Study
| EST. READ TIME 3 MIN.Fraser Forum - January/February 2012: Longer than ever - Canadian Healthcare
In this issue:
Cut now, not later
by Niels Veldhuis, Milagros Palacios, and Charles Lammam
Program spending needs to be cut if provincial governments want to run a stable budget without de ficits.
Federal government’s de cit delay no surprise
by Niels Veldhuis, Charles Lammam, and Milagros Palacios
The Conservatives won't make their balanced budget target date. What steps could have been taken to meet the budget date?
Time for facts in the mining debate?
by Alana Wilson
There are many misconceptions about the mining industry in Canada, in February MiningFacts.org will launch to dispel some of these myths.
Why Europe is wrong about Canada’s oil sands
by Mark Milke
The EU should not have singled out Canadian oil sands for producing higher carbon emissions than other sources of oil.
Quebec risks driving away mining investment with Bill 14
by Jean-Francois Minardi
Quebec has long had the best policies for mining investment, but with Bill 14 this may change.
Subsidizaton of bitumen upgrading is unwarranted
by Gerry Angevine
Given TransCanada Corporation's plans to build a crude oil pipeline between Canada and the US, why isn’t raw bitumen being re fined, or partially refi ned, in Alberta?
Longer than ever - a patient’s wait for health care
by Bacchus Barua and Mark Rovere
This year’s survey of health care wait times show that patients wait longer than ever.
Another route to native prosperity
by Terry Anderson and Dominic Parker
Addington Prize recipients discuss their winning paper regarding the state of First Nations reserves.
Bouazizi’s revolution
by Alan Dowd
Time magazine recently named The Protester as person of the year. Should it have been Mohammed Bouazizi for putting in motion the events that caused the Arab Spring?
The costs of the Canada-US border
by Alexander Moens and Nachum Gabler
Since 9/11, crossing the border into the US has become longer and more diffi cult. Here, the actual costs are examined.
How can Canadian policy makers combat black market tobacco?
by Nachum Gabler
Black market tobacco involves more than health risks. This article presents six policies that could end the prevalence of contraband tobacco.
Should the rich be condemned?
by Walter Williams
With all the talk of the 1% and the Occupy Wall Street movement, are the wealthy deserving of the criticism for their accomplishments?
Quarterly Research Alert
Our researchers summarize the findings of recent studies on: tax policy, economic policy uncertainty, and economic freedom.
Beer with your popcorn? Not in British Columbia
by Joel Wood
BC’s dated liquor laws make it impossible for revenues such as movie theatres to obtain a liquor license.
Assigning (proper) blame in the last financial crisis
by Mark Milke
Mark Milke reviews Gretchen Morgenson and Joshua Rosner’s new book Reckless Endangerment: How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon.
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Niels Veldhuis
President, Fraser Institute
Niels Veldhuis serves as President of the Fraser Institute, Canada’s most influential think tank.In his over 20-plus-year career in publicpolicy, Niels has authored six books and more than 50 peer-reviewed studies on a wide range of economic topics. In 2011, he was awarded (along with his co-authors) the prestigious Sir Antony Fisher International Memorial Award for the best-selling book, The Canadian Century.Highly regarded for his opinions and perspectives on major economic and social issues, Niels appears regularly in the media across Canada and the United States. He has written hundreds of commentaries that have appeared in over 50 newspapers, including the Globe and Mail, Wall Street Journal, National Post, and The Economist.Known for his ability to explain matters of economics and government policy in a down-to-earth and easily understood manner, Niels travels widely across North America. His speaking engagements extend to diverse audiences, including business groups, corporate gatherings, community organizations, and students.Niels has had the privilege of sharing the stage and moderating discussions with prominent business and political leaders from around the world. Notable individuals include Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and BC Premier Gordon Campbell. He has also moderated discussions with distinguished Canadian journalists such as Chantal Herbert, Andrew Coyne, and Rex Murphy, as well as diplomats such as Canada’s Ambassador to China and Israel’s Ambassador to Canada. Niels moderated a discussion between United States Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in 2011 and has facilitated conversations with impactful authors like Mosab Hassan Yousef (author of "Son of Hamas") and Lord Conrad Black.Niels Veldhuis is an alumnus of Simon Fraser University, was one of Vancouver’s Top 40 under 40 by Business in Vancouver in 2010, and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO).… Read more -
Charles Lammam
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Milagros Palacios
Director, Addington Centre for Measurement, Fraser InstituteMilagros Palacios is the Director for the Addington Centre for Measurement at the Fraser Institute. She holds a B.S. in IndustrialEngineering from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru and a M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Concepcion, Chile. Ms. Palacios has studied public policy involving taxation, government finances, investment, productivity, labour markets, and charitable giving, for nearly 10 years. Since joining the Institute, Ms. Palacios has authored or coauthored over 70 comprehensive research studies, 70 commentaries and four books. Her recent commentaries have appeared in major Canadian newspapers such as the National Post, Toronto Sun, Windsor Star, and Vancouver Sun.… Read more -
