www.policymagazine.ca July—August 2019

Canadian Politics and Public Policy

The Canadian Idea

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Ottawa Toronto Up to 20 450 km 4 h 25 min 4 h 46 min $487 $49 $438

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Ottawa Québec City Up to 8 482 km 5 h 39 min 4 h 47 min $510 $49 $461

Toronto Montréal Up to 13 541 km 4 h 49 min 5 h 39 min $583 $49 $534

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Canadian Politics and Public Policy

EDITOR L. Ian MacDonald [email protected] ASSOCIATE EDITOR Lisa Van Dusen [email protected] CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Thomas S. Axworthy, Andrew Balfour, Yaroslav Baran, Derek H. Burney, Catherine Cano, Margaret Clarke, Celine Cooper, Rachel Curran, Susan Delacourt, In This Issue Graham Fraser, Dan Gagnier, Martin Goldfarb, Sarah Goldfeder, 6 From the Editor / L. Ian MacDonald Patrick Gossage, Frank Graves, The Canadian Idea Brad Lavigne, Kevin Lynch, Jeremy Kinsman, Andrew MacDougall, Carissima Mathen, Velma McColl, 7 The Evolution of Arrival David McLaughlin, David Mitchell, , Geoff Norquay, Graham Fraser Fen Osler Hampson, Robin V. Sears, 10 Gil Troy, Lori Turnbull, Jaime Watt, Through the Lens of Language Anthony Wilson-Smith 13 Shachi Kurl WEB DESIGN From My Parents’ Homeland to My Own Nicolas Landry [email protected] 16 Elizabeth May SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Big Country, Small World Grace MacDonald [email protected] 19 Vianne Timmons GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION The Canadian Idea Hinges on a Promise Fulfilled Monica Thomas Sarah Goldfeder [email protected] 22 An American in Canada: It’s Complicated Policy Thomas S. Axworthy Policy is published six times annually 25 by LPAC Ltd. The contents are The Canadian Idea That Spawned the Others copyrighted, but may be reproduced with permission and attribution in 32 Lori Turnbull print, and viewed free of charge at The Conscience of the Country the Policy home page at www.policymagazine.ca. 35 Donald J. Johnston Printed and distributed by St. Joseph Better Than Good Enough Communications, 1165 Kenaston Wanda Thomas Bernard Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 1A4 38 Racism in Canada: Planting the Seeds of Inclusion Available in Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges across Canada, as well 41 Jeremy Kinsman as VIA Rail Lounges in , May You Live in Canadian Times Ottawa and Toronto. Now available on PressReader. Column / Don Newman 44 The Best of Times. Seriously

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Policy 5

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elcome to our special sum- is one herself, her parents having im- ter from 1981-84. He mer issue on The Canadian migrated from India. Her firm found writes that without Canada coming of W Idea. The American idea, that two-thirds of Canadians think of age as a federation under the BNA Act, abolitionist preacher Theodore Park- irregular border crossings as “a crisis”. there would have been no Charter. er declared in 1850, comprised three Elizabeth May has a favourite way of For her part, Lori Turnbull sees Cana- elements: that all people are creat- seeing the country and talking to vot- da’s constitution as unique in its de- ed equal, that all possess unalien- ers—on the train. As Green Party Lead- sign in that it has both written and able rights, and that all should have er, half her life is spent traveling back unwritten parts, reflecting the influ- the opportunity to develop and enjoy and forth across the country. “Hon- ence of the American and British con- those rights. There has never been a estly,” she writes, “I do not think that stitutions respectively. comparable articulation of the Cana- anyone who has not seen the coun- Don Johnston, former Liberal cabinet dian Idea, so for our Policy Magazine try by rail—or at least by leisurely road minister and Secretary General of the Summer Special: The Canadian Idea, trip—can claim to have seen it at all.” Organisation for Economic Cooper- we’ve asked an outstanding group of Vianne Timmons grew up as one of ation and Development, writes that contributors for their sense of what six children in Labrador. She and her trying to describe the Canadian idea Canada represents. five siblings became the first genera- can be like the proverb about a blind And there’s a strong consensus that tion of their working-class family to man describing an elephant: “Many the idea of Canada is partly rooted in attend university. Vianne has served of us have impressions of particular its geography and also in its status as a for more than a decade as President of regions, cities and people, but very nation of immigrants, one whose na- University of Regina. She’s a champi- few know it in much detail from sea tional narrative has evolved from tol- on of Indigenous empowerment and to sea to sea.” erance to inclusiveness. inclusion in the halls of academic and After a career as an advocate for Nova political power. “I still believe,” she As Peter Mansbridge, himself an Scotia’s Black community and war- writes, “that one of those little girls I immigrant from post-war Britain, rior against racism, Wanda Thomas have seen in Rankin Inlet can be our writes: “The country has changed Bernard became a Senator in 2016. prime minister some day.” a lot in the sixty-five years since I “Despite being historically perceived walked down that gangway, not Sarah Goldfeder, now an Ottawa- as a ‘Promised Land’ and 185 years af- much more than a toddler, and I’ve based consultant, spent some 10 years ter emancipation,” she writes, “peo- witnessed Canada change and grow with the U.S. State Department and ple of African descent still do not and mature.” He concludes that Can- stayed in Canada after her last post- have equitable access to opportunity ada is a country of imperfections ing. “When Americans ask me how I in Canada.” “and it’s time we dealt with it.” find living in Canada, it’s a hard ques- Jeremy Kinsman has served Canada tion,” she notes. “I chose Canada but at home and abroad, as ambassador As a reporter and author on , I love my country.” and for a decade as Commissioner of to Russia, the U.K. and EU. He con- Official Languages in Ottawa, Gra- anada has two constitutional siders how the world view of Canada ham Fraser has long seen the country frameworks—the federal-pro- has evolved in politics and culture, through the lens of language. In the vincial bargain and division to a country that no longer passes C unnoticed. Canadian experience, he writes that of powers in the British North Amer- “the longest history and the deepest ica Act of 1867, and the rights of Ca- Finally, as Canadians approach a gen- fault line has been that of language.” nadians as individuals articulated in eral election, they’re seeing a lot of the Pollster Shachi Kurl, executive direc- the Charter of Rights and Freedoms tumult and turmoil of federal-provin- tor of the Angus Reid Institute in Van- of 1982. cial relations. Columnist Don New- couver, considers the attitude of Ca- Tom Axworthy knows a lot about the man considers it, and concludes it’s all in the Canadian nature of things. nadians towards first-generation born Charter; it happened on his watch as Canadians of immigrant parents. She principal secretary to Prime Minis- Enjoy.

Policy 7 7

Peter Mansbridge and his wife, actor Cynthia Dale, accepting their honorary Doctor of Laws degrees at McMaster University on June 12, 2017, more than 60 years after Mansbridge, as an excited 5-year-old, led his family down the gangway of the SS Samaria on what was for him, “day one of a great journey”. Photo by Ron Scheffler for McMaster University

The Evolution of Arrival

It’s hard to think of anyone who knows more about Peter Mansbridge

Canada than the man who, every night for nearly 30 he morning broke cold and years, told us what was happening here and around the overcast in Quebec City on world. Peter Mansbridge asked the questions Canadians T April 23rd, 1954 as the SS Sa- maria of the Cunard Shipping Line couldn’t and masterfully filled the gaps during royal vis- slid into port. It had left the Unit- its, national tragedies and, perhaps most memorably, ed Kingdom only a week earlier. The old one-stacker had started life every Remembrance Day, when his appreciation of both as a cruise ship in the twenties be- history and sacrifice was unabashed. The country, and fore being converted into a troop its newcomers, have changed since he arrived in what ship shuttling young men across the North Atlantic during the war. Now, was then still an ‘outpost of British civility.’ less than a decade after the Second World War had ended, it was liv-

