Canadian Priorities Part 1

The enthusiasm that Barack Obama gathered during the 2008 political election was fueled by a sense a excitement, the possibility of something new and bold, the chance to address problems that had lingered, unattended and unsolved. Not being the most ardent Obama supporter, all I can say is that he did mostly live up to his promise on the domestic front. The US came closer to universal health coverage, the rights of gays and lesbians were advanced, he tried to build bridges across political divides. Many Canadians were jealous during the 2008 election. What would a Canadian Obama do? Perhaps more importantly, what would a Canadian Obama promise? Our most recent federal election was disappointing. None of the parties offered platforms that promised to prepare Canada to face the challenges of the coming decade. The Bloc did not update its primary policy of a sovereign Quebec (Bernard Landry has pointed out that with the recent election of a minority PQ government in Quebec this is an evergreen belief). The NDP played politics and succesfully stole lefty voters from the Liberals by attacking the official opposition and not the ruling party. The Conservative party falsely took credit for the relatively healthy Canadian economy, healthy because of banking regulations they previously opposed. The main initiatives the Conservatives had revolved around jets and jails, not exactly a genius agenda. So what do I think a Canadian campaign of Hope would contain? It would address issues that have lingered too long and must be solved. It prepare us for the decades ahead. These issues are largely domestic. Canada's foreign policy has been abysmal recently, driven by attempts to win votes, but that doesn't really matter. We need to look in first before we can look out and all that stuff. So here it is, the issues that must be addressed 1. National Energy Policy: We need a national energy policy. Alison Redford thinks so, the CEO of Dutch Shell thinks so, everyone except Harper thinks so. To ignore or dismiss the fact that climate change is occurring and that it is occurring because of human activity, namely increased CO2 emission is highly irresponsible. We need to decide how CO2 is going to be managed. We need independent study of how environmentally damaging the oil sands are. We need a coordinated effort to transport oil and gas to new customers that is respectful to all those impacted by the industry. How are we going to pursue non carbon based energy. There is much to gain. By managing CO2 emissions by a cap and trade system or a carbon price we are simply preparing our industries for the future. The development of cleaner processing and carbon storage technologies will grow and diversify our economy. Knowledge about the environmental impact of the oil sands will allow Canada to defend the resource to international bodies such as the EU and will teach us how to extract oil in a cleaner way. The coordination of oil and gas transport entails not only getting everyone to agree to a pipeline route, it means deciding what form of oil and gas we are going to transport. The government should decide and should fund the development of refineries and processing plants in provinces that do not have extraction facilities. Why not build a refinery in BC to create jobs and share wealth from oil shipped from Alberta. Finally, we need to look beyond oil and gas to other forms of energy. The government should fund more research into solar panels, longer lasting batteries, all the things that will grow a knowledge economy while improving the processes of the traditional economy. 2. Aboriginal and First Nations Issues: That this isn't a top issue every election is criminal. The plight of First Nations people in Canada is unacceptable. They have higher rates of chronic disease, higher rates of poverty, higher rates of incarceration. All policies to date have failed. Aboriginal leaders and top government leaders need to meet regularly. Issues should be tackled one at a time, i.e., diabetes in Northern Manitoba. Pilot projects that are evidence based should be enacted. Land claims need to be solved in a timely manner. This problem is very difficult. Much of the problem is due to the standard sources of social inequity, namely, racism and a social structure that resists upward movement by some of its members. That being said, we haven't tried hard enough. 3. Unions and Benefits: Surprised this made the list. Me too. But really this could read "economy." North America is facing an unprecedented challenge to its workforce because of the growth of off shore manufacturing. Furthermore, the benefits and comforts enjoyed by previous generations of workers are now becoming out of reach of our current workforce. Any government faces a challenge by meddling with the labour market. So far governments, Ontario and Harper's feds, have largely intervened to strip unions of their right to strike and in some cases have legislated new contracts. This represents a profound lack of faith in the market. No one knows what is sustainable in terms of benefits and wages in the marketplace. Negotiated solutions should be sought where ever possible. Certainly, workers cannot expect the moon in trying economic times but running high profits while paying workers a pittance does not strengthen our country. Their are recent examples of both (overcompensated workers: TTC, greedy management: Caterpillar). Coming up in part 2: 4. Eliminating Oligarchy in Canadian Marketplace 5. Tackling Health Care in an Aging Population 6. Improving the Democratic Process