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Decline in Economic Freedom Raises a Red Flag for Canada
Cory Morgan
Exigent Witness Fellow
Broadcaster/Western Standard
Source
date
FORMAT
Epoch Times
Oct 12, 2026
Article
topics
Western Values & Democratic Norms
Social Cohesion & Community Impact
Context
In this Epoch Times commentary, Cory Morgan examines Canada’s fall from ninth to 18th place in the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World ranking. Based on 2024 data, the report identifies growth in government, burdensome regulation and reduced freedom to trade internationally as Canada’s main weaknesses. Morgan argues the decline should concern Canadians because countries with greater economic freedom tend to have substantially higher incomes, longer life expectancy and shorter working hours. Although Canada remains far from the lowest-ranked economies, he warns that a nine-place drop signals a sustained movement away from peer countries that better protect enterprise, investment, trade and individual economic choice.
Key Insight
Morgan’s central argument is that Canada’s decline is the cumulative result of policy choices, not an abstract statistical shift. Governments promise growth while adding departments, regulations, subsidies and public ownership. He contends that prosperity requires limiting spending and taxes, shortening permitting timelines, removing unnecessary licensing and trade barriers, and protecting property rights.
Implications For Canadians
For Canadians, declining economic freedom is ultimately felt in daily life: slower wage growth, higher taxes, fewer businesses and jobs, costlier housing, weaker investment and more hours worked for less purchasing power. Morgan warns that continued public indifference allows those pressures to deepen and leaves governments rewarded for announcements instead of measurable economic results.
Related Topics
Decline in Economic Freedom Raises a Red Flag for Canada
Cory Morgan
Oct 12, 2026
Epoch Times
Western Values & Democratic Norms
Social Cohesion & Community Impact
Cory Morgan warns that Canada’s nine-place fall in global economic-freedom rankings reflects expanding government, burdensome regulation and weaker trade freedom—policy choices he argues will reduce investment, opportunity, incomes and living standards unless Canadians demand structural reform.
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