July/August 2019 8 ing out its last days bringing immi- The country has changed a lot in the sixty-five grants on the voyage to what many years since I walked down that gangway not much still called the “new world”. Anxious to step on land, an excited 5-year- more than a toddler, and I’ve witnessed Canada change, old, braving the Canadian cold in and grow, and mature. gray shorts, gray socks and a sensi- ble English knit sweater, led his fam- ily down the gangway to a group of waiting Canadian immigration offi- cials. It would be, for him, day one a photo of that 1958 moment when amples that leave many of us embar- of a great journey. I was a parliamentary correspondent rassed still. for the CBC in Ottawa—amazingly, It was my first day in Canada. But two world wars and the fear that he remembered every detail of the other conflicts could start—that hu- My father, a decorated veteran of encounter. He signed it for me and man slaughter could occur again— the , had been of- it remains one of my prized posses- changed things. Fairly quickly, fered a job in the Canadian public sions to this day. service. Along with my mother, they Canadians started to gain the repu- were anxious to find a safe haven tation that, at least when a crisis was he country has changed a lot at hand, our shores welcomed those to raise their young family. They’d in the sixty-five years since most threatened. been through the great conflict in T I walked down that gangway Europe, and followed that with four not much more than a toddler, and When the Hungarian uprising years of tense times for British gov- I’ve witnessed Canada change, and against the Soviets was crushed in ernment officials when we lived in grow, and mature. 1956, hundreds of thousands of Malaya. We loved our new country Hungarians fled across the border and, as kids, my sister and I settled Part of the change has been about into Austria. Canada began an air- in fast. So fast, in fact, that even still immigration, not an issue that flat- lift, and 200 flights brought more clinging to our accents, we were cho- ters our early history. Until the than 37,000 Hungarians across the sen, just a few years after coming off 1950s we were known more for Atlantic. In 1968, the Prague Spring the Samaria, to portray two typical erecting walls than laying out the ended in similar fashion when the Canadian students in a film for the welcome mat. Just ask the Chinese, tanks moved into the cobblestone National Film Board, “A Visit to the or the Japanese, or the East Indians streets of the Czech capital. Another Parliament Buildings”. It even in- who tried to come to Canada at the exodus, and this time Canada took cluded a scene with the new prime dawn of the 20th century, or Jewish in almost eleven thousand. minister, John Diefenbaker. Twen- immigrants desperate to find a home Our immigration records show that ty years later I showed “The Chief” in the 1930s. Or so many other ex- in the early 1970s, the United States was the largest source country for immigration. Why? It appears those trying to avoid the draft for Viet- nam boosted the numbers. Estimates range as high as 40,000. In 1972, Idi Amin’s butchery and forced expul- sion of Ugandan Asians led Canada to organize another airlift and secure citizenship for almost 7,000 people.

n the summer of 1979, I found myself in a refugee camp in I Hong Kong watching a lone Ca- nadian immigration officer make de- cisions about which of the so-called Vietnamese “boat people” would be allowed to come to Canada. I’ve cov- ered thousands of stories and inter- viewed tens of thousands of people Peter Mansbridge, 10, and his sister, Wendy, 14, with Prime Minister John Diefenbaker in 1958 during filming of the National Film Board’s “A Visit to the Parliament Buildings”. since, but I’ve never forgotten the Photo courtesy of Peter Mansbridge details of that moment. His name

Policy 9 was Scott Mullen and he was barely If you find yourself in change question. You are surrounded out of university but there he was, by the new faces of Canada, a won- sitting at a makeshift table among the crowd at a derful mix of everything a true mosa- thousands of ethnic Chinese who’d Toronto Raptors home ic can produce …. no one would call risked their lives and given up every- game, the answer is a very it an “Anglo-British outpost”. thing they owned to pay the exorbi- firm ‘yes’ on the change But outside of that venue, trying to tant fees ship captains were charging describe, who we are as a nation in to help get them out of Vietnam. question. You are surrounded by the new faces 2019 is a much tougher question to Mullen had to decide, in an instant, of Canada, a wonderful mix answer. Immigration has always been who got in to Canada and who an issue for Canadians, and while didn’t. I was in awe of the young of everything a true mosaic time has changed the equation a bit, man’s determination to do the right can produce …. no one it remains a contentious issue. thing for his country, and do the would call it an ‘Anglo- Why? What does it expose about us? right thing for those desperate peo- British outpost’. Why do we struggle with it? ple who simply wanted to find a safe home for their families. Over the Is it racism? Is it fear? Is it economics? next year, Canada accepted close to one hundred thousand. Compare Is it a little bit of all of the above? Scott Mullen’s resources to what we It’s an easy bet that when Canadi- witnessed as Canada swooped into passports were mostly British. It’s ans head to the polls this fall, the the refugee camps in Lebanon to de- who we were then. It’s how we de- big issue for some will still be im- cide who we’d accept from the brutal fined ourselves. The statistics don’t migration—how many new immi- and ugly civil war in Syria. Immigra- lie: we were, as the University of To- grants should be let in, from where, tion officers, armed forces personnel, ronto’s Harold Roper told the Toron- and with what impact. It remains a the RCMP. A full court press deter- to Star in 2013, a country that saw defining issue, perhaps the defining mined to ensure there were no ter- itself as an “Anglo-British outpost of issue any country can ask itself— rorists hidden amongst the tens of British civility”. who are we? thousands of refugees Canada would eventually welcome. What a differ- When a five-year-old from Syria steps ence thirty-plus years make. o, what are we now? Have we re- off the plane for his or her first day ally changed? in Canada, is she or he as excited as What about the difference 65 years S I was all those years ago? Her parents makes? Let’s think about that for a If you find yourself in the crowd at are dealing with a lot more than my minute. When the Samaria docked a Toronto Raptors home game, the parents were—for them, the emo- in 1954, the faces were white, the answer is a very firm “yes” on the tional and financial pressures must be, at times, overwhelming. Are we as Canadians as welcoming to that five- year-old and her family as the coun- try was to me? I’m not sure.

There are real undercurrents out there across the land, that when exposed, call into question what we as individ- uals believe, and what we want and expect from our country.

It’s unfinished business and it’s time we dealt with it. Peter Mansbridge is the former anchor and chief correspondent of CBC’s The National. He is a Distinguished Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the .After 30 years in the anchor’s chair, he is now producing Peter Mansbridge with Canadian veterans and their families at Juno Beach on the 70th documentaries and appearing as a anniversary of D-Day and the liberation of Normandy, June 2014. Stephanie Jenzer photo public speaker.

July/August 2019 10 Through the Lens of Language

Between the experience of his career covering Quebec pol- My father ended his comments to my graduation class in 1964 with the ad- itics during the most crucial chapter of the province’s— vice—at a time when the Brain Drain and the country’s—history and his role as commissioner was a Canadian worry—that they should not feel guilty if they decided of official languages, Graham Fraser possesses a unique to move to the United States. perspective on Canada’s defining national issue: lan- “But if you love it, stay, and it will guage. He also inherited his father’s sense of the Cana- make you very happy.”

dian idea. Good advice, and a modest Canadian idea. It moved me then, and it moves me now.

Graham Fraser I followed my father into journal- ism—he died after my first week hen I was in my last year published article before he died in a at the Toronto Star—and as things of high school, 55 years canoeing accident in 1968 was a pro- turned out, less than a year after his ago, my father, Blair Fras- file of René Lévesque. W death I spent a week travelling with er, spoke at the graduation ceremony, René Lévesque, and I would go on and used the occasion to talk about to spend the critical years of my ca- his idea of the country. It was an idea The Canadian idea reer in journalism following him and that he later used in A Centennial Ser- with the longest his government. The story of Canada mon in 1967, and in the conclusion history and the deepest fault that I tried to tell was that of a coun- of his only book, published later that line has been that of try wrestling with language and con- year, The Search for Identity. stitutional tensions. language. Language has His idea was that what defined the been for Canada what race I grew up with my father’s idea of country was its nearness to the wil- Canada—the story of a country of derness, to what he called “the has been for the United networks through the wilderness cre- cleansing experience of solitude.” He States and class has been ated from the canoe routes paddled posited that mutual affection is not for Great Britain: a defining by French-Canadian voyageurs—and a national characteristic. “Never in tension, and a continuing saw how it provided the underpin- their history have Canadians demon- challenge. ning for other stories: Harold Innis’ strated any warm affection for each story of the fur trade; Pierre Berton’s other,” he wrote. “Loyalties have al- story of the railway; Glenn Gould’s ways been parochial, mutual hostili- idea of Canada’s north; Marshall ties chronic.” Born, raised and edu- McLuhan’s theories of communica- cated in the Maritimes, he moved to tion ; F. R. Scott’s idea of justice; Jane Montreal, worked as a reporter and Indeed, his view that the strains of Jacobs’ views of urbanism; Thomson editor, married, and learned French biculturalism were “easing off, as Highway’s indigenous mysticism; before moving to Ottawa from where English Canadians rush to learn and Charles Taylor’s and Will Kym- he travelled the country and the licka’s ideas about community, lan- French and English-speaking prov- world for Maclean’s, and retraced guage and diversity. inces move, still grudgingly but de- most of the routes of the voyageurs finitively, toward the establishment in a canoe. The Canadian shield, its At the same time, Quebec was telling of schools in which French is the lan- lakes and rivers, inspired him more its own stories about the country— guage of instruction” proved to be than did politicians or clergymen. through debates between Wilfrid Lau- more optimistic than prescient. Lan- rier and Henri Bourassa and between He had intended to write a book on guage continued to be a dividing line Pierre Trudeau and René Lévesque and the Quebec independence move- and a source of tension for much of by voices as diverse as those of Gilles ment, having written about Quebec the half-century that followed. It re- Vigneault, André Laurendeau, Mi- nationalism since the 1940s; his last mains a challenge. chel Tremblay, Dany Laferrière, Rob-

Policy 11 fewer than 10 per cent able to carry on a conversation in French. (Just over 40 per cent of French-speaking Quebecers can carry on a conversa- tion in English—still a minority.)

nniversaries are useful mo- ments for reflection, and if A Canada 150 was a lost oppor- tunity, 2020 offers a more sobering moment for consideration of what the country has achieved or failed to accomplish. For that will be the 25th anniversary of the 1995 Quebec ref- erendum, when Canada came with- in 55,000 votes of the kind of exis- tential crisis that Britain is now living through following the Brexit referen- dum. What’s changed? There was the transfer of certain responsibilities to Québec, a greater visibility of Cana- dian symbols (the unfortunate spon- sorship program, riddled with corrup- tion and kickbacks), and the Supreme Court reference on Quebec secession.

