Down the Hatch
Parting words from the CADA’s Chief Economist For those of you have not heard the news (most of you), this will be my final column (rant) in this fine publication. After a decade as CADA’s Chief Economist, I will be …
Author: Michael Hatch
Cooler heads must prevail in Canada
Tit-for-tat retaliation is not the right approach to battle Trump’s tariffs Once again, our industry is being held hostage by perhaps the most unpredictable President ever to occupy the White House. As of this writing, the U.S. Department of Commerce …
Trump, tariffs and trade
Buckle your seatbelts. We are in for a bumpy ride with trade battles. Perhaps it was inspired by the desire to appear “tough” ahead of his summit with the North Koreans. Or maybe he really does believe that Canadians are …
ZEV mandate will grab headlines
There’s lots of news to digest, but a Zero Emission Vehicle strategy will have long-lasting impact The news can seem overwhelming sometimes. It’s hard to know if there is in fact more “news” than ever these days, or if we …
Mixed outlook amidst uncertainty
Canada is doing ok. But we could be doing much better. Here’s why Finance Minister Bill Morneau recently commented that his “number one priority” is enhancing Canada’s business competitiveness, particularly in the context of a recent overhaul of tax policy …
Don’t fear the carbon tax
It might be better than cumbersome regulatory action to curb emissions I’ve written in this space before about carbon taxes, as they become a common policy tool in more and more jurisdictions in Canada and elsewhere. Since the federal government …
Let the good times roll
A look back at the year that was and a glance ahead to 2018 Welcome to a new year! First, the bad news: there’s a good chance we’ve started the first year in six that won’t set (yet) another new …
Government out of touch on small business tax changes
Mistaken perceptions of business owners fueling outrage in business community In the middle of summer, when much of the country was in vacation mode, Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau dropped a set of corporate and small business tax proposals that …
Anything is possible with Trump and NAFTA deal
Predictions are fraught with peril when it comes to new U.S. President With a new United States trade representative confirmed with a strong bipartisan majority in Washington, it is expected that a major renegotiation of the North American Free Trade …
Trading realities
There’s good reason to fear for NAFTA’s future, but better reason to let those fears go With a new United States trade representative confirmed through a strong bipartisan majority in Washington, it is expected that a major renegotiation of the …
Looming concerns
Seen for centuries as the specter of joblessness, automation actually fills more gaps than it creates There has been much hand-wringing of late about the state of the labour market in today’s New Age of Automation. Robots, it is said, …
Let the good times roll
Can record sales continue? It’s tough to predict in these uncertain times. Coming off years of sales and revenue growth, and a fourth consecutive sales record for new cars (just under 1.95 million sold in 2016), it is tempting to …
