Policy Options

Jul 3 2020 — Carlo Handy Charles and Veronica Øverlid — Policy Options — The federal government has rolled out a $9-billion aid package for Canadian students affected by the pandemic. But not only have many international students been left out of the program because of its eligibility criteria; some are being asked to pay even higher tuition fees. Several Canadian universities are hiking tuition fees for international students […]

Jul 2 2020 — Elizabeth Mulholland — Policy Options — In the current crisis, it is important to put a “financial floor” under individuals to prevent avoidable hardship and to protect the health of vulnerable Canadians who are at greatest risk from COVID-19. The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and other emergency relief measures have largely done a good job in this respect, but some […]

Jun 29 2020 — Jerome H. Black and Andrew Griffith — Policy Options — The inclusion of Canadians from visible minority groups in the country’s major political and socio-economic institutions is an important indicator of the success that Canada can claim as a multicultural nation, and ultimately a measure of the nature and distribution of power and influence within the country. But how to properly assess the level of […]

Jun 25 2020 — Kim Beaudin and Justin Piché — Policy Options — When Justin Trudeau became prime minister of Canada in 2015, there was considerable hope that there was a partner in Ottawa whom Indigenous peoples could work with to deliver meaningful change. Within months of taking office, he endorsed the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). He also launched the National Inquiry […]

Jun 23 2020 — Irvin Studin — Policy Options — The Canada that exits the Great Quarantine may, by mid-century, become a great power. Or it may, as a mirror opposite, become a deep vassal state. The possible futures for our country, if it survives in any meaningful or recognizable form, are that stark. In an earlier article in Policy Options, I explained that Canada […]

Jun 23 2020 — Lisa Young — Policy Options — It is difficult to imagine the Fall of 2021. We can hope that a vaccine will have ended the COVID crisis, and normal life will be resuming. We don’t know whether the Liberals will still be governing with a minority or if a federal election will have taken place. We don’t know how deep the […]

Jun 22 2020 — Policy Options — The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed fragilities and inequities in Canada’s innovation economy. When the pandemic began, Canada was already a global laggard in the development and adoption of new innovations and technologies, and exhibited a mediocre track record on economic inclusion and equity. As the COVID-19 crisis took hold, these long-standing weaknesses were further exposed. […]

Jun 22 2020 — Sergio Marchi and Allan Rock — Policy Options — Losing an election is always tough. And especially when it is the second in a row. But Canada’s loss to Ireland and Norway in this past week’s Security Council selection should be kept in perspective. Make no mistake, the result was a serious blow. Winning that seat was a top foreign policy priority for the […]

Jun 19 2020 — Adam Chapnick — Policy Options — Canada’s quest for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council has ended with a thud. The Security Council sits at the centre of the global governance system that has been tasked with coordinating and managing state behaviour since the Second World War. It is the only UN body whose rulings can empower the […]

Jun 17 2020 — S.B. Julian — Policy Options — It’s bad news for civil rights when a government decides to sentence an entire population to house arrest, but for long-term care residents this pandemic policy is not new. For them, long-term has always meant lockdown. Life is a desert of boredom and loneliness for many institutionalized Canadian seniors. Those who express frustration and restlessness […]

Jun 11 2020 — Tamaa Krawchenko and Dawn Madahbee Leach — Policy Options — When you visit diverse Indigenous communities across Canada, whether they be Inuit, First Nation or Métis, northern or southern, rural or urban, you hear a common refrain: a desire for economic self-sufficiency and real self-determination. But in too many places, the conditions are simply not in place to realize these goals. What can be done […]

Jun 9 2020 — Jocelyn Downie — Policy Options — When the federal government introduced Canada’s medical assistance in dying legislation back in 2017, there was swift and fierce backlash against one of the eligibility criteria – a person’s natural death had to have become “reasonably foreseeable.” The government was told in no uncertain terms that the criterion was unconstitutional and unclear, but Parliament passed […]

Jun 5 2020 — Stewart Elgie and Andrea Moffat — Policy Options — In mid-May, the federal government announced a major program to help large companies address the economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. The Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF) will provide bridge loans to help companies address cash shortfalls due to the downturn. To access the program, companies must meet several requirements. One of them is […]

Jun 4 2020 — Celina Caesar-Chavannes — Policy Options — Over the past several days, in the midst of the protests related to the killing of George Floyd and death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet in Toronto, many people have asked me (and other Black people) this question: what does the government do now? What are the solutions to racism in Canada, Celina? As much as it […]

Jun 2 2020 — David McGrane and Anne McGrath — Policy Options — The actions of national campaign directors are consequential for the success or failure of political parties in Canadian federal elections. Like the head coach of a hockey team, they devise the party’s overall strategy to win the election. They are often held accountable for just about everything that happens during the party’s campaign and – […]