May 18 2021 — Policy Options — 2030 is being dubbed the new 2050. Countries and companies are not only pledging net zero climate targets by mid-century, but are also promising deep carbon-emission reductions in this decade. The Paris climate agreement is based on action by developed and developing countries alike. Yet the economic emergency facing a growing number of developing countries […]
May 17 2021 — David Longworth and Frank Milne — Policy Options — Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, it became evident that public health authorities and governments in Canada were not well-prepared. The lack of preparation included dealing with the spread of the disease itself and broader health issues. But it also encompassed government policy issues related to providing income and loan supports, as well as implementing various […]
May 17 2021 — Pat Armstrong — Policy Options — Although vaccinations have dramatically reduced COVID-19 cases and deaths among long-term care (LTC) home residents during the pandemic’s third wave, the main danger going forward for Canada’s frail older adults is that the lessons learned from this crisis will not lead to the major reforms. These lessons are not new to policy-makers – they’ve been […]
May 7 2021 — Françoise Baylisand and Natalie Kofler — Policy Options — In late April, European Union member states agreed on the technical specifications for their proposed Digital Green Certificate. This certificate, often colloquially described as a vaccine passport, aims to restore free and safe movement within the European Union. Within days of this news, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen suggested in […]
May 4 2021 — Sophie Mathieu — Policy Options — What do Pauline Marois and Chrystia Freeland have in common? Though separated by an almost 25-year interval, Quebec’s former education minister (who became premier in 2012) and Canada’s current finance minister and Deputy Prime Minister both managed to convince their respective political parties that low-cost child care was relevant and important.
Apr 30 2021 — Zara Liaqat — Policy Options — A report on household economics, issued by Statistics Canada in March, presented a snapshot of key indicators about how the financial well-being of Canadians evolved during the pandemic. Driven by record increases in government support measures, the lowest-income households saw a rise in income of almost 37 per cent over the first three quarters of […]
Apr 28 2021 — Amélie Lecompte and Mark Lambert — Policy Options — The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the need for modern, agile IT systems as both the public and private sectors grapple with a suddenly remote workforce. Cloud platforms are the backbone of modern IT infrastructure, providing scalability, speed, and remote access, and are secure without the expense of physical infrastructure. Yet less than 10 per […]
Apr 23 2021 — Paisley Sim — Policy Options — Across the country, renewed provincial restrictions have been enacted with the goal of containing a seemingly out-of-control, variant-fueled third COVID-19 wave. But public health officials, labour advocates and the public alike are asking why provincially legislated employer-paid sick leave is not on the table. Fifty-eight per cent of workers report having no employer-paid sick leave […]
Apr 14 2021 — Wesley Wark — Policy Options — The momentum to learn lessons from Canada’s lacklustre response to the COVID-19 outbreak is gathering some speed at last, 15 months into the crisis. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole has recently pledged that his party, if it wins the next federal election, would order a public inquiry into the Liberal government’s pandemic response. The Liberals have […]
Apr 9 2021 — Rosemary Moodie and Margaret McCain — Policy Options — Long before this pandemic made clear to many Canadians that child care is a key part of our economic infrastructure, the Royal Commission on the Status of Women made it a central recommendation. More than 50 years later – despite decades of debates, task forces, special committees and failed multilateral agreements – we continue to […]
Apr 6 2021 — Kent Roach — Policy Options — The under-resourced Civilian Review and Complaints Commission for the RCMP did a valiant job in substantiating the discriminatory treatment of a Cree mother grieving the killing of her son. In its final and interim reports, the commission also raised a number of questions about how the investigation into 22-year-old Colten Boushie’s death was handled by […]
Apr 1 2021 — Policy Options — As Canada’s 2030 greenhouse gas emissions targets creep closer, our menu of technological options will grow increasingly fixed. A recent report from the Canadian Institute for Climate Choices states that most of the emissions reductions required to reach our 2030 goals will likely come from existing technologies. A cascade of new studies, commentaries and billionaire-funded […]
Mar 26 2021 — Peter Woolstencroft — Policy Options — The televised interview of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry with Oprah Winfrey in early March has resulted in the usual calls for the abolition of the monarchy. These are channeled through the anti-colonialism prism. The British Empire was racist and the monarchy is an integral part of that past. However, Canada’s constitutional […]
Mar 23 2021 — Leslie Boehm and Gregory P. Marchildon — Policy Options — There has been considerable controversy about the rollout of vaccines. In some nations and the European Union, this has led to the sequestering of vaccines produced within their jurisdictions. Countries like Canada, without domestic vaccine production capacity, inevitably face slower rollouts. In fact, as of March 2021, Canada is one of the poorest performers among […]
Mar 16 2021 — Chidi Oguamanam — Policy Options — On Feb. 21, 2021, Israel introduced “green passes” – evidence of COVID-19 vaccination or presumed immunity after recovery from the disease. This form of certificate is called by several other names, most notably immunity passports. According to the global vaccine alliance GAVI, “an immunity passport is an official document that certifies an individual has been […]