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Project

Rebuild Canada: Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for a productive, resilient, and fair economy and society

Before the COVID-19 crisis hit, there was already a need for public policy in Canada to adjust. Now, with the economy wounded and international cooperation frayed, we must consider the merits of a more fundamental rebuilding job. Through a series of reports and conferences, this project will tap into the best established and ascending policy brains in an effort to help policymakers weigh priorities and trade-offs and forge a far-reaching rebuild plan.

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Event

Rebuilding the Local Economy: Inside the Mi’kmaq-Clearwater Deal & Frank McKenna Awards for Leadership in Public Policy

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17 February
Policy Speaking

Podcast: Isolated and Anxious, but Not Alone

If there's a silver lining to COVID, it may be the acceleration of the availability of virtual mental health services. Provinces and institutions had moved very quickly to digitize services, speeding up a transition that needed to happen anyway. Two-thirds of Canadians are reporting their mental health is good, and are feeling confident in their ability to cope with COVID. Research is showing that employers – in particular – can play a big part in buoying the mental health of workers. But for some, things have gotten much worse. Policy Speaking is joined by Paula Allen, VP at Morneau Shepell and co-chair of the Civic Action's Champions Council on workplace mental health and Ed Mantler, VP at the Mental Health Commission of Canada for an analysis of Canadians' mental health status, where things have gone right, wrong, and what to expect for the holidays.

Learn about mental health in the pandemic
Publication

A Ministry Steeped in Tradition Goes Virtual

Since March 2020, Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG) has transitioned its largely paper-based and in-person justice system to predominately online and virtual services—opening new opportunities for public access to court proceedings.

Read Kate Adach's chronicle of the modernization
Policy Speaking

Podcast: Carbon Capturing Canada's Future

Carbon capture is a promising new technology, and there's big projects in Canada, the U.S. and Europe showing that it could be an economical way to remove fuel from the fire of the Earth's climate crisis. Host Edward Greenspon is joined by Ilana Hosios at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG)'s Centre for Canada's Future, and Alex Dewar, Senior Director at BCG's Center for Energy Impact in Washington for an exploration of the industrial and policy implications of this emerging technology, and its potential for supporting Canada's industries and fostering R&D.

Learn what carbon capture is about
Publication

Op-ed: A Keystone of Carbon Could be Our 21st-century Auto Pact

Canada desperately needs to matter more in the United States. After a run-up in the decade after NAFTA, our share of U.S. imports has fallen from roughly 16 per cent to 12 per cent since the Great Recession, leaving us behind both China and Mexico. Auto production, which for decades held fast well above the level guaranteed in the 1965 Auto Pact, was part of the descent.

Read the Op-Ed
Policy Speaking

Podcast: 5G on the Horizon

With a Canadian workforce of 50,000, Bell Canada is a major player in Canada's telecom industry and the cornerstone of so many of our work-from-home setups during the pandemic. President & CEO Mirko Bibic is at the helm of this historic company, and he joins Policy Speaking to discuss what's on the horizon with key milestones for 5G coming up in the next year. He and host Edward Greenspon also discuss Internet access for all, digital skills in small and medium-sized businesses, Canada's telecom competitiveness and more.

Hear where Bell Canada is going
Publication

Together or Apart? Seven Ways for Canada to Pivot to a Sustainable Recovery

Pre-COVID, 2020 was to be start of the ‘Decade of Action’ on UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Instead, 2020 has brought major socio-economic setbacks in Canada and the world. At the same time, COVID-19 presents an opportunity to mainstream the SDGs into Canada’s recovery if we can reorient our approach to the forces that will accelerate their success: innovation, finance and, ultimately, the way that we see ourselves in the world and our role in it.

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Policy Speaking

Podcast: The Rise and Fall of Trust in Government on COVID-19

Trust in the government response to COVID-19 started high and, overall, has dwindled in Canada. While Canadians accepted the need for big travel restrictions at the start, mobile apps for contact tracing and other targeted responses have not been universally met with open arms. As Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy professor Peter Loewen explains, this lack of trust could impact the way a vaccine is rolled out in Canada. With the pandemic growing, will Canadians have faith government can respond to the full complexity of issues ahead?

Hear about political courage in the pandemic
Publication

A Model for Canada-wide Population and Economic Growth Post-Pandemic

As we move toward rebuilding our economy, policymakers should consider the success of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot as a model for regionally focused population and economic growth, especially in smaller cities and rural communities – likely to be hardest hit by the COVID-19 reduction in immigration.

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Policy Speaking

Podcast: Will the U.S. See a Normal Transition from One Government to Another?

Nixon conceded to John F. Kennedy. Al Gore conceded to George W. Bush. Will Trump concede to Biden? Anxieties are increasing as a transition becomes increasingly contentious and politicized. Host Edward Greenspon is joined by Maryscott “Scotty” Greenwood and PPF Fellow Sean Speer to discuss how the Democrats and Republicans did, the polarization of this U.S. election and what that means for Canada. Could a Biden presidency be a return to "normal" or is Trump a herald that there's no going back?

Hear about the U.S. election polarization
Publication

Towards a 21st Century Success Story with the United States

Relations with the United States have been challenging for Canada in recent years. It’s become clear that Canada needs to move beyond its traditional trade-of-goods narrative with the U.S. and focus on factors that will be most important for its diplomatic assets in the coming years, namely culture and technology.

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Policy Speaking

Podcast: U.S. Election Special – Narrow Defeat and a Divided Country

With final results potentially still days away, the U.S. election has turned out to be a cliffhanger and not a landslide. Frank McKenna is a former Ambassador to the U.S. and 27th Premier of New Brunswick, and he joins Policy Speaking to share his initial reactions as Trump's results in key states have blown polling out of the water. McKenna shares insights on where polls went wrong and about the possible court challenges ahead. Whatever the result, the U.S. will find itself a divided country and McKenna explores what this polarization means for government gridlock, what a Biden or Trump presidency means for Canada's relationship with the U.S., and how Canada can navigate the uncertainty of this moment.

Hear about the U.S. election results
Publication

Revitalizing Canada’s Manufacturing Economy for a Post-COVID World

COVID-19 has made it clear that Canada needs a strong domestic manufacturing sector to produce what it needs. Industrial production has been stagnant in the country for two decades and it’s a must for Canada to create and sustain a resilient manufacturing economy that will also be more competitive in a globalized economy and that will create good jobs while minimizing environmental impacts.

Explore this proposal
Publication

A New North Star II Revisited

Six months after the release of New North Star II, the case for a mission-driven economic strategy is even more relevant. The pandemic has highlighted the need for a new industrial strategy to cultivate domestic innovations and technologies in Canada's national interests and authors Robert Asselin and Sean Speer revisit their analysis and recommendations and find a compelling model in the US’s DARPA model.

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