Canadian Public Policy

New Agenda

Strategic thinking doesn't guarantee success. The absence of strategic thinking insures failure. This is a good time for some strategic thinking about the renewal of national politics in Canada.

                 The strategic plan for the renewal of the great concept called Canada requires three things so we can assure Canada 's uniqueness and sovereignty. In 2005, sovereignty means the capacity to finance and protect the things we cherish, a social liberalism that comes to northern climates where communities are built on trust of neighbours, a distinctness of culture which makes Canada one of the few societies in the world where we have the potential to renew core democratic values with a diversity imported from the whole planet, and a commitment to education and innovation which underlies the value systems of upward mobility and excellence which attracted generations to build their families in Canada in history.

                For this to happen, there are at least three groups of Canadians who need to be mobilized into a national coalition for the purpose of rebuilding national politics in Canada:

(i)                   The business culture of western   Canada , with its global knowledge based on energy and resource expertise and its entrepreneurial ethos. It knows how to convert natural resource riches into sustainable value and new industries and that is a prerequisite for success in the 21st Century.   Its core presence in national economic strategy is underrepresented and missed to the detriment of all Canadians.

(ii)               The knowledge-driven entrepreneurialism of second and third-generation Canadians whose parents were by definition the greatest of entrepreneurs, leaving for a country they had never seen in pursuit of freedom and opportunity.   The unique value-system and commitment to Canada in these communities is well-understood by all those active in Canadian society over the last thirty years. It needs to be visibly represented in the national leadership of the country and will increase the significance of Canada in the world to the benefit of all Canadians.

(iii)                The global perspective of a Quebec that has moved beyond the sovereignty debate and which now needs to be given a reason to buy back into national institutions and national projects.    Quebec remains one of the most globally-oriented societies in the world and if that perspective is channelled into national politics, this new group will be one of the fundamental building blocks of the new Canadian spirit to the benefit of all Canadians.

                The Quebec-Canada discussion is an attempt to provide a framework for people outside of Quebec trying to understand what is driving the Quebec political process and to create a common language for a genuinely national politics.

                The New Agenda op-ed style pieces are an attempt to put some themes into discussion which provide for a post-logjam politics for the late 2000s and early 2010s in Canada .

                The Canadian Politics memos   are an attempt to put forward issues of relevance to the "new Canadian agenda" which may not necessarily be on the front pages of the news but have longer term implications. These memos are focused on the three strategic themes above.

In the memos section:

LIBERALISM, RESULTS-ORIENTED STRATEGIES AND EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION: THE SEARCH FOR TARGETED POLICIES was added in June 2006.
CANADA AND ASIA RISING: Thinking About New Strategies for Sustainable Prosperity was written in May 2006.
INVESTING IN CANADIAN CAPITAL MARKETS : The Post-Petroleum Global Economy and Alberta's Unique Competitive Advantage was written in March 2006.

Two earlier notes from 2005:

​Canadian Public Policy

Canadian Public Policy