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Prime Minister Mark Carney has indicated his government will undertake a spending review as part of a goal to reduce the federal deficit. It will include whether the federal public service meets the needs of Canadians. This Policy Paper explores the growth of the public service during the last 10 years.
Canada’s relationship with the U.S. is complex, asymmetrical, and fundamental to Canada’s economic prosperity. It is also entering a period of great uncertainty that requires a fundamental rethinking of Canada’s diplomatic engagement with the U.S.
The global economy is facing major instability, especially due to the Trump administration’s trade policies, which have permanently disrupted free trade with the U.S. and the global trading system. Canada must act quickly with bold policy changes to stay competitive and find new export markets.
The threat of tariffs has dominated minds across Canada since the US government proposed them more than two months ago. They are causing a distressing and, perhaps, unnecessary concern among Canadians, mostly about the chaos that the uncertainty is creating.
One of the most pressing issues we have in the province of Saskatchewan is to increase the number and quality of our connections with each other.
Donald Trump and those around him represent an assault on American democracy, and a threat to global stability. Canadians must understand that the country next door, long considered an ally has become an adversary that can no longer be trusted.
Municipal governments in Saskatchewan face significant challenges. An over reliance on property taxes, coupled with the need to address expanding social issues, service to citizens and infrastructure challenges has put enormous fiscal pressure on municipalities. It’s time to consider solutions that will make municipal governance more sustainable.
The election of Donald Trump in 2015 was viewed by many as an aberration in American politics. Not so with his second coming, and the sweeping extent of his victory – the popular vote, the Electoral College, the Senate, the House and the support of Silicon Valley tech titans.
The Government of Canada recently identified a site in Ontario for the storage of spent nuclear fuel. The decision opens the door to Canada becoming fully engaged in the nuclear fuel cycle. To date, Canada’s role in nuclear power has been limited to the mining, manufacturing natural-uranium fuel bundles for CANDU reactors, and export of uranium as well as the commercial development and sale of nuclear reactors. There have been no legal impediments for Canada to engage in the full nuclear fuel cycle. Rather, the absence of clear policies on enrichment and reprocessing has impeded the domestic development of important related technologies.
One of the most challenging and divisive public policy issues in Canada is the federal government's Equalization program. It seeks to ensure provinces have the fiscal capacity to deliver programs to their citizens on a roughly comparable basis. The formula to determine what provinces qualify to receive federal Equalization payments is by its nature a source of controversy. Recently Newfoundland and Labrador launched the latest court challenge to Equalization. In this Policy Paper for the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS), Louis Levesque, considered one of Canada's leading experts on Equalization, does a deep dive into the economic and regional considerations that lie at the heart of the issue.
Our policies both foreign and domestic are indeed taking place in turbulent times. If there ever really was, there is certainly no real divide now possible between the policies that happen at home, and those that take place beyond our borders.
In August 2023, the Saskatchewan government enacted a policy pursuant to the Education Act. Titled "Use of Preferred First Name and Pronouns by Students," the policy requires schools to obtain parental consent for students under 16 before using their chosen name, gender identity, or gender expression.
There is no escaping today’s reality: more and more the challenges of democracy are in the headlines. It is evident around the world, whether in the presidential campaign unfolding in the U.S., in the unrest evidenced in the wake of Venezuela’s recent election, or in the rise of populist authoritarian figures across Europe, and elsewhere. Long considered the bedrock of western society, democracy itself is now often being questioned.
In 1996, Harvard University professor Robert Putnam gave the annual Manion Lecture in Ottawa, sponsored by the Canadian Centre for Management Development. The title of his address was The Decline of Civil Society: How Come? So What? It was four years before the release of Putnam’s book Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, a seminal work that to this day remains a defining and insightful analysis on the decline of civil society in the United States.
Reaching the global target of net zero GHG emissions by 2050 represents one of the biggest public policy challenges ever undertaken. The magnitude of the task, which amounts to retooling the global economy in the next 25 years, cannot be overstated. Nor can the importance of achieving the goal to avoid what can be catastrophic climate consequences for future generations. This Policy Brief uses the perspectives of experts to detail the specifics of the challenge we face.
