Sep 29 2020 — Kevin Page — Policy Magazine — Ten years ago, a business book was published titled Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most. It was a New York Times business best seller. One of the authors, Douglas Stone, said “difficult conversations are almost never about getting the facts right. They are about conflicting perceptions, interpretations, and values.” In reading the latest […]
Sep 24 2020 — Kevin Page — Policy Magazine — The ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras said “Numbers rule the universe.” Typically, you do not see a lot of numbers in a Speech from the Throne (SFT). Who would want to listen to a Governor General talk numbers (besides me)? Still, it is possible to deconstruct what was in the speech — and not in the […]
Sep 5 2020 — Kevin Page — Policy Magazine — It is a safe assumption that government of Canada cabinet ministers and Finance Department officials have spent much of their summer thinking about an economic recovery plan for Canada and a fall budget. The political and economic stakes are high. With the prorogation of Parliament, triggered in part by the resignation of a finance minister, […]
May 12 2020 — Kevin Page — Policy Magazine — The numbers of the April Labour Force Survey by Statistics Canada were both shocking and expected. The problem of high unemployment looms large. Not all jobs displaced by COVID-19 should be expected to return quickly as the economy re-opens. The law of unintended consequences will extract a pound of flesh. I wish this were not […]
Mar 22 2016 — Kevin Page — iPolitics — For its first budget, the Liberal government leveraged its 2015 electoral platform to deliver on promises to be a more interventionist government. Several legacy programs were announced today, with still more to come — one can surmise, given the scope of their promises — in subsequent years. The budget will be remembered for a number […]
Dec 14 2014 — Kevin Page — Toronto Star — Federal, provincial and territorial finance ministers are holding a pre-budget meeting in Ottawa on Sunday. This ought to be a momentous occasion. Sadly, though, it will likely be something far less than that. It’s a shame that in a federation such as ours, in which intergovernmental collaboration is essential to economic success, the federal government […]
Jan 19 2014 — Kevin Page — Toronto Star — The American educator and philosopher John Dewey once remarked that “we only think when we are confronted with a problem.” As a great procrastinator, that quote has always resonated with me. As did another Dewey remark: “We can have facts without thinking but we cannot have thinking without facts.” As we set out into 2014, […]
Sep 6 2013 — Kevin Page — iPolitics — Ottawa is going to be a busy and interesting place over the next few months. As the leaves turn colour in the Gatineau Hills, there will be a speech from the throne and an Economic and Fiscal Update. When the snow comes and the canal freezes over, we’ll have a budget. Besides the weather, our […]