Policy Options

La plupart des observateurs politiques se souviennent du 2 mai 2011 : un séisme politique, mieux connu sous le nom de « vague orange », a alors frappé le Canada....

Proposed changes to the Citizenship Act under Bill C-6 went to the Senate this week. Whether senators will introduce amendments that either facilitate or restrict citizenship remains to be...

Free trade agreements (FTAs) offer better tariff treatment for goods produced in participating countries. That sounds simple in theory, but in practice it’s a complex exercise for companies and...

Growing up used to be straightforward. First you graduated from high school, then you got a job and started a family. For young people today, the path to adulthood...

A few weeks ago, Canada successfully hosted the Fifth Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. To close the conference, I joined youth on...

The 2015 federal election saw a significant spike in the number of young Canadians coming out to vote. Perhaps they were drawn to the Liberal Party’s promise to take...

Justin Trudeau is not just the Prime Minister, he’s also the Minister of Youth – the first time that such a portfolio has been a full position in cabinet....

In the next few weeks, the federal cabinet is expected to decide on the fate of the Petronas-backed Pacific NorthWest LNG proposal to develop a liquefied natural gas facility...

The federal government’s recent international assistance review forms an essential first step in defining Canada’s response to the complex global challenges laid out in the United Nations Sustainable Development...

With an estimated 3 million people moving into urban areas each week, mainly in the global South, the percentage of urban dwellers will only continue to grow.  The share...

The government of Canada recently participated in the G7 health ministers meeting in Japan to discuss concrete actions to improve global health.  Improving childbirth outcomes was a critical concern....

The following is evidence given at the House of Commons Special Committee on Electoral Reform, on September 1, 2016: Thank you so much, Mr. Chair. It’s good to be...

When panic erupted in South Africa’s Parliament in 2014 over an Ebola crisis occurring thousands of kilometres away, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi tried to be the voice of reason....

When news broke that two senior PMO staffers billed the government for more than $200,000 in moving expenses, the immediate reaction was rage and indignation. It mattered little that...

Dans le cadre du processus de réflexion gouvernemental sur les orientations de l’aide canadienne au développement, il y a lieu de rappeler comment la question du genre a été...

In her introduction to the government’s discussion paper on international assistance policy, Minister of International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau noted areas in which she believed Canada could make a...

As the Global Affairs department reviews its international assistance policies — the first comprehensive review in over 10 years – now is an opportune moment to consider Canada’s role...

Earlier this month the Liberal government released a review of Canada’s international assistance efforts. The review recommends that we strengthen our international humanitarian response in a number of key...

The global economic crisis of 2008, and the stagnation and political crises that followed, have made us acutely aware that our future can no longer rely on relationships with...

Canada’s approach to international assistance has gone through some tumultuous years. Stephen Harper’s government sparked controversy when it awarded funding to mining companies to do development work and directed...

The Liberal government is about to enter the first full parliamentary year of its mandate, and the policy machinery is already in full motion. Because the House of Commons normally...

On Tuesday @CdnDemocracy, the “Official Government of Canada Twitter account for Democratic Institutions” tweeted the following, which quotes someone who was presumably at a Thunder Bay town hall on electoral reform:...

The partisanship in Canada’s Parliament is a curious thing. Thoughtful, knowledgeable and well-educated members of Parliament (MPs) almost always vote along party lines. One might suppose, given the breadth...

In July 2015, Canada hit a new milestone: for the first time ever, the number of Canadians over the age of 64 surpassed those under the age of 14....

Dans le cadre d’un projet en collaboration avec des chercheurs européens, je devais récemment établir le revenu disponible pour différents types de ménages québécois. Parmi les cas de figure...

Canadians are in a pessimistic mood ­– most people expect our society will become more divided, with lower living standards and slow economic growth. On a positive note, there...

In recent months, there’s been much talk in the United States about ripping up or renegotiating trade deals and in Britain about exiting the European Union and creating new...

Le projet de loi 70, actuellement à l’étude en commission parlementaire à l’Assemblée nationale du Québec, a pour objectif une réforme de l’aide sociale qui, lorsqu’elle sera mise en...

When immigration officials and advocates talk about the integration process for new Canadians, often they reach for the metaphor of a “two-way street.” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada notes...

John McCallum, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), has spent much of the summer conducting a speaking tour about upcoming changes to Canada’s immigration system.  He has focused specifically on how...

Six hundred and fifty-six dollars. $656. That’s the amount — per month — that the Ontario government provided in 2015 to social assistance recipients who were single and considered...

In the wake of the Harper government’s electoral defeat, Canadians may have had cause to wonder how the new Liberal government would fashion its relationship to the judiciary and...

Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch says we need to have “tough conversations” on complex issues such as immigration, and where newcomers stand on “Canadian values.” She defines such values...

In just four months, Canadians will begin a year-long celebration of the 150th anniversary of Confederation. This important milestone will be marked by festivities of various kinds in cities,...

Justin Trudeau’s visit to China has come to an end. The takeaway from the Prime Minister’s meetings with the country’s economic and political elite – including President Xi Jinping...

We examine the gender wage gap among recent post secondary graduates in Canada.

Britain’s decision to leave the European Union on June 23 created aftershocks felt around the world. The pound fell more than 10 percent against the dollar to levels last...

Election campaigns should be the occasion for soaring rhetoric and inspirational speeches, but as with so much else in this American presidential race the manual is being rewritten by...

For Canada’s economy to grow and create jobs, it is vital that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have access to the equity capital needed to seize business opportunities quickly....

A strange thing happened in British Columbia last month. The provincial government released a climate plan touting its success as a climate leader as a result of the groundbreaking...

La nouvelle donne économique de la Chine, à savoir le ralentissement économique, le crash boursier, la fuite des capitaux internationaux, la volatilité de la valeur de la monnaie chinoise,...

As Prime Minister Trudeau undertakes his first visit to China as prime minister, the hopes and expectations are considerable. Despite years of deepening international engagement, the human rights situation...