During the past few years, it has become clear that Canada's healthcare system is facing a human resource and subsequently, a health services crisis. As a result, we are witnessing a growth in health inequities due to an increasing disparity in access to health services.
Everywhere you look in Canada the health care system seems overwhelmed and barely able to cope with demand. We’ve all either heard the grim litany, witnessed it, or experienced it personally: excessive and often punishing wait times, shortage of skilled professions, burnout of health care professionals and support staff, inexorably rising costs that are putting pressure on government budgets.
Canada faces significant challenges including weak per capita income growth, soaring government spending, and strained international relations, leading to diminishing public trust. There is an urgent need for a more efficient and accountable government to address these issues and navigate the complexities of the modern world.
The intricate interplay between urban design, health, and equity has emerged as a critical focal point in pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11, which seeks to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
A new strain of economic nationalism is reshaping policies in the world’s two largest economies – the U.S. and China – and risks infecting the rest of us. This bout of nationalism coincides with profound structural changes in the global economy, a looming energy transition and intense strategic competition between America and China, making its future path highly uncertain and extremely difficult to navigate. It is an emerging risk to the global economy and Canada is not immune.
Saskatchewan has a significant endowment of critical minerals and Rare Earth Elements. With the right policies the province can become a major player in the supply chain for development of low-carbon, clean, and renewable energy technologies needed to address climate change.
The price of potash doubled in 2022, adding $10 billion to the value of Saskatchewan's pink gold. But the provincial government collected only a quarter of this windfall. This policy paper highlights the need to improve royalties and taxes to ensure a fair return for the people of Saskatchewan.
Nationalism is a powerful political force in countries as different as Canada, Belgium, Spain and the UK. In federal states, nationalist movements typically work to augment the autonomy of their community, often with some degree of success.
The health of the Saskatchewan economy is an issue of active debate, usually leading to a discussion on how to improve the province’s economic growth and employment performance. There is often little or no agreement on either topic. The slowdown in Saskatchewan’s economic growth over the past decade demands that a more informed and inclusive discussion occurs.
As the spectre of a climate crisis casts an increasingly worrisome global shadow, Canada has started to take action, setting a goal to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To reach this target, the government is charting its course through the adoption of clean energy.
We might wonder if the economic trajectories of nations are determined by “laws of growth”, much as the law of gravity determines the trajectories of stars and planets. Clearly there are no laws of economic growth that approach the precision, universality, and permanence of the laws of physics. But if we stand back and observe the economic growth paths of nations from a sufficiently long-term, global perspective, certain significant regularities emerge. The purpose of this essay is to elaborate this claim as well as some of its implications for Canada’s economic performance looking forward.
Public administration organizes policy areas into separate departments or silos for the sake of order and efficiency, resulting in ‘departmentalism’, ‘tunnel vision’, and ‘single purpose organizations’. To meet the diverse needs of vulnerable children and youth, collaboration across various service delivery organizations is vital. Understanding how these collaborations are formed/structured, governed, and evolved is crucial for the effective collaborative efforts in the future.
The sixtieth anniversary of Medicare (Boan 2006) came and went last year with almost no fanfare. The lack of celebration is not difficult to understand. While surveys indicate Canadians value their public health care system, it is also clear the system is struggling, and many are skeptical that recent funding agreements between the federal government and the provinces hold out much hope for radical improvement.
People who are trans and gender diverse (PTGD) are a medically underserved population in Saskatchewan. An overburdened healthcare system has struggled to provide access to care of any kind for PTGD, let alone care that is inclusive and non-judgmental. There are also social and legal barriers—strictures within the healthcare system itself—that further impede access to care.
In all communities, whether defined by race, ethnicity, or class, an important dimension in explaining social pathologies, such as homicide and suicide, is low employment.
