Canada’s trade relationship with the United States is facing major challenges. In this replay of a live episode recorded on Friday August 28, Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern break down Canada’s trade war with the U.S., the impact of tariffs, and what it all means for the Canadian economy.

They explore how tariffs and trade tensions could affect Canadian jobs, businesses, inflation, housing, taxation, financial markets, and economic stability while answering questions directly from the live audience.

Whether you’re a policymaker, investor, business owner, or simply trying to understand what’s happening to Canada’s economy, this conversation offers context and analysis on some of the biggest economic issues facing Canadians today.

In this episode:

• Canada’s trade war and economic relationship with the U.S.
• The impact of tariffs on the Canadian economy
• How trade uncertainty could affect housing and affordability
• Taxation and government policy
• Financial markets and economic stability
• What tariffs could mean for Canadian businesses and consumers
• Live audience questions and answers
• What Canadians should be watching as trade tensions evolve

Watch the full conversation for an in-depth discussion of Canada’s economic outlook and the challenges ahead.

#Canada #CanadianEconomy #Tariffs #TradeWar #USCanada #CanadianPolitics #Housing #Economy #Inflation #MikeMoffatt #CaraStern

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to the Trade Dispute

02:12 Tariffs and the New NAFTA

04:23 Labeling, Language, and Trade Strategy

06:40 Canada's Trade Diversification Challenges

08:36 Taxing the Wealthy and Intergenerational Equity

12:30 Interprovincial Trade Barriers and Alcohol

16:38 Impacts on Housing and Construction

23:57 US Bonds and Canadian Investment

36:12 Bank of Canada and Interest Rate Policy

42:17 Government Support for Small Housing

44:37 Development Charges and Urban Planning

46:21 Closing Remarks and Next Steps

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

Funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/

Ever wonder why it's nearly impossible to find a brand-new, modest starter home? In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down the real-world housing economics driving the extinction of small detached homes across Canada and why developers are practically forced to build McMansions instead.

From flat municipal fees to setback regulations and astronomical land costs, we run through the numbers we explain why smaller homes no longer make financial sense for builders, and what policy changes could actually fix it.

• The disappearance of homes under 1,500 square feet
• Serviced land pricing and lot width economics
• How flat municipal development fees penalize small builds
• Setback rules and wasted building space
• Construction economies of scale
• Fixed overhead and pre-construction costs
• Policy solutions to bring back missing middle housing

Chapters:

00:00 Small Detached Homes Are Disappearing

02:02 Why Developers Don’t Build Smaller Homes

03:01 The Real Cost of Building a Small Home

05:27 Why Land Costs Favour Bigger Houses

07:43 How Lot Rules Make Small Homes Harder to Build

09:33 How to Bring Down the Cost of Land

10:12 Development Charges Favour Bigger Homes

13:39 Why Bigger Homes Have Lower Construction Costs

16:15 The Costs That Don’t Shrink With the House

17:47 Why a $600K Home Costs So Much

Research:

https://pub-ottawa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=311483

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

Funded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/