Futureproofing Canada

COVID-19 has been one of the largest disruptions in the Canadian labour market in the country’s history. Not only were some sectors like tourism nearly decimated, the economy as a whole took a hit - making it extraordinarily difficult for laid-off Canadians to find jobs that they could easily transfer their skills to. Retraining workers who have lost their jobs so that they can successfully transi...

Canada has vaccinated nearly 40 per cent of its citizens, an important milestone in the fight against COVID-19. But underlying this success is a concerning aspect of the global vaccine rollout: wealthy countries like Canada have taken the lion’s share of vaccines – 87 per cent, leaving medium- and low-income countries with just 0.2 per cent of the vaccine supply. Not only is this a moral concern,...

On April 19, 2021, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland presented the first federal budget in two years. Among the many new and updated policies, one stood out especially – the promise of affordable universal childcare for all Canadians. Universal child care had been promised in the past and never come to fruition, not for lack of political will or public support, but rather because it is such a dif...

This special episode of the Policy Options Podcast is a recording of our recent webinar on the 2021 federal budget. The webinar can also be found online at IRPP.org, or on YouTube. This budget came with high expectations. Public debate around such issues as reforming long-term care, helping displaced workers transition back into the labour force, righting the impact of the “she-cession,” and the r...

In March 2020, Canada saw a major “office-drain,” as office workers made the sudden switch to working from home. Most were told that this would be a temporary solution to the social distancing orders and lockdown measures put in place to lower the spread of COVID-19. But just a few weeks later, COVID-19 was named a full-blown pandemic, and talk of returning to the workplace became less and less ho...

Indigenous treaties are enormously significant for both First Nations groups and Canada. These treaties are constitutionally recognized agreements that lay out the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Canada, where Yukon is a leader in treaty-making. Out of the 14 Indigenous groups that live in the territory, 11 hold signed treaties with the government. But there is a disconnect between the...

Last Fall, Joyce Echaquan, an Indigenous woman, died in a Quebec hospital after posting videos online of the hospital staff insulting her. The tragedy was seen by many as the latest example of the systemic racism that Indigenous people often face when dealing with the Canadian health care system. It’s not the first time systemic racism in health care has made the news or has been denounced by the...

COVID-19 has put many Canadians out of jobs. But even after the pandemic ends, there’s no indication the labour market will go back to the way it was. Automation, climate change, and the rise of gig work will all have very real consequences for the nature of work. In light of these disruptions, giving job seekers and employers the support they need is more important than ever. Today on the podcast...

It’s just over a month into Canada’s vaccine rollout, and every day seems to bring new federal-provincial bickering or logistical nightmares. It’s difficult and confusing at a time when Canadians just want to get needles into arms. The problem is, it’s not just a Canadian issue – as recent disruptions to vaccine supply have reminded us, the pandemic is global. Our response must be global, too, whe...

This week we’ve got a special, bilingual episode of the podcast. To celebrate 40 years of Policy Options, and the end of a truly terrible year, we’re joined by Jennifer Ditchburn, Policy Options’ editor-in-chief. She takes us back to 1980 to discuss what policy concerns of the time still resonate today. And we chat about what the future holds for public-policy debate in Canada, within the magazine...

COVID-19 has tested Canada’s intergovernmental system. With the stakes as high as they are, it’s crucial that all levels of government continue to meet, communicate, and try to work together. To make that process a little easier, this week’s podcast has lessons for policymakers on successful cooperation in the face of complex intergovernmental challenges. Charles Breton, executive director of our...

Canada’s cities have borne the worst of COVID-19. Looking ahead, it’s clear they’ll need targeted support in any future recovery plans. But they’ll also need new tools to help federal, provincial and municipal governments come together and make decisions about Canada’s urban centres. How do we make that happen? Today on the podcast, you’ll hear suggestions from Gabriel Eidelman, the director of th...

Working-age singles are more likely than most to be living in deep poverty, with incomes that fall well short of what’s required to meet basic needs. So why are they so often overlooked in our poverty reduction plans? And what does this diverse group of Canadians require to support them in moving out of poverty? Today on the podcast, we cover all that and more as we discuss a recent IRPP report: C...

