November 28, 2019

DEAR PRIME MINISTER: Good Ideas from Cdns

By Several Canadians

The Pearson Centre invited several Canadians to contribute Letters to the Prime Minister. This page will include these short but thoughtful letters verbatim. New letters will be posted regularly.
They will also be sent to all five leaders: Trudeau, Scheer, Blanchet, Singh and May.

Table of Contents

8. Iris Evans, Former Finance Minister of Alberta
7. Jonathan Calof, Professor, University of Ottawa
6. Cheryl Knight, Cheryl Knight Associates, Calgary; Matching skills to the evolving energy sector
5. Toby Sanger, Canadians for Tax Fairness: simplifying tax filings
4. Nik Lopoukhine, Urban Parks
3. Corinne Pohlmann & Jasmin Guénette, CFIB: Intergenerational transfers of small businesses
2. Réal Lavergne, Fair Vote Canada: Citizens’ Assemblies on Electoral Reform
1. Nik Lopoukhine: Big Scale Tree Planting

More to follow….
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Dear Prime Minister
You have been blessed with another opportunity to ride the tumbling waves of democracy from sea to sea to sea. Allow more time for listening and reflection. You have been tossed all over Canada for several months, now as we approach the holy season, find that calm and inner peace, like your beloved father, walk, skate or dance through Ottawa’s snowflakes and settle your troubles with an open heart.

Trust in your Minister’s to do more heavy lifting. Test Minister Freeland with the western issues for a while. Reach out to people like Sandra Pupatello to advise her and to Anne McClellan who you have consulted. Both understand federal-provincial realities very well.

Invite the Aboriginal leaders to serve on immigration matters in a thoughtful way….the old and new societies have much in common.

Everyday, thank God for such a rich country and for the ultimate privilege of being elected to serve one and all.
God bless

Iris Evans
Sherwood Park, Alberta
(Former MLA and Minister of Finance)
Board Member, Pearson Centre

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Dear Prime Minister

Four years ago I had the honour to welcome you at the Pearson Flag Day event on the Hill. At the time you asked me in a sense what I thought about your approach and your challenge as the new Prime Minister. Four years later and here is my unsolicited advice.

Two challenges for you both in terms of leadership style, approach and focus. It is more important than ever to bring Canada together, to reinforce what I see as a very unique and positive Canadian identify and culture. Secondly, there are some major challenges confronting Canada now, most pressing being the 2E’s, environment and the economy (international trade and innovation). Both of these will require a different leadership style than the one we talked about four years ago. While consultation should and must continue, while Canadians from coast to coast need to be consulted, for this mandate, it is more important than ever to ensure that the best expertise is consulted in these areas. Rather than the conciliatory, integrated approach taken in your first term – quicker and more decisive action needs to be taken by you. I realize that minority governments are fragile and coalitions are important but it is the future of our children and grandchildren that we must protect and that is more challenged now than ever.

Much advice that has been given in the media has focused on what you must do to maintain your position for four years and beyond, I instead want you worry less about your political future and more on helping Canada prepare itself for a prosperous and healthy future. To do this you will need to surround yourself with those that have the best advice, the required subject matter expertise regardless of where they come from, their age, gender, race etc. I want you to be seen as making strong, informed decisions while also ensuring that Canadians at large are consulted. But at the end of the day I want you to be prepared to make those difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions that are good for our future. Good luck in what I hope is a strong four years.

Jonathan Calof
Professor, Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa
Adjunct Professor, University of New Brunswick
Extraordinary Professor, North-West University, South Africa
Leading Research Fellow, Higher School of Economics, Russia
Honorary Professor, Yunnan Normal University, China
Co-chair Pearson Center – Economy for Tomorrow Series

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The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau,
Prime Minister of Canada,
Ottawa, Ontario

November 3, 2019

Dear Prime Minister:
I was asked by the Pearson Centre to provide you with one good idea on my topic of choice. I want to give you my views on acting in the national interest with respect to the energy industry and supporting “and” conversations and strategies that engender trust and confidence in your leadership. Specifically, I want to share my recommendations on how to address the mismatch between the skills of the available talent pool and the occupations and skills that will be in demand as our industry transitions.

My suggestions come from more than 30 years of experience in several sectors and as the founding Executive Director of the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada (a sector council under a federal program). Since 2013, I have continued as an independent consultant and have done extensive research on the transferability of Alberta’s unemployed and under-employed oil and gas workers into emerging sectors of Alberta’s economy. This can be found at careertransitions.ca.

