The Politics of Money: An IFSD Podcast

Canada at 159: The Story Behind the Numbers

Taking Stock of Canada at 159: Strong Fundamentals, Real Pressures At its core, the story of Canada is about a lot more than economics. It’s about values, choices, and long-term fiscal sustainability. Its about outcomes that matter and the kind of future Canadians want to build, together. In this special Canada Day episode of The Politics of Money⁩, the IFSD team take stock of how Canada is really doing at 159. And what needs to happen to be even stronger for Canada Day 160 next year. IFSD's Kevin Page, Sahir Khan, and Mostafa Askari take a closer look at Canada “by the numbers” and, more importantly, the real story those numbers tell. Canada’s fundamentals are strong: high life satisfaction, long life expectancy, strong education outcomes, and a sustainable fiscal position, for the moment. But the picture is complex. 👉 Growth has slowed. 👉 Affordability pressures are rising. 👉 Public services are under strain. This conversation moves beyond headline metrics like GDP to ask deeper questions: What outcomes really matter to Canadians? And what tradeoffs are Canadians willing to make?  The team also reflect on the experiences of families who chose Canada. And why, even at this challenging "hinge" moment, it remains a country worth investing in and building. Topics covered: 🔹 How Canada is doing, looking beyond the easy analogies and headline numbers 🔹 Affordability, productivity, and investment challenges 🔹 Fiscal standing and long-term sustainability 🔹 Wellbeing as a policy outcome 🔹 Immigration, opportunity, and betting on the Canadian project

Food Insecurity in Canada: A Crisis Our Social Safety Net Was Never Designed to Handle

Food insecurity in Canada is rising — new policy responses are needed 👉 About 1 in 4 Canadians are living in food-insecure households, including around 2.5 million children 👉 Food banks are seeing record demand and a growing number of users are working Canadians So what’s going on? Canada’s social safety net is not keeping up, but it was never designed to address food insecurity. In our latest episode of The Politics of Money, IFSD convenes leading experts to unpack the issue. 💬 “Food insecurity is not a food issue — it’s a resource issue.” IFSD's Managing Director Helaina Gaspard speaks with Sarah Stern (Executive Director, Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security), Valerie Tarasuk (Professor Emerita, University of Toronto),  Craig Gundersen (Snee Family Endowed Professor, Baylor University), and Jennifer Robson (Associate Professor, Political Management, Carleton University). Their discussion digs into:  * Why food bank use is rising—even among employed households * The limits of existing supports like EI and the Canada Child Benefit * How responsiveness, timing, and targeting of income supports matter * What lessons Canada could draw from programs like SNAP in the U.S. 👉 At its core, the challenge is this: How do we design a social safety net that actually prevents food insecurity—rather than responds after the fact? For more, please also check out our special live event at the University of Ottawa, Hunger in a Time of Rising Food Costs: The Immediate and Sustained Impact of Food Insecurity [https://youtu.be/ZTqJp2hyq3w?si=RZ_N95MEU7fx9UMn].

Taxes & Tradeoffs: How We Pay for Canada

Taxation. Perhaps the most hotly debated topic in public life — but one of the hardest to discuss honestly. In this episode of The Politics of Money: An IFSD Podcast, we bring together American and Canadian perspectives to move the discussion beyond slogans and examine the real‑world tradeoffs and consequences. Including how the pursuit of tax competitiveness risks becoming a race to the bottom. Tax debates often start and end with a single idea: tax cuts. But in public finance, lower taxes still must be paid for — either through spending reductions, higher user fees, deferred public investments, or decisions to raise revenue elsewhere.  Scott Pattison [https://taxadmin.org/scott-pattison/] (Federation of Tax Administrators) offers a state-level U.S. lens. He explains why states face intense pressure to compete for jobs and investment, including the implications of operating under balanced-budget constraints that limit their ability to run deficits outside of capital borrowing. He also cautions against simplistic cross-border comparisons. To compare jurisdictions meaningfully, he argues, we must look beyond headline GDP figures and focus on measures that better reflect lived experience — such as median household income, life expectancy, and quality-of-life indicators. Heather Scoffield [https://canadiantaxobservatory.ca/about/] (Canadian Tax Observatory) provides perspective on how Canada’s tax debate has become politically “toxic” and dominated by tax cuts. She explains how this focus can detach the conversation from the costs of national priorities — and from the role taxes play in funding public services, as well as the trust required to sustain that social contract. The episode closes with an IFSD roundtable featuring Kevin Page, Sahir Khan, and Mostafa Askari on what today’s “hinge moment” means for Canadian tax policy. They discuss how competitiveness isn’t only about tax rates — it’s about choices, capacity, and how the fiscal system can support the country Canadians say they want.

Bonus Live Event: Hunger in a Time of Rising Food Costs: The Immediate and Sustained impact of Food Insecurity

Food insecurity is not just a social issue — it’s an economic, health, and productivity challenge with lasting consequences for Canada. In this special live event hosted by the IFSD—in partnership with the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security and the Office of Research and Public Policy Outreach at the University of Ottawa—leading researchers, economists, and practitioners examine the real cost and consequences of food insecurity in Canada — from its impact on health systems and labour markets to the long‑term impacts for children, households, and communities. The event is moderated by Adrian Harewood (Journalist and Associate Professor at Carleton University) and features: * A conversation with Dr. Valerie Tarasuk (Professor Emerita, University of Toronto) on the drivers and health costs of food insecurity * A panel discussion with Geranda Notten (Full professor, University of Ottawa), Rebekah Young (Vice-President, Scotiabank), and Natalie Spooner (Interim CEO, Ottawa Food Bank) on worsening food insecurity and the health, economic, and policy consequences for Canada. The cross-sector event explores why food insecurity has risen so sharply in Canada, its impacts on health, dignity, well‑being, and economic security, and what policy tools can actually make a difference. 📍 Recorded live at the University of Ottawa  Hosted by the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD)

Spring Fiscal Update — Quick Reaction from IFSD

In our The Politics of Money Fiscal Update Reaction episode, IFSD's Kevin Page, President and CEO, Sahir Khan, Executive VP, and Mostafa Askari, Chief Economist, share their immediate takeaways after spending the day inside the lock up for the government’s spring Economic Update tabled today. They look beyond the headline deficit improvement to assess the credibility of the fiscal framework, the role of fiscal guardrails, and what actually changed under the hood.  The discussion examines the trade‑off between short‑term affordability measures and longer‑term fiscal risk, alongside execution challenges and key transparency gaps—particularly around delivery, defence spending, and major capital projects. The episode offers listeners a clear framework for understanding the Fiscal Update and asks the key question whether Canadians should have confidence in the government's fiscal plan, as Canada heads toward the fall budget in an increasingly uncertain global environment.