Flaherty to speak about forging economic plan amid financial crisis

Minister of Finance to share insights on how crisis can affect how policy is made

The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Federal Minister of Finance, will deliver the keynote address at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada’s (MISC's) 2009 conference, Public Policy in Crisis? Understanding Policy-Making in Canada. He will discuss how the government addresses financial policy at a time of global economic crisis.

The speech will take place at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, at McGill University ’s Faculty Club (3450 McTavish St.), where the conference will be held Thursday and Friday.

Please find contact information for media accreditation below.

“The current financial situation certainly qualifies as. crisis, and one of the questions we’re hoping to answer with this conference is whether crisis conditions affect the policy-making process for better or for worse,” said Antonia Maioni, Director of MISC and conference chair. “We are delighted that Minister Flaherty has agreed to share his insights, and we expect his speech to kick off a spirited discussion about what, from emergencies to evidence to public opinion, drives policy-making in Canada.”

A stellar group of practitioners and academics will come together to address issues central to current policy debates: how policy-making decisions are made in a time of crisis, the influence of public opinion and mass media on the policy-making process, the role of evidence-based research and the influence of non-governmental actors. The conference promises to be a dynamic exchange of ideas and opinions that will yield new perspectives on the processes and players that shape public policy in Canada, and, as a consequence, affect the lives of its citizens.

The conference is presented in partnership with the McGill-Max Bell Innovation and Implementation in Public Policy research project.

It is open to paid registrants and accredited media. For media accreditation, please see contact information below.

Confirmed participants include:

The Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, former prime minister of Canada.

Philippe Couillard, former Minister of Health, Government of Québec; Senior Fellow in Health Law, McGill Research Group on Health and Law.

Kevin Lynch, Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet.

Nik Nanos,President and CEO, Nanos Research.

Ian Brodie, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper; Visiting Scholar, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada.

Sandra Buckler, consultant; former Director of Communications for the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada.

Mel Cappe, President, Institute for Research on Public Policy; former Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet.

Sharon Manson Singer, President, Canadian Policy Research Networks.

Alain Dubuc, journalist, La Presse.

Pearl Eliadis, human rights lawyer.

Matthew Mendelsohn, former Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Deputy Minister for Democratic Renewal, Government of Ontario.

Peter H. Russell, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto.

Bruce Doern, Distinguished Research Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University.

Leslie A. Pal, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy and Public Administration, Carleton University.

B. Guy Peters, Maurice Falk Professor of American Government, Department of Political Science, University of Pittsburgh.

Mary Simon, President, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami.

Wendy Thomson, Director, School of Social Work. McGill University.

Christopher Waddell, Carty Chair in Business and Financial Journalism and Associate Director, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University.

Since 1995 MISC has hosted large-scale annual conferences which foster informed, non-partisan discussions of issues affecting Canadians, ranging from Quebec-Canada relations, Aboriginal issues, citizenship and health-care to Canadian media, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, food, and cultural policy.

On the Web: https://www.mcgill.ca/policyincrisis/

For media accreditation, please contact:
Pascal Zamprelli
Media Relations Office
McGill University
514-398-1385
pascal.zamprelli [at] mcgill.ca