The stakes in this referendum are too high to sit it out. We need to build a solid case, not just for staying put, but for a stronger Alberta within a better Canada. That's why I'm joining other prominent conservatives in making the case for Alberta to lead, not leave. www.leadnotleave.ca

The status quo is not desirable, but a referendum on separation is even less so. Alberta must lead, not leave. www.readtheline.ca/p/alberta-m... #cdnpoli #ableg

“Opinions among Albertans overall about their province’s treatment in the Canadian federation have been steadily improving” but there has been also been “a steady polarization of opinions.” Check out the latest Confederation of Tomorrow report: environicsinstitute.org/spotlight-o... #cdnpoli

For all the noise around Western alienation, separatist petitions, and fed-prov fights, Albertans and other Canadians agree on more than they disagree. My latest with Brooks Decillia for @TheHubCanada with new survey results: thehub.ca/2026/04/30/... #cdnpoli #cdnecon

My latest on how we need to stop treating the public square like a political science seminar. We need to return to the basics -- three cardinal rules -- if we are to stall the decline of liberal democracy. edmontonjournal.com/opinion/colu...

We’re hiring a Manager for Canada’s Productivity Initiative at @UCaglary! It's a great opportunity to help build a national partnership connecting universities, governments, and policy leaders. If it sounds like a fit, take a look and please share: careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/176253...

Our governments’ finances face a growth problem, not just a budget problem. My latest for @TheHubCanada on why productivity changes everything: thehub.ca/2026/04/01/... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Oil prices (WTI) ended March just under $102/bbl. Adjusted for inflation, that's the second largest monthly $/bbl increase ever and the third largest % increase. #cdnecon

Alberta's fiscal year ends in two weeks. With oil prices up, the government's deficit forecast of $4.1 billion is now on track for roughly half that. #ableg

What do rising oil prices mean for Canadian households? In my latest for @TheHubCanada, I estimate the costs for gasoline, energy, and (just as importantly!) all other goods and services throughout the supply chain. Overall, about $1,000/yr/household. thehub.ca/2026/03/18/... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Have Alberta's finances gone off the rails? My latest for @TheHubCanada on the province's latest budget. thehub.ca/2026/03/03/... #ableg #cdnpoli #cdnecon

So excited to welcome Doug Irwin (@D_A_Irwin) to Calgary in a few weeks for the 2026 Distinguished Lecture in Economics! It will be a must-hear talk on all the trade policy changes happening today. 🤓 All are welcome! Details here: events.ucalgary.ca/arts/econom... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

The hidden costs of political uncertainty are high. We can see that in Canada's job market today. And there's a lesson for those who view Alberta separatism as a costless protest vote. It isn't. My latest for @TheHubCanada: thehub.ca/2026/02/19/... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Canada has a productivity problem. Research can help. A new piece from me in @nationalpost on a broad partnership to build new tools, evidence, and talent to raise living standards and strengthen prosperity for decades to come. nationalpost.com/opinion/can... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Thrilled for the 7th event in @policy_school’s Canada’s Productivity Initiative in partnership with Rotman, featuring insight from Carolyn Rogers, Bill Morneau, Susan Black, Glenda Crisp, and so many more. Livestream available: community.rotman.utoronto.ca/events/s/sp... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Rising separatist sentiment could come with real risks to jobs and income. I estimate nearly 2 million jobs depend on interprovincial trade with Alberta and Quebec. My latest for @TheHubCanada here: thehub.ca/2026/02/04/... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

New population projections from Statistics Canada suggest that Alberta may become the third largest province within a decade, although much depends on the level of interprovincial migration. www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-qu... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Very happy to have contributed to the latest research from the IMF on internal trade in Canada. Summary here 👇 "Canada Can Grow Faster by Unlocking Its Own Market" www.imf.org/en/news/art... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Excellent 'On The Line' podcast episode on central bank independence, and understanding the latest threats to the US Fed. Jen Gerson and Chris Ragan: www.readtheline.ca/p/will-the-u... #cdnpoli #cdnecon

Sharing this new @irpp.org paper on #internaltrade by Diya Jiang, @trevortombe.bsky.social and I: “The Politics of Internal Trade: Narratives, Public Opinion and Canadian Federalism” @mcgillpolisci.bsky.social @cpsa-acsp.bsky.social centre.irpp.org/research-stu...

Alberta's "royalty rollercoaster" is larger than ever. Oil price moves now cost the government ~5x more per $1/bbl than a decade ago. Something will have to give. And soon. My latest for @TheHubCanada on Alberta's upcoming fiscal challenges: thehub.ca/2026/01/08/... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

"If you read a book in 2025—just one book—you belong to an endangered species...fewer than half of Americans had read a single book in the previous 12 months; only 38 percent had read a novel or short story." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

Statistics Canada (Sean Clarke + Andrew Fields) finds Canada's 2025 employment drop stemmed from industries reliant on U.S. exports. The cause? Not increased layoffs, but reduced hiring rates. (Maybe b/c high uncertainty.) Details: www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-2... #cdnecon

Interesting new Statistics Canada paper on firm sizes and the Canada-U.S. productivity gap. Shows most of our gap is due to Canada having more small firms (less productive). But most of the widening gap is due to large firms lagging. Details: www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-2... #cdnecon