Bacchus Barua
Director, Health Policy Studies, Fraser InstituteBacchus Barua is Director of the Fraser Institute’s Centre for Health Policy Studies. He completed his BA (Honours) in Economicsat the University of Delhi (Ramjas College) and received an MA in Economics from Simon Fraser University. Mr. Barua has conducted research on a range of key health-care topics including hospital performance, access to new pharmaceuticals, the sustainability of health-care spending, the impact of aging on health-care expenditures, and international comparisons of health-care systems. He also designed the Provincial Healthcare Index (2013), co-led the creation of Comparing Performance of Universal Health Care Countries (2016) and co-authored the Fraser Institute’s annual survey of wait times, Waiting Your Turn, for over a decade (2010–2022). In 2022, Bacchus was invited to provide testimony as part of a panel of witnesses for the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health (HESA). Mr. Barua is a frequent commentator on radio and television, and his articles have appeared in well-known news outlets including the National Post, Wall Street Journal, Globe and Mail, Maclean’s, and forbes.com.… Read more -
Alan Dowd
Senior Fellow, Fraser InstituteAlan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute, Senior Editor of Fraser Insight and Managing Director ofthe Institute's EFNA Network. In addition, Dowd conducts research into defence and security issues. He co-authored the Fraser Institute report Cybersecurity Challenges for Canada and the United States; has contributed to the Institute’s Economic Freedom of North America Annual Report (EFNA); helped launch the Institute’s EFNA Network in 2014; and continues to manage and coordinate the EFNA Network, which today enfolds more than 60 member-organizations in 47 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico. An award-winning writer, Dowd is a frequent contributor to American Legion Magazine, Military Officer, The American, Landing Zone, and American Outlook. In addition, his writing has appeared in Fraser Forum, Claremont Review of Books, Policy Review, Parameters, Journal of Diplomacy & International Relations, Diplomat & International Canada, World Politics Review, World & I, National Post, Baltimore Sun, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, Sacramento Bee, Indianapolis Star, Detroit News, Vancouver Sun, Wall Street Journal Europe, Jerusalem Post, Financial Times Deutschland, and the online editions of the American Interest, National Review, and Weekly Standard. Dowd has served as an adjunct professor at Butler University and Anderson University; was a founding member of the Sagamore Institute leadership team, where he continues to hold a senior fellow post; and was director of Hudson Institute’s corporate headquarters. He earned a B.A. with departmental high honors from Butler University and an M.A. from Indiana University.… Read more -
Alana Wilson
Alana Wilson is a former Senior Economist with the Fraser Institutes Centre for Natural Resources. She managed the content developmentfor the Mining Facts website and analyzed mining policy and the impacts of mining in Canada and overseas. Ms. Wilson has a MSc. in Local Economic Development from the London School of Economics and a BSc. Agroecology (Honours) in Food and Resource Economics from the University of British Columbia. She joined the Fraser Institute in 2011 after working in international and rural development in Washington, D.C., Peru, Alberta, and British Columbia.… Read more -
Mark Milke
Mark Milke was a senior fellow of the Fraser Institute between 2010 and 2015. Mr. Milke led the Institute’s workon Alberta-related issues as well as contributing to a broad host of national and regional studies. Mr. Milke is currently an independent analyst and consultant in Calgary.Mr. Milke has authored four books on Canadian politics and policy and dozens of studies on topics such as property rights, public sector pensions, corporate welfare, competition policy, aboriginal matters and taxes. Prior to joining the Fraser Institute, Mr. Milke was the research director for the Frontier Centre for Public Policy and former B.C. and Alberta director with the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation. His work has been published widely in Canada since 1997 and in addition to the Fraser Institute, his papers have also been published in the United States by the American Enterprise Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation and in Europe by the Brussels-based Centre for European Studies.Mr. Milke’s opinion columns appear regularly in the Calgary Herald and Globe and Mail, as well as in the National Post, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Province, and Victoria Times Colonist. Mr. Milke has a Master’s degree from the University of Alberta where his M.A. thesis analyzed human rights in East Asia; he also has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Calgary where his doctoral dissertation analyzed the rhetoric of Canadian-American relations. Mr. Milke is president of Civitas, and a past lecturer in Political Philosophy and International Relations at the University of Calgary.… Read more -
Gerry Angevine