Findings indicate that the adoption of technology and innovation to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint and regulatory requirements to respond to the global transition to a lower carbon economy will drive new skill and occupational requirements. However, there is a mismatch between the skills and numbers of workers available in the current talent pool compared to requirements.

The solution is to gain a deeper understanding of the numbers of jobs and detailed skill requirements needed by the evolving energy sector and how to leverage the skills of available talent through targeted training and communications. As well as disseminating research findings to workers it needs to be shared with potential employers in emerging sectors related to our energy transition. These include employers in renewable energy, high tech and clean tech and, today, they are not looking to unemployed and under-employed oil and gas workers to fill their hiring needs.

Sincerely,

Cheryl M. Knight
CHERYL KNIGHT ASSOCIATES
CALGARY, ALBERTA
knightc@telus.net
403 619-1232
Workforce Solutions
Labour Market Insights
Talent Strategies

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Dear Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

One thing just about everyone agrees on is that our tax system should be simplified. It costs Canadian households over $5 billion annually—over $200 each—in expenses and time to file their taxes. Families who are strapped for time and money shouldn’t have to spend more of it to file their taxes.
These barriers are especially harmful for lower-income and marginalized people who lose out on important benefits and credits if they don’t file their taxes, such as the Canada Child Benefit and Climate Action incentive payments.

While the government has taken some steps to make tax filing easier, it could do far more if the CRA pro-actively sent out pre-filled preliminary tax forms in paper or email form to all those who request them. Dozens of Nordic and other countries have some form of preliminary tax filing.

Our tax system should also be simplified by eliminating regressive and ineffective tax loopholes, including the stock option deduction, lower tax rates on capital gains and many other loopholes that overwhelmingly benefit higher incomes. Closing a few tax loopholes could generate over $16 billion annually for the federal government, equivalent to over $1,000 per family.

Simplifying our tax system to make it fairer and easier to file would save households billions annually, increase compliance, and yield billions in additional government revenues to fund important programs such as universal childcare and pharmacare. It’s a multi-billion-dollar win-win solution.

Sincerely,

Toby Sanger, Executive Director
CANADIANS FOR TAX FAIRNESS

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Dear Prime Minister,

Re Urban Parks

Congratulations on the establishment of Rouge National Urban Park early in your mandate. It stands as a great example of bringing nature to where people live. Last summer alone, over 20,000 visitors were welcomed to the Park.

The success of Rouge Park brings up the question of why only Toronto. The federal properties of Stanley Park in Vancouver, Point Pleasant Park in Halifax and of course the National Capital Commission properties in and around Ottawa provide immediate opportunities for replicating the success of Rouge Park. Working with municipalities to establish these parks would benefit many. Green jobs would be added of course but more importantly it would enhance the connection of people with nature.

Much has been written on the benefits of contact with nature, and specifically for children. A nature deficit disorder has become a reality for kids without such contact. As is the case in Rouge Park, species-at-risk would benefit from Parks Canada scientific based recovery programs.

Municipalities, as well as the National Capital Commission, are strapped for funding to provide the level of visitor services that an organization such as Parks Canada provides.

Of course, where the property is not already federally owned, provincial cooperation would be required to pass legislation to establish new urban national parks. One can only imagine how quickly urban citizens sensitized to the value of nature and the perils of climate change would support such initiatives. Gatineau Park under the NCC is presently without any legislation protection and could easily be tackled first.

Nik Lopoukhine

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The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON
K1P 5K9

Dear Prime Minister,

In Canada, 72% of business owners are planning to exit their business within the next 10 years. This means that $1.5 trillion worth of assets will be transferred to a new generation of entrepreneurs. While this can bring new opportunities, it also brings challenges for business owners and for the Canadian economy as a whole.

Many business owners want to have their children take over the family business. However, Canada’s tax laws discourage business owners from selling their business to family members as it is more advantageous from a tax perspective to sell to an unrelated third party.

This is because when an independent business owner sells their business to a family member, the difference between the price paid to acquire the enterprise and the price originally paid is considered a dividend. If the same entrepreneur sells their business to an unrelated person, the transaction is taxed as a capital gain, which includes access to the lifetime capital gains exemption and is therefore taxed less than a dividend. This situation is unfair as it greatly disadvantages transactions between members of the same family and needs to be remedied.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business asks the Prime Minister to make life more affordable for entrepreneurs by changing the Income Tax Act so that intergenerational transfers of small businesses to family members are treated in a similar manner as those to a third party.