What was not done? There has been no effort made to increase the con- tact between the rest of Canada and Québec; there were no Québec studies programs established in English-Ca- nadian universities outside Québec; there was no Canadian equivalent to the European Erasmus program es- tablished to encourage students in French-speaking and English-speak- ing universities to spend a year in an institution of the other language. In Blair Fraser was one of Canada’s pre-eminent journalists as a Maclean’s reporter and editor. fact, the one such institutional pro- He died in 1968 during a canoeing accident, a week after his son, Graham, began his prolific journalism career at the Toronto Star. Photo provided by the Fraser family gram that existed, Collège Militaire Royal, which received students from Kingston’s Royal Military College, ert Lepage, Kim Thuy, Gérard Boucha- tween English-speaking and French- was shut down and is only now close rd and Boucar Diouf. Each of these in speaking Canadians identified by to resuming its previous status. There some way, whether intending to or the Royal Commission on Bilingual- was no systematic attempt to make unilingual Quebecers aware that they not, articulated a Canadian idea. But ism and Biculturalism 50 years ago could be served in French in nation- the Canadian idea with the longest has been eliminated. (This is a suc- al parks across Canada—and no re- history and the deepest fault line has cess that contrasts with the continu- newed effort to ensure that this was, been that of language. Language has ing racial and class income disparities in fact, the case. Exchanges did exist, in the U.S. and Britain.) Bilingualism been for Canada what race has been as they still do, but they still consti- has become a critical qualification for for the United States and class has tute a drop in the bucket. been for Great Britain: a defining ten- political leadership—as he had hoped sion, and a continuing challenge. he would be, Lester Pearson is our last In 2005, the Official Languages Act unilingual prime minister. But bilin- was amended to give federal institu- There are ways in which our struggles gualism is still very much a minority tions the obligation to take positive over the last half-century have been characteristic among English-speak- measures for the growth and devel- successful. The income disparity be- ing Canadians outside Quebec, with opment of minority language com-

July/August 2019 12 munities. However, in 2018, Judge However, over the last two decades, the University of say, in Gascon of the Federal Court issued a under Liberal, Conservative and Lib- a discussion of indigenous languag- decision in which he gave a meticu- eral governments, these initiatives es, “I do not speak my language.” lous, word by word analysis to dem- have had one thing in common: That is the feeling that all Canadi- onstrate that the language of the while they have been critically im- ans should have about English and amended clause was not as binding portant for the vitality of Canada’s French: that they are our languages, as that in the other parts of the Act. linguistic minority communities, even if we do not speak them. they have been virtually invisible to We have two national linguistic com- hat are the other chang- Canada’ linguistic majorities. The Of- munities in this country that enjoy es that have occurred over ficial Languages Act, understandably, national television and radio net- the last 25 years? We is focussed on the linguistic minori- W works, that generate books, news- have seen a number of post-second- ties: their rights, their access to servic- papers, movies, songs—not to men- es, to education, to justice. So is the ary institutions continue to take tion jurisprudence. In some ways, Charter, and the jurisprudence that small steps to ensure that university the Francophone majority in Quebec has flowed from it. graduates are fully bilingual: the im- suffers from insecurity, the Anglo- mersion program at the University of But what has been missing from the phone minorities from being misun- Ottawa, the success of the Bureau des discussion is a larger question of Ca- derstood, that Francophone minori- affaires francophones et francophiles nadian identity. If Canada’s two of- ties are invisible and the Anglophone (BAFF) at Simon Fraser, the transfor- ficial languages are seen and under- majority is insensitive. This latter mation of Collège St. Boniface into a stood as key components of national phenomenon is not unusual: all ma- university and the continuing work identity, and the health and vitality jorities tend to be insensitive to the being done by ’s Glen- of the two languages and the cultures needs of minorities. don College and Université Ste-Anne. expressed in them as critical elements However, these remain boutique pro- Legislation can go part of the way to in the definition of the country, then grams. There is no equivalent to the address these challenges. But it can- the policy is no longer simply about European Erasmus program, which not go all the way. When all you’ve minority rights. finances thousands of students to got is a hammer everything looks like study in other European countries, to a nail, and at times, all that minority partake in the idea of Europe. Canada’s official communities have had has been the languages, and the hammer of legislation and the anvil On the other hand, the government of the courts. of Ontario has abolished the inde- policies that support them, pendent position of Commission- need to be understood and But governments at all levels need er of French-language Services and promoted for their to lift their eyes and raise their game shelved the plans for a French-lan- so that they can convey to all Ca- guage university. We have seen a importance to the linguistic nadians the essential role that our slight decline in bilingualism among majorities. Canadians need two languages play in our identity, Anglophones. to feel that our two official in the Canadian idea: that is to say, languages belong to all of in our history, in our literature, in A columnist in The Economist wrote our films, in our music, in our televi- recently that “Canadian politicians us—whether or not we sion, in our welcoming of newcom- are usually bilingual as a matter of speak them. ers, in our presentation of ourselves course.” If only that were true. It is to the world, and in our creation of true that bilingualism is a defining a unique North American society, to- qualification for political party lead- day and in the future. ership, but many Canadian politi- cians do not meet that requirement. Graham Fraser is the former anada’s official languages, and Commissioner of Official Languages, We have seen a continuing series of the policies that support them, serving from 2006-16. A former Ottawa Action Plans for Official Languag- need to be understood and bureau chief of The Globe and Mail, he es—which were renamed Roadmaps C was also a correspondent of Maclean’s, promoted for their importance to by the Conservatives. These have in- the linguistic majorities. Canadians the Toronto Star and the Montreal volved millions of dollars being di- need to feel that our two official lan- Gazette. He is the author of several rected towards minority language guages belong to all of us—whether national bestsellers, including PQ: René communities, and French Second or not we speak them. Lévesque and the Parti Québécois Language learning. It is a proof of in Power, and Sorry, I Don’t Speak their success that they have survived This insight occurred to me when I French: Confronting the Canadian two changes of government. heard Professor Jennifer Rattray of Crisis that Won’t Go Away.

Policy 13 From My Parents’ Homeland to My Own

As a journalist and then a polling executive at the An- der official multiculturalism. When you’re little, you’re not alive to the gus Reid Institute, Shachi Kurl has explored the questions importance of it. You just know that around immigration and its role in the Canadian expe- you’re in a school full of kids whose rience and identity. As the Canadian-born daughter of parents—or who they themselves— were born in other parts of the world. immigrants herself, Kurl understands how emotional the We ate different foods. On special oc- issue can be. And, especially during an election year at a casions, we wore different clothes. time when immigration has become a loaded issue across They brought the RCMP in to pose with us. It made for a sweet tableau, Western democracies, just how politicized it can get. but having kids in a school mostly populated by the children of immi- grants put on “ethnic dress” and smile Shachi Kurl with a police officer wasn’t just bro- mide, it was crucial to trying to build

trust in a law enforcement institution llergies. Specifically, a violent that often suffers from a lack of it, par- allergy to ragweed. A ticularly among visible minorities. We’ve come to expect the origin sto- Other facets of multiculturalism pol- ries of Canadian immigrants to be icy led to classroom discussions and more romantic, or dramatic. Flight events that exposed us to cultures be- from conflict. First steps into a new yond those of the so-called founding culture. Canada as a deliberate desti- nations, French and English. nation, a conscious choice. Just as Francophones took a sense of For my parents, it was an accidental meaning, belonging and long-sought affection. By the time they drove up equality from official bilingualism, to the Peace Arch border crossing be- multiculturalism policy has helped tween Washington state and British solidify a sense of place in the cen- Columbia, they had already lived in tre of society, not on the margins, for the and the United visible minorities. It provided a sense States, having emigrated from India. of parity. But the American dream was not to y design, the decades have re- be for my father. His teaching options vealed Canada to be successful limited him to universities in the Mid- in the way newcomers settle west, which limited him to terrible B in this country. Employment rates health due to hay fever. So, he and my among people born outside Canada mother packed up their lives, (includ- are higher than many other Organ- ing their most precious possession, isation for Economic Cooperation my sister) and set off for Vancouver. and Development (OECD) nations. The beauty of the Coast Mountains Due to the points system, two-thirds was a strong selling point, the salty of Canada’s foreign-born adults have crispness of fresh marine air wafting completed post-secondary education, from the Pacific Ocean sealed the deal. notably higher than the rate for Ca- My story of Canada is one of a choice nadian-born adults and significantly higher than the foreign-born rate for made for me. I was among the first Shachi Kurl, then a 7-year old daughter of generations of Canadian-born chil- immigrants from India, with an RCMP member all other OECD countries. at a community event in Vancouver. Photo dren of immigrants educated un- courtesy Shachi Kurl. These outcomes beget financial suc-