The global impacts of climate change have become increasingly evident. Whether it's massive flooding in Pakistan, drought and rapidly declining river flows across Europe and the U.S., more intense hurricane activity, or forest wildfires, the scale of the climate change challenge is coming into a stark focus. So too has the urgent need to address the complex problem of climate change through significant Greenhouse Gas Emission (GHG) reductions.
Few Canadians would disagree with the statement that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, probably Canada’s most iconic institution, is in trouble. But beyond a cacophony of public concerns over recent operational failures, there is much less consensus on either the cause or the cure.
The commitment of Canadians to a publicly funded, universally accessible health care system is beyond question. But the failure of the system to meet the needs and expectations of the public has become abundantly apparent.
Take your pick how you want to describe the so-called Truckers Convoy, whether you feel sympathetic or repelled, one thing is certain—in the eyes of the world Canada’s stature has been damaged.
To grasp fully the context of reconciliation with Indigenous people in Canada, it’s important to understand that the choices of Indigenous people as where to live have changed over the past two decades. Doing so puts into clearer perspective the roles that federal and provincial governments need to play in a coordinated manner if real progress is to be made.
The fundamental reason democracies avoid “serious” climate change policy is that the majority of the electorate rarely give a high priority to events that occur beyond one or two decades. Mark Carney has labeled this problem as the “tragedy of the horizon”.
The effect of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) on educational institutions has been well documented, with activities of educational institutions across the globe being significantly affected by this pandemic. In particular, the evidence shows that the pandemic has had a significant detrimental impact on both educators’ and student mental health, with anxiety and depression rates climbing quickly.
Late this month, approximately 25,000 people representing more than 200 nations will gather in Glasgow, Scotland to tackle yet again the climate challenge facing the world. The Conference of the Parties, known as COP 26, has set four goals. Clearly the most important and overarching is for the world to reach net zero emissions by 2050 so that we can limit the increase in the global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It presents a herculean task. Based on the evidence of the last four decades following the first such climate summit in 1979, there is little reason for optimism.
This policy brief considers efforts made by a series of northern Swedish communities to build sustainable jobs and businesses beyond traditional northern economic activities in the age of rapid technological transformation. It has been adapted from a longer article published in the Journal of Northern Studies.
The argument that power has steadily become more centralized is nothing new. However, the potential harm that today’s scope and scale of centralization poses for our Westminster system government is, and deserves greater public scrutiny and discussion. Elections are an opportune time for such a reconsideration by all political parties.
Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and related technologies offer important opportunities for society, from medical care to driverless cars. But these technologies also raise troubling implications, including the potential for hidden biases, unexplainable decisions, the undermining of individual rights, widespread job displacement, and environmental impacts.
Canada’s interests are ill-served by wishful politics.
Often governments get siloed in their thinking. They become so immersed in how they traditionally approach public policy issues that they fail to broaden their perspectives in search of new insights. This habit, which misses opportunities in a business-as-usual world, becomes a real risk in times of rapid change.
The social isolation of older adults, especially those living with dementia, is a global challenge and Canada is no exception. Most factors that contribute to social isolation among older adults are systemic, such as the stigma of dementia, ageism, poverty, and inadequate access to resources and supports.
This Policy Brief examines whether there are lessons to be learned from how Australia ensured industry-related public goods in its domestic grains sector as it transitioned to a more de-regulated market from the single-desk marketing regime of the Australian Wheat Board.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
On January 26th, 2021 the Government of Saskatchewan announced it would be ending the use of birth alerts in the province, following the calls to justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Although this is one step towards combating stigma against Indigenous parenthood and the policies that work to remove Indigenous children from their families, homes, and communities, there is still much to be done to address ongoing harms and to advance reproductive justice for Indigenous Peoples in Saskatchewan.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
Written by Peter Nicholson, this Policy Brief seeks to provide an answer and, on that basis, to suggest the outline of a policy agenda to fulfill Joe Biden's pledge to heal America.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
Beyond policy is implementation. Too often what people believe to be good policy fails not because the policy itself is misguided, but because its application is flawed by lack of planning, organization and execution. This Policy Brief takes a different approach.
