Canada-U.S. Relations

Measuring Parliament’s Attitude towards Canada-U.S. Cooperation

There are few measurable or “hard” indicators of how Canadian policy makers view the deep-rooted Canada-US relationship. To fill this gap, a Fraser Institute paper measures the Parliament of Canada’s inclination towards seeking cooperative or non-cooperative solutions to Canadian-American issues and problems. Read

 

 

International Affairs

Understanding Canada-China Food Trade

In a recent study, the Asia Pacific Foundation’s Milton Boyd seeks to provide information for policymakers and the government, in order to gain an understanding of behind the border trade barriers for food exports to China. After a thorough assessment of the issue, ten steps are then suggested that Canadian stakeholders may wish to consider in order to enhance food exports. Read

 

Responding to North Korea's Nuclear Brinkmanship

Kim Jong-Il's second nuclear test is all the things diplomats and world leaders have said it is—a reckless challenge to the international community, a misguided provocation that endangers the world, a violation of UN Security Council resolutions—but that does not make it a crisis. Ernie Regher of the Centre for International Governance Innovation argues that crisis management focused on short-term tactics is not what is now required with respect to North Korea. Rather, Regher advocates for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and negotiation of a fissile materials treaty. Read

 

Economic Foundations for a Political Crisis in China: 1989 and Today

Dr. Pitman Potter of the Asia Pacific Foundation examines the parallels – and differences – between China’s economic crisis of 1988-89, that fed into the Tiananmen Square disaster, and today’s economic situation. This distinction is revealing of policy differences among leading Chinese thinkers, Potter says. Read

 

Pakistan’s Security Today and Tomorrow / Perspectives d’avenir sur la sécurité du Pakistan

Pakistan faces several complex and interdependent challenges: the country’s history has been marked by political instability, sectarian and tribal violence, as well as regional conflicts with lasting negative effects. For Canada, the deteriorating security situation in Pakistan has several critical implications, according to a conference report from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. A number of ramifications, ranging from the risk of nuclear war and securing regional stability, are discussed. Read | Lire

 

 

Economy

Rating Canada’s Credit Rating Agencies

Credit rating agencies (CRAs) must be independent in order to be effective, says a new report released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The report’s authors, Arthur Donner a Toronto-based economic consultant, and Doug Peters, the former Chief Economist of Toronto- Dominion Bank, are critical of the role CRAs played in the current financial crisis. They suggest that if a new Canada Securities Commission is instituted it should provide for an independent credit ratings system. Read

 

 

Energy / Environment

Oil Sands Media Monitor, Vol. 2009 No. 1

This report is the first in a series tracking coverage of the oil sands through the traditional and internet media. Produced by the Canada West Foundation, these media monitors are aimed at tracking how the oil sands are being perceived from both an environmental and economic perspective. Stories were analyzed with respect to their portrayal of the oil sands; whether in a positive, negative or neutral manner. Read

 

 

Public Policy

A Stable Funding Framework for the Employment Insurance Program

While the public debate over reforms to Employment Insurance (EI) centres on regional fairness in eligibility requirements, it is critical that the EI program remain affordable in good times and bad, according to the C.D. Howe Institute. To avoid pro-cyclical EI premium decreases during booms and harmful premium increases during downturns, the challenge is to create a rate-setting mechanism that would balance the books over the ebbs and flows of economic cycles, and permit yearly EI account balances to vary. The Institute also argues that management of the EI fund must be shielded from political interference. Read

 

Horizons, May 2009

The internationalization of risks, emerging technologies, environmental concerns, new governance instruments, and the rise of activist non-government non-business stakeholders are dramatically modifying the context in which regulations are created and implemented. In this vein, the May 2009 issue of Horizons - Regulatory Strategy from the Government of Canada’s Policy Research Initiative offers articles on critical issues across a wide range of subjects germane to regulatory development. The goal is to encourage discussion and possibly generate new approaches. Read | Lire

 

Prudent Budgeting and Budgetary Process Effectiveness in Canada’s Federal Government

The federal government’s prudent budget planning has been a highly successful tool of fiscal discipline, but it has also led to undesirable outcomes that have undermined the effectiveness of the budgeting process, says Mike Joyce of the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Joyce posits that several factors have caused budget targets to be overshot. To remedy these shortfalls, Joyce argues that Canada must move from a single-year budget target to one that is expressed as a cumulative total over a multi-year period. Read

 

 

Education

The Canadian History Report Card

In a new study, the Dominion Institute examines what provinces and territories teach their students about the country's past. Newfoundland and Labrador tied with Prince Edward Island for last place and was one of four provinces and one territory that received failing grades. Québec, on the other hand, topped the list, receiving a B+ on its Canadian history high school curriculum. British Columbia and Ontario followed Québec with B’s. Of the territories, the Yukon topped the list with a B. Read