July/August 2019 14 cess. In Vancouver, the country’s most to the debate over immigration, even accepted, and under which timelines. expensive housing market, the av- during times of support for accep- What we may have forgotten was the erage assessment value of single de- tance of more newcomers. So, it can’t new Liberal government’s initial in- tached homes owned by immigrants explain everything. Instead, I would sistence that 25,000 Syrians would is nearly 20 per cent higher than the suggest two key occurrences that be resettled within less than two average assessment of single-detached straddled the Trudeau government’s months. Much concern and criticism homes owned by Canadian-born res- mandate, and the political reactions over seemingly impossible timelines idents. In broad terms, most immi- to them, are more likely responsible over security and vetting ensued. At grants to this country are educated, for this unenthusiastic response to the time, Angus Reid Institute polling working, and doing well financially. more immigration. showed half of those Canadians who And yet, for the first time in more The first was the resettlement of Syri- said they were opposed to resettle- than two decades, public opinion an refugees, the second, the arrival of ment pointed specifically to the time- polling shows Canadians would pre- thousands of people claiming asylum lines as the reason why. fer to see fewer, not more immigrants at undesignated border crossings. In response, then-Liberal Premier come to Canada. This feeling has In the fall of 2015, public opinion was Kathleen Wynne’s suggested such spiked dramatically in recent years: overwhelmingly of the view that this concerns “… allows [sic] us to tap country had a role to play in mitigat- into that racist vein when that isn’t o, what’s happening? To start, ing the human tragedy unfolding in who we are.” not everyone may be comfort- the mass migrations from the Mid- able with what is literally the Whether the federal government gave S dle East and North Africa. But until “changing face” of our nation. Con- into the tapping of a ‘racist vein’, or the drowned body of Alan Kurdi—the sider that 2016 census data shows us whether bureaucrats convinced their three-year-old boy whose aunt was the number of visible minorities in political masters the timelines were so desperately trying to get him and this country now roughly equal to the indeed, too tight, the settlement date his family to sanctuary in Canada— number of people in Quebec. By 2036, was extended. washed ashore in Turkey, public opin- Statistics Canada projects immigrants ion was also divided over whether Wynne’s comments would not be will make up more than one-third people fleeing Bashar Al-Assad’s bru- the only example of political rheto- of the total population. Perhaps it is tal regime should be resettled here— ric took precedence over an impor- not wholly surprising then, that two- and if so—how many? That began an tant opportunity to communicate to thirds in this country when polled said election campaign bidding war that Canadians about the country’s immi- newcomers need to do more to “fit in”. saw each of the main party leaders— gration policies. Still, conversations of assimilation Stephen Harper, and For the second time, a politician and integration have been the per- Thomas Mulcair—up the ante over squandered a critical opportunity to petual undercurrent flowing parallel the number of refugees who would be strike a careful balance in response,

Chart 1: Should Immigration Levels Increase or Decrease. 1975–2018

350000

300000 48% 48% 46% 45% 49% 43% 44% 42% 250000 42% 42% 200000 39% 41% 36% 33% 31% 150000 32% 18% 17% 100000 12% 10% 9% 9% 9% 50000 6% 0 1975 1980 1987 1990 1995 2000 2014 2018

INCREASE STAY THE SAME DECREASE IMMIGRATION TOTAL

Source: Angus Reid Institute

Policy 15 instead going for the feel-good fac- I recognize this gift a relative who is already in the coun- tor that may ultimately have done when I board flights try as a permanent resident or citizen, more damage to the immigration de- account for 28 per cent of the total. bate overall. In January 2017, Prime home to Vancouver and give The rest (57 per cent) are economic Minister Trudeau tweeted, “To those thanks that I am a woman class immigrants, those who come fleeing persecution, terror & war, Ca- living in Canada, free from fill jobs. You probably wouldn’t nadians will welcome you, regardless much of the societal, cultural know this based on the conversa- of your faith. Diversity is our strength tions about immigration today. And #WelcomeToCanada” and official repression, harassment and barriers to yet, we need work-ready newcomers But what came to national atten- to hold up our tax base, to fill labour tion as something of a curiosity— economic upward mobility shortages. To pay for the nice things and for many a representation of the faced by so many of my sex we like to have in this country, such “best of Canada”—later gave way around the world. as health care and pensions and tran- to pointed questions about how of- sit. We’re neither having enough ba- ficials planned to deal with the tens bies nor building enough robots to of thousands who would later arrive, do that without our immigrants. seeking to make a home on this side Can we absorb more newcomers of all of the 49th parallel. hat has been the impact of classes into our nation? Arguably yes. By September of 2017, slightly more these two narratives on Do our leaders need to make a stron- than half of Canadians said the coun- W our views towards immi- ger case for them? Very much so. try has been “too generous” to the gration overall? Consider the potential border crossers, more than eight times damage that has been wrought by ide- e can no more take for gran- as many as those who said Canada ological reactions that failed, at least ted a perpetual approval in hasn’t been “generous enough”. By initially, to acknowledge or straight- W public opinion of more im- August 2018, following another sum- forwardly address the expressed anxi- migrants any more than I can take for mer of asylum-seeking arrivals, two- eties of Canadians. I would posit that granted the gift my parents bestowed thirds were calling the situation a “cri- it has also had the effect of obscuring upon me to make this my home. I rec- sis”, and the country was having to important differences over the kind of ognize this gift when I board flights grapple with uncomfortable questions immigrants we mostly accept. home to Vancouver and give thanks about how welcoming we really are. In 2018, the refugee and humanitar- that I am a woman living in Canada, Wynne’s comments would not be ian class accounted for just 15 per free from much of the societal, cul- the only example of political rheto- cent of the number of permanent tural and official repression, harass- ric took precedence over an impor- residents accepted into Canada— ment and barriers to economic up- tant opportunity to communicate to and did not include those who had ward mobility faced by so many of my Canadians about the country’s immi- crossed the border irregularly. Family sex around the world. I feel it when we gration policies. class immigrants, those sponsored by raise the flag on July 1 and marvel at the relative ease with which we live; no war, little corruption, a civil society Chart 2: Canadian Views on Irregular Border Crossings that functions the way its supposed to. We have a gift to bestow upon those who don’t have these things. We also have a responsibility to ensure our quality of life is maintained by en- is situation is a crisiste situation suring our workforce remains robust is eing oeron and skilled. Immigration is the key to oiticians and both. We need to be more rationally, 33 te edia. more frequently, and more emphati- cally reminded of this. is situation is a Shachi Kurl is Executive Director of the 67 crisisCanadas aiit to ande te Angus Reid Foundation, a national not- situation is at a iit. for-profit polling and public opinion research firm based in Vancouver. A former journalist, she writes a column in the Ottawa Citizen and is a frequent guest on broadcast panels such as At Issue on CBC’s The National. Source: Angus Reid Institute

July/August 2019 16

“On a train, the scenery beckons,” writes Elizabeth May, enjoying the VIA ride with her new husband John Kidder. “I still like to take the train as much as possible,” adds the Leader of the Green Party. Photo courtesy Elizabeth May

Big Country, Small World

Between being naturally sociable and being the leader Elizabeth May

of Canada’s Green Party for the past 13 years, Eliza- lmost everywhere I go in Can- beth May has likely met more Canadians than any other ada, people say, “In this com- currently-serving politician in the country. Her notion of A munity, we have at most two degrees of separation—maybe one!” the Canadian idea has been formed by her engagement Whether in , Ontario, or Hal- with so many people and informed by her travel to every ifax, Nova Scotia, or Victoria, B.C., locals feel their community is ex- corner of this vast country, especially by train.“Canada ceptional for the degree of closeness. is not authentically located in our large claims of ‘super- In my experience, all of us are that cluster’ this and ‘superpower’ that,” May writes. “Cana- close—from coast to coast to coast. da is found in our daily small kindnesses.” I accept the statistics—we are a pop- ulation of over 35 million. It is sim-

Policy 17 ply not possible that we all know I still try to take the train as much as possible. each other so well. But, in the same way that I know the earth is round Honestly, I do not think anyone who has not seen and orbits the sun, it doesn’t feel like the country by rail—or at least by leisurely road trip—can that. It feels flat. And Canada feels claim to have seen it at all. like a village.