Sincerely,

Corinne Pohlmann
Senior Vice-President. National Affairs & Partnerships &
Jasmin Guénette,
Vice-President, National Affairs
CANADIAN FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS
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November 25, 2019
The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada,

When your government retreated from its promise of electoral reform in time for the 2019 election, you referred to a lack of consensus, implying that consultations would continue.

With the government in a minority situation, calls for electoral reform coming from both the NDP and the Green Party, and an upsurge of support for proportional representation, Fair Vote Canada would like to propose a way forward.

Discussions about electoral reform have a long history in Canada going back to 1919 when the Liberal Party adopted a policy resolution recommending the Single Transferable Vote. However, politicians elected under one system have always been reluctant to change the system that brought them to power. It is time for political leaders to acknowledge that simple but fundamental conflict of interest.
With that in mind, we would like to suggest that the power to recommend the type of electoral system needed for Canada at this stage in history should be assigned to an independent National Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. This would have to be a very robust process and there should be a multi-party agreement in advance to act on the recommendations put forward.

We invite you and your staff to read our Statement on Citizens’ Assemblies As a More Meaningful Way to Hear from Citizens and consult our Citizens’ Assembly website. We would be pleased to engage with you on this subject.
Yours sincerely,

Réal Lavergne, President, and
Anita Nickerson, Executive Director,
FAIR VOTE CANADA

cc. Honourable Dominic Leblanc, President of the Queen’s Privy Council of Canada

le 25 novembre 2019
Le très honorable Justin Trudeau, premier ministre du Canada,

Lorsque votre gouvernement a retiré sa promesse de légiférer la réforme électorale à temps pour les élections de 2019, vous avez parlé d’un manque de consensus, laissant entendre que les consultations devaient se poursuivre.

Étant donné la situation minoritaire dans laquelle se trouve le gouvernementue le gouvernement, le fait que le NPD et le Parti vert réclament tous deux la réforme électorale et que le public réclame plus que jamais la représentation proportionnelle, Représentation équitable au Canada aimerait vous proposer une voie à suivre.

Les discussions sur la réforme électorale ont une longue histoire au Canada, remontant à 1919, lorsque le Parti libéral a adopté une résolution politique recommandant le vote unique transférable. Cependant, les politiciens élus dans le cadre du mode de scrutin actuel ont toujours été réticents à changer le système qui les a portés au pouvoir. Il est temps que les dirigeants reconnaissent ce conflit d’intérêts simple mais fondamental.
Dans cette optique, nous aimerions suggérer que le pouvoir de recommander le type de système électoral dont le Canada a besoin en ce moment de son histoire devrait être confié à une Assemblée citoyenne nationale sur la réforme électorale. Il faudrait que ce soit une démarche fiable et robuste, appuyée d’une entente multipartite établie d’avance pour donner suite aux recommandations formulées.

Nous vous invitons, vous et votre personnel, à lire notre Énoncé sur les Assemblées citoyennes: une démarche éprouvée pour donner la parole aux citoyens et à consulter notre site Internet sur le sujet. Nous serions heureux de nous engager avec vous à ce sujet.
Nous vous prions d’accepter, très honorable premier ministre, l’expression de nos sentiments les plus distingués.

Réal Lavergne
Président, Représentation équitable au Canada, et
Anita Nickerson
Directrice générale, Représentation équitable au Canada
cc : Honorable Dominic Leblanc, président du Conseil privé du Canada

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Dear Prime Minister,

congratulations on the commitment to plant two billion trees over 10 years.

True, trees sequester carbon efficiently, but to a point. They are most efficient when they are around 10 years old. Eventually with age, trees absorb less carbon. The point is that planting a bunch of trees will mitigate carbon emissions for a time. Much more is needed to be done. Taxing pollution and your other announced commitments provides a core strategy on which to address climate change. However, to be sure tree planting is needed.
Besides sequestering carbon, indigenous trees that are adapted to specific ecosystems and on which other species life cycle depend will reduce the stress on biodiversity. Reports of climate change impacts are invariably centered on human impacts, we tend to overlook the impacts on nature and its components. For example, recent studies point to a reduction of over 3 billion birds in North America since 1970. It is expected that climate change will drive further reductions.

Your commitment to planting trees will build up Canada’s restoration economy. Restoration specialists that include indigenous peoples, are already guiding where best to plant trees while enhancing biodiversity, assuring clean water and air. Restoration ecologists are excited about the opportunity they can deliver in addressing climate change. In the US the restoration economy was estimated in 2015 to indirectly generate $15 billion and 95,000 jobs, bringing restoration’s total economic output value to nearly $25 billion. The commitment to planting trees stands to mitigate carbon emissions and will clearly create economic benefits as well.

Nik Lopoukhine