Be the Squeaky Wheel…
Recently I attended a ‘policy workshop’ for one of the major parties. Unlike many public events which devolve into a discussion with the loudest participant as to why the federal government should focus more on fixing their sidewalk, this one actually developed into a surprisingly productive and mature discussion about the tactical policies that can help Canada and Canadians navigate the still shifting economic and societal waters of the 22st century, and the strategic framework that could provide effective structure for the policies. At the highest level, it sounded like the members were looking for a government that would focus on the following three objectives;
1. A Canada Prepared for Change
2. A Healthy Canada
3. A Sustainable Canada
Now obviously the above statements are just political ear candy without a bit of further explanation, so below are some of the incipient notes to provide meat on the bones of the strategic framework about (including a very brief and high-level vision and mission statement).
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Overall Vision: The Government of Canada will govern to ensure a prosperous future for Canada by providing a framework that fosters a healthy social, economic, and personal environment for Canadians.
Strategic Mission: While the government will support a wide range of policies to develop and support the vision above, the following three high-level strategic goals are seen as central to supporting a Canada designed for the 21st century.
1. A Canada Prepared for Change
2. A Healthy Canada
3. A Sustainable Canada
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1. A Canada Prepared for Change
High-Level Objective: Support skills based training for Canadians as well as access to education in general.
Notes:
· Canada continues to integrate into a globalized economy.
· High-speed telecommunications networks continue to drive rapid evolution in both business markets as well as required individual skill sets.
· Jobs are shifting toward fewer, higher-paying opportunities.
· Constant re-training is required in order to ensure Canadians are at the leading edge of their professions.
o Re-training is also required to allow people to respond to changing business environments.
· It is increasingly expensive and difficult to protect corporations (i.e. auto sector)
o Focus should be on the individual, and ensuring affordable and effective access to education where required.
· This focus should be on shorter-term; skills based educational programs although traditional post-secondary programs need to be included as well.
o Can be deployed via a variety of tactical policies including an educational voucher system (preferred), tax credits/rebates, direct tuition support, etc.
· Key is to let the individual choose what is the proper educational vehicle to allow them to either re-enter the job market, or become a higher value member of the economy.
· Other policies designed to support a flexible and responsive country could fall within this strategic goal as well.
2. A Healthy Canada
High-Level Objective: To support a clear action plan to address the health of Canadians between the Federal and Provincial governments, as well as focus on addressing the root causes of health issues instead of just the symptoms.
Notes:
· This requires a new look at how the government defines a ‘healthy Canadian’.
· High-level separation of focus between Provinces and Federal governments will hopefully help focus the solutions.
o Provinces should focus on ‘reactionary’ health care – i.e. hospitals and clinics, where you go ‘once you are sick’.
o However the federal government should support a framework for health care by maintaining a list of services that absolutely cannot be delisted without provinces loosing access to funds via the Canada Health Act.
· Federal government focuses on preventative health care – ‘keeping Canadians healthy’.
· This ties together a diverse range of policies including food, water, and environmental security.
· For example a range of policies designed to support rural, agricultural areas could be forwarded to support a healthier food supply.
· “Price on Carbon” policies also support some of these goals, including a strategic goal to provide cleaner food (via price indicators by pricing petrochemical fertilizer inputs as well as carbon miles for transport into the food chain) and clean air legislation (clearer linkage between reducing pollution and a higher quality of air).
· At the core is the only way we will reduce the cost of health care over the long run is by ensuring Canadians have healthy inputs for their bodies. It will also be the lowest cost form of supporting health care into the future.
· Water management policies could also fit under this strategic goal.
3. A Sustainable Canada
High-Level Objective: To govern Canada based on policies that ensure the country improves economically and socially and to develop policies that are by their nature sustainable over the long-term.
Notes:
This section could include a variety of policies but the focus could be on;
Fiscal sustainability
· Ensuring that there are no structural deficits is a core tenant of a government budgets.
· This is based on the realization to the simple fact that by adding to the debt every year, more public funds are allocated simply to servicing the debt instead of providing services to Canadians.
· There is an increasing frustration from the public that taxes, or perceived government costs continue to see upward pressure while services are at least perceived to be in decline.
o This is simply an exercise in mathematics – the nearly continual use of deficit financing in the past has ensured that we as a society need to pay more for the services of the past and potentially pay higher taxes simply to service the debt – pay more for less.
· The only way to reverse the cycle is to diligently approach our federal check book like many Canadians approach their own – we will live within our means.
· The benefit is that every year a little more money is freed up for services – and Canadians will be paying less for more.
· However this strategic goal should also include the range of other economic development policies currently on the books.
Environmentally sustainable
· Canadians are looking to ensure that our policies support a healthy environment moving forward.
· A high-level goal of ‘pricing pollution’ is required; how to do it is debatable (hard cap and trade (preferred), tax, regulations, etc.)
· This will allow society (i.e. the government) to set a limit on what is acceptable from a pollution standpoint, set the framework, and then allow Canadian businesses and individuals to discover the most efficient solution instead of expecting government to solve the problem.
· Policies supporting a healthy food and water system could also fall under this strategic goal.
Socially sustainable
· A wide range of policies could fall under this heading including poverty reduction, housing programs, early childhood education, day-care, aboriginal, etc.
Government Values
As well, throughout the session several core values seemed to pop-up which if further refined could hopefully help drive the creation of tactical policies that feel like part of a coherent package of governance. While by no means an inclusive list (multiple sessions would be required to event start to create and vet this list – especially in a country as diverse as Canada), some of the values seemed to include;
· Individual choice
o Government needs to set the framework and rules, as well as effectively enforce them, but let individuals make decisions for themselves
· Importance of meritocracy
· Equality of access and opportunity
· “Fairness”
Again – I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of debate and ideas present in the session. I continue to be disheartened by the absolute lake of coherent and defined strategic framework or vision for our major parties current policy positions, which makes it almost impossible to effectively decide who should be governing our nation moving forward. With a fall election starting to look more and more likely it is more important than ever to press both the Liberals and Conservatives to offer Canadians a plan to vote on – otherwise we will continue to have to focus on personalities, hair styles, and ‘perceived Canadian-ness’ as our only means of choosing a government.