Showing papers by "Government of Canada published in 2002"

Induction of Vitellogenin and Histological Effects in Wild Fathead Minnows from a Lake Experimentally Treated with the Synthetic Estrogen, Ethynylestradiol

Abstract: Potential effects of exposure to contaminants with estrogenic activity are currently being examined in fish from a lake experimentally treated with the synthetic estrogen, ethynylestradiol (EE2). EE2 was added to Lake 260, a small Precambrian shield lake in the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) of northwestern Ontario, from late May to October 2001. Concentrations of EE2 in epilimnetic waters ranged between 4.0 and 8.1 ng/L, with a mean (±SD) of 6.0 ± 2.8 ng/L. Male fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) captured from Lake 260 after EE2 additions began contained 9000-fold higher concentrations of the egg yolk precursor vitellogenin (VTG), than were detected in fish captured from the same lake prior to the EE2 additions, or when compared to fatheads from reference lakes during the same sample period. VTG in females was induced 8- to 80-fold and was sustained beyond the normal window of vitellogenesis in Lake 260. Histological examination of tissues from EE2-exposed male fatheads in Lake 260 showed widespread fibrosis and inhibition of testicular development. Enlargement of liver cells, edema in the interstitium between kidney tubules, and eosinophilic deposits in the kidney tubule lumen were also evident in male fatheads from Lake 260. Further studies will examine the relationships between biochemical and histological alterations and population level effects.

A Comparison of Canada-U.S. Economic Growth in the Information Age, 1981-2000: The Importance of Investment in Information and Communication Technologies

Abstract: Using revised Statistics Canada estimates of output and inputs, this paper examines changes in the patterns of capital formation and the sources of economic growth for the Canadian business sector over the 1995-2000 period and makes comparisons with the 1981-1995 period. The changing composition of investment and the growth of capital services across broad asset classes is explored first. Then the growth in output is decomposed into components coming from growth in labour, capital and multifactor productivity. Finally, the extent to which information and communication technologies have made a key contribution to economic growth is investigated. Comparisons are made of the performance of the Canadian and U.S. business sectors in each of these areas. The results confirm some already familiar patterns, but also some novel features, particularly for the 1995-2000 period. The data show that increases in capital and labour continue to be important contributors to output growth. The increase in the growth rate of investment during the 1995-2000 period, which has occurred across many asset classes, has led to an increased growth contribution of capital services to output growth. A considerable increase in the number of hours worked has also contributed to economic growth; the substantial growth in labour inputs has muted the capital deepening effects of the rapid increase in capital services. The third primary source of growth in output, multifactor productivity growth, was 1.0% on average during the post-1995 period in Canada and 1.3% in the U.S. This increase was considerably higher than in the 1980s and early 1990s, especially in Canada. Although the resurgence in multifactor productivity in both countries does not surpass the pre-1973 performance, it was one of the most important stylized facts of the last five years of the twentieth century.

The effects of Daphnia on nutrient stoichiometry and filamentous cyanobacteria: a mesocosm experiment in a eutrophic lake

Abstract: 1. Stoichiometric theory predicts that the nitrogen : phosphorus (N : P) ratio of recycled nutrients should increase when P-rich zooplankton such as Daphnia become dominant. We used an enclosure study to test the hypothesis that an increased biomass of Daphnia will increase the relative availability of N versus P sufficiently to decrease the abundance of filamentous cyanobacteria. The experiment was conducted in artificially enriched Lake 227 (L227) in the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA), north-western Ontario, Canada. Previous studies in L227 have shown that the dominance of filamentous, N-fixing cyanobacteria is strongly affected by changes in the relative loading rates of N and P. 2. We used a 2 × 2 factorial design with the addition or absence of D. pulicaria and high or low relative loading rates of N and P (+NH4, –NH4) in small enclosures as treatment variables. If Daphnia can strongly affect filamentous cyanobacteria by altering N and P availability, these impacts should be greatest with low external N : P loading rates. The phytoplankton community of L227 was predominantly composed of filamentous Aphanizomenon spp. at the start of the experiment. 3. Daphnia strongly reduced filamentous cyanobacterial density in all enclosures to which they were added. The addition of NH4 had only a small impact on algal community composition. Hence, we conclude that Daphnia did not cause reductions in cyanobacteria by altering the N : P ratio of available nutrients. 4. Despite the lack of evidence that Daphnia affected filamentous cyanobacteria by altering the relative availability of N and P, we found changes in nutrient cycling consistent with other aspects of stoichiometric theory. In the presence of Daphnia, total P in the water column decreased because of an increase in P sedimentation. In contrast to P, a decrease in suspended particulate N was offset by an increase in dissolved N (especially NH4). Hence, dissolved and total N : P ratios in the water column increased with Daphnia as a result of differences in the fate of suspended particulate N versus P. There was minimal accumulation and storage of P in Daphnia biomass in the enclosures. 5. Our experiment demonstrated that Daphnia can strongly limit filamentous cyanobacterial abundance and affect the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients. In our study, changes in nutrient cycling were apparently insufficient to cause the changes in phytoplankton community composition that we observed. Daphnia therefore limited filamentous cyanobacteria by other mechanisms.