Often, the best way to approach a policy challenge, especially one as fraught as climate change, is to start with a question. Or, in this case, three questions. It tends to focus the mind.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
This is a précis of a longer monograph recently published by the C.D. Howe Institute. It is freely available at www.cdhowe.org
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
In 2017, the federal government announced its commitment to develop a national food policy for Canada that will emphasize “community bonding”. The assertion is that “food connects us. It brings us together”. Significant policy efforts and investments in food innovation were launched more than three years ago. How have things changed since then?
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
Over the past decade, cyber security has emerged as a crucial dimension of Canada’s national security policymaking. Its importance will only increase as Canada completes the transition to fifth generation (5G) telecommunications infrastructure.
This is a précis of a longer monograph recently published by the C.D. Howe Institute. It is freely available at www.cdhowe.org
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
Few, if any, areas of the Canadian economy have been hit as hard as tourism, particularly the kind of adventure recreation for which this country is justifiably famous. From wildlife excursions in the High Arctic to white water rafting expeditions in the Rocky Mountains, fishing trips to Northern Quebec and Northern Ontario, canoeing trips along the Churchill River, and kayaking cultural journeys in Haida Gwaii, Canada has emerged one of the world’s most diverse and exciting destinations for wilderness adventurers. Until 2020, that is.
This issue of JSGS Policy Brief is part of a series dedicated to exploring and providing evidence-based analysis, policy ideas, recommendations and research conclusions on the various dimensions of the pandemic, as it relates here in Canada and internationally.
Over the last century, Indigenous communities have had generation after generation of young leaders stolen from them. It started with waves of epidemic diseases that killed tens of thousands of people and undermined First Nations for decades, leaving them seriously weakened. Residential schools subsequently removed thousands of Indigenous youth and later returned the young people to their communities, hurt and alienated from their cultures.
When our society has faced existential crises in the past, we have banded together to overcome the challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic is one such threat that requires not only a cohesive effort, but also enormous trust, to follow public health guidelines, maintain social distance, and share basic necessities. Are democratic societies with civil liberties capable of doing this?
The provinces are struggling.
Energy transitions have been among the key defining processes of human evolution.
Politicians and public servants are immersed in one of the most challenging non-war situations in a century. The novel coronavirus has tied the world in a series of policy knots that start with public health and national safety, and sweep across global transportation and employment, to deficit financing and fundamental questions about the role of government in society.
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world how interconnected we all are, and how much we need (and depend) on each other. In Canada, it has been heart-warming to see the responses of people who face very little personal risk from the virus nevertheless work together to protect the elderly and other vulnerable members of our communities. The situation has also highlighted that Canadians still place a lot of faith in our government and institutions, and that we are willing to act quickly and collectively to ensure that our health care system does not become overwhelmed.
Open Banking promises to empower consumers by giving them easy control over their financial data.
It’s been called a crisis, a scourge, an epidemic, a blight that is corroding the social fabric, destructive to families and individuals. Go ahead, pick your description. When it comes to the use of methamphetamine—or crystal meth—any or all of the above apply.
In all the post-election hand-wringing, angst and analysis about western alienation these days, the most surprising thing is some people are genuinely surprised it has come to this. At least they seem that way in Ontario and Quebec. It kind of tells you all you need to know about how we find ourselves in this situation.
The global mining industry, like so many other economic sectors, is in the midst of a technological revolution. What has long been considered a mature industry is going through a wave of technology-driven disruption. So transformational are the changes that there is not even useful language to capture the scope of what is taking place.
As we mark the 75th anniversary of the Bretton Woods conference, which under American, British and Canadian leadership established the postwar international architecture of a rules-based global trading system and the institutions to support it (IMF, World Bank, WTO, parts of the UN), it is timely to ask a critical question. Specifically, whether the astounding growth in globalization Bretton Woods nurtured and supported has reached its peak and, if so, what might be the implications.
