Canada-U.S. Relations

Stable Banks, Stable Finance: The Canadian Experience

Unique aspects of the Canadian banking system allowed Canada to better withstand the recent financial crisis than the United States, said Michael Wilson, Canadian Ambassador to the United States, at an event hosted by the Canada Institute and Economic Studies Program of the Brookings Institution. The program examined Canada’s financial system, particularly its approach to financial market regulation, and explored whether aspects of the Canadian model could be adopted in other countries. Wilson was joined on the panel by Barry Bosworth and Douglas Elliot of the Brookings Institution; Nick Le Pan, former Canadian Superintendent of Financial Institutions; and Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of Canada. Read

Campaign Finance in Canada and the US: Policies, Powers, and Prospects

Written by Clayton Peoples of the University of Nevada, Reno and featured by the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States, a new paper presents a comparative analysis of campaign financing in both Canada and the U.S. Peoples argues that there is considerable room for more campaign finance reform in both countries. Yet as long as political scandals continue to splash the headlines, and as long as the public remains cynical of the present campaign finance system, reform efforts will likely be pursued, he says. Read

The International Watershed Initiative: Implementing a New Paradigm

The Canada Institute and the Environmental Change and Security Program recently hosted secretary of the U.S. Section of the International Joint Commission (IJC), Charles Lawson, and senior advisor to the IJC, Willem Brakel. They shared their thoughts on the recent report, Third Report to Governments on the International Watershed Initiative (IWI), which assessed recent progress and accomplishments, and outlined the future direction of the IWI. The video and summary of the event are available here.

Median Wages and Productivity Growth in Canada and the United States

In a new report from the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, author Peter Harrison compares wages and productivity in Canada and the U.S. He concludes that a rise in inequality is a much more important factor for the divergence between the growth rates of labour productivity and real wages in the two countries. He also suggests that inequality is a key driver of the divergence between the growth of real wages and labour productivity. Read

International Affairs

Security Sector Reform Monitor: Afghanistan and Haiti

Despite an infusion of resources and an acceleration of programming over the past year, Afghanistan’s security sector reform (SSR) process continues to face enormous challenges amidst an adverse security environment, claims Mark Sedra of the Centre for International Governance Innovation. The latest edition of the Security Sector Reform Monitor tracks developments and trends in the ongoing SSR processes of Afghanistan, as well issues related to penal reform and corruption in Haiti’s security sector. Read Afghanistan I Read Haiti

The Impact of "Populism" on Social, Political, and Economic Development

Vladimir Torres of the Canadian Foundation for the Americas examines the underlying threats to democratic institutions posed by neo-populism in Latin America and the challenges this poses to a donor country such as Canada. Read

Canadian Arctic Sovereignty and Security in a Transforming Circumpolar World

Given the transformation of the Arctic, and the consequent challenges to Canadian Arctic sovereignty, the protection of this region is essential to the provision of Canadian Arctic security. To this end, Rob Huebert of the Canadian International Council advocates for enhanced Canadian surveillance and enforcement capability and better cooperation with neighbouring Arctic countries, among other measures. Read

Economy

Canada’s “He-cession”

Prime working age men are bearing the brunt of Canada's recession, says a new report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. According to the report, 71% of those who have lost their jobs in the recession so far are men. Moreover, Canada's unemployment gender gap is wider now than at any time since Statistics Canada began collecting monthly gender unemployment statistics in 1976. Read

Energy / Environment

Oil Sands Media Monitor Vol. 2

Produced by Dan Gibbins of the Canada West Foundation, the Oil Sands Media Monitor aims to track how the oil sands are being perceived from both an environmental and economic perspective. Traditional and internet media are analyzed with respect to their portrayal of the oil sands; whether in a positive, negative or neutral manner. Read

Public Policy

Immigrant Circulation and Citizenship: Hotel Canada?

Canada has experienced a unique problem as a subset of its immigrants, approximately 10%, leave after ascension to citizenship. In this working paper featured by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, Simon Fraser University professor Don DeVoretz argues that both the degree of immigrant naturalization and subsequent emigration from Canada is conditioned by economic opportunities and Canadian citizenship policies. Read

Best Practices in Labour Market Information / Pratiques exemplaires en ce qui a trait à l’Information sur le Marché du Travail

In this report, Andrew Sharpe of the Centre for the Study of Living Standards presents 20 recommendations to improve the operation of Labour Market Information (LMI) in Canada. According to Sharpe, it is crucial that senior policy makers recognize the important on an effective LMI system for a high-performance economy. Read | Lire

End-of-Life Care Costs in Canada

Konrad Fassbender and Barry Finegan of the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, looked at the costs of end-of-life care, from two years prior to death until the patient's life ended. Due to the aging population and the increased prevalence of chronic diseases, the economic burden of dying is growing rapidly; in fact, studies have shown that one in five dollars in the health-care system is spent on end-of-life care. Read

Annual Ranking of World’s Airports by UBC Professor Puts Spotlight on Diversification

A new global survey of airports points to the need for improved cost efficiencies and diversification of revenue sources as the aviation industry grapples with the impact of the global economic recession. The 2009 Global Airport Benchmarking Report has been released by the Air Transport Research Society (ATRS), which is headquartered at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. Read

Education

Multi-Year Study Examines Nova Scotia Dialects

What's the difference between a Cape Bretoner, a Haligonian, and someone from the South Shore? Sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it's actually an important question, specifically in terms of determining how Nova Scotians speak. New research involves academics from Dalhousie University, the University of Alberta and Memorial University. Ultimately, results could improve the way future researchers treat those with speech disorders. Read

Economically Diverse Neighbourhoods Best for Early Childhood Development

Young children who reside in mixed-income neighbourhoods are better prepared for school than are children from more homogeneously wealthy neighbourhoods, says a new University of British Columbia study. The study finds that young children are better prepared for kindergarten when living in neighbourhoods with relatively equal proportions of affluent and disadvantaged families. Read