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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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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

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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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

Rebuilding Canada Demands Confronting Uncertainty

Our institutions must build uncertainty into policy-making and program design. This “uncertainty screen” will help ensure a vision of the future that reflects today’s uniquely complex environment.

Explore this 'uncertainty' approach
Policy Speaking

Podcast: More Runway for Airports and Canada's Aviation Industry

Billion dollar infrastructure investments are on hold and airport passenger volumes are down 90% at two of Canada's biggest airports. The CEOs of Toronto and Vancouver airports – Deborah Flint and Tamara Vrooman respectively – join Policy Speaking to talk about the tensions airports face in the pandemic. Facing stiff competition from airports in the US and no clear runway for recovery, our guests explore how their industry can pivot to get cleaner, greener, leaner and keener about innovation – in this special Rebuild Canada Growth Summit episode.

Hear what airports are doing to recover
Policy Speaking

Podcast: What is Reconciliation About?

Senator Murray Sinclair shares wisdom on the Nova Scotia lobster fishing dispute and how current events fit into the trending societal discussion about racism and systemic racism. Sen. Sinclair demonstrates why he's an honouree of this year's Testimonial Awards as we trace his history from a young man of the Peguis First Nation (north of Winnipeg) who would go on to become a lawyer, Manitoba's first Aboriginal judge, Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, Indigenous leader, and Senator. Plus what are the impacts of COVID-19 on Indigenous communities and where does mistrust of the medical profession come from?

Learn what Reconciliation is about
Publication

Flipping the Script: Alberta Health Services’ online assessment tool becomes the core of the province’s COVID response

Little did Alberta Health Services' Digital Experience team know this moment would shift the province’s whole pandemic strategy, and become the core of Alberta’s COVID response. Their assessment tool with online booking and results would get attention from across North America, and spark a form of collaboration that would cast lasting doubt on the way things have always been done.

Read how Ammneh Azeim's tech tool quickly came to life
Publication

Film and Television in the Age of COVID-19, and After

COVID-19 has taken a high toll on film and television in Canada. To support a once-thriving industry, governments need to improve financial security for production companies and ensure a steady flow of business across the Canada-US border. Governments must also modernize regulations for industry success in the digital age.

Explore film and television’s digital revolution
Publication

Connect to Compete: Enabling Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age

COVID-19 has been a wake-up call for Canada’s entrepreneurial economy. This paper shows why some entrepreneurs have thrived while others are facing more barriers than ever.

Read about entrepreneurship before and after COVID-19
Publication

Navigating Canada-China Relations in a Turbulent Era

Canada’s relationship has deteriorated since Canada arrested Huawei’s Meng Wanzhou and China retaliated by arresting Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. The Trudeau government has weighed the costs of human rights advocacy from an increasingly repressive China against commercial interest with the world’s second-biggest economy. It’s led to a stalemate of sorts, but there are some actions Canada could take.

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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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