Never more so than one day in Par- liament last fall when I told Justin Trudeau that my new love, John Kidder, was Margot Kidder’s broth- pool by the hour with the then-head try by rail—or at least by leisurely er. Public Services Minister Carla of the Newfoundland Sealers Associa- road trip—can claim to have seen it Qualtrough, overhearing Justin’s tion, Wilf Bartlett. at all. affectionate response about how I know our airports equally well. To many fond memories he had of the nother treasured memory was my horror, I can close my eyes and late actress, asked what we were of the time a freak early win- describe the floor plans of every Air talking about. ter storm left my mum, me A Canada lounge in all our larger air- and my toddler daughter cozily en- ports, and I also know the ones too I replied, “Just that the new man in sconced on a picture-perfect farm small to have lounges. Our airports my life is the older brother of Jus- outside of Lunenburg NS, for a glo- are efficient and well managed, in- tin’s father’s old girlfriend.” Carla re- rious two days. Years later, blizzard creasingly overflowing with luxury marked that it was a pretty big co- conditions led to the derailment of a shopping, creature comforts and tiny incidence. Justin replied, “It’s a very freight train outside of Trois-Rivières, way stations for the harried frequent small country.” stranding my daughter and me plus flier. But let’s face it: the experience 800 VIA Rail passengers miles from On the other hand, man oh man, are is one of sameness. A traveler could we BIG! I remember taking the train anywhere. The valiant VIA crew had be almost anywhere. And once in the from Ottawa to Halifax around 1995 food delivered by skidoo to an in- air, you are aloft and aloof. What riv- with a dear friend and fellow activist creasingly exhausted crew of cooks er winds beneath the plane, if you from Nigeria. After dinner in Mon- and VIA staff who managed to do should be so lucky to have a clear sky treal in the dining car, and breakfast their best. I remember it for the time and a window seat view, is rarely a crossing the Miramichi River in New spent chatting with other passen- question pondered. Brunswick, we sat down for lunch in gers, organizing impromptu play the dining car outside Moncton and groups for the several little girls on n a train, the scenery beck- he exclaimed, with those gorgeous board around my daughter’s age. ons. One’s eyes are peeled for melodic Nigerian cadences, “And we Oa moose in that wooded are steel in the same countreee!” wetland, or a bear gorging on sum- On a train, the mer berries along the siding. And I am lucky to have had decades of scenery beckons. even the most familiar route chang- travel across Canada. When I was es with the quality of the light, the executive director of Sierra Club of One’s eyes are peeled for a season, and the rain, mist, snow, Canada, I frequently crisscrossed the moose in that wooded hail or bright sun. Toronto to Otta- country by train, bus, ferry and plane wetland, or a bear gorging wa and the stretch on the Lake On- to connect with our vast network of on summer berries along the tario shoreline is never the same. It is volunteers. I avoid hotels and stay eternally new. with friends and supporters. There siding. And even the most is almost no little corner of Cana- familiar route changes with Air travel is isolating. Train travel da that is unknown to me. In most the quality of the light, the builds community. Train travel in- of Canada, I already know where my season, and the rain, mist, vites conversation. bedroom is in the friendly home of someone willing to host me. snow, hail or bright sun. For our Christmas in 2016, my daughter and I decided to avoid the I have been “storm-stayed”—tempo- complications of family (divorces rarily stranded by weather and trans- and estrangements) and take VIA Rail port delays—almost everywhere. I leaving Vancouver December 23rd, loved being stuck on Fogo Island arriving in Toronto December 28th. when the car ferry needed an ice I still try to take the train as much breaker to get back to the main is- as possible. Honestly, I do not think We took a bedroom, with bunk beds land, and none was available. I played anyone who has not seen the coun- and a private bath—all meals includ-

July/August 2019 18 ed. We packed our Scrabble board live. Instead of arriving by 5 pm as closed winter highway to get her and our favourite traditional Christ- scheduled, she was now disembark- home for Christmas. mas movies, and put the new puppy ing in Rivers, after 10 pm (a surprise complication for the trip) on Christmas day. The only hotel in On that train on Christmas Eve, in in the baggage car. At every stop with Rivers closed a few years ago, there the pitch darkness, we sat in the enough time to get the puppy out would be no open restaurants or dome car looking up at the stars. of her crate and out into the snow, stores. I had no idea what she would Miles from any discernible settle- we made the trek back through to do if her car battery had died. ment, up ahead, we saw a small over 24 cars, through sleeper cars And neither did she. I was so wor- shack, incongruously festooned with and economy, to get to the baggage ried about her, I gave her my email— Christmas lights. And just outside, a and the puppy. The first stop, along but without any reliable internet on well-bundled older man held aloft the siding in Kamloops, was a pret- a train, I am not sure what I thought a bright lantern, which he swung ty large shock for a Vancouver Is- I could do to help. with enthusiasm and appeared to be land dog who had not experienced shouting “Merry Christmas!” the feeling of suddenly becoming a It was not until I got to Toronto that fluffy popsicle. I received her email. Sure enough, If you want to know Canada, get once she unearthed her car from out of the cities. Get past our urban We met people throughout the train. the mountain of snow, it did not temples to air travel and out on the Although, due to poorly accumulat- start. She was alone on a deserted road. Find the policemen who res- ed statistics (based on filling out cus- street in a howling winter storm. A cue grandmothers. The farmers who tomer surveys in the seat pockets man came out of nowhere, spotted pitch in when the neighbour’s barn and primarily left in the bedrooms her and told her he would phone has burned down. And in the cities, of better-heeled travelers), VIA does the Rivers police to come help her. talk to the volunteers in the soup not have the data to prove it, many Sure enough, the young constable kitchens and food banks. Find the Canadians still take the train as a showed up and got out his jump- Indigenous woman who teaches the practical and affordable way to get er cables to start up the car. But he ways of the past in a local Winnipeg from A to B. For seniors and fami- warned her sternly that the high- community garden (like being able lies with young children, the VIA way was closed. He told her to fol- to access Jerusalem artichokes under discounts make it cheaper than air low him. And so she was instructed the snow, below a trap door and nes- for those in economy. The chairs to leave her car parked in the police tled in hay). (called “day-nighters”) are well de- station parking lot where it would signed to recline substantially. The be safe until she could get back to Canada is not authentically located sleeping people in the economy car pick it up. in our large claims of “super-cluster” barely stir at the occasional stop, let- this and “super-power” that. Canada ting people out to the small stations is found in our daily small kindness- found in places like Ashcroft, B.C., es. Canada is the residents of south Armstrong, Ontario and Melville, If you want to know shore Nova Scotia who poured out to . With only one VIA Canada, get out of the frigid morning when Sikh refu- trip every four days, and with the the cities. Get past our gees blundered ashore to find them- collapse of much of Canada’s bus urban temples to air travel selves wrapped in blankets and giv- service, VIA economy is now serious- and out on the road. Find ly overcrowded and at risk of becom- en strong tea. Canada is the first ing unpleasant. the policemen who rescue responders who never left their posts grandmothers. The farmers in Fort McMurray as the fire raged n that Christmas trip, in who pitch in when the around them. our walks back through an neighbour’s barn has Canada may not be perfect, but we already crowded economy O burned down. are a people who know that through car, we got to know Nancy, a love- love and faith, we are perfectable. ly woman from rural Manitoba who had left her car parked in Rivers two At least, that’s what I see from the weeks before. A fierce winter bliz- window of the train. zard howled and our train, having been repeatedly shunted to the sid- Elizabeth May, MP, is the Leader of the ings by the CN right-of-way system, And then, that wonderful young Green Party of Canada, and an inveter- was increasingly late. I was worried constable put all her luggage in his ate rider of Canada’s passenger trains. as our new friend was older than police car, installed her in the front me, had a car on a dark and freezing seat, and putting on all his lights, street in a town in which she did not drove at a snail’s pace down the

Policy 19 The Canadian Idea Hinges on a Promise Fulfilled

As a woman of Mi’kmaq ancestry who grew up as a program and received the designa- tion of registered industrial accoun- miner’s daughter in Labrador, Vianne Timmons never tant. Her hard work and dedication dreamed she’d end up as the president of a Canadian to her studies opened our eyes to a university—for more than a decade. A passionate cham- world that we had not previously imagined for ourselves. pion of Indigenous empowerment, Timmons argues that education is the key to making the Canadian idea of op- ould this happen today? Is the portunity for all a reality for all. Canadian dream still avail- C able to children whose par- ents are not well-off financially? I do believe it is for many, but I wor- ry about the ones who are being left Vianne Timmons behind.

s a young child growing up in In my job as a university president, Canada, you can take a lot of I have the privilege of travelling in A things for granted. northern Canada. When I am there, it lifts my soul. When you have grown For the most part, Canadian children up in the North, it becomes part of have access to decent public schools, your DNA. The air smells crisper, the quality, publicly funded health care, colours are more vivid, and the space structured recreational opportunities, is endless. Paradoxically, in many of and nutritious food. Like many peo- these beautiful northern communi- ple, I took all of these things for grant- ties the challenges that exist are dark, ed when I was growing up in Labra- stark and daunting. There is little em- dor. There were six children in my ployment, and sometimes the sense family, very close in age. We all loved of despair is almost palpable. I have school, and we were all involved in seen little girls in communities like sports. My father was a miner, so we Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, who remind didn’t have much as a family, but we me of myself as a child—but in far had freedom, a great childhood, and more challenging circumstances. Sit- a good quality of life. I often say that, Vianne Timmons, 6, as a schoolgirl in Labrador. uations like this make me realize that in many ways, I embody the Cana- “We had freedom, a great childhood, and a if we are to see the Canadian dream dian dream. good quality of life,” she writes today. Photo courtesy of Vianne Timmons continue—or at least remain a possi- These days, I think a great deal about bility—for everyone, we must ensure what it means to be Canadian, and I that our children born in the north can’t help but wonder if newcomers ident. The fact is that, growing up, I have the same sort of opportunities to Canada will have the same oppor- knew no one in my family who had my family and I had. tunities I had—and that same oppor- even attended university. My moth- In Yoni Appelbaum’s November tunity to live the Canadian dream. er knew she would have to do some- 2017 article in The Atlantic titled Is My parents sacrificed a lot so that thing extraordinary to ensure we all the American Idea Doomed?, he dis- all six of us could attend university. could get a post-secondary educa- cusses the view that younger Amer- Their selflessness provided all of us tion. Pregnant with her sixth child, she enrolled in a correspondence pro- icans have lost faith in an America with a life in which we all had great gram offered by Queen’s University. that is not delivering on its promise careers and lots of opportunities. To this day I have vivid memories of opportunity. He writes about the I could not have imagined that one of my mother studying while we did United States in this article, but there day I would serve as a university pres- our homework. She completed her is a clear message for Canada as well.