Senior Fellow, Fraser InstituteGerry Angevine is Senior Fellow in the Fraser Institute's Centre for Energy and Natural Resource Studies. Mr. Angevine has beenPresident of AECL, an energy economics consulting firm, since 1999 and was a Managing Consultant with Navigant Consulting Ltd. from 2001 to 2004. He was President, CEO, and a Director of the Canadian Energy Research Institute from 1979 to 1999. Prior to that, he worked as an economist at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and the Bank of Canada. Mr. Angevine has undertaken domestic and international studies in the markets for natural gas (including trade, pipelines and storage), oil and oil products (including oil sands, refining and investment), and electricity (including deregulation, water rentals, and renewables). He has advised the Alberta Department of Energy and testified before the National Energy Board as an expert witness. He has A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from the University of Michigan, a M.A. Economics degree from Dalhousie University and a B.Comm. from Mount Allison University.… Read more -
Jean-François Minardi
Jean-François Minardi is the former Associate Director of the Economic Freedom and Development Centre and Associate Director of the GlobalNatural Resource Policy Centre for the Fraser Institute. Jean-François Minardi holds a Masters Degree in Economics and International Projects Management from the Université Paris XII. He has completed his PhD coursework focusing on International Relations at the Université de Montréal, where he also holds a Masters Degree in Political Science. Jean-François joined the Institute in 2008 as a Senior Policy Analyst for Quebec and La Francophonie before he moved to the Center for Globalization Studies in 2009 he managed the Economic Freedom of the World Network. He is the co-author of The Government's Grab Groundwater: An Attack on Property Rights in Quebec and the author of What does the future hold for Quebec agriculture and The Management of Water Services in Montreal. He wrote articles for Fraser Forum and Perspectives and published op-eds for newspapers in Quebec including La Presse, Le Journal de Montréal, Le Soleil, The Gazette and Le Devoir.… Read more -
Mark Rovere
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Alexander Moens
Professor of Political Science, Simon Fraser UniversityAlexander Moens is a professor of Political Science at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, and a former Senior Fellow inAmerican Policy at the Fraser Institute. He teaches American Foreign Policy and the Political and Security Relations between Europe and North America. He is the author of Foreign Policy Under Carter, Boulder : Westview Press, 1990, and most recently The Foreign Policy of George W. Bush: Values, Strategy, Loyalty (Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing, November 2004).His work on European Security includes Disconcerted Europe: The Search for a New Security Architecture (Boulder: Westview Press, 1994). Co-edited with Christopher Anstis; NATO and European Security: Alliance Politics from the Cold War's End to the Age of Terrorism (Westport, Connecticut: Praeger Publishers, 2003), Co-edited with Lenard Cohen and Allen Sens; and Foreign Policy Realignment in the Age of Terror (Toronto: Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies, 2003), Co-edited with Lenard Cohen and Brian Job.In 1992, Moens served in the Policy Planning Staff of Canada's Foreign Affairs Department and in the Spring of 1999 he was a visiting fellow at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He is also a researcher with the Council For Canadian Security in the 21st Century, and a Fellow of the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute.… Read more -
Nachum Gabler
Nachum Gabler was a research assistant in the Centre for Canadian-American Relations at the Fraser Institute. He has an M.A. in economics from Boston University.
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Walter Williams
Walter Williams is John M. Olin Distinguished Scholar at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and is a syndicated columnist.He has a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles.… Read more -
Joel Wood
Associate Professor of Economics, Thompson Rivers UniversityJoel Wood, Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute, is an Associate Professor of Economics at Thompson Rivers University and theformer Associate Director of Environment and Risk and Regulation Policy at the Fraser Institute. He has a Masters degree in Economics and a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Guelph, under the supervision of Ross McKitrick. Wood completed his undergraduate studies in Economics at the University of British Columbia. His areas of research interest include environmental economics, energy economics, natural resource economics, applied econometrics, applied microeconomics, and public policy.… Read more -
Terry Anderson
Terry L. Anderson is the John and Jean DeNault Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University; past president ofthe Property and Environment Research Center, Bozeman, MT; and Professor Emeritus at Montana State. Much of his career focused on developing the idea of Free Market Environmentalism, the title of one of his 43 books. More recently he has focused his research on the evolution of Native American property rights institutions. His most recent book with Kathy Ratte is Renewing Indigenous Economies. He lives in Montana with his wife, Monica, where they enjoy fishing, hunting, horseback riding, and skiing.… Read more