Canada-U.S. Relations

North American Perspectives on Borders and Security

The Centre for International Governance Innovation has posted video presentations from a border and security workshop organized by the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States, the North American Center for Transborder Studies at Arizona State University, and the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University. Topics included security politics, deepening economic integration, and ecological changes. Read

 

 

International Affairs

Pirates Have Rights, Bring in the Police

The policy options left to Canada for prosecution of Somali pirates are complicated and risky, says Patrick Lennox of the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute. He suggests a new way in which Canada can prosecute pirates with far fewer risks. Read

 

The Obama Administration and Iran: Towards a Constructive Dialogue

For much of the last 30 years, official relations between the United States and Iran have been strained, writes Ramin Jahanbegloo of the Centre for International Governance Innovation. Improved dialogue between the two countries could help to improve the situations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, demonstrating how overlapping areas of interest may provide a new path for US-Iran relations. Read

 

China and the Changing World Order: Implications for Canada

A presentation from Paul Evans of UBC’s Liu Institute for Global Studies explores the dynamic nature of Canada-China relations in the modern context. Evans asks: in an emerging power configuration in which Canada and all of our traditional allies are in relative decline, what ideas, initiatives and resources must we generate to warrant a seat at the new tables of influence? Read

 

Rising Temperatures, Rising Tensions: Climate Change and the Risk of Violent Conflict in the Middle East

For Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, climate change threatens to reduce the availability of scarce water resources, increase food insecurity, hinder economic growth and lead to large-scale population movements. This could hold serious implications for peace in the region, says a report from the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Read

 

 

Economy

Is Net Neutrality Economically Efficient?

In November 2008, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) denied a request from the Canadian Association of Internet Providers which wanted Bell Canada to cease its network “traffic-shaping” practices. However, the CRTC has decided to examine the broader issue of traffic management by Internet service providers – and thus indirectly to tackle the issue known as “net neutrality.” The Montreal Economic Institute’s Marcel Boyer assesses the issues surrounding this decision and the economic implications of net neutrality. Read I Lire

 

Labour Force Survey

Following gains in April, employment decreased by 42,000 in May, led by further manufacturing losses in Ontario, according to a Statistics Canada report. The unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percentage points to 8.4%, the highest rate in 11 years. Since the employment peak of last October, employment has fallen by 363,000 or 2.1%. Read

 

 

Energy / Environment

Saving the Seaside

An associate professor of geography at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia is shedding light on how bridges and roadwork can be engineered to protect vulnerable ecosystems in the Bay of Fundy. The details of this professor’s eco efforts are outlined in an InnovationCanada.ca article. Read

 

 

Public Policy

The ‘Ball’ or the ‘Bridge’

The social assistance system in Ontario can either be the ball of string in crazy glue or the old bridge that needs to be replaced, writes John Stapleton of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Stapleton argues that stark social assistance reform is needed in Ontario, in order to avoid the doubling of Ontario’s social assistance population seen in the 1990s. Read

 

Canada Needs To Overhaul Its Information and Secrecy Laws

Craig Forcese of the Institute for Research on Public Policy explores the complex challenges confronting Canada with regard to the post-9/11 security environment and its impact on domestic and international policies. The program examines the interrelationships between new security demands and democratic norms, focusing in particular on the building blocks of a sound democratic model for national security, namely, effective intelligence; capable law enforcement; appropriate, stable laws; good governance; accountability; citizen engagement and public knowledge; emergency response capability; wise economic policy; and public-private-sector partnerships. Read

 

Educational Attainment in Western Canada: Our workforce needs more diplomas and degrees
Although educational attainment in western Canada has been rising in recent years, it still has a long way to go to catch up with other parts of Canada and some of our international competitors according to the Canada West Foundation. The share of the labour force aged 25-54 with post-secondary credentials (certificate, diploma or higher) was about 56% in Manitoba and Saskatchewan in 2007, compared with a national average of 65%.  This east-west gap creates real concerns for all Canadians. Read

 

There’s More to Policy Than Alignment

Evert Lindquist of Canadian Policy Research Networks explores the challenge of policy capacity in government and the needs of decision-makers and the public.  Lindquist seeks to lay a foundation for a discussion and debate on whether Canada is realizing its potential for building policy capability and tapping into potentially policy-relevant research. Read

 

Canadians Celebrate Tax Freedom Day on June 6

Tax Freedom Day came earlier in 2009 than 2008 due to some minor tax relief, according to a Fraser Institute report. However, much of the decline had nothing to do with tax reduction by either the federal or provincial governments. Given the progressive nature of the Canadian tax system, when the economy slows and incomes stagnate or decline, the tax burden of affected families tends to be reduced to a greater extent than their incomes. Read

 

 

Public Opinion

Majority Want EI Expanded, But Don’t Want to Go to the Polls Over It

According to Harris Decima Senior Vice-President Jeff Walker, “EI reform has been a central theme of debate in the House of Commons, and it is clear that many Canadians also feel that EI reform should be on the political agenda”. Read

 

Massive Poll of Canadians

An Ekos survey of Canadians’ vote intentions reveals a see-saw race between the ruling Conservatives and the opposition Liberals, shifting as erratically as the morning’s headlines. Read