Perspectives, Spring 1997: Excerpts from recent speeches by members of the Business Council on National Issues
Focus on Substance and Words will Flow
Finance Minister Paul Martin has steered a prudent course over the past few years, but his latest budget is a reminder that the country’s fiscal voyage is far from over, says the Business Council on National Issues (BCNI). “The ship of state may look increasingly seaworthy, but it is not unsinkable,” said BCNI President and Chief Executive Thomas d’Aquino. “The iceberg of public debt is still lurking out there in an ocean that is bound to have its share of storms in the future. And even now, that iceberg is growing bigger, not melting away.” The good news in last evening’s budget is that the federal government continues to make steady progress in reducing its deficit, albeit measured by Mr. Martin’s own modest targets. Where he has increased spending, he has done so intelligently, through measures that are highly focused on the needs Canadians have accepted as our most urgent […]
The Business Council on National Issues (BCNI) applauds the agreement on reform of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) reached between the federal government and most provincial governments. “The Business Council has argued consistently that fundamental CPP reforms are needed urgently in order to avoid placing a crippling burden on the shoulders of the next generation of working Canadians,” said BCNI President and Chief Executive Thomas d’Aquino. Significant challenges still lie ahead as governments attempt to administer the plan more effectively, but the successful conclusion of months of negotiation marks a momentous step forward, Mr. d’Aquino said. “This agreement does more than just put in place the framework of a sustainable public pension system. It moves Canada into the vanguard of the industrialized world in grappling with the problems created by an aging population.” The Business Council on National Issues is the senior voice of Canadian business on public policy issues […]
Today, I am here to talk about the future of my country, and to make the case that Canada’s political and economic prospects are bright, and that the country has almost unparalleled, long-term potential as it prepares to enter the 21st century. My visit is in response to an invitation from my old friend, Professor Charles Doran, who for many years has dispensed wisdom on the politics and economics of Canada. And, I should like to add, he has done so applying the best of his professorial skills and objectivity while not concealing a genuine admiration and affection for his northern neighbours. I also am here in part to respond to a challenge – the challenge that Professor Doran issued last autumn with the publication in the journal, Foreign Affairs, of an article entitled "Will Canada Unravel?"1 In that article, as many of you here will know, Professor Doran raised the real […]
Perspectives, Winter 1996-1997: Excerpts from recent speeches by members of the Business Council on National Issues
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