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/

Fertility treatment is becoming increasingly common in Canada. But why?

On this episode of DemograFix, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt dig into the dramatic rise of IVF and fertility treatment in Canada, and what it tells us about how Canadians are building families.

IVF births in Ontario have nearly doubled as a share of all live births since 2014, while the average age of patients starting IVF has climbed past 35. As Canadians spend longer in school, establish careers later, face higher housing and living costs, and delay parenthood, more people are turning to fertility treatment to help build the families they want.

But access to fertility care can depend heavily on where you live. Cara and Mike look at the geographic lottery of fertility treatment, differences in provincial funding, long waitlists, workplace benefits, and the often-overlooked costs of IVF, including time away from work and travel for treatment.

The bigger question is what happens when more Canadians are trying to have children later in life.

Is Canada's fertility system prepared for growing demand? And should policymakers be looking beyond IVF to the housing, career and economic pressures that are pushing parenthood later?

#IVF #Fertility #Canada #Demographics #FertilityTreatment #Ontario

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:42 The Economic Reality of Delayed Parenthood

01:28 Why is Fertility Treatment Usage Up?

02:44 Biology and Success Rates

03:08 Analyzing the Data Surge

04:16 The Geographic Lottery of Fertility Access

05:22 The Biological Realities

06:41 The Myth of Fertility Control

07:44 Rising Complications in Younger Patients

08:27 Male Factor Infertility

08:42 The High Cost of Treatment and Waitlists

10:03 The Hidden Costs (Time & Travel)

11:34 Workplace Benefits and Trends

12:01 Recap and Future Outlook

13:01 Policy Responses and Root Causes

Research/links:

Publicly funded in-vitro fertilization (IVF) program - Province of British Columbia

Canadian assisted reproductive technologies registry CARTR PLUs annual report

CARTR Reports - Canadian Fertility & Andrology Society

Provincial coverage | Fertility Matters Canada

https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1007375/ontario-connecting-more-families-to-fertility-supports

https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/in-vitro-fertilization-market

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

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

Are Canada’s politics becoming less about left versus right and more about young versus old?

In this episode of Classonomics, Mike Moffatt and Sabrina Maddeaux explore the growing generational divide in Canadian politics and what it means for the economy, housing, and the future of democracy. They examine why older voters may prioritize inflation, pensions, and asset prices, while younger Canadians increasingly feel shut out of homeownership, economic growth, and traditional institutions.

Topics covered:

• The growing age divide in Canadian politics
• Why seniors and younger voters have different economic priorities
• “Pocketbook” versus “sociotropic” voting
• Economic growth and the distribution of wealth
• Old Age Security and the politics of an aging population
• Housing prices, homeownership, and generational inequality
• Why young Canadians feel increasingly disconnected from the economy
• Populism, political radicalization, and distrust in institutions
• Brexit and the backlash against economic elites
• Why making the economy work for younger Canadians matters for the future

#Canada #CanadianPolitics #HousingCrisis #GenerationalDivide #Economy #Politics #HousingAffordability #Millennials #GenZ #MissingMiddle

Chapters:

00:00 — Is Age Breaking Our Politics?

03:26 — The Generational Divide Is Reshaping Politics

06:22 — Why Voters Are Choosing Their Own Wallets Over Growth

10:14 — Why Older and Younger Voters Want Different Things

13:17 — Why Politicians Want to Keep Home Prices High

16:08 — Why Young People Are Losing Faith in the System

17:26 — How Economic Frustration Fuels Populism

20:33 — Why Young Voters Are Turning to Extremes

21:03 — How to Make the Economy Work for Young People

Research:

Beer question: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_question

Vlandas study: https://muse.jhu.edu/article/980470

German research: https://www.kielinstitut.de/publications/kiel-focus/the-economic-consequences-of-populism/

Tobi Lutke’s idea that pensioners be excluded from voting is offensive. The concern behind it isn’t

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/authors/mike-moffatt/

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

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

Canada needs more housing, but building in existing neighbourhoods often faces strong local opposition. Could gentle density be a solution?

In this episode of DemograFix, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt discuss how infill housing, form-based zoning, and streamlined regulations could help Canada build more family-friendly homes while balancing concerns about neighbourhood character, infrastructure, parking, and density. They also examine multiplex debates in Toronto and Calgary, and whether zoning reform and condo rules are limiting new homeownership opportunities.

Topics covered:

• What is gentle density?
• Why Canada needs more family-friendly housing
• The fight over multiplexes and infill housing
• Toronto's sixplex debate
• Calgary's citywide upzoning rollback
• Form-based zoning explained
• Zoning vs. building code
• How standardized zoning could reduce red tape
• Parking, infrastructure, and neighbourhood concerns
• Creating more homeownership opportunities through gentle density
• Condo regulations and small-scale housing
• British Columbia's small-scale, multi-unit housing approach
• What Oregon is doing differently
• Should gentle density start with greenfield development?
• Can gentle density overcome NIMBY and YIMBY opposition?

Chapters:

00:00 – Canada’s Housing Problem and the Case for Gentle Density

01:25 – The Three Ways Cities Can Build More Housing

03:00 – Why Multiplexes Face Local Opposition

04:35 – Toronto’s Controversial Station Road Eightplex

06:15 – Calgary’s Upzoning Rollback

07:30 – What Is Gentle Density?

