With time and limited resources, leadership involves a series of strategic choices. In the rain of complex challenges falling on Canada — an increasingly precarious geopolitical environment, climate change, labor shortages — how do governments set their priorities?
To lend a helping hand, the Institute for Research on Public Policy marked its 50th anniversary by asking nine schools of public policy and administration what emerging issue should be on policymakers’ radar. Our discussions identified several constants.
Erosion of public trust and growing divisions
We often hear about polarization, but Canadians are not divided into two distinct camps. Instead, there are tensions over specific issues and a growing distrust of governments and institutions.
These divides are not only observed in the Freedom Convoy, but also among those who consider themselves beyond the reach of places of power and opportunity, such as people of color or Indigenous people, who face systemic racism in the world. access to employment, health care and better wages.
It can also be regional resentment. The data collected by the IRPP show, for example, that Quebecers have the impression that the rest of the country looks down on them. The resentment index established with our survey data proves them right: the people of Saskatchewan and Alberta feel that they contribute more than their fair share to the federation and that Quebec does not do enough.
Resilient and coherent climate policy
We held discussions on resilience in the face of storms, fires, heat waves and other calamities. Governments must invest with the long term in mind.
But many pointed to the lack of a cohesive plan to achieve net-zero emissions that recognizes differences between regions and incorporates multiple viewpoints.
“Canada has emission reduction targets, but what we don’t have are the techno-economic policies that are going to help us achieve those targets,” said Maggie Hanna, president of Common Ground Energy.
housing crisis
During the panel at Dalhousie University on housing challenges in Nova Scotia, we heard some amazing stories.
Lisa Ryan, executive director of the South Shore Open Doors Association, said her organization had registered 167 homeless people in Lunenburg County as of September 2022, including 63 children. Many people therefore travel to Halifax in search of housing, but find themselves waiting a long time to find a home, in addition to suffering discrimination from landlords.
Housing is a crucial political issue: the damage to health and economic prospects can last for generations and the impossibility for companies to house workers has an impact on growth.
Challenges in the federation
The pandemic has done much to bring federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments closer together. They were able to act quickly and forge new relationships. They have also been creative with the rapid deployment of remote healthcare.
But we must recognize the weaknesses of the federation: overlapping programs and regulations, unequal access to technology and ineffective communication channels. As the country strives to create an east-west power grid, address labor and supply chain issues, and reform its relationship with Indigenous peoples, attention must be paid to the health and to the mechanics of intergovernmental relations.
Governments will need to avoid regulatory shortcuts that often overlook transparency, consistency and respect for Indigenous rights.
“Collaborating and communicating with Indigenous communities will require a deeper understanding of governance systems, including through women, youth and elders, our knowledge keepers, whose role we are beginning to recognize. These roles were taken away from us, without our consent,” said Danette Starblanket of the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.
As you travel across the country, you can see how the challenges overlap. Climate resilience is intimately linked to housing, as the poorest will be most at risk of displacement. Distrust of institutions grows when governance structures skimp on diversity of views and transparency. Underinvestment in people and technologies on the path to net zero will affect our ability to fund parts of our social safety net.
What also came across very clearly in our conversations was the willingness of people across the country to stand together in the face of these challenges.
But who will bring Canadians together around these difficult questions? We need good governance and strong leadership. The mechanisms available to different levels of government to communicate with each other, with experts and with the public must be improved if we are to solve a myriad of other public policy problems. It takes leaders who see the big picture of how the different systems fit together and who are willing to do the unglamorous behind-the-scenes work that will allow us to meet the next challenges that will appear on the radar.