Government of Canada

About: Government of Canada is a government organization based out in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Monetary policy & Productivity. The organization has 796 authors who have published 886 publications receiving 21366 citations. The organization is also known as: federal government of Canada & Her Majesty's Government.

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 Effect of Mergers in Search Markets: Large Evidence from the Canadian Mortgage Industry

Abstract: We examine the relationship between concentration and price dispersion using variation induced by a merger in the Canadian mortgage market. Since interest rates are determined through a search and negotiation process, consolidation eliminates a potential negotiation partner, weakening consumers bargaining positions. We combine reduced-form techniques to estimate the mergers distributional impact, with a structural model to measure market power across consumers with different search costs. Our results show that competition benefits only consumers at the bottom and middle of the transaction price distribution. Estimates from a search and negotiation model attribute these differences to the presence of large search frictions.

Identifying shifts in maternity den phenology and habitat characteristics of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Baffin Bay and Kane Basin

Abstract: The phenology and habitat selection of polar bear (Ursus maritimus) maternity dens may shift over time in response to changing environmental conditions. We compared maternity den phenology and habitat characteristics using satellite telemetry data from adult female polar bears from the Baffin Bay (BB) (n = 16 dens; 2009–2015) and Kane Basin (KB) subpopulations (n = 3 dens; 2012–2015) to previously published maternity den data from 1991 to 1997 (BB n = 8 dens; KB n = 3 dens). BB maternity denning duration decreased from a mean of 194.1 days (SD = 21.0 days, n = 8) in the 1990s, to a mean of 167.1 days (SD = 27.6 days, n = 16; p = 0.017) in the 2000s. Delayed den entry accounted for shorter denning durations (1990s entry date $$\bar{x}$$ = 7 September; 2000s entry date $$\bar{x}$$ = 5 October; p = 0.018). For dens habitat characteristics of which could be measured, BB maternity dens in the 2000s occurred at higher elevations ( $$\bar{x}$$ = 707.0 m, SD = 284.9 m, n = 15; p = 0.003) and greater slopes ( $$\bar{x}$$ = 23.1°, SD = 7.4°; p = 0.003) than the 1990s (elevation $$\bar{x}$$ ± SD = 351.3 ± 194.5 m, n = 8; slope $$\bar{x}$$ ± SD = 11.9 ± 6.4°). Aspect also significantly differed between the 1990s ( $$\bar{x}$$ = 51.3°) and 2000s BB maternity dens ( $$\bar{x}$$ = 199.7°; Watson’s U 2 p = 0.042). KB dens were not statistically compared due to low sample size (n = 3 dens in both periods). Shifts in sea ice phenology and snow availability may explain the observed changes.

Bioconcentration and disposition of 1,3,6,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin by rainbow trout and fathead minnows

Abstract: Accumulation of 14C-labeled 1,3,6,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) from water by rainbow trout fry (Salmo gairdneri) and fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) was studied using a 5-d uptake and 24 to 48-d depuration period. Average exposure concentrations ranged from 4 to 211 ng/L for 1,3,6,8-TCDD and from 9 to 415 ng/L for OCDD. Equilibrium bioconcentration factors for total 14C in fish, calculated by use of a two-compartment first-order rate model, were 2,100 and 5,702 for 1,3,6,8-TCDD in trout fry and minnows, respectively, and 85 and 2,226 for OCDD in the same species. Elimination rates of both isomers were rapid, with half-lives of 14C ranging from 6 to 9 d for 1,3,6,8-TCDD and from 5 to 13 d for OCDD. The highest concentrations of radiolabeled 1,3,6,8-TCDD and OCDD were found in bile. A metabolite of 1,3,6,8-TCDD in bile was identified as a conjugate of a hydroxylated tetrachloro-derivative. Dietary exposure of rainbow trout resulted in low accumulation factors, ranging from 0.034 for OCDD to 0.018 for 1,3,6,8-TCDD, based on toluene-extractable radioactivity.