NDP’s Singh seeking expertise of economists, workers ahead of budget

OTTAWA – NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is holding the next in his series of economic roundtables with prominent Canadian economists ahead of the spring budget — part of Singh’s plan to pinpoint actions to help families with the skyrocketing cost-of-living.
The consultations with economists are being held parallel to Singh’s visits and townhalls with workers and families to hear their financial frustrations and collect information on what would help them most.
“A good job used to get you a home that fits your family, healthy food and some savings for the future,” said Singh. “But the cost of everything has outpaced paycheques, and eight consecutive interest rates made life even harder. Families are feeling like the system is rigged — no matter what they do, prices go up, the ultra-rich get richer, and the regular families find it tougher and tougher to keep up.
“Working Canadians are doing everything right. The NDP wants the next budget to do right by them.”
On Friday, Singh’s second in the consultation series will bring together leading economists from Scotiabank, Unifor, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the University of Calgary and the Centre for Future Work.
Singh said the group will examine effective measures being taken in other jurisdictions, and the economists’ thoughts on budget measures that would offer immediate relief.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau believes everything is fine — because for his friends, they are. And I reject Pierre Poilievre’s plan for more cuts to things like EI and people’s pensions,” said Singh. “I see the pain and frustration hitting families. I see them having to give up things they need because their dollars are just not going as far. I believe it’s the government’s job to make life easier for people, and that’s what I want these discussions to focus on.”

Roundtable participants, March 10, 2023

Rebekah Young
Rebekah provides thought leadership on inclusive economic growth that is resilient in an evolving and ever-changing world. Rebekah joined Scotiabank in 2019 as Director, Fiscal & Provincial Economics, while also covering the global auto sector. 
Previously, she held senior roles at the IMF, the Department of Finance, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. She holds a B.A. in Chemical Engineering from McGill University, an M.Sc. in Environmental Policy from the London School of Economics in London, England, and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France and Singapore.
Jim Stanford
Jim Stanford is Economist and Director of the Centre for Future Work. He divides his time between Sydney, Australia and Vancouver, Canada.
Jim is one of Canada’s best-known economic commentators. He served for over 20 years as Economist and Director of Policy with Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector trade union (formerly the Canadian Auto Workers). He is quoted frequently in the print and broadcast media, and writes a regular column for the Toronto Star. He is also the Harold Innis Industry Professor in Economics at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, and an Honorary Professor in the Department of Political Economy at the University of Sydney. Jim has also served for many years as a Research Associate and volunteer with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Jim is the author of Economics for Everyone: A Short Guide to the Economics of Capitalism (second edition published by Pluto Books in 2015), which has been published in six languages.  Stanford has written, edited or co-edited six other books, and dozens of articles and reports in both peer-reviewed and popular outlets.
He has provided research and advice through numerous federal and provincial government panels and inquiries on economic policy, innovation, jobs, and social policy. Jim is recognized for his ability to communicate economic concepts in an accessible and humorous manner.
Kaylie Tiessen
Kaylie Tiessen is an Economist for Unifor, Canada's largest union in the private sector. She researches labour markets, social progress and the value of public services. Her recent work has focused on provincial budget analysis, poverty reduction, and research support for a five-year economic development plan for First Nations communities. She has worked in a wide variety of sectors, including international development, social marketplace innovation and public policy analysis. 
Kaylie holds a Master’s degree in Development Economics from Dalhousie University, a Bachelor of Commerce degree (with Honours) in International Business from Lakehead University, and a diploma in Business Management from Conestoga College. She is also fluent in spoken Lao. In her spare time, Kaylie can be found searching out live music venues, reading fiction and spending quality time with family and friends.

Dr. Lindsay Tedds

Lindsay Tedds is an Associate Professor of Economics and Scientific Director of Fiscal and Economic Policy at the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary. Lindsay holds a BA in Political Science from Carleton University, a BA and MA in Economics from the University of Victoria, and a PhD in Economics from McMaster University. Before becoming an academic held several posts with the Government of Canada in Ottawa as well as in municipal government in the areas of public economics and policy implementation.

Lindsay is a specialist in applied economic research and policy analysis, with a particular focus on the design and implementation of fiscal and tax policy. Her work spans a number of topics including taxation and poverty reduction, taxation of exploration expenses, tax non-compliance and the underground economy, municipal public finance, taxation and disclosure of stock options, and birth seasonality. She is the co-author and editor of several books and has published a number of book chapters, technical reports, interactive guides, and papers in peer-reviewed journals.

Dan Warelis
Dan is the Director of Government Affairs at Scotiabank. Previously, he was with the Standards Council of Canada, working with regional organizations and countries throughout Asia, Latin America and Africa to mitigate market access issues facing Canadian companies.
A native of Toronto, Canada, Dan started his career working on technical barriers to trade issues related to free trade agreements being negotiated by Global Affairs Canada. He holds a Master’s degree in Public And International Affairs from the University of Ottawa.

Stephen Tapp

Stephen Tapp is the Chief Economist at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. In this role, he is a key member of the Chamber’s executive leadership team, responsible for the operations of the new Business Data Lab as well as all economic analysis and research. His current focus is on developing the Chamber’s data and analytics capabilities to provide real-time, forward-looking insights for Canadian businesses of all sizes, in all sectors and regions of the country.

Stephen brings 20 years of diverse experiences at many of Canada’s top economic organizations including at: Export Development Canada as the Deputy Chief Economist, the Bank of Canada, Parliamentary Budget Office, Finance Canada, two think tanks as well as academia.

He is a recognized thought leader, frequent commentator, and sought-out spokesperson on economic issues in Canada. Stephen’s research was awarded the Purvis prize for Canadian economic policy and has been published in academic journals, such as the Canadian Journal of Economics and Canadian Public Policy. He has a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from Queen’s University and an Honors B.A from Western. During his undergrad, he studied in the Netherlands and was the owner-operator of a student painting company.