The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) is expecting a $171-million budget shortfall, resulting in particular from lower advertising revenues. It could learn from National Public Radio in the U.S. in planning its financing and getting closer to its audience.

We often hear that the Republican presidency of George W. Bush was characterized by a reduction in the size of government and that this is a classic example of the failure of laissez-faire economics. However, a simple examination of spending by the United States Government during the eight years of the Bush administration shows clearly that this is a huge myth, far removed from reality.

Both the left and the right view the present economic crisis as a consequence of greed and a failure of capitalism. On the far left, for example, a spokesman for Britain’s Socialist Workers Party talked about a “crisis of capitalism.” The Front National, a far-right French political party, makes the same diagnosis and defends “a powerful state as a regulator and a referee against international financial speculation.” Is it true that the current crisis represents a fundamental challenge for capitalism?

It is time to modify our strategy and obtain returns from Hydro-Québec worthy of the best Quebec businesses. As one government after another since 1944 has been either unwilling or unable to obtain acceptable financial results from Hydro-Québec, we must take inspiration from the British example and privatize Hydro-Québec. In our opinion, privatizing Hydro-Québec will quickly encourage its management to take the necessary measures to improve the firm’s productivity and financial results. This privatization will reap many benefits for Quebecers insofar as it will also be accompanied by a reform of the Régie de l’énergie’s role, and it will allow Quebecers to choose their electricity provider.

Malgré son lot de pauvreté et de ghettos, à l’instar de plusieurs grandes villes nord-américaines, Montréal possède plusieurs atouts en tant que métropole. Ce sont les citoyens et les entreprises montréalaises qui sont responsables du développement urbain de Montréal et son rayonnement international bien plus que des quartiers thématiques, des subventions ou des crédits d’impôt. En fait, il ne devrait y avoir qu’un seul thème à la grandeur de l’île, celui de l’entrepreneuriat fondé sur la créativité.

This new Portrait of Quebec High Schools is intended as a tool to serve at once the needs of parents and the needs of those who manage the school system. It is supplemented by an interactive Web tool that supplies a complete set of information to be consulted by both sets of people.

The Quebec government plans to raise university tuition fees by $50 per term until 2011-2012. Few studies up to now have assessed how this “unfreezing” policy will affect university financing and student enrolment. Moreover, no announcement has hinted at the tuition policy for university studies to be applied after 2012. This Economic Note begins a reflection on the type of policy that could be adopted to ensure long-term financing for universities.

With the population aging and many people soon to retire, numerous positions will have to be filled in the next few years in specialized trades and techniques. As a result, the wages associated with these jobs are becoming increasingly attractive. Because most politicians and journalists have attended university, there is often a tendency in public debates to forget the importance of vocational training. At the same time, the number of high school dropouts remains a serious problem in Quebec, with one-fifth of 19-year-olds in this situation. This phenomenon deserves greater attention so as to keep more youths from starting their working lives on the wrong foot.

Fresh water is a product whose relative economic value has risen substantially and will keep rising in the coming years. It has become a growing source of wealth and an increasingly worthwhile investment opportunity. Without better management of this resource, the emergence of water distress can be expected in many highly populated areas of the world. This study aims to present a general portrait of the possibilities open to Quebec in selling and exporting fresh water, to assess Quebec’s competitive advantage and potential in this regard and to define the role and responsibilities that the existence of this potential imposes.

Demographic change is putting a heavy strain on Quebec’s public health care system. In particular, this is reflected in a greater need for nursing staff. Meanwhile, many nurses are opting to practise their profession with employment agencies and in the private sector, causing fears of a weakening of the public sector. The Montreal Economic Institute conducted an investigation among nurses to see if the labour supply is really being used to full capacity and whether some nurses would be willing to work extra hours in private practice.