Wives, Mothers and Wages: Does Timing Matter?

Abstract: Current trends in marriage and fertility patterns suggest that young Canadian women are delaying family formation and concentrating on developing their careers. It is a well documented fact that the acquisition of job-related skills and significant wage growth is concentrated at the start of workers' careers - which generally coincides with decisions regarding marriage and children. If this is the case, then the timing of marriage and children may be considered proxies for omitted, unobserved characteristics, related to human capital skills, differentiated work history or labour force attachment. Using data from the 1998 Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics, this study provides Canadian evidence on the effect of marital status and parenthood status on the wage rates of Canadian women. As well, this paper attempts to determine whether decisions regarding the timing of family formation influence the wages of women and whether these decisions have a permanent or temporary impact on earnings. The main results of the paper are as follows. After controlling for differences in work history, labour force qualifications and selected job characteristics, there is no association between marital status and wages while the evidence on the relationship between wages and motherhood is mixed. When the timing of children is taken into account, mothers who had their children later in life earned 6.0% more than mothers who had their children early after controlling for a variety of productivity related characteristics. This wage gap between mothers who delay having children and those who have children early is widespread among mothers of all ages yet is greatest among younger Canadian women. There are many possible reasons for this discrepancy, including differences in motivation to pursue training or higher education, the ability to accept promotions and to migrate towards high paying jobs. Interestingly, there is no significant difference in the wages of women that delay having children and women that have no children. There is no significant association between the timing of marriage and wages. The wage advantage associated with elaying parenthood is greater for younger generations of mothers than older generations. This may reflect on the one hand, mothers assuming traditional family roles that may limit their involvement in the labour market. On the other hand, it may reflect important changes in the types of careers available to women of different generations.

Financing Innovation in New Small Firms: New Evidence From Canada

Abstract: This paper investigates the financial characteristics of new small firms. The analysis develops a representative, small-firm financial profile, and evaluates the extent to which the proportionate use of different instruments and sources is correlated with industry-level and firm-specific characteristics. Multivariate methods are then used to examine relationships between financial structure, R&D-intensity and innovation. Our results suggest that relationships between knowledge-intensity and capital structure are bi-directional. After controlling for a range of industry- and firm-level covariates, firms that devote a higher percentage of their investment expenditure to R&D also exhibit less debt-intensive structures. Conversely, debt-intensive structures also act to constrain investments in R&D. These relationships, however, depend upon the type of debt in the asset mix. It is the share of long-term debt to total assets that is negatively related to investments in knowledge.

Productivity Performance and International Competitiveness: An Old Test Reconsidered

Abstract: A modern adaptation of the Ricardian model is used, which incorporates monopolistic competition and multiple factors to derive a MacDougall-type relation between a country's international competitiveness at the industry level and its productivity performance. This relation is implemented empirically for Canada and the United States, using panel data for twenty-five years and forty industries. A key finding is that the Canadian-U.S. productivity ratio is an important determinant of relative shares of Canadian firms in both Canadian and U.S. markets. Trade liberalization between Canada and the United States also plays a significant role in influencing market shares.

The Importance of Entry to Canadian Manufacturing with an Appendix on Measurement Issues

Abstract: Understanding the importance of the dynamic entry process in the Canadian economy involves measuring size of entry. The main purpose of this paper is to summarize the information that we have on the amount of entry in Canada. The paper also fulfills another purpose. Some studies have focused on cross-country comparisons (Geroski and Schwalbach, 1991: OECD, 2001). Interpretation of the results of these studies is difficult unless methodological issues regarding how entry is measured are addressed. Without an understanding of the extent to which different databases produce different results, international comparisons are difficult to evaluate. Cross-country comparisons that are derived from extremely different data sources may be misleading because of the lack of comparability. Since there is more than one reliable database that can be used to estimate entry in Canada, this paper asks how measured entry rates vary across different Canadian databases. By examining the difference in entry rates produced by these databases, we provide an estimate of the range or confidence interval that should be used in evaluating whether there are real differences in measured entry rates across countries. We also offer guidance as to the questions that should be asked about the databases used by researchers who conduct international studies. Finally, we make suggestions as to areas of comparison on which international studies should focus.

Fiscal Policy and the Business Cycle: A New Approach to Identifying the Interaction

Abstract: Murchison and Robbins present an innovative procedure to jointly estimate an indicator of fiscal impact or, equivalently, of the Fiscal Policy Stance (FiPS), and an indicator of the cyclically adjusted budget balance. The procedure is based on the simultaneous estimation of a set of fiscal equations where changes in the main budgetary items are related to changes in the output gap, and of an output equation where changes in the output gap are related to movements in the same budgetary items and in a set of other exogenous determinants. In order to identify the fiscal and the output equations and to control for the simultaneity bias, a generalised method of moments estimator is used. The authors point out that their indicator is more appropriate for the assessment of the fiscal policy stance (in its original meaning, that is “the impact of the budget on the economy”) than the widely used cyclically adjusted budget balance which does not allow for heterogeneous effects on demand across the components of the budget and disregards the impact of automatic stabilisers. An important feature of the procedure is that it allows to derive a measure of the uncertainty surrounding the estimates. However, a number of issues, also common to other indicators, suggest a cautious use of the FiPS.

