Cities in Crisis Need Urgent Federal Support | Policy Magazine
June 19, 2020 | The unfolding economic and public health crisis caused by COVID-19 has revealed cracks in healthcare while underscoring the challenges of Canada's decentralized fiscal federalism. With cities facing increased service delivery pressures and a steep decline in revenues, provinces must invest in municipal economic development on equal footing with the federal government.
When It’s Measured, it Matters: Disaggregated Race Data in Canada | Policy Magazine
June 17, 2020 | For years, advocates have been criticizing the Canadian government for neglecting to implement race-based data collection in policing, the justice system, health care, education, and employment. This kind of disaggregated data is essential for policy makers, as it exposes hidden data trends and establishes the scope of systemic inequality. In this Policy Magazine article, MPP candidate
COVID-19 and Canada’s Charities: An Existential Funding Crisis | Policy Magazine
June 18, 2020 | From food banks to women’s shelters, the COVID-19 pandemic has left Canada’s charitable sector overstretched and underfunded like never before. Less funding means less operational capacity at a moment when demand for social services is anything but flattening.
Fixing the Mess of Ottawa’s LRT — All Aboard for Policy that Works | Policy Magazine
June 16, 2020 | In 2007, the City of Ottawa adopted an Accountability and Transparency Policy, which outlined seven municipal governance principles to promote transparency.
It’s Time for Big Ideas – Time for a First Nations Universal Basic Income Program | Policy Magazine
June 15, 2020 | In Canada, First Nations people experience lower health, social, and education outcomes than non-First Nations Canadians across the board. These vulnerabilities have only been exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Three rules for post-pandemic corporate rescues | Financial Post
June 3, 2020 | Given the early-warning signal from bank earnings last week, we should be expecting a wave of business failures in the months ahead, and demands for taxpayer assistance will soon follow. Now is the time for governments to commit to clear principles to guide their response. In this Financial Post article, Max Bell School Director Chris Ragan and Dr. Paul Boothe explain how we can use lessons from the financial crisis of 2008-09.
Canada needs a new prescription for the pandemic recession | Maclean's
June 2, 2020 | The spread of the COVID-19 virus has resulted in a severe — and unique — recession, which continues to ravage many corners of the Canadian economy. What makes the current "pandemic" recession so different from a "normal" recession, and how should government policy reflect this reality? In this Maclean's article, Max Bell School Director Chris Ragan and Dr. Paul Boothe break down the role of governments and the shortcomings of conventional stimulus in this pandemic context.
The Liberals and NDP have embraced contempt for Parliament | The National Post
June 1, 2020 | Recently, a two party agreement was reached in Parliament: the NDP supported the Liberals’ motion to suspend regular sittings of Parliament until September, while the Liberals promised to push for a federal policy guaranteeing 10 days of paid sick leave to workers. Given the social distancing guidelines espoused by health experts, is the continued suspension of in-person Parliamentary proceedings actually in the interest of public health?
Engineering a ‘green recovery’ is a terrible idea | The Globe and Mail
June 1, 2020 | In the coming weeks, the federal government is expected to begin crafting a stimulus package to lift Canada out of the economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on which cabinet ministers have been assigned to the project, it seems clear the Liberals want to incorporate their climate goals into the package, addressing climate change and economic recovery at the same time. Is a stimulus package the best way to deal with a pandemic recession?
COVID-19 pandemic unites Canadians like no other event in recent history: study | CTV News
May 25, 2020 | The study co-led by Professor Taylor Owen found that among Canadians, there is cross-partisan consensus on the threat the virus poses and measures that need to be taken to battle it. The study also found that when there isn’t a consensus – which is the case in the United States – compliance with physical distancing guidelines is undermined, which poses an obvious threat.
Opinion: Support Canadians now, but not at the expense of our future | The National Post
May 21, 2020 | In light of the pandemic, governments have moved quickly to support hard-hit workers and businesses. This provision of economic “relief” is different from conventional “stimulus” common during normal recessions. Whereas stimulus policies are all about getting people back to work and businesses back to normal levels of operation, the current relief policies are about replacing people’s incomes while they are safely isolating at home.
Forget about schools – open the summer camps in spring | The Globe and Mail
May 6, 2020 | Camps are the solution to many of the problems the school reopening is designed to solve, while significantly mitigating the risks of exposure and transmission. Going to camp gets children out of the house and lets their parents return to work.” Andrew Potter, Associate Professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy, explains how mass childcare and summer camps are a precursor to restarting the economy in the face of COVID-19.
The coronavirus is costing us more than just our health and economy | The Conversation
May 6, 2020 | “Civil liberties are not designed only for times of peace and stability. They assume special, even critical, importance during public emergencies.” In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and emergent lockdown policies, Pearl Eliadis discusses the importance of upholding civil liberties.
Do not allow Saudi Arabia’s flogging ban to distract from the repression that still exists | The Globe and Mail
April 30, 2020 | In this op-ed, Irwin Cotler argues that while the recent reforms in Saudi Arabia should be welcomed, the international community, Canada included, cannot give Saudi Arabia a pass.
Give me liberty, and give me death? The enduring legacy of America’s penchant for freedom | The Globe and Mail
April 23, 2020 | For centuries Americans have battled others, and each other, in the name of freedom, sometimes weaponizing the word, sometimes twisting the notion out of recognition. David Shribman comments on the shifting definition of American liberty, and what it means in the context of the current protests against COVID-19 lockdown measures.