The last seven months haven’t been easy on any of us. But newcomers, especially asylum seekers and refugee claimants, have had an especially hard time. To understand the unique challenges they face during COVID-19, we’re joined by Dorota Blumczynska. She’s the executive director of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba and president of the Canadian Council for Refugees. She...

Last week marked the launch of the IRPP’s Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation. To celebrate, we’re putting out a special edition of the podcast hosted by centre director Charles Breton. Charles came to the IRPP in 2019 from Vox Pop Labs, where as research director he led the design of innovative public opinion research tools such as Vote Compass. He holds a PhD in political science fro...

A new Parliament is fast approaching, and the Trudeau government’s COVID plans will soon be put to the test. We don’t yet know what’s in next week’s Speech from the Throne, but we do know one major change the government’s introducing: the transition away from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and toward Employment Insurance and a trio of new benefit programs. With six months of the pandemic be...

It seems like every day, we’re seeing new changes that COVID-19 is bringing to the world of work. Firms are choosing to automate and digitize, and they’re turning increasingly to remote and casual work. Policy-makers have helped people and businesses through the early days of the crisis. But now it’s time to meet the future of work head on. Today on the podcast, we have Natalia Mishagina, research...

As calls to “defund the police” have spread around the world, we’ve seen the violence police inflict upon communities of colour. Race-based data is hard to come by in Canada, but the data we do have show Black and Indigenous people to be disproportionately policed and to face high rates of police violence. Now, many Canadians are seriously considering the need to reform or even abolish our police...

Au-delà des manchettes et de la course des meneurs, les électeurs sont peu nombreux à savoir comment se déroule une élection. Qui en sont ses acteurs clés ? Quel rôle jouent les médias dans l’élection ? Comment le gouvernement continue-t-il de fonctionner durant la campagne ? L’ouvrage Inside the Campaign: Managing Elections in Canada se penche sur ces questions et nous mène dans les coulisses de...

Earlier in June, the Fair Deal Panel made public its final report to the Alberta government. The stated goal of the panel was to find ways to get Alberta a better deal in the federation, and promote the province’s economic interests along the way. In the recommendations, some of the items are now standard fare for Alberta politics, including the referendum on equalization promised by Premier Jason...

Canada’s system of long-term care was a powder keg; COVID-19 the spark that set it alight. As the virus overtook nursing and care homes across the country, we began to hear about the outdated facilities and the population unable to advocate for itself. Then there are the workers themselves, forced to work across multiple facilities just to make ends meet. These overwhelmingly female and disproport...

COVID-19 has been a death sentence for many Canadians living or working in long-term care. The scale of this loss is overwhelming, with over 80 percent of COVID deaths in Canada linked to nursing and retirement homes.  This crisis brings to light what many have known for years: the system is broken, and society's most vulnerable are paying the price. Dr. Samir Sinha joins the podcast to make sense...

Depuis le début de la pandémie de COVID-19, les différents gouvernements, les professionnels de la santé et la population ont dû prendre des décisions difficiles qui ont d’importantes dimensions éthiques. Quels principes devraient guider l’allocation de ressources médicales limitées ? Les mesures de confinement imposées par les gouvernements sont-elles disproportionnées ? Devrait-on utiliser des o...

How do you make policy, good policy, in a crisis? That’s the question on everyone’s minds, as all levels of government try to find ways of putting out fires without sparking new ones. You have to be quick. You have to actually be able to make your policies happen. And you have to be responsive when citizens tell you what’s not working.  Jennifer Robson knows this. She’s an associate professor in t...

Over the next while, here at Policy Options we’ll be putting out special “corona-casts” so we can look at the many sides to the COVID-19 pandemic. And specifically, how policymakers can respond in a way that helps the majority of Canadians without ignoring those most at risk. Today we’re laying the groundwork with Colin Busby. He’s a Research Director at the IRPP, where he heads the Faces of Aging...