Fifth generation wireless telecommunications technology, commonly referred to as 5G, could provide an important foundation for the future of Saskatchewan’s rural areas and the application of advanced technology to industries like agriculture, and long-promised advances in telemedicine. But central to the development of Canada’s 5G system is the role that the equipment from the Chinese firm Huawei will play. With the United States lobbying Canada to follow it in banning Huawei from its 5G infrastructure, tensions between Canada and China on this and other fronts require the Canadian government to tread carefully. Where domestic policy and international politics collide, hard choices emerge. The risk assessment currently underway in Canada should guide Canada’s decision making on what to do about Huawei and 5G, though the inherent uncertainties in this case ultimately require what could be a costly decision.
One thing is certain. The climate is going to change in Canada in the coming weeks and months when it comes to the climate change issue. It will get hotter. You can count on the debate, such as it is, intensifying as the nation heads towards an October election. And so it should, especially when the world faces an existential threat that is now officially deemed an “urgent climate crisis” by a motion of the House of Commons. For the purposes of the electorate passing judgment on the preferred policy to address climate change, the partisan battle lines are now well drawn.
There is considerable debate over the contribution of universities to the new world of work. It’s a world often characterized as precarious and volatile, with generally increasing skill requirements. There are many stories of university graduates being unemployed or not working to their potential. Yet the imperfect evidence available indicates that, on average, graduates do well.
The question of value for money is central to any public policy consideration. Given its scale, coupled with its critical social and economic impact, education ranks as one of the most important and challenging policies for analysis.
Saskatchewan Assured Income for Disability (SAID) was intended as an income support program for people with severe and prolonged disabilities. It has already expanded well beyond this target group, and continues to spread as time passes.
Potash production has long been important to the Saskatchewan economy. Consider: In 2017, exports of potash from Saskatchewan amounted to over $5.0 billion as compared to a Gross Domestic Product for the province as a whole of $79.5 billion that same year. According to the Mining Association of Canada, the province’s 10 producing potash mines have undergone significant investment activity, and the association identifies $9 billion in “recent” investments in the industry’s capacity.
Throughout its history, Canada has depended on its bounty of natural resources. Quite simply, natural resources have been the backbone of the nation’s economy.
According to the United Nations Population Fund, one out of three women worldwide reports having been a victim of gender-based physical or sexual violence (United Nations Population Fund, 2018).
A major preoccupation of people in government is policy innovation. More specifically, it’s how to inject new ideas and ways of doing things that result in policy with innovative and positive outcomes. It’s simple to say, but hard to do.
The dispute between the governments of Alberta, British Columbia and Canada over the proposed Trans-Mountain pipeline presents a compelling case study on a fundamental challenge that faces all governments, namely how to reconcile policy and politics. The reality is that good policy must also be sustainable politically.
Trade is a cornerstone of Canada’s economy and society. The very idea of Canada was formed on the need to create a union based on trade and commerce.
After two years of anticipation and competition, the federal government announced Feb 15 the five winning “superclusters” designed to spur economic development and innovation in Canada. Since then there has been a heated debate in the media, in boardrooms, within and among governments and in the academic community about the value and potential impact of such a large investment program.
When it comes to judging a public policy approach, the starting point is to agree there is a reality that, based on existing social and economic norms, is unacceptable. With that as context, ask yourself this question: what has been, and continues to be, the biggest public policy failure in Canada? By any objective measure the answer has to be Indigenous and Aboriginal policy.
In 2015, as part of his mandate letters, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau identified the development of a Social Finance and Social Innovation Strategy as a priority. With Canada facing persistent challenges in vulnerable social areas, the federal government committed to exploring innovative financial approaches to address complex social problems. In June of 2017, it struck a steering group of 16 experts from community, philanthropic, financial and research sectors, to assist in the development of this strategy. The steering group’s first consultation document, which was released in September, 2017, outlines the strategy’s proposed vision and six areas for action to advance social innovation and finance.
The looming legalization of recreational cannabis is a policy decision by the Government of Canada that has far-reaching social and economic implications.
