Canada-U.S. Relations

After Obama’s First One Hundred Days

After a hundred days of the Obama administration, the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute follows up on its January paper, with a progress report on the “Ottawa Agenda.”  Read

 

The Year-Over-Year Decline in Southbound Freight at the Canada-U.S. Border

Around the world, freight shipments declined markedly in the final quarter of 2008 as global economic conditions worsened. The Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University examines the decline in goods entering the U.S. from Canada, focusing primarily on the land ports-of-entry: rail and truck modes.  Read

 

2010 Olympics: Border Challenges and Regional Solutions
A webcast has been posted for an event hosted by the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Canada Institute entitled Border Challenges and Regional Solutions: 2010 Olympics and the Pacific Northwest Experience. The event focused on how northern Border States and Canadian provinces are developing regional solutions to meet federal border mandates in a manner that balances efficiency, economic, and security objectives. Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Minister of State for Sport Gary Lunn delivered opening remarks; Governor Christine Gregoire (D-WA) gave the keynote luncheon address.  Watch

 

 

International Affairs

What Do Canadians Need to Know about Chinese Politics?

At a recent University of Toronto conference entitled “Political Change in China,” Paul Evans of the University of British’s Columbia Liu Institute gave a speech providing three specific policy recommendations on how China experts can more concretely influence the setting of policy on Canada-China relations by the Harper government.  Read

 

Fraser Forum May 2009

Fraser Forum is a monthly review of public policy in Canada by the Fraser Institute, with articles covering taxation, education, health care policy, and a wide range of other topics. This issue includes articles Canada’s mission in Afghanistan, reforming the human rights commission, Canada’s growing economic relations with China, and tax policy.  Read

 

 

Economy

IRPP Fellow Testifies Before the Senate

Jeremy Leonard, Senior Fellow of the Institute for Research on Public Policy testified May 5 before the Senate Standing Committee on National Finance. His testimony focused on the 2009 Budget Implementation Act, particularly the Employment Insurance provisions. Read

 

Viewpoint on the Debt of the Quebec Government

With less tax being collected, and spending on the rise because of higher program costs, David Descôteaux, an economist at the Montreal Economic Institute, asks whether the Quebec government’s finances can hold up without unduly raising the debt. Descôteaux examines the Quebec government’s debt, not to pass judgment on its size, but to supply objective data that can help identify potential dangers.  Read I Lire

 

 

Public Policy

Potential Impacts of the Métis Human Resources Development Agreements

Since 1999, thousands of Métis have received training and found employment through Métis Human Resources Development Agreements (MHRDAs). In a new study prepared for the Métis National Council and released by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, Jean-François Arsenault and Andrew Sharpe estimate the costs and benefits of the program, concluding that the return from the MHRDA for Canadian society appears to be well worth the investment.  Read

 

Winnipeg:  Becoming a City Where Everyone Belongs

Formed in the summer of 2007, the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council is capitalizing on the experience and reputation of its members to address serious poverty issues in the city.  The Caledon Institute of Social Policy presents the Council’s framework for achieving its goal of realizing a bright, inclusive future for all Winnipeg residents.  Read

 

An Enhanced and More Accessible Home Support System for B.C.’s Seniors

Home support services improve quality of life for frail seniors and people with chronic conditions or disabilities, according to Iglika Ivanova in a paper released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Ivanova lays out three policy recommendations that would strengthen and expand home support in a practical and cost-effective way.  Read

 

More Women on Boards

Though more women are now invited to become directors, they are still under-represented on boards, observes Richard Leblanc of York University. He discusses why this situation persists and suggests a series of steps that would-be women directors can take to enhance their chances.   Read

 

Extra Earning Power

Getting a university degree offers substantial financial returns, for women more so than men and for undergraduate degrees more so than advanced degrees, according to a study released by the C.D. Howe Institute. Authors Karim Moussaly-Sergieh and François Vaillancourt report that high returns to education signal high labour demand in particular fields relative to supply, information which is helpful for policymakers who distribute funds and for students who must choose their specialty.  Read

 

 

Energy and Environment

Survey of Emerging Nuclear Energy States

To what extent is the purported revival in nuclear energy taking place? What is its nature? Which countries are emerging as new producers of nuclear energy, and what progress have they made to date? In an attempt to answer these questions, the Centre for International Governance Innovation has released the Survey of Emerging Nuclear Energy States.  Read

 

 

Science and Technology

Equality of the Sexes?

Women have a more powerful immune system than men, claims a new study from the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. The report’s author, Dr. Maya Saleh, found that women’s naturally produced estrogen seems to block the production of an enzyme called Caspase-12, which itself blocks the inflammatory process. The presence of estrogen would therefore have a beneficial effect on innate immunity, which represents the body's first line of defence against pathogenic organisms.  Read

 

Spinal Intrigue

Disc-related back pain affects an estimated 50,000 Canadians. Because such pain has a severe impact on a person’s mobility and quality of life, it costs the economy between $5 billion and $10 billion annually. Christopher Hunter of the University of Calgary is currently one of only a handful of researchers worldwide investigating the role of specialized cells known as notochordal cells, which help build spinal discs in the human embryo. He is also conducting leading-edge research into how new tissue-engineering technologies might be used to grow a living disc in the lab that could then be used to replace a failing one.  Read