David Crane writes in The Hill Times on the Bennett Jones' Mid-Year 2024 Economic Outlook and why Canadians must come to grips with the critical need to significantly improve our productivity and competitiveness.
"We need more voices to speak the truth," says Crane. "The Bennett Jones report is not written by lawyers, but by experienced policymakers, including former Bank of Canada governor David Dodge; Serge Dupont, a former deputy clerk of the Privy Council, and a former deputy minister in economic portfolios; Richard Dion, a senior economist in various government departments; and Claire Kennedy, lead director of the Bank of Canada. What they show is that our economic weaknesses date back to 2006, before the global financial crisis."
Crane concludes by saying, "the Bennett Jones report gets it right when it calls for a “laser-focused” strategy for productivity growth. Now we have to decide what a “laser-focused strategy” would be. This should be the centrepiece of each political party’s platform in the next election. It’s about our future, and especially the future of today’s young Canadians."
Hill Times subscribers can read the full article here.