Canada-US Relations

Canadian Views on President Obama and the Canada-US Border

A poll co-commissioned by the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute indicates that 52% of Canadians see Barack Obama’s presidency as positive for the U.S. -- a number that is higher now than when he first won the presidency last November. But since then, more Canadians feel stricter border restrictions have made it more difficult for Canadian exporters, with 26% of respondents saying it was a lot more difficult, compared to 19% last October.  Overall, 51% of respondents said they felt closer border co-operation between the two countries "just makes sense." Read

Foreign Affairs

What's Next for Canada in Afghanistan?

J. L. Granatstein of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute calls for a Canadian commission to examine how Canada can best continue to play a useful role in Afghanistan and the region.  Read

The Pittsburgh G20 Summit: From Ascendance to Effectiveness

The announcement in Pittsburgh that the G20 would become the "premier forum of international economic cooperation,” was historic, asserts a report by the Center for International Governance Innovation. In the paper scholars weigh in on how national leaders performed at the latest summit and the future implications for the G20. Read

Rethinking Multiculturalism in China

In a recent op-ed for the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, noted China scholar Pitman Potter examines the outbreaks of ethnic violence in China’s Xinjiang Province this year and in Tibet last year. He explains they are symptoms of the failure in China’s version of a multicultural policy rather than manifestations of terrorism or foreign agitation. In order to move forward, he contends that Beijing must become more responsive to the legitimate aspirations of ethnic minorities. Read

Economy

Trilateral Cooperation Will Speed Return to Strong and Sustainable Economic Growth

According to the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, leaders from business, government and academia wrapped up three days of discussions in Ottawa, on October 6, aimed at fostering improved relations and increased cooperation among the people and governments of North America. This year’s meeting of the North American Forum focused on the need for Canada, Mexico and the United States to work together in responding to the global economic crisis and promoting a quick return to strong and sustainable growth. Read

Now You See It, Now You Don’t

Michael Goldberg and Steve Kerstetter of the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives examine how federal and provincial benefits can often be eliminated with wage increases in a phenomenon known as “stacking.” The authors explain that increases in wages can be eroded or erased by a combination of increases in taxes, along with reductions in benefits from government programs that were set up mainly to help low-income people in the first place. Read

Is the Recovery Faltering?

Nobel laureate Paul Krugman spoke at the Centre for International Governance Innovation annual conference in Waterloo, Ontario, on Saturday.  The celebrated Princeton economic professor said he has “a bad feeling” about the nature of this recovery and that governments should be pushing more stimulus into the economy, rather than worrying about how to cut back. Read

Save One Job – and Kill How Many More?

When workers from Alberta arrived in Saint John to work on the Liquid Natural Gas plant, local workers protested saying the jobs should go to New Brunswickers. The Atlantic Institute of Market Studies’ incoming President Charles Cirtwill considers this stance and explains why, in the context of free trade, this argument is fallacious. Read

Public Policy

Is Minority Government the New Normal?

The October issue of the Institute for Research on Public Policy’s Policy Options looks at Canada’s recent minority governments and asks probing questions about what Canadians want in Parliament, what they expect, and what they will likely get. In the lead article of the thematic, Geoff Norquay looks back at minority governments of the last half century, comparing and contrasting them with present day government. Read Norquay I Policy Options

In a final report for the Canada West Foundation's Core Challenges Initiative, social challenges in the urban cores of Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon and Winnipeg are examined. The report identifies four essential movements (or pillars) that have taken root in initiatives and highlights a number of projects from Canada's western cities that are reflective of these pillars. Read

Energy / Environment

The Global Financial and Environmental Crisis: Connections and Parallels?

The Centre for International Governance Innovation recently held a public panel and workshop to analyze how the environment and the economy are intertwined and what that means for global economic governance and have released a final report of the proceedings. Read

University of Manitoba Leads Canadian Flax and Bio-fuels Genomic Research

The future of flax and biofuels research has never been brighter in Manitoba. With the province's new million dollar investment, the University of Manitoba is set to lead Canadian genomics research in flax and biofuels for years to come. Read

News from Canadian Universities

President Bill Clinton to Receive Honorary Doctorate from McGill University

McGill University recently announced that it will award an honorary doctorate to President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42^nd President of the United States of America. The degree will be bestowed at a private ceremony in Montreal. Read

University of Ottawa Scientists Win Health Research Award For Medical Discoveries

Adolfo de Bold and Michel Le May, colleagues and researchers from the University of Ottawa’s Heart Institute, have both received an inaugural award in health research, recognizing their contributions to cardiovascular research. These contributions include the discovery of a hormone that helps monitor and control blood pressure and developing a new way to treat heart attacks. Read

Effectiveness of Drug Key to Coverage

When comparing the reimbursement rate for drugs in three national public health-care systems, one of the key issues in deciding on coverage is the clinical effectiveness of the drug, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Calgary. The study comparing coverage in Canada, Australia and Britain was published this week in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), the most widely circulated medical journal in the world. Read