Four ways to boost growth without spending money

Many things need to be done to improve Canada’s economy, writes Heather Exner-Pirot, but none gives better value than addressing these issues, which could be done without any new legislation. Photo by Erman Gunes/Getty Images/Postmedia files

Sound the alarm! Break the glass! Do something! Authorities and observers alike are leaving no doubt about the urgency of getting Ottawa to tackle the economic woes of anemic productivity, falling GDP and capital drain.

Indications are the Carney government is planning to spend — pardon me, invest — its way out of the problem. You don’t need an Oxford PhD in economics to know that won’t do the job. Besides: invest what? The cupboard is bare.

Luckily, addressing four regulatory measures would deliver an enormous upside to the Canadian economy