--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-40/viewpoint-canada-should-establish-an-equitable-growth-institute/" title: "ViewPoint: Canada Should Establish an Equitable Growth Institute" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T08:01:53+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-13T08:01:53+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Spring 2021" ipm_keyword: - "Canada" - "climate" - "CSLS" - "Equitable Growth Institute" - "inequality" - "OECD" - "policy" - "productivity" - "viewpoint" ipm_research_theme: - "Policy and institutions" ipm_country_focus: - "Canada" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # ViewPoint: Canada Should Establish an Equitable Growth Institute Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-40/viewpoint-canada-should-establish-an-equitable-growth-institute/ # ViewPoint: Canada Should Establish an Equitable Growth Institute [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-40-5-Drummond.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Drummond, Don. 2021. “ViewPoint: Canada Should Establish an Equitable Growth Institute.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 40 (Spring 2021): 105–117. https://www.csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-40/viewpoint-canada-should-establish-an-equitable-growth-institute/ ## Author: - Don Drummond Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## IPM Issue 40 Spring 2021 pp. 105–117 ## Related IPM articles [Is the SNA Still Useful? 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Productivity growth must rise from the mediocre trend of recent decades. The spoils of growth should be more evenly distributed. As a carbon-intensive economy, the adjustment to net zero emissions will require fundamental change. The Government of Canada has benefited from advice from occasional advisory groups, but it has been decades since there has been a comprehensive, multi-year policy research effort. The time has come to establish an Equitable Growth Institute. It should align with the objectives of the Government but have sufficient independence to tackle tough issues. Provinces and territories must be involved as they hold many of the policy levers. In addition to having its own governance structure and researchers, it should bring together and where appropriate create networks of researchers. The Institute should delve into big questions of the day, including whether and how a Quality of Life framework can inform decision-making and whether there are tradeoffs or complementarity between economic growth and equity and sustainability objectives. Le Canada fait face à de sérieux défis économiques et a besoin de conseils politiques stratégiques pour réussir. La croissance de la productivité doit passer au-dessus de la tendance médiocre des dernières décennies. Les fruits de la croissance devraient être mieux répartis. En tant qu’économie à forte intensité carbonique, l’ajustement vers les émissions nettes nulles nécessitera un changement fondamental. Le gouvernement du Canada a bénéficié de conseils de groupes consultatifs occasionnels, mais il s’est écoulé des décennies depuis un effort de recherche politique complet et pluriannuel. Le moment est venu de créer un Institut pour une croissance équitable, aligné sur les objectifs du gouvernement mais disposant d’une indépendance suffisante pour s’attaquer aux questions difficiles, avec la participation des provinces et des territoires. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-40-5-Drummond.pdf)