Policy Options

During Andrew Scheer’s leadership of the Conservative Party, and especially during the last election campaign, concerns about his moral convictions on abortion and same-sex marriage – and his attempt...

At the first event in Policy Options’ Pre-election Breakfast Series, participants tackled how to improve Canada’s tax system. Jennifer Robson (Carleton University), Allison Christians (McGill University), Bruce Ball (CPA Canada) and moderator...

It is difficult to say when exactly a government becomes “digital.” As a public servant, you could try looking at the UN’s e-Government survey, perhaps, or examine the health...

The UK and Australia parliaments have been using a second, parallel chamber to aid the parliamentary process for more than 20 years. Reviews of the value and purpose of...

The Wet’suwet’en Nation made headlines across the country with its resistance to the Coastal GasLink LNG pipeline. TransCanada has said it gained consent of every First Nation along the...

(This article has been translated into French.) In 2006, Time’s person of the year was “You,” published with the explanation “Yes, you. You control the Information Age. Welcome to your...

Le gouvernement fédéral a annoncé la fin du financement de son programme de Réseaux de centres d’excellence (RCE), une mauvaise nouvelle pour les Canadiens. Pourtant, le il a considéré...

We’re at a precarious time in the history of liberal democracy. Citizens, whose expectations are set by the rich panoply of online services, demand more than ever, immediately, from...

Digital government, or E-government, is no longer just an interesting side project aimed at harnessing the power of digital technologies and data analytics to better deliver services and “create...

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt recently reiterated that a post-Brexit United Kingdom will look to leverage its global networks including, significantly, the Commonwealth. As Canada faces its own trade...

On apprenait en novembre dernier que le nombre de crimes haineux rapportés a augmenté considérablement à Montréal en 2017 comparativement aux autres grandes villes canadiennes. La tendance croissante à...

Proposals for reforming Canada’s public-private drug insurance system have been put forward by academics, politicians and patients over many years. With increased interest in a national pharmacare program expressed...

Lost in the often vitriolic debate over electronic cigarettes versus traditional cigarettes are little nonbiodegradable pieces of plastic: cigarette butts. They are the world’s most ubiquitous form of litter,...

Sharon McIvor has been engaged in an epic 33-year battle against the federal government to prove that she, her children and her grandchildren are entitled to be recognized as...

Carbon pricing systems, intended to help Canada reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and fund local green projects, have now been established in all provinces and territories across Canada. However,...

C’est la question à laquelle mon collègue Stefan Ambec et moi tentions de répondre en novembre 2008 dans un article publié dans la revue Academy of Management Perspectives et...

Who could have predicted that 2018 would end with Canada’s oil patch and its political allies endorsing one of the most important action items on the road to a...

In December, hundreds of artificial intelligence’s (AI) best and brightest converged on Montreal for a conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS), the world’s largest AI conference, to discuss...

Canada’s economic success increasingly depends on access to abundant, clean, reliable electricity delivered at the lowest and most sustainable price. Electricity provides a tremendous potential competitive advantage in a...

As climate change increasingly triggers severe flooding and forest fires, it is threatening infrastructure and heightening the risk of stranded assets in oil and gas production and distribution worth...

Canada’s business investment in research and development (R&D) is lower than in other advanced economies, a fact that has long preoccupied policy-makers. The question of how we can grow...

Increasingly, money is being raised by crowdfunding campaigns for health services of questionable value. Recent studies have found that crowdfunding is attracting millions for unproven and potentially dangerous treatments....

Employment is changing at its foundations. The traditional single-earner household supported by stable, full-time income, pension and benefits, is increasingly the relic of a bygone era. Temporary and part-time...

“Open government” is a concept that is growing in popularity in both practitioner and academic circles. One of President Obama’s first decisions was to direct his government to act...

Companies that harvest data are becoming more powerful, and Canadians are understandably anxious. As our economy becomes more data driven — and as data become more valuable — Canadians...

En reconnaissant quatre groupes parlementaires pour la durée de la 42e législature, l’Assemblée nationale du Québec a confirmé l’éclatement sans précédent du système partisan québécois. L’institutionnalisation d’un nouveau parti...

Governments in Canada and around the globe are struggling to incorporate modern technology into their employment and training systems. As fears of job losses increase due to automation and...

Like a growing number of countries, Canada is contending with some vexing challenges to its democracy posed by ambitious and more internationally active authoritarian states. It is not just...

Canada faces an artificial intelligence governance challenge.  AI – the ability of machines to perform intelligent tasks such as sorting, analyzing, predicting and learning – promises substantial benefits for...

Le cadre commercial interprovincial du Canada est, au mieux, disparate. Si le Canada a signé des accords de libre-échange avec des pays du monde entier, il conserve d’importants obstacles...

(This article has been translated into French.) Complaining about infrastructure is almost as Canadian as complaining about the weather. In fact, the two are linked: Canada’s harsh winters and extreme...

It’s time for the G20 to evolve. Canada’s Paul Martin conceived of it as a crucial response to the 1999 Asia financial crisis, and its membership now embraces 85...

For passengers and drivers, Uber is either a convenient option for hailing an affordable ride or making a quick buck. But the influential technology company is also transforming labour...

(This article has been translated into French.) Small towns and rural areas in Canada have much to offer – access to nature, lower cost of living, and other lifestyle advantages....

La fin de l’année 2018 a été dure pour les francophones du Canada. En Ontario, le gouvernement conservateur de Doug Ford a adopté une loi « visant à rétablir la...

(This article has been translated into French.) Compared with other OECD countries that have universal health care systems, Canada ranks among the lowest for health system performance, although it spends...

(This article has been translated into French.) In the past 18 months or so, new governments have taken power in three of the four largest provinces — British Columbia, Ontario...

The salaries and benefits paid to judges in Canada is a heated topic. Over the years, it has become highly politicized and litigious. I had never thought much about...

The Elections Modernization Act (Bill C-76) received royal assent in December, bringing into law new spending limits and rules for transparency. But it doesn’t go far enough to control...