July/August 2019 20 still have to deal with inappropriate touches and comments?

or our nation to move forward and truly be a land of equal op- F portunity for all, we need to continue to challenge the status quo by recognizing that we are a society where some are less equal than oth- ers. The good news is that this is hap- pening. Issues of equity and diversi- ty are on the national agenda and are being discussed and debated. That is healthy for our country as a democ- racy and as a society.

Organizations are being challenged to take action and educate their em- ployees. Reports are being released looking at gender equity on corpo- rate and other boards. We have the Vianne Timmons and her mother, Georgetta Timmons, 85. “Her hard work and dedication to her Truth and Reconciliation Commis- studies opened our eyes to a world that we had not previously imagined for ourselves”. sion of Canada’s 94 calls to action Photo courtesy of Vianne Timmons which many are embracing and act- ing upon. The Final Report of the Na- Our nation is one built on the ide- Our nation is one tional Inquiry into Missing and Mur- al of hope and opportunity for all. built on the ideal of dered Indigenous Women and Girls To fulfill this ideal, we need to con- is shining a light into a dark corner tinue to see Canada as different—as hope and opportunity for all. of Canadian society and calling for a country that encourages people to To fulfill this ideal, we need changes to a system that clearly has dream of a better life and then helps to continue to see Canada as been broken for a long time. make those dreams a reality. That is different—as a country that the Canada I believe in. That is the But our broken system actually has Canada I want newcomers to experi- encourages people to dream within it something that can help cre- ence, children in struggling commu- of a better life and then ate a solution, as Senator Murray Sin- nities to imagine, and Indigenous helps make those dreams a clair, Chair of the Truth and Recon- peoples to live. reality. That is the Canada ciliation Commission, pointed out: “Education has gotten us into this I believe in. n theory, we live in a country mess, and education will get us out.” where everyone can have access I too, believe that education will get I to good health care, nutritious us out of this mess and put more food and an enriching education. I people on track to achieve the Ca- know that is not the reality for many, al identity or skin colour. The reality nadian dream. I see it happening ev- but I also know that we can and of my own experience is that I saw ery day at the University of Regina, must do better. We should measure my three brothers have more oppor- which fully embraces truth and rec- the quality of our society by how the tunities than I did. They had sum- onciliation. Our unwavering com- most vulnerable fare. mer jobs that paid significantly more mitment to Indigenization is core to than any job I had. They had differ- our strategic plan, which informs all As an educator and as a mother of ent rules growing up, and never felt our decision making and academic four children with three grandchil- unsafe and vulnerable because of activities. dren, I often get frustrated about the their gender. inability for many to achieve some- Through the University’s more- thing that is central to the Canadi- How can we still have inequity be- than-four-decade partnership with an dream of opportunity—a level tween men and women? In the com- First Nations University of Canada of financial comfort. For too many ing years, do we want our grand- (FNUniv), thousands of students— people, the dream is denied because daughters to be fighting to be treated Indigenous and non-Indigenous we still live in a society with barri- with respect, to still be seeking pay alike—have benefited from a univer- ers based on gender, religion, sexu- equity, to still feel unsafe, and to sity education in an environment

Policy 21 that values, promotes and passes along Indigenous culture and tra- ditions. Students from FNUniv get their degrees through the Universi- ty of Regina, and University of Regi- na students have the opportunity to take classes through FNUniv as part of their own degree programs.

Over the years, FNUniv has faced governance and financial challeng- es—most recently in 2009-10 when the federal and provincial gov- ernments pulled the institution’s funding. After months of advocacy (which included battling racist ste- reotypes of Indigenous people’s in- ability to manage their own affairs), the funding was reinstated on the condition that the University of Re- gina provide administrative over- sight for nearly five years.

A decade later, FNUniv is administra- tively independent and thriving—as the 104 students who graduated in Through the University of Regina’s (above) more-than-four-decade partnership with First early June will attest. The lives of these Nations University of Canada, (FNUniv), thousands of students have benefited from a university education in an environment that values, promotes and passes along Indigenous culture and graduates and their families stand to traditions. University of Regina photo be changed by the opportunities af- forded by education—just as the lives of my family and I were changed in I still believe in a a young girl growing up in a fam- Labrador so many years ago. country where a ily that many would see as poor has every opportunity to forge her e seem to be at a pivotal young girl can imagine own path. I still believe in a country point in Canadian history. herself among the leaders of where a young girl can imagine her- W Around the world we are our country, and where self among the leaders of our coun- witnessing a rise in the dark forces supports exist to ensure that try, and where supports exist to en- of ethnic nationalism, where nations sure that she might someday become are putting up walls—both figurative she might someday become one of those leaders. And I still be- and literal ones—and turning inward. one of those leaders. lieve that one of those little girls I The question that is before Canada is this: do we have the passion, compas- have seen in Rankin Inlet can be our sion and resolve to see the Canadi- prime minister someday. an dream get even better? Or are we That’s the Canadian idea I believe going to be pulled into the damag- see an erosion of the principles that in, and it is the Canada I believe we ing trend of nationalism that was re- have made Canada what I believe to sponsible for two world wars in the be the greatest country in the world. should all want to see. Together, we last century, and currently is sparking There is no question that racist atti- must build and protect the future for a backlash against things like Indige- tudes have become more overt, evi- those little girls I have seen in Rankin nous rights, immigration, gay rights, dent in social media and in protests Inlet—and for all our children. and even women’s rights? that marginalize many in our country and represent a backlash against ideas Vianne Timmons has been President At this time of my life I am both opti- that, for generations, have been core and Vice-Chancellor of the University mistic and fearful about Canada’s fu- to the idea of Canada. of Regina since 2008, with a strong ture. I believe that the foundations of focus on Indigenous education, this country are still solid, and that we At stake is the Canadian dream, internationalization, community are overall a nation that values diver- which none of us can take for grant- relationships, and accessibility for sity and equal opportunity. But I also ed. I still believe in a country where students with disabilities.

July/August 2019 22

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with President Donald Trump at the G7 Summit hosted by Canada at Charelevoix, QC, in June 2018. Adam Scotti photo An American in Canada: It’s Complicated

Sometimes, it’s the professional-observer expats—jour- Sarah Goldfeder nalists, diplomats—who can provide the most interesting was living in Mexico when I insights into a culture and country. Sarah Goldfeder is a learned that I would be moving former State Department official who was posted to Ot- I to Canada. As a pretty typical American, I knew of Canada but not tawa and stayed, carving out a career as a principal at about Canada. While growing up, Earnscliffe Strategy Group, a political commentator and a I had hiked in Alberta, shopped in regular Policy contributor. She offers a unique perspective Vancouver, vacationed in Victoria, and even traveled to Toronto with on Canadians, their Trump malaise and the inside dope the solitary goal to find credible Chi- diplomats swap on the arcana of Canadian social anthro- nese food. I knew I was just scratch- pology (can we please come up with something more exotic ing the surface and that I needed more information—so I set about than taking off our shoes?) looking for what to read.

