Canada and Fiscal Stimulus Update November 2011

Back in a post in September I remarked it was relatively obvious that Europe was going to head into recession and that the Government of Canada was less likely to meet its "balanced budget in 2014" pledge; now Mark Carney is calling for a near certainty of a Eurozone recession and it looks like Canada will suffer lower GDP growth as a result. Recall my predictions of potential areas of stimulus should Canadian GDP growth falter:

Highly probable

• Accelerating capital cost allowance for businesses

• Slowing of public sector layoffs

• Lower corporate taxes

• Employment insurance hiring incentives

• R&D tax credits

• Extending employment insurance benefits

• Targeted but piecemeal government spending programs, geared towards non-residential infrastructure.

Somewhat probable

• A second "Canadian Action Plan"

• Energy efficiency upgrades

• Reducing Bank of Canada's overnight lending rate

Unlikely

• Reducing CMHC requirements for loans

Now today a fiscal update from the Department of Finance indicates more stimulus will be needed:

Flaherty also announced Tuesday the government is extending a work-sharing program that lets some employers hang onto skilled workers while they deal with money problems. Under the program, workers can drop to part-time hours and the government will top them up with Employment Insurance... 

Flaherty also cut in half the increase in EI premiums employees and employers are expected to pay starting Jan. 1, 2012. 

EI premiums were set to increase in the new year by up to 10 cents per $100 for employees and 14 cents per $100 for employers. Those increases will now be capped at five cents and seven cents respectively...

Border and trade talks with the U.S. will mean more spending on border infrastructure, Flaherty said after the speech.

So we have: corporate tax reductions (in the form of slowing EI premium increases), extending EI benefits, and non-residential infrastructure spending.

Though it would be unlikely to be announced, I expect there will be a slowing of public sector layoffs going forward. I'll have to wait until the new year to find out for sure about the R&D tax credit and grant prediction but I expect it won't be cut. I'm not sure about the CCA acceleration.

So far no major surprises. I am also anticipating that there may be further mortgage credit tightening announced in January, though I'm not certain if mortgage insurance will be the mode by which the government acts. Speculation has spread to the low-ratio loan market and, ultimately, the Government of Canada will be on the hook for many of these loans should prices retrench -- banks may not be aligning borrowers' ability to pay with longer-term rates in mind. Further curbs to mortgage lending may show up behind-the-scenes through OSFI decrees.