Skip to main content
Log in
Account
Log out
Subscribe
Donate
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Climate Solutions
  • Special reports
  • Podcasts
    • Hot Politics
    • Maxed Out
    • The Salmon People
    • CanadaLANDBACK
    • Race Against Climate Change
  • Newsletters
    • The Weekly
    • Zero Carbon
    • All newsletters
  • Conversations
  • News
  • Team
  • About

David Macdonald

Photo of David Macdonald
Opinion
  • [email protected]
  • @DavidMacCdn
  • RSS feed
About David Macdonald

David Macdonald is a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He joined the centre in 2011, although he has been a long time contributor as a research associate. Since 2008, he has coordinated the Alternative Federal Budget, which takes a fresh look at the federal budget from a progressive perspective. David has also written on a variety of topics, from Canada's real estate bubble to Aboriginal income inequality. He is a regular media commentator on national policy issues. He is the author of the report Picking up the Tab: A complete accounting of federal and provincial COVID-19 measures in 2020.

David received his BA from the University of Windsor and his MA from the University of Guelph, both in Philosophy.

9 Articles

Ottawa is flush with cash, short on political courage as recession looms

The federal government has lots of cash, but little political courage, writes David Macdonald, a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Opinion | November 4th 2022

The next session of Parliament could fix health care, slash emissions and tackle inequality. Will it rise to the challenge?

The fall session will be anything but boring and the federal government must take concrete steps to increase income security, writes David Macdonald.
Opinion, Climate Solutions Reporting | September 19th 2022

If we have a recession, it will be one engineered on purpose

Perhaps it’s time to challenge the old orthodoxy because the Bank of Canada is unlikely to reach its target of two per cent inflation without causing a recession.
Opinion | July 27th 2022

A Pearsonian moment? Not in this budget

The biggest extension to health care by far in this budget was a national dental care program. This went from obscurity to policy in a matter of months due to its inclusion in the Liberal-NDP agreement.
Opinion | April 7th 2022

What the new Liberal-NDP agreement means for Budget 2022

With the budget on the horizon, we won’t have long to wait to see if the fine print matches the expectations.
Opinion | April 4th 2022

Budget 2021 applies lessons learned from COVID-19

This was the largest public health and economic crisis since the Second World War, and it has clearly illustrated how our health and social safety nets are lacking, writes David Macdonald, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Opinion | April 19th 2021

Canadians need more federal supports — because COVID-19 isn’t going away any time soon

"If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that neither long-term care nor child care should be left to profit-seeking entities," writes David Macdonald, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Opinion, Politics | February 2nd 2021

The next act: Feds' fiscal update needs to reflect pandemic challenges ahead

The federal fiscal update unveiled Monday is a chance to address the current crisis but also move into the rebuild phases of this pandemic, says David Macdonald, senior economist at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Opinion | November 30th 2020

Pandemic response shows Canada can afford a  zero carbon future

In Canada, the federal response to COVID-19 has illustrated how much governments can do when they deploy their awesome fiscal power. So how about using that power to build a green economy?
Opinion | July 29th 2020

Support award-winning independent journalism with your subscription today

  • Canadian Association of Journalists Awards
    • Winner
    • Canadian Association of Journalists
    • Data journalism award
    • Human rights reporting award
    • Outstanding investigative journalism
  • Michener Award
    • Finalist
    • Michener Award
    • Meritorious public service journalism
    • 2019 & 2016
  • National Newspaper Award
    • Winner
    • National Newspaper Award
    • Columns (2021)
    • Business reporting (2016)
  • Canadian Journalism Foundation
    • Finalist
    • Canadian Journalism Foundation Award for Climate Solutions Reporting
Canada's National Observer
  • Jobs
  • Freelance for Us
  • Masthead
  • Video
  • Advertise
  • Search
  • Help
  • Contact
  • The Trust Project
  • Ethics
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Admin
Subscribe Newsletter Donate
Trust Project logo
© Observer Media Group 2023
Log in
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Climate Solutions
  • Special reports
  • Podcasts
    • Hot Politics
    • Maxed Out
    • The Salmon People
    • CanadaLANDBACK
    • Race Against Climate Change
  • Newsletters
    • The Weekly
    • Zero Carbon
    • All newsletters
  • Conversations
  • News
  • Team
  • About
Search
Account
Log out