Policy 23 My first purchase was thePenguin Canadians are a bit harder to assign a breed to, but History of Canada—which delighted my son as he pointed out repeatedly maybe Golden Retrievers—well-mannered, that there were no penguins in Can- intelligent, kind but cautious, content to curl up at your feet ada. It provided a soup-to-nuts dry but always up for a walk or a good game of catch. and exhaustive history. There was nothing compelling about it, and while parts of it felt very familiar, most just felt…well, boring. Disap- pointed but undeterred, I continue to seek out books on history, poli- Americans as the Chocolate Labs of iconic than the crimson-suited mem- tics, and Canadian fiction. But none the world—friendly, eager, rushing ber of the Royal Canadian Mounted of my reading satisfied me. The un- to the door to meet you when you Police, symbolizing both helpfulness derlying differences between Amer- get home and in the process, busting and commitment to the internation- icans and Canadians are far from through the screen door, a bit clum- al rules-based order. Americans are obvious and don’t make for com- sy and prone to knocking over your slightly bemused by the whole thing. pelling reading. It was only after liv- glass of wine while chewing up your If we’re discovered to be polite, well- ing in Canada that I realized that all favorite shoe. Canadians are a bit mannered guests anywhere outside that reading I had done had paid off. harder to assign a breed to, but may- of North America, we’re often asked Without registering it at the time, I be Golden Retrievers—well-man- if we’re sure we’re not from Cana- had prepared myself. nered, intelligent, kind but cautious, da. But here’s my bias showing: who content to curl up at your feet but in the past 75 years has done more As a diplomat, the first people you always up for a walk or a good game to enforce the global order than the interact with when you arrive in of catch. On some days I feel very United States of America? country are your own. American to much at home and others, discon- American, we have an assimilation nected—a little bit alien. Outward- o matter how unpopular the heart-to-heart. “Careful with this, ly indistinguishable, but inwardly actions of our government don’t be put off by that, when they just trying to remember not to run are at any point in time, say this what they really mean is…” N through the screen door. Canadians have always embraced A short course in interpretation of Americans. You might not under- culture, because even when the lan- stand us, but you remind us over guage isn’t ours, we have learned of Americans are and over again that we are more it enough to get by. Canada is no dif- slightly bemused by than neighbours, we are family. ferent. “Find yourself something to do in the winter,” we advise each the whole thing. If we’re We are family, but our journeys have other, “they all do something— discovered to be polite, been notably different. While Cana- skate, ski, snowshoe. If you don’t, well-mannered guests da’s independence from the British you will lose your mind.” anywhere outside of North is reminiscent of offspring growing up and leaving home, making the The habits die hard, even today America, we’re often asked if family proud, independence for the when meeting a new expat or diplo- we’re sure we’re not from United States was more of a messy, mat, I find myself in the same con- Canada. contentious, epic, tabloid-headline versations. “Every Monday, they will divorce. And from the beginning, ask you about your weekend, with- Canada has often watched its head- out fail,” I say, “be prepared—have a strong, difficult, and unruly cousin solid nugget or two ready to go. And wage battles against foes real and remember to take off your shoes.” imagined. Our differences are rooted in our beginnings. hen Americans ask me Canadians take great pride in being how I find living in Cana- the North Americans that are the When I arrived in Canada at the W da, it’s a hard question. I better dinner guests. They show up end of President Obama’s first term, chose Canada, but I love my coun- on time, take off their shoes, bring I was floored by how much Canadi- try—going back, even to places a bottle of wine or maple syrup as ans loved the Obamas. Americans where I have never lived, always a gift, and hold up their end of the were decidedly of mixed opinions feels like going home. The twang of conversation without making it all with much of the media reporting the voices, the ease of the smiles— about them. Being the trusty arbi- multiple perceived failings of his ad- Canadians are nice, but Americans ter of the rule of law is a tradition ministration. The 2012 election was are friendly. I sometimes think of for Canada—there is nothing more close—much closer than the Demo-

July/August 2019 24 crats thought it should have been. But America is a divided population. We always have been. Nonetheless, Ottawa was particularly shocked by the election of Donald J. Trump. The Liberal government even instituted a war room to determine how to man- age the president.

The Canadian approach to America reflects their belief in the durability of the relationship. There is a never- give-up-on-family mentality under- lining it all. It is emblematic of Cana- da’s understanding of its place in the world. Security, defense, trade, you name it—geography is destiny and Canada’s biggest partner, strongest ally, best mate, is the United States of America. But even though Canada is afforded more conveniences than Sarah Goldfeder, then special assistant to the U.S. Ambassador, with Amb. Bruce Heyman (right) any other nation, Canada is just one and Texas Senator Ted Cruz (left), at an embassy reception in Ottawa. Photo courtesy Sarah Goldfeder of America’s key partners. The Unit- ed States has never fully realized what we’ve got in Canada. value of having a tried and true ally In my time as an American in Can- along the entirety of our 5,525-mile ada, I have realized that baked into Security, defense, shared border. the American psyche is a deep dis- trade, you name trust of authority and government. hen Canadians approach What Canadians often see as disre- it—geography is destiny me and ask when my fel- spect and teen-age rebellion is root- and Canada’s biggest W low Americans will regain ed in a sense that just because some- partner, strongest ally, best their sanity or imply that in some one is in charge doesn’t mean that mate, is the United States way the presidency of Donald Trump they are right. The sense that better is illegitimate, I get uncomfortable. of America. governance is found with less inter- The reality is far more complicated. ference from government is a dis- Americans voted for Donald Trump tinctly American concept, grounded to be their president not because in our founding document, the Dec- they had lost their minds, not be- laration of Independence. And not cause Russia manipulated them to do at all Canadian. So when you ask me so, but because he represented some- what’s it like to be an American liv- That’s not entirely true. The U.S. De- thing to them. Talk to his supporters ing in Canada—it’s strangely unfa- partment of Defense understands. today and you will find that they be- miliar and just like home all at the The relationship between the two lieve that he understands them bet- same time. I am more American here military organizations is as close as ter than any other politician. His than at home—more stubborn, more it can be. Canadians serve shoulder diplomatic missteps that make Cana- outspoken, louder, stronger, braver. to shoulder with Americans in just dians shake their heads in disbelief about every command. Despite Ot- are proof points for his being just like And the funny thing is that I get the tawa’s best efforts to complicate the his voters. He is doing exactly what distinct impression that the Canadi- relationship (F-35s, BMD, 2 per cent he promised. Democracy is not luna- ans in my life wouldn’t want it any GDP spending for NATO) the mili- cy, it means that at times you must other way. tary leadership keeps it on track. The accept that a plurality of your fel- Sarah Goldfeder is a Principal U.S. military establishment under- low Americans fundamentally dis- with Earnscliffe Strategy Group in stands the value of a partner that agree with you about the direction Ottawa. Previously she served as trains with us, understands our val- in which the country is headed. This special assistant to two former U.S. ues and ethical construct, and stands happens in the United States pretty ambassadors to Canada, and worked by us. Most importantly, the United much every four years, this time it for the U.S. State Department for States understands the incomparable just echoed a bit louder. 10 years.

Policy 25

The Queen signs the Constitution Act with the Charter of Rights on Parliament Hill, April 17, 1982, as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau looks on. Also, (L to R), Labour Minister , Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Pitfield, and former PMO aide Michael Kirby, who later served in the Senate. Library and Archives Canada, Robert Cooper photo The Canadian Idea That Spawned the Others

Tolerance is a word whose connotation has evolved. As Thomas S. Axworthy Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has pointed out, we now as- olerance is the first building sociate it with a notion of coexistence whereby differences block of civility and, as such, are permitted rather than celebrated. Tom Axworthy, who T it is the pacemaker for a pro- gression along a continuum from state served as principal secretary to Trudeau’s father, argues that coercion, through intolerance, to tol- the values of inclusion and pluralism that we now embrace eration, to rights and finally, as phi- losopher Michael Walzer writes, to en- as Canadian had to evolve from tolerance, and without it, thusiastic endorsement of diversity, there would be no Charter of Rights and Freedoms. inclusion and pluralism. Canada has steadily evolved along that continuum throughout our history until today we are among the most diverse and inclu- sive countries on earth: 20 percent of Canada’s population is foreign born,

July/August 2019 26 and Toronto is one of the most mul- Tolerance...it is the pacemaker for a progression ticultural and multiracial cities in the along a continuum from state coercion, through world: In 2016, over 51 per cent of the residents of Toronto belonged to a vis- intolerance, to toleration, to rights and finally, as ible minority group. A culture of tol- philosopher Michael Walzer writes, to enthusiastic erance, nurtured by our history and endorsement of diversity, inclusion and pluralism. sustained by the rule of law and our parliamentary institutions, is the pre- eminent Canadian idea and the foun- dation upon which all our aspirations and achievements for diversity, inclu- deploring that tolerance has been no- bec Act of 1774—which established sion and pluralism rest. table for its absence: that toleration the principle that a conquered people Tolerance is a starter virtue. It denotes was not part of the colonial past, that should have the right to carry on their “forbearance from imposing punitive Canadian authorities have denied In- own customs and laws. Intelligent ad- sanctions for dissent from prevailing digenous peoples the right to exist and aptation from Britain continued with norms” according to political theo- that even “present-day Canadian state the Constitution Act of 1791 which rist Andrew R. Murphy. It is a virtue conduct” is an intentional “genocide” brought legislative assemblies to Up- based on the recognition, as Voltaire against Indigenous peoples. per and Lower Canada. Almost imme- writes in his Philosophical Dictionary, diately, French Canadians showed a In my view, such an exaggeration “that discord is the great ill of man- talent for politics by using the institu- may have shock value in gaining kind, and tolerance is the only rem- tion of the assembly to protect their headlines, but it in no way describes edy for it.” A culture of toleration is a rights and advance their cause. the governments in which I served or set of practices or arrangements that the Canada that I know. Still, such Canada began down the road of tol- enables peaceful coexistence, or “live debates show that tolerance cannot erance not because we were virtu- and let live”. Its opposite is fanaticism be taken for granted, even in 2019. ous but because of the facts on the or ideological belief so strong that it ground—a majority of the population makes no allowances and brooks no was French-speaking. There were also compromise. Almost immediately, many reversals and setbacks in what Tolerance is an individual attitude French Canadians Peter Russell calls Canada’s Odyssey, rooted in humility, (we all make er- showed a talent for politics such as the rebellions of 1837 against rors), and respect, (your views may by using the institution of overbearing elites, the injustices to be as valid as mine). As a multiplic- the assembly to protect their French Canadians in the Manitoba ity of voices have risen since Cana- schools question, the stomping of the da’s founding and as we have evolved rights and advance their Winnipeg General Strike in 1919, the along the Walzer continuum, the cause. internment of Japanese Canadians in word itself has become contentious. 1942 and the centuries-long betrayal Justin Trudeau, for example, was cor- of promises to Canada’s Indigenous rect when he stated in a 2018 com- peoples. But enlightened political mencement speech at New York Uni- Canada’s history is one of accommo- leadership gradually overcame these versity that tolerance means only dation and compromise, and with injustices: Baldwin and Lafontaine that, “I grudgingly admit you have each compromise tolerance grew. developed a partnership to bring re- a right to exist but just don’t get in We are what we are today because of sponsible government to the colony; my face.” “There’s not a religion in French Canada. The 60,000 inhabit- Macdonald and Cartier together cre- the world,” Trudeau added, “that asks ants of the colony of New France re- ated the idea of Canada itself; Lauri- you to ‘tolerate thy neighbour’.” My er fought against the sectarian rage fused to be assimilated after the Brit- argument, however, is that the initial of his time and began the mass im- ish victory in the Seven Years War and step of tolerance to gaining under- migration that has defined Canada; this act of defiance was wisely tolerat- standing is all-important and should and John Diefenbaker, the first prime ed by the British authorities (indeed, not be dismissed. If it is absent, con- minister not from French or English the first military governor, James Mur- flict is inevitable. ancestors, fought for “unhyphenated ray, used recently defeated Canadian Canadians”—that identity be decou- captains of the militia to act as justices pled from provenance—in his long thers, most notably, the au- of the peace, giving Canada its first bi- career on behalf of human rights. thors of The Final Report of lingual regime). O the National Inquiry into Miss- And today, at last, Justin Trudeau has ing and Murdered Women, subscribe to This initial wise act of administration made reconciliation with the Indige- the same definition as Trudeau, while was followed by legislation—the Qué- nous peoples into a national priority.