Too Far To Go On? Distance to School and University Participation

Abstract: This study assesses the role of geographic distance to school in the probability of attending university shortly after high school graduation. Students who grow up near a university can save on costs by staying home to attend the local university, and thus may be more likely to attend. Using the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) and a small (publicly available) database of Canadian university postal codes constructed by the author, the straight-line distance between the homes of high school students prior to graduating and the nearest university is estimated using a special postal code conversion file that calculates the geographic co-ordinates (latitude and longitude) of postal codes. After controlling for family income, parental education, and other factors associated with university participation, students living 'out-of-commuting distance' are far less likely to attend than students living 'within commuting distance' are. Distance also plays a role in the relationship between university participation and its other correlates, such as family income and sex.

The need for a meta-tag standard for audio and visual materials

Abstract: In Canada, as elsewhere around the world, government is trying to move into the Internet Age, to communicate more and more interactively with an everincreasing portion of the electorate and to increase the interoperability of digitized media. The Canadian Government Online Initiative, of which we are a part, is an example of this trend. To facilitate access to our materials, we need metatags, metatags that, by and large were originally set up to deal with print media. Thus, we have been struggling in recent years to apply metadata to a test database of Canadian cultural audio and visual clips that we call "Heritage Line". We have followed many avenues for making our data searchable and accessible. We have used the Dublin Core schema, both with the qualified set of elements as well as the unqualified set. Our problems arose specifically with respect to the elements 'type' and 'format'. Mpeg-7 currently appears to offer a solution to our problem.

The Evolution of Wealth Inequality in Canada, 1984-1999

Abstract: Using data from the Assets and Debts Survey of 1984 and the Survey of Financial Security of 1999, we document the evolution of wealth inequality in Canada between 1984 and 1999. Our main findings are as follows: 1) wealth inequality has increased between 1984 and 1999, 2) the growth in wealth inequality has been associated with substantial declines in real average and median wealth for young couples with children and recent immigrants, 3) real median wealth and real average wealth rose much more among family units whose major income recipient is a university graduate than among other family units, 4) real median and average wealth fell among family units whose major income recipient is aged 25-34 and increased among those whose major income recipient is aged 55 and over, 5) the aging of the Canadian population over the 1984-1999 period has tended to reduce wealth inequality, 6) diverging changes in permanent income do not explain a substantial portion of the growing gap between low-wealth and high-wealth family units. Factors that may have contributed to rising wealth inequality - which cannot be quantified with existing data sets - include differences in the growth of inheritances, inter vivos transfers, rates of return on savings and number of years worked full-time. In particular, rates of return on savings may have increased more for wealthy family units than for their poorer counterparts as a result of the booming stock market during the 1990s.

“Back to the future”: electronic records management in the twenty‐first century

Abstract: Canada has tasked itself with delivering e‐government to its citizens by the year 2005 and the Canadian Government has recognized that improving the management of its information holdings is critical to successfully meeting the challenge. As Canadians become accustomed to online services from the private sector, they expect client‐centric and customized service from government and for government to use business processes that make sense when used in an electronic service delivery environment. Technology’s ability to disseminate information quickly and in large volumes, bring an increased need for transparency to e‐government. E‐government increases the need for visible accountability. This in turn, increases the need for accountability for information produced and used by government. It pushes information management from an invisible back office activity into the front lines of service delivery. This article looks at the evolving accountability for managing information within the public service, and some ...

Foreign Affiliate Trade Statistics - 1999, How Goods and Services are Delivered in International Markets

Abstract: Companies can choose to compete in foreign markets either by producing goods or services in Canada and exporting them to the foreign market or by establishing a commercial presence abroad through foreign affiliates. These foreign affiliates use Canadian financial capital and know-how to produce goods and services for sale in the local foreign market or in other international markets. Foreign Affiliate Trade Statistics (FATS) measure the operations of (i) affiliates of foreign firms in Canada and (ii) affiliates of Canadian firms located abroad. This report covers the activities of foreign affiliates of Canadian multinationals abroad or outward FATS . The catalyst for measuring Foreign Affiliate Trade Statistics was the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) . However, given the increased interest in the overall effects of globalization, the scope of FATS has been expanded to include both goods and services. It is now possible to examine, in a Canadian context, the role of cross-border exports compared to the output of foreign affiliates of Canadian companies. In addition, an analysis can be made of how the goods sector and service sector carry out the delivery of products through each means. Finally, a broad overview can be made of which industries predominant and where these foreign affiliate sales originate.