September 4, 2020

Re-Imagining Canada: Throne Speech Ideas (Cardozo)

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Reimagining Canada: ideas for a bold throne speech

By ANDREW CARDOZO Hill Times AUGUST 20, 2020

Pharmacare, climate change, housing—there are plenty of problems and solutions awaiting a Liberal government that has signalled it wants to think big as it attempts to lead Canada back to prosperity.

New Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will control the purse strings as the Liberal government aims to steer Canada out of the biggest financial crisis in years. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade
OTTAWA—So, the architect of the myriad bold but essential COVID-related programs has resigned, and we have a new finance minister.
Where the outgoing minister Bill Morneau designed most of the seventy-five measures (with some cajoling from the Prime Minister’s Office we are told), his successor Chrystia Freeland will have the job of deciding which ones will continue as the pandemic appears to be subsiding and more importantly, identifying what new programs we need for the rebuilding phase, for this “once in a lifetime challenge,” as she put it.
Add to the mix a new Conservative leader and you have the start of the next general election. The future is here!
Canada’s strengths are clear: COVID notwithstanding, the fundamentals of our economy are strong. We have a strong and professional public service at all levels. We have a reasonably strong public health care system. Compared to most political systems in the world, democratic or otherwise, ours is one of the most stable, where extreme elements remain on the fringes. We have a stable and cooperative population which has accepted strong measures by government rather cooperatively.
None of this is guaranteed forever and none of it suggests we are immune to disaster. No time for hubris.
As Canada begins to think about the recovery and rebuilding the question is, how do we build back better?
While many programs cost money, investment by government in the lives of Canadians only builds a stronger society and stronger economy. If people have money they can spend money and grow the economy. A good place to start is the problem areas that were highlighted during the pandemic.
Income inequality and basic income
We have seen in glaring detail that some of the most important workers are paid less than a living wage and have little job security. That includes many Personal Support Workers (PSWs) and other staff at homes for the elderly, staff at grocery stores, and cleaning staff in many workplaces. Who are these anonymous people who are doing all the deep cleaning? They have been referred to as “super heroes,” but we don’t give them super hero wages or job security. Too many of these workers live in the gig economy, working part time in various places, and sometimes in different fields at the same time, just to make ends meet.
The majority are women and the majority are immigrants and newcomers, and we seem to have just accepted this as normal. The new normal has to be better.
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was the closest thing that Canada has had to a universal basic income, a mechanism which combats poverty and allows working people to be bold in their career choices, constantly develop their skills and aggressively contribute to the economy. This is a good time for us to be considering a basic income which can be delivered through the tax system.
Seniors care
Looking at care for Canadian seniors, we need to look at three general phases of housing: seniors staying in their homes, retirement residences with semi-independent living; and long term care. With all three, a scandalous insufficiency of services exists across the country, and while such services are usually the purview of the provinces, there is a serious need for a national leadership, national standards and a sharing of good and bad practices across the country. Time to consider bringing long-term care under the Canada Health Act?
Racism
While the killing of George Floyd was an American tragedy, it had considerable effects on Canada. It brought into sharp focus that for certain Canadians, life is not a whole lot better. There is a crisis in police-minority relations, and there is a crisis of systemic racism, where too many policies and practices are embedded in our systems that end up disadvantaging or excluding certain groups. Chief among them are Indigenous Peoples, Black people and People of Colour.
The solutions require involvement of relevant communities, the public and private sectors, media, police services, education and academics. While the solutions exist within all levels of government, there is a need for national leadership, information sharing and coordination. The federal budget for combating racism needs to be a lot bigger and the process of assessing applications a lot faster. There is much expectation that this time Canada will take this issue seriously.
The shesession/ the shecovery
The economic crisis has clearly affected women more than men, as women are predominant in the health care field and in service and front-line roles. Likewise the recovery has not been strongest in these areas. Add to this the shortage of childcare spaces, and the fact that the burden of child rearing more often rests with women. Gender-based analysis of government policy becomes more critical to stop what could be a serious back-sliding in the role of women in the workforce.
Childcare
As we prepare for economic recovery, the lack of adequate childcare and early childhood education is a serious setback for families with young children, more so mothers with young children, since it is often women who have prime responsibility for child rearing and care. As such, many workplaces could face serious shortages of their female workforce. While we have been debating a national childcare program for decades, the COVID crisis and the planning for recovery are highlighting the need in stark relief. This is the time for such a national program, recognizing that it is about meeting major social, economic and educational goals.
Pharmacare
The Liberal government has justifiably promised to initiate a national pharmacare policy, the last missing piece of health care in Canada. Again, COVID has highlighted the need for a solid health care system, and while our system is better than most, it is the only public health care system that does not cover the price of drugs. 2021 is the year to introduce pharmacare.
Climate change and the green economy
While the Coronavirus crisis has gripped the world, the climate change crisis has not lessened. We are still missing our targets. As we approach recovery we need to return to the dialogue of climate change just as we should pay close attention to growing the green economy which can create thousands of well-paying long-term jobs in the future.
Indigenous peoples
The journey of reconciliation has begun but there is a long way left to go. This Liberal government has been more open to reconciliation than any government before, and yet it has not met its expectations by a long shot. A useful way to proceed would be to publish an annual report on the implementation of calls to action from three pivotal reports— the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls—and a more serious push to implement those recommendations.
Canadian economic progress including pipelines requires full Indigenous involvement.
Poverty reduction and housing
The shortage of housing across the country has only become more critical and dangerous during COVID. The relatively new National Housing Strategy should be expanded by all levels of government. The new Canada Child Benefit has helped raise over 250,000 families out of poverty, proving government can help and can do more.
World affairs
Some days it just looks like the world is going nuts and Canada is this island of sanity. We have a tradition of being leaders toward a better world order. It is time for a renewed Pearsonian initiative, to believe in our values and link up with like-minded countries to restore faith in multilateralism and peaceful relations across the world. It’s time to reach into areas of the world like Africa, Asia and South America where we can create new partnerships. This is urgent stuff as the international scene spins out of control.
Better politics
It is critically important that all parties look to reduce partisanship and political games. The more the political class is mistrusted or despised, the more they create the conditions for the rise of extreme parties which are taking strong root in many countries.
Every time a party mis-steps it hands the other parties a small win, and when all the parties currently in Parliament mis-step, they hand the extremes a small win.
Andrew Cardozo is president of the Pearson Centre.