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Such a vital point. Max doesn't focus on it here, but this is also essentially the reason why the consumer carbon price failed. There is no political constituency for broad-based regulations that have no tangible local benefits. It doesn't matter if a policy is "efficient" if it's not durable.

For more than a decade, the economists have led the design of Canadian climate policies. It's time for the political scientists to take over -- and the debate over rooftop solar offers a perfect example of why. #cdnpoli www.nationalobserver.com/2025/10/02/o...

The new AI task force includes 26 people who will ask how Canada can develop, commercialize and adopt artificial intelligence. Will a single person ask whether we ought to? www.canada.ca/en/innovatio...

What happens if projects of vital national importance have no private sector backers? What happens if the only projects brought forward seek to double down on the very industries that created our present economic vulnerabilities? You get a list like this. www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

Once again Carney shows that he gives zero f*cks about the climate crisis or preparing Canada to thrive in a decarbonized world All he has done since coming to power is turn back climate progress and cater to his corporate cronies

This summer will be one of the coolest any of us will ever experience for the rest of our lives. We can't tackle wildfires without tackling the climate crisis. @cape-acme.bsky.social www.cbc.ca/news/climate...

Really recommend @hadrianmk.bsky.social Shift Storm newsletter. Always packed with new research on the energy transition, including this report that shows equity is key to advancing an energy transition and not just an after thought Sign up for the newsletter here: mailchi.mp/policyaltern...

📣 100+ groups are urging PM Mark Carney to build an electricity grid powered by #renewables, not fossil fuels. Updating Canada's grid can: ✅ Bring cheaper, more secure power ✅ Bring good jobs, better health ✅ Uphold Indigenous & workers’ rights Full release: dsfdn.org/PressRelease...

National unity – as conceived by Big Oil – isn’t what we need. As climate fires rage on, national unity is no excuse for more pipeline insanity. #climate #cdnpoli www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Here’s the issue. There was once an implicit deal AB would get TMX for accepting O&G GHG constraints. Once TMX was in the ground AB destroyed confidence in provincial renewables investment & tore up the deal accepting Fed govt O&G GHG constraints. How can 🇨🇦 trust AB with another pipeline for X deal?

Canada is abuzz with "building big" and "east-west" transmission But previous big infrastructure pushes, in reaction to crises, failed to spur complementary technologies and industries. My article discusses how to make a national grid truly transformative policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/ma...

The trillions of dollars in climate damages looming over the economy cannot be ignored forever. Last month's Shift Storm newsletter is available now: www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc... Sign up ASAP to get this month's edition this week! mailchi.mp/policyaltern...

Where did the “climate king” go? My take on the throne speech with the @policyalternatives.ca research team: www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

"Every barrel of responsibly produced Canadian oil... can displace less clean, riskier energy elsewhere in the world." Huge red flags from the new energy minister. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

The real threat to Canadian national unity is the oil and gas industry and the tiny handful of super elites who hoard all its cash while working to undermine democratic decision-making for their own benefit. nationalpost.com/opinion/a-na...

Whether we can keep the good from the Liberal plan (an ambitious green industrial strategy) without conceding the bad (a fossil-friendly corporate agenda) will likely come down to the Liberals’ junior partners in parliament. Read more: www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

It is not too late for nation-building, but we must rediscover our political imagination. Canada must remember what it means to put sovereignty and the public interest above the short-term concerns of the corporate sector. From my latest @thestar.com op-ed: www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

The typical Canadian lives better (and 3 yrs longer!) than the typical American. Higher per capita GDP there means nothing to most Americans. The weaponization of this statistic is an attempt to undermine the policy interventions Canada takes to enhance genuine living standards.

New piece: Elbows up? Here’s how some of the major projects we’re fast-tracking will help Trump’s inner circle. The solution is not to copy Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” approach and backstop these U.S. billionaires, but to build a clean, resilient future. @shirip.bsky.social tinyurl.com/5y3eb33m

🎶 “Isn’t it ironic?”🎶

Climate change is on track to reduce global GDP by a third. Achieving net-zero will cost a tenth as much. Remember that when anyone says climate action is too expensive. New research from Boston Consulting Group and Cambridge University: www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/2025/new-rep...

Both the Liberals and Conservatives are promising to cut personal income taxes—9.6 million low-income Canadians won’t benefit. By @policyalternatives.ca Senior Economist @davidmaccdn.bsky.social #cdnpoli #cdnecon www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

“The irony is that even though most consumers will pay less upfront, they actually may end up worse off overall because a lot of households...get more back in rebates than they pay in carbon pricing,” said @policyalternatives.ca senior researcher @hadrianmk.bsky.social globalnews.ca/news/1108521...