08:20 – Objection #1: Buildings Are Too Tall

09:35 – Form-Based Zoning Explained

11:05 – Zoning vs. Building Codes

12:15 – Objection #2: Buildings Are Too Large

13:05 – Objection #3: Parking and Infrastructure

14:25 – Can Gentle Density Benefit Existing Homeowners?

16:10 – Tiny Homes and Pocket Neighbourhoods

17:25 – Does Density Mean More Rental Housing?

19:00 – Making Small-Scale Homeownership Easier

20:25 – What Canada Can Learn From B.C. and Oregon

21:45 – Where Should Gentle Density Start?

23:00 – Can Gentle Density Actually Get Political Support?

24:15 – NIMBYs vs. YIMBYs: Is Gentle Density Too Mild?

25:00 – Moving Beyond Arbitrary Unit Counts

Research/links:

MMI Gentle Density Report: https://www.missingmiddleinitiative.ca/p/from-policy-gridlock-to-housing-growth

NIMBYs will Fight Even the Gentlest of Density

https://youtu.be/6WavljFV7fM?si=geir1FhAbhdgliv_

Nightmare on Craven Road: When Local Politics Derail Citywide Housing Goals

https://youtu.be/qVQ4gQRnOss?si=RFywNBKZedLERiuj

2025 Statcan Study: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2025005/article/00003-eng.htm

2026 Statcan Study: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/46-28-0001/2026001/article/00002-eng.htm

Toronto:

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/04/22/etobicoke-eightplex-site-mimico-residents-developer-toronto/

Calgary:

https://calgary.citynews.ca/2026/04/22/calgary-federal-housing-funds/

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

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

Canada’s parental leave system was built for a workforce that no longer exists. As work and family life have changed, the policy hasn’t, leaving more parents without the support they need.

In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt examine why Canada's parental leave system is increasingly out of step with today's workforce. They discuss how rising housing costs, stagnant income replacement, contract work, and outdated Employment Insurance rules are making it harder for Canadians to start or grow their families.

The conversation explores why many parents, especially freelancers, self-employed workers, and those in the gig economy, struggle to qualify for benefits, how employer parental leave top-ups are disappearing, and what Canada can learn from Quebec's parental insurance plan and Finland's family-friendly reforms.

Topics covered:

Why Canada's fertility rate has reached a record low
How EI parental leave actually works
Why one-third of Canadian mothers don't qualify for paid parental leave
The financial reality of taking parental leave today
Housing costs and the affordability of raising children
Why freelancers, contractors, and gig workers are left behind
The decline of employer parental leave top-ups
Quebec's parental leave model and its impact on fertility
Finland's parental leave reforms and shared parenting
Policy reforms that could make it easier for Canadians to have the families they want

Chapters:

00:00 Why Canada's fertility rate hit a record low
00:49 How Canada's parental leave system actually works
02:42 Why Young Canadians Are Delaying Having Kids
04:18 The Hidden Financial Penalty of Parental Leave
06:32 Why 1 in 3 Mothers Can't Access Paid Leave
08:08 The Self-Employment Trap
10:02 Why Employer Parental Leave Benefits Are Shrinking
12:37 What Quebec Gets Right About Parental Leave
14:34 Finland's Family Policy Is Changing Fatherhood
16:28 How Canada Could Fix Parental Leave

Research links:

Statistics Canada -- Canada's total fertility rate reaches a new low in 2024:
https://www.statcan.gc.ca/o1/en/plus/9140-canadas-total-fertility-rate-reaches-new-low-2024

Statistics Canada -- The Daily: Fertility and baby names, 2024:
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/250924/dq250924d-eng.htm

The Hub / Cardus -- Stop dismissing falling fertility rates as a choice (2.2 children wanted stat):
https://thehub.ca/2026/04/14/with-a-record-low-1-25-children-per-canadian-woman-stop-dismissing-falling-fertility-rates-as-a-choice/

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives -- Support for parents in a post-pandemic world (EI reform; replacement rate, eligibility threshold proposals):
https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/support-for-parents-in-a-post-pandemic-world-options-for-enhancing-federal-maternity-and-parental-leave/

Policy Options / IRPP -- Parental leave benefits need to be more practical and equitable (1 in 4 self-employed stat; top-up decline):
https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2024/05/parental-leave-equity/

PMC -- Policy and Fertility: A Case Study of the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan (peer-reviewed; fertility lift estimates):
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11070327/

Yle News / Helsinki Times -- More fathers taking parental leave since Finland's 2022 law change:
https://yle.fi/a/74-20162964

Fast Company -- Deloitte and Zoom cut parental leave and other benefits:
https://www.fastcompany.com/91530300/deloitte-and-zoom-cut-parental-leave-and-other-benefits

PMC -- Reconceptualizing Parental Leave Benefits in COVID-19 Canada:
From Employment Policy to Care Policy (EI vs QPIP comparison; self-employed eligibility history):
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8229861/

Hosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina Maddeaux

Produced by Meredith Martin

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