New estimates of the federal government's long term fiscal trajectory from the PBO released earlier this week shows almost all of the federal fiscal room since FES2024 is used up now: www.pbo-dpb.ca/en/addition... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Really enjoyed contributing to this Alberta Views dialogue on equalization! 👇

Tegan Hill: Yes, Albertans will contribute roughly $4.2-billion to equalization this year while receiving no direct benefit @trevortombe.bsky.social: No, equalization is funded by federal taxes paid by individuals at the same rate across the country albertaviews.ca/equalization... #ABleg #CndPoli

An incredibly fascinating new paper by Casey Pender and Vincent Geloso (@VincentGeloso) on what we can learn from the most significant period of Canadian economic convergence with the U.S. Read it here: www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/... #cdnecon #cdnpoli @policy_school

As Alberta completes its first full year without coal in its power supply mix, renewables (wind, solar, and hydro) have reached 22% of total generation and natural gas makes up 78%.

Waiting for a return to “normal” is a mistake. A new era for Canada’s economy has already begun. My latest for @TheHubCanada on what the biggest economic stories of 2025 mean for Canada's future: thehub.ca/2025/12/11/... #cdnpoli #cdnecon

Strong jobs report from StatCan this morning. Employment rose 54k in November, and unemployment fell to 6.5%, down 0.6 points from its peak. More details here: www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-qu... #cdnecon

Today's data: GDP growth for the third quarter of 2025. Positive growth of 0.6% compared to Q2 (annualized rate of 2.6%). A strong report overall, headline growth beat expectations. Details from StatCan here: www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-qu... #cdnecon

Full text of the agreement between the federal and Alberta governments is available here: www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/bac... It's big. Strong commitments for a new pipeline to the west coast, and significant increases in climate policy stringency in AB to go along with it.

An important step for internal trade! The “Canadian Mutual Recognition Agreement” signed yesterday could yield real economic gains: www.ctvnews.ca/canada/arti... For some analysis on what MR means, see this by me and Ryan Manucha: macdonaldlaurier.ca/liberalizin... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Today's data: inflation 📈 www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-qu... Consumer prices rose 2.2% since October 2024. But since it matters what you buy, experiences vary. Lower-income, single renters faced highest increases. Relevant to understand affordability concerns. #cdnecon #cdnpoli

ICYMI, @mattgalloway.bsky.social set up @trevortombe.bsky.social and I for a rich "two sides" convo about Tuesday's budget and what matters. We follow @armstrongcbc.bsky.social's excellent Econ101 explanation of the meaning of deficits and debts. www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

The federal budget hopes to boost growth by ~0.7%/yr (+3.5% by 2030). Even if we exceed U.S. growth by that much, we won't regain our pre-2015 position until 2050. My latest for @TheHubCanada on our long-term challenge ahead: thehub.ca/2025/11/12/... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

It was billed as an investment budget—and in its framing, it’s right about the problem. But on the numbers, it offers more continuity than change. My contribution to @TheHubCanada’s roundup on Budget 2025: thehub.ca/2025/11/05/... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Big news relevant for Alberta and the oil and gas sector: the emissions cap will be scrapped. Emissions to decline using other tools. There's merit to this decision. The policy had considerable drawbacks, even from a narrow climate policy perspective: thehub.ca/2023/04/20/...

Canada's 2025 Federal Budget is now out. All documents are available here: budget.canada.ca/2025/home-a... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Doubling non-U.S. exports over the coming decade is easier than you might think. But truly boosting our economy requires much more. My latest for @TheHubCanada on the PM's speech last week: thehub.ca/2025/10/30/... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

From the Bank's detailed analysis (their "MPR") this morning, they estimate that the U.S. trade policy changes (up to Oct 22) will make Canada's economy ~1.5% smaller than it would otherwise be. That's large (roughly $1.1k per capita!). www.bankofcanada.ca/publication... #cdnecon

This morning the Bank of Canada lowered its policy rate to 2.25%, down 0.25 points, and projects relatively slow growth ahead. Announcement: www.bankofcanada.ca/2025/10/fad... Detailed analysis: www.bankofcanada.ca/publication... #cdnecon

Looking forward to @tonykeller1's Max Bell lecture this evening on his new book Borderline Chaos! sutherlandhousebooks.com/product/bor... #cdnpoli

Today's data: inflation! 📈 Consumer prices in September are up 2.4% compared to Sept 2024. Up from a 1.9% inflation rate in August. What's behind the increase? www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-qu... #cdnecon

No, Canada didn’t give the U.S. a trillion-dollar gift—but there’s still reason to worry. My latest for @TheHubCanada on Canada’s U.S. investments: thehub.ca/2025/10/15/... #cdnecon #cdnpoli

Not sure who might want/need an alternative perspective but a 44% debt-to-GDP ratio is not concerning and any ones perspective (well not a Hub’s reader) on that should seriously change on that if they look at that if they consider the graph with the x -axis set at 0 #kirstingraphs

It was great to be a part of this important conversation! Thanks to @thewalrus.ca for hosting it! thewalrus.ca/the-walrus-t...

Canada to move all future budgets to the Fall: www.cbc.ca/news/politi... For context, here's the timing of every federal budget since 1867. Nearly 80% of of all budgets were released by May; 68% by April. #cdnecon #cdnpoli

The real danger lies not in the growing size of today’s deficit, but in failing to plan prudently for what comes next. My latest for @TheHubCanada on federal finances: thehub.ca/2025/10/01/... #cdnecon #cdnpoli