I’ve always contended this pyramid the Liberal government used to visualize its climate strategy is upside down.

"Policies on the chopping block include the feds' ability to direct infrastructure investments based on national/regional needs exactly at the moment that the most effective counter-tariff strategy would be to do exactly that." Good stuff from @angella.bsky.social: www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

China’s era of rapid oil fuels growth appears to be at an end, says @iea.org: www.iea.org/commentaries... Throws into question Canada's entire strategy of export diversification for heavy oil. There is simply no long-term market here.

ICYMI: The CBC Radio national show Just Asking spoke to @policyalternatives.ca Senior Researcher @hadrianmk.bsky.social all about the US trade war and tariffs. "What do you want to know about tariffs and how this all affects your personal finances?" #CanadaUSTradeWar www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

Free markets build wealth, not nations.

"If there’s one silver lining, it’s that Canada is more unified than ever that we need to be disentangling ourselves from the U.S. economically." Had the privilege of joining @democracynow.org this morning to talk about Canada's response to Trump's tariffs: www.democracynow.org/2025/3/5/tru...

CCPA-NS is growing! We’re looking for a part-time Research Assistant to conduct quantitative research and analysis of social and economic issues. Interested? Apply by 6pm AT on Mar. 17: ccpa.bamboohr.com/careers/43?s...

We had a great visit from @carletonu.bsky.social BPAPM students this morning! If you're a professor with students who might be interested in learning about think tanks and public policy careers, get in touch!

There is no shortage of good ideas for disentangling Canada from the U.S. and investing in more resilient alternatives. What all of these ideas have in common is a foundational belief in and commitment to the public interest. New from me: www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

New from @policyalternatives.ca : Politicians have been framing interprovincial trade barriers as an end-all-be-all for dealing with the #Trump #tariffs. There's just one issue—the numbers that they're citing are wildly inflated. By @marclee.bsky.social www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

Lots of unanswered questions! Per Alto website, "this announcement paves the way for a consultation phase," so seems like we're still a long way away from a final design, let alone a timeline for shovels in the ground.

Great news for a long-overdue infrastructure project! Unfortunately, it looks like a P3 model that will mean unnecessarily higher costs (i.e., private rent-seeking) over the long term. www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news...

Strongly agree with this piece today by @hadrianmk.bsky.social. The current crisis is an opening to leap into the new, not beat a path back to the past. An east-west oil pipeline is a trap—Canada needs an east-west electricity grid www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

An east-west pipeline is neither a short-term nor a long-term solution for Canada. It would take too long to build to help with the current crisis and, even if it got built, it would be competing for a shrinking market with falling prices. New from me: www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

New oil pipelines will take 10+ years to build and make us even more dependent on a volatile resource that's in long-term global price decline. We need to be *less* dependent on fossil fuels, not more. Something the EU learned after the invasion of Ukraine. energyandcleanair.org/russia-ukrai...

Very glad that @policyalternatives.bsky.socialis putting ideas on the table that are reasonable, though leftwing. We don't hear these kinds of proposals enough. www.bnnbloomberg.ca/video/shows/...

Nationalization, export quotas, sanctions on oligarchs, price controls and more. Everything needs to be on the table in an economic war with Trump. My take w/ @marclee.bsky.social: www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

"The radical is today the only practical; it is the only hope." Great stuff from Sam Gindin here: www.readthemaple.com/trumps-threa...

Canada must be prepared for four years of unpredictable, vindictive and destabilizing American policy. My initial take on Trump's opening salvo with @whosestreets.bsky.social and @ccpa-tirp.bsky.social: www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

"Canada has a long and ugly history of resource busts. A Trump bust will be worse." My latest op-ed highlights the vulnerability of rural Canada. Fortunately, with the WSJ reporting no tariffs this morning, the worst is unlikely to come to pass. troymedia.com/viewpoint/th...

The oil and gas sector loves to complain about how Justin Trudeau is trying to "kill" their industry. In reality, he's been the best friend they've had for a prime minister in decades. www.nationalobserver.com/2025/01/08/o...

No politician or government in Canada can “save” the oil sands in the long term. For all the finger-pointing within Canada, the real spectre hanging over the industry is the global clean energy transition. My latest in the @calgaryherald.bsky.social: calgaryherald.com/opinion/colu...

Super important report here from @hadrianmk.bsky.social & Matt Hulse. 👇 Shows how global trends will impact oil production and fossil fuel workers in 🇨🇦, regardless of what climate-denying politicians do or say. These workers and communities deserve a robust just transition plan!

Welcome new followers! We're so glad you're here with us! Thank you to the many people who have included the CCPA in their Starter Packs. Here's ours go.bsky.app/TYuVu7X