Policy 27 rowing up in Winnipeg’s berta amending formula in exchange North End, I saw the culture for the Charter of Rights, though Gof tolerance grow firsthand: weakened by the compromise-with- mine was a polyglot neighborhood in-a-compromise that allowed a not- of Ukrainians, Poles, Jews and mem- withstanding clause to apply to sev- bers of First Nations. On the street eral essential rights. or in the schoolyard, epithets like “DP” (displaced person), “bohunk” This was bitterly regretted by Pierre or “drunken Indian” were common. Trudeau, but he accepted the com- But Winnipeg changed: in 1957, Ste- promise, warts and all. And then phen Juba became mayor, the first when the premiers sought to weak- Ukrainian to hold high political of- en section 28 on gender equality by applying the notwithstanding clause, fice in Winnipeg. Ed Schreyer, born the women of Canada, including fe- to German-Austrian parents, became male members of Parliament from premier of Manitoba in 1969. Wab all parties, refused to accept it. They Kinew, a member of the Onigaming organized marches and delegations First Nation, became leader of the across Canada until the premiers fi- New Democratic Party and opposi- nally gave way. tion leader in 2017. The step-by-step progress of Canadians in accepting, then welcoming, diversity has been Tom Axworthy served as principal secretary olerance, and the virtues it to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau from 1981 has spawned, have served us very real. to 1984 and served as a key advisor on the enactment of the Charter of Rights and T well. But does our success have Freedoms. Photo courtesy Thomas Axworthy any lessons for the rest of the world? Pierre Trudeau spent Two authors with very different per- a generation spectives think so. , in in a brief submitted on behalf of the arguing that constitutionally his magisterial history of Canada, Rise Québec Industrial Unions Federation to Greatness, writes that Canada “is one protected individual rights, to the Tremblay commission argu- of the world’s ten or twelve most im- including language rights, ing for Quebec to “declare its willing- portant countries.” Adam Gopnik, in were the foundation for ness to accept the incorporation of a A Thousand Small Sanities writes that ensuring a just democracy. declaration of human rights into the Canada is a” model liberal nation.” constitution.” Pierre Trudeau spent And in April 1982, his vision a generation arguing that constitu- We are not used to thinking of our- became Canada’s vision. tionally protected individual rights, selves as a foremost nation. But in including language rights, were the a world where extreme populism is foundation for ensuring a just de- on the rise, where minorities are still mocracy. And in April 1982, his vi- demonized, where religion and eth- sion became Canada’s vision. nic divides are shattering societies, perhaps Canada’s culture of toler- The apogée of Canada’s historical arc But there were many other con- ance and our successful adaptation toward tolerance, human rights and tributions to the Charter’s evolu- to changing times is something oth- celebration of diversity was the proc- tion and acceptance beyond those er countries could adopt with prof- lamation of the Constitution Act on of Pierre Trudeau’s. As I’ve argued, it. Tolerance is a minimalist value— April 17, 1982 which brought Cana- tolerance leads to respect, respect it asks only that you do not coerce da the constitutionally entrenched leads to compromise, and compro- and that you remain open to argu- Charter of Rights and Freedoms. For mise leads, eventually, to consen- ment. But it leads, in turn, to civility, my students at Massey College, April sus. That is exactly what happened mutual learning and respect for hu- 17, 1982 is the birth date of contem- in the great constitutional battle of man rights. In a world full of differ- porary Canada. The Charter is the sin- 1980-82. Trudeau had the initial vi- ing interests and ideas, humility and gular achievement of Prime Minister sion, but Progressive Conservative accommodation are wise and, above Pierre Trudeau. As a young official in and New Democratic party mem- all, necessary. That is the Canadian the Privy Council office in 1951, he bers of Parliament greatly improved way, and if such an ethic were more was the note taker as a delegation of the Charter in committee. The Char- widely adopted it would prevent human right activists implored Prime ter is a multi-partisan achievement. many cruelties. Minister Louis St. Laurent to enact The constitutional deal of November Thomas S. Axworthy is Public Policy a Bill of Rights. Three years later, in 1981 was a straight up bargain—the Chair at Massey College, University 1954, he advocated a charter himself federal government accepted the Al- of Toronto

July/August 2019 Sponsored content

Canada’s Pipeline to Reconciliation

Indigenous ownership of the Trans Mountain pipeline and expansion project will enable Indigenous communities in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan to prosper while stewarding the environment. It will also ensure we get our oil resources to world markets.

The Question ast year, a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous trailblazers with experience in lead- L ing First Nations and in starting up and running oil and gas companies took a good look at what was happening in Canada.

They considered the events associated with Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain pipe- We need to get line expansion project, an undertaking about which no one seemed to agree, and which, last to a place where year, resulted in the federal government buying both the existing pipeline and the expansion project from the company. The proposed expansion had triggered clashes between the B.C. Indigenous peoples and Alberta governments, between environmentalist-Indigenous allies and industry groups, in Canada are in and among federal political parties, and had resulted in an impasse. control of their own They reflected on the work of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). In 2009, destiny, making their the TRC had begun a multi-year process to listen to survivors, communities and others af- fected by Canada’s Residential School system and, in 2015, had released Honouring the Truth, own decisions about Reconciling the Future, a report outlining the 10 guiding principles and 94 Calls to Action it their future.” recommended Canada adopt to advance the process of reconciliation in our country. How, the group wondered, could these recommendations, as well as the articles under the United The Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau, Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), be honoured in a way that would make a difference to Indigenous communities?

And they contemplated the fact that Canada—despite the global transition to lower-carbon energy—would need to produce and export oil for decades to come. Our country has the third- largest proven oil reserves in the world and we are the world’s fourth-largest exporter of oil. Our oil industry represents more than 20 per cent of our exports and employs thousands across the country. And, compounding these facts, our biggest customer—the United States—has become one of our biggest competitors as an exporter, meaning that, for us to command fair prices, we need pipelines that enable us to get our product to world markets.

Given this state of affairs, the group wondered, could there be a way to tackle all of these chal- lenges at once? The Answer e concluded that, yes, we could do something,” “W said Delbert Wapass, Executive Chair & Foun- der of Project Reconciliation. “We could buy a major- ity stake in the Trans Mountain pipeline and expan- sion project on behalf of Indigenous communities in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan, and struc- ture the deal so the communities would not only have environmental oversight, but would profit We’re offering Canada’s from their ownership for generations to come.” Indigenous Peoples a place as So, in late 2018, they formed Project Recon- equal partners in the economic ciliation, and set about to do just that. and environmental landscape of In addition to Wapass, who is a former Chief our nation.” of Thunderchild First Nation in Saskatchewan, Project Reconciliation Executive Chair Project Reconciliation includes Shane Gott- & Founder Delbert Wapass friedson, a former Chief of Tk’emlúps te Sec- wepemc First Nation; Wallace Fox, a former Chief of the Onion Lake Cree Nation; Dr. Michelle Corfield, an entrepreneur and co-founder of Simon Fraser University’s Executive Business program with a focus on Indigenous business; and a team of pro- fessionals with expertise in finance and business. A pipeline to Since they launched Project Reconciliation, this group has long-term wealth developed a comprehensive plan for Indigenous ownership, and has invited all 336 Indigenous communities in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan to collectively generation buy a 