For many Quebecers, the effects of producing and using oil and other fossil fuels are unequivocally harmful. These sources of energy are seen as relics from the past that will soon disappear. The idea that we could do without them entirely and quickly replace them with green energy sources like wind and solar power is widespread, as is the idea that all cars could soon be electric.

In its 2012-2013 Budget, the Canadian government announced its intention to gradually raise the age of eligibility for Old Age Security benefits from 65 to 67. Future generations will surely come to see this as a timid adjustment measure. If life expectancy keeps rising as expected, government policies in this area will need to be guided by a new paradigm for retirement.

In its updated 2011 Budget tabled after the last election, the federal government announced a Strategic and Operating Review of its spending, the results of which will be unveiled when Finance Minister Jim Flaherty delivers his next budget on March 29.

Every year since 2009, the MEI has published a Viewpoint on the debt of the Quebec government to coincide with the tabling of the provincial budget. Continuing the tradition, this Viewpoint explains why the public sector debt increases by more than the deficit.

The Canadian health care system is an oddity among developed countries in that the public sector is not only responsible for most of the financing of the health care system, but also has a near complete monopoly on the delivery of hospital care. In Europe, where public financing is as prevalent as in Canada, if not more so, the private for-profit sector has an extensive role to play in delivering service.

Traditional airlines have had a lot of trouble remaining profitable over the past decade. In order to cut costs, they formed partnerships to coordinate ticket sales, flight schedules and baggage handling among other things, while simplifying connections. This need to reduce costs has become even more crucial with recent increases and constant fluctuations in the price of oil and with the greater competition stemming from the arrival of a large number of "low-cost" carriers onto the market.

The Montreal Economic Institute is publishing an abridged French translation of a book on the ideas of Milton Friedman, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2012. This booklet aims to make his economic and political thought accessible to the general public. From market liberalization in China to the flat tax in Eastern Europe, from debates over school vouchers to monetary policy, Friedman brilliantly defended ideas that led to the challenging of numerous public policies.

Most industrialized countries have been grappling with large budget deficits since the start of the financial crisis in 2008. Among the solutions often put forward is increasing the tax burden of the "rich." In the United States, following an opinion piece written by billionaire Warren Buffett, President Barack Obama suggested to Congress that it should raise taxes on the rich. This is also the case in France, which just enacted a "temporary" surtax of 3% on incomes over 250,000 euros and of 4% on incomes over 500,000 euros.

For the past fifteen years, increases in health care spending have outpaced the growth of the Canadian economy. As a result, this spending takes up an increasing share of government budgets. The share of provincial and territorial program spending taken up by health care expenditures reached 37.7% in 2010. Not all sources of increased spending should be viewed as problems, of course. New medical technologies, for instance, even if sometimes quite expensive, can provide valuable services, and perhaps reduce other costs.

"If you want a job done right, hire a capitalist," is written on the back of George Lengvari Sr.'s business card. The Hungarian immigrant to Canada learned life's lessons first as a student, then as a banker, soldier and prisoner of war. After the Second World War, he had to start over as a refugee, translator, gardener and beekeeper.