Why are so many young Canadians leaving and why are some people suggesting they should be punished for it? In this episode of The Missing Middle, Mike Moffatt and Sabrina Maddeaux break down the growing “brain drain” from Canada to the United States and the shocking proposal that young people who leave should pay a $500,000 exit fee. They dig into what’s really driving this trend: unaffordable housing, stagnant wages, limited career opportunities, and policy decisions that increasingly favour...

Why does it feel like young Canadians can’t get ahead anymore? In this episode, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt break down the growing generational divide in Canada, and why Millennials and Gen Z are being squeezed from both sides. From skyrocketing housing costs to rising taxes and massive government spending on programs like Old Age Security (OAS), the financial pressure on younger Canadians has never been higher. We explore how Canada’s aging population is reshaping the economy, why healthcare...

Canada’s international student program is under fire and the numbers are hard to ignore. In this episode, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down a shocking Auditor General report that uncovered major enforcement failures inside Canada’s immigration system. With over 153,000 potentially non-compliant students flagged and little follow-up from authorities, this isn’t just a bureaucratic slip-up. It raises serious questions about oversight, accountability, and trust. Is this really about g...

Cities across Canada are backing away from upzoning. After agreeing to allow fourplexes and other missing middle housing, municipalities like Calgary, Toronto, Markham, and Windsor are scaling back — or reversing — reforms altogether. What’s behind the pushback, and are YIMBYs losing the as-of-right fight? In this segment, we break down: Why cities are rejecting upzoning after agreeing to it What Calgary’s reversal means for housing reform Why Edmonton is succeeding where others aren’t T...

One year after Mark Carney’s stunning rise to power, how is his government actually performing? In this episode, we break down the biggest political upset in recent Canadian history, from the collapse of a presumed Conservative victory to the Liberals’ unexpected dominance. Is Carney delivering where it counts? We grade the government’s performance across the issues that matter most to Canadians: The rising cost of living and inflation The worsening housing affordability crisis A fragile j...

Climate change isn’t topping Canadians’ priority lists anymore, but that doesn’t mean people have stopped caring. New polling shows only 13% of Canadians now rank climate change as a top personal issue, down sharply from 2019. With affordability, housing, and the economy dominating attention, it’s easy to think climate action has fallen off the radar. But the data tells a more complicated story. In this episode, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt break down new surveys from Abacus Data and Ipsos ...

Rents are finally falling across Canada. But will it last? In this episode of Classonomics, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down new data from the CMHC showing rising vacancy rates, record rental supply, and the first meaningful relief for tenants in years. They explore why an influx of new housing and slower population growth are pushing rents down, and what that reveals about how housing markets actually work. But the conversation goes deeper: from the real impact of immig...

Young Canadians are now less happy than seniors, and the gap is getting worse. The latest World Happiness Report shows Canadians under 30 have fallen to 71st in the world for life satisfaction, while Canada’s overall ranking has dropped from 5th to 25th. In this episode, Mike Moffatt and Cara Stern break down what’s driving the decline — from housing affordability and falling “option freedom” to expectations, social media, and why the drop is concentrated in countries like Canada, the U.S., t...

Canada has a massive problem: our national productivity is near the bottom of the G7. Decades of government policies, from free trade to tax cuts, haven't worked. Why? Because policymakers are focused on greed (incentives) and not enough on fear (competition and risk). We dive into the core failure of Canadian economic policy, exposing how corporate welfare and easy access to foreign workers kill innovation. Plus, hear the shocking truth about why Canadian retailers won't stock products f...

If birth rates are falling, is it really because people want fewer kids—or because they feel like they can’t afford them? In this episode, Cara Stern and Mike Moffatt unpack the growing gap between “preference” and “choice” when it comes to starting a family. From the rising financial and social costs of raising children to the pressure of modern parenting norms, they explore why having kids today feels harder, even for people who say they want them. The conversation dives into everything fr...