.canada.ca

Registration for the CLEF conference (April 25 & 26, Toronto, in partnership with @stone-centre-ubc.bsky.social) open until April 15. Join us for a keynote lecture by @imarinescu.bsky.social and papers on wide variety of labour topics: stonecentre.economics.ubc.ca/clef2025/

Waterloo professor @mikalskuterud.bsky.social is a leading expert in the economics of Canadian immigration. His latest research unveils the economic impact of international students, showing they outperform Canadian-born graduates and are more likely to stay & thrive in Canada. 🔗 bit.ly/4iXXpTE

*NEW* The most reliable data we have indicate that growth in the average real earnings of Canadian workers has clearly picked up pace in the past year.

Attention: university faculty. If you're advising international students seeking Canadian employment and permanent residency status, tell them to put all their energy into finding a full-time job as a line cook at Denny's. Seriously.

*NEW* Real GDP per capita growth showed its first year-over-year increase in 7 quarters between the 4th quarter of 2023 and 2024. +0.36% annual growth reflecting the combination of an uptick in real GDP growth and downtick in population growth.

*NEW* Canada's non-permanent resident (NPR) share of the population fell from 7.35% to 7.27% between October 1, 2024 and January 1, 2025. First decline in post-pandemic era, but need NPR population to drop by 31.5% in next 2 years for government to hit its 5% target.

Some projects, rather than using up time, feed your energy; working w/ @cortesecon.bsky.social & @stone-centre-ubc.bsky.social & all at @cleforum.bsky.social to organize the 1st annual CLEF conference is giving me that buzz. Join us April 25/26! register here stonecentre.economics.ubc.ca/clef2025/

This week in the CLEF webinar series: Justin Wiltshire @jcwetcoast.bsky.social (University of Victoria) is presenting ”The Impact of Walmart’s Growth on the U.S. Social Safety Net” Friday, March 14, 1pm (EDT) For more information, and to register: clef.uwaterloo.ca/webinar/2024...

Changes in average wages and unemployment rates are driven by new labour market entrants. In recent years, new entrants have overwhelmingly been non-permanent residents. The undersampling of NPRs in the Labour Force Survey is a problem that needs to be addressed. cdhowe.org/publication/...

This week in the CLEF webinar series: Catherine Michaud-Leclerc @cmichaudleclerc.bsky.social (Laval) is presenting “The Long-Term Effects of School Quality in Low-Income Countries: Evidence From 15 Years of Data” Friday Jan 24, 1-2pm. For more info & to register: clef.uwaterloo.ca/webinar/2024...

Chart of the day.

This week in the CLEF webinar series: Friday, Dec. 13, 1-2pm ET Fernando Saltiel (McGill University) will present “The Impact of Government Grants in College Savings Accounts: Evidence from the Canada Learning Bond” Registration and more information: clef.uwaterloo.ca/webinar/