Finances of the Nation: The Economic Response of Governments in Canada to COVID-19 in the First Three Months of the Crisis

Abstract

For almost 60 years, the Canadian Tax Foundation published an annual monograph, <i>Finances of the Nation</i>, and its predecessor, <i>The National Finances</i>. In a change of format, the 2014 <i>Canadian Tax Journal</i> introduced a new "Finances of the Nation" feature, which presents annual surveys of provincial and territorial budgets and topical articles on taxation and public expenditures in Canada. In this article, the authors recount how Canadian governments have responded to the COVID-19 crisis through the economic measures announced between March 11 and May 15, 2020. Their analysis shows that Canadian governments have acted quite rapidly and that, by expanding emergency measures, they have tried to help just about everyone. The authors set out the estimated costs of the various measures, followed by a brief comparison of Canada's response with the responses of other countries. The underlying data for the <i>Finances of the Nation</i> monographs and for the articles in this journal will be published online in the near future.

Self-employment, illness, and the social security system: a qualitative study of the experiences of solo self-employed workers in Ontario, Canada

“…However, these programs are dogged by limitations such as moral hazard (i, e., some people have a tendency to abuse/misuse government funding, as it is free) and financial unsustainability (i.e., the COVID emergency support benefit might be excellent programs during the pandemic, but it is not a sustainable solution because people might have to stop working due to illness in a regular time). This is consistent with studies related to the effectiveness of social security programs during Covid-19 from other welfare states [ 65 – 68 ]. Despite these limitations, Canada’s goodwill in terms of successfully protecting SE’d workers during pandemic was comparable with OECD countries [ 68 ].…”

“…This is consistent with studies related to the effectiveness of social security programs during Covid-19 from other welfare states [ 65 – 68 ]. Despite these limitations, Canada’s goodwill in terms of successfully protecting SE’d workers during pandemic was comparable with OECD countries [ 68 ].…”

Evaluating and Mitigating the Challenges of International Students Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Overview

“…A Statistics Canada study shows that by far the most reports of deteriorating mental health are from the youth at 64% of the youth surveyed, with almost half reporting symptoms matching those of severe anxiety [11]. This result is expected as students are left devastated with interrupted educational plans and work placements [12], especially international students that may have made many sacrifices to study abroad. Social work research would serve a crucial role in helping students stand up, find the will to cope with distress, and show resilience to the various challenges faced.…”

“…Social work initiatives can also raise awareness and advocate for international students to other well-known public programs and charities [4] in acquiring special funds. The government can, of course, play the most significant role by extending current relief programs such as the Canadian Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) or by implementing other similar programs [12] to acknowledge the advocacy efforts of financial shortcomings.…”