Editor's notes

Economic news is currently grabbing headlines in all the media. Paul Martin's budget is too strong. Paul Martin's budget is not strong enough. The dollar is up and interest rates are down. Interest rates are down and the dollar is weak. Our tax burden is unsustainable. All rich Canadians can afford to pay more tax. And so on.

The Fraser Institute is in the business of caring about the nation's economy, and trying to suggest sensible approaches for future fiscal policy. This issue of Fraser Forum reflects those objectives. In it, our authors comment on the magnitude of the debt problem, on the fact that simply "taxing the rich" won't solve Canada's financial problems, on whether U.S.-style debt limits would work here in Canada, and on Paul Martin's budget--both its effectiveness and the media's perception of it.

These concerns are very much those that affect the entire country. On a more personal level, however, April is income tax time, so keeping the spirit of the month in mind, Michael Walker and Isabella Horry have contributed the feature article, "Some Tax-Time Tidbits--or Are They Toad Bits?" that explains who pays how much tax.

This issue's authors

Isabella Horry is The Fraser Institute's Research Economist and co-author of many Institute books and publications. She received her M.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Owen Lippert is Senior Policy Analyst at The Fraser Institute. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana.

Fazil Mihlar is Policy Analyst at The Fraser Institute. He received his B.A. in Economics from Simon Fraser University, his M.A in Public Administration from Carleton University, and a Business Degree from the Chartered Institute of Marketing in London, England.

Kristin McCahon is Director of Publication Production at The Fraser Institute. She has her M.A. in English Literature from the University of British Columbia.

Lydia Miljan is Director of the National Media Archive, a division of The Fraser Institute. She earned an M.A. in Communications from the University of Calgary. She researches and writes On Balance.

Robin Richardson is Director of the International Centre for the Study of Public Debt, a division of The Fraser Institute. He has an M.A. in Political Economy from the University of Toronto and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He is the author or editor of several Institute publications.

Christopher Sarlo teaches economics at Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario. He is the author of Poverty in Canada, published by The Fraser Institute.

Karen Selick practices law in Belleville, Ontario. She is also a columnist for Canadian Lawyer.

Dr. Leo Troy is Distinguished Professor of Economics at Rutgers University, in Newark, New Jersey.

Dr. Michael Walker is Executive Director of The Fraser Institute. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. He has written, edited, or co-authored dozens of Fraser Institute books and publications.

Victor Waese is Director of Finance and Administration at The Fraser Institute. He has his MBA from Harvard.

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Last Modified: Wednesday, October 20, 1999.