Fixing the Mess of Ottawa’s LRT — All Aboard for Policy that Works | Policy Magazine
June 16, 2020 | In 2007, the City of Ottawa adopted an Accountability and Transparency Policy, which outlined seven municipal governance principles to promote transparency.
It’s Time for Big Ideas – Time for a First Nations Universal Basic Income Program | Policy Magazine
June 15, 2020 | In Canada, First Nations people experience lower health, social, and education outcomes than non-First Nations Canadians across the board. These vulnerabilities have only been exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Johns Hopkins SAIS and McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy launch cooperative degree program
The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy have partnered to launch a cooperative degree program. This two-year program will enable students to earn a Master of Arts in International Affairs at SAIS Europe, the School’s European campus located in Bologna, Italy, and a Master of Public Policy from McGill University.
Three rules for post-pandemic corporate rescues | Financial Post
June 3, 2020 | Given the early-warning signal from bank earnings last week, we should be expecting a wave of business failures in the months ahead, and demands for taxpayer assistance will soon follow. Now is the time for governments to commit to clear principles to guide their response. In this Financial Post article, Max Bell School Director Chris Ragan and Dr. Paul Boothe explain how we can use lessons from the financial crisis of 2008-09.
Canada needs a new prescription for the pandemic recession | Maclean's
June 2, 2020 | The spread of the COVID-19 virus has resulted in a severe — and unique — recession, which continues to ravage many corners of the Canadian economy. What makes the current "pandemic" recession so different from a "normal" recession, and how should government policy reflect this reality? In this Maclean's article, Max Bell School Director Chris Ragan and Dr. Paul Boothe break down the role of governments and the shortcomings of conventional stimulus in this pandemic context.
The Liberals and NDP have embraced contempt for Parliament | The National Post
June 1, 2020 | Recently, a two party agreement was reached in Parliament: the NDP supported the Liberals’ motion to suspend regular sittings of Parliament until September, while the Liberals promised to push for a federal policy guaranteeing 10 days of paid sick leave to workers. Given the social distancing guidelines espoused by health experts, is the continued suspension of in-person Parliamentary proceedings actually in the interest of public health?
Engineering a ‘green recovery’ is a terrible idea | The Globe and Mail
June 1, 2020 | In the coming weeks, the federal government is expected to begin crafting a stimulus package to lift Canada out of the economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on which cabinet ministers have been assigned to the project, it seems clear the Liberals want to incorporate their climate goals into the package, addressing climate change and economic recovery at the same time. Is a stimulus package the best way to deal with a pandemic recession?
COVID-19 pandemic uniting Canadians like no other event in decades
Canada's response to the pandemic contrasts markedly with the political partisanship displayed in U.S.
A new study by researchers from McGill University and the University of Toronto finds a cross-partisan consensus on battling COVID-19 in Canada. Unlike in the U.S., this consensus is fostering broad agreement on the threats posed by the pandemic and the actions necessary to contain it – all of which is crucial to efforts to fight the virus.
COVID-19 pandemic unites Canadians like no other event in recent history: study | CTV News
May 25, 2020 | The study co-led by Professor Taylor Owen found that among Canadians, there is cross-partisan consensus on the threat the virus poses and measures that need to be taken to battle it. The study also found that when there isn’t a consensus – which is the case in the United States – compliance with physical distancing guidelines is undermined, which poses an obvious threat.
Opinion: Support Canadians now, but not at the expense of our future | The National Post
May 21, 2020 | In light of the pandemic, governments have moved quickly to support hard-hit workers and businesses. This provision of economic “relief” is different from conventional “stimulus” common during normal recessions. Whereas stimulus policies are all about getting people back to work and businesses back to normal levels of operation, the current relief policies are about replacing people’s incomes while they are safely isolating at home.
A Rare Moment of Cross-Partisan Consensus: Elite and Public Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Canada | Canadian Journal of Political Science
April 16, 2020 | The COVID-19 pandemic has placed nearly unprecedented pressure on policymakers and citizens alike. Effectively containing the pandemic requires a societal consensus. However, a long line of research in political science has told us that polarization tends to occur on highly salient topics because partisans “follow the leader.” Elite consensus is thus essential to fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.
The Causes and Consequences of COVID-19 Misperceptions: Understanding the Role of News and Social Media | OSF Preprints
May 4, 2020 | This research investigates the relationship between media consumption, misinformation, and important attitudes and behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Professor Taylor Owen, co-author of this article, finds that comparatively more misinformation circulates on social media platforms, while traditional news media tend to reinforce public health recommendations like social distancing.
Anti-intellectualism and Information Preferences during the COVID-19 Pandemic | OSF Preprints
May 14, 2020 | The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates widespread voluntary and sustained public compliance with expert-guided public health directives, like social or physical distancing. Understanding which citizens seek out and engage with expert messages regarding COVID-19 is thus of central importance. Anti-intellectualism - the generalized distrust of experts and intellectuals – is likely to be a dominant factor.
Prospective Economic Costs Undermine Expectations of Social Distancing | OSF Preprints
May 20, 2020 | The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an extraordinary burden on governments and citizens alike. In order to contain the spread of the pandemic and limit its effect on health care systems, citizens have been asked to forego social and economic activity to protect others at a tremendous cost to themselves.
Forget about schools – open the summer camps in spring | The Globe and Mail
May 6, 2020 | Camps are the solution to many of the problems the school reopening is designed to solve, while significantly mitigating the risks of exposure and transmission. Going to camp gets children out of the house and lets their parents return to work.” Andrew Potter, Associate Professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy, explains how mass childcare and summer camps are a precursor to restarting the economy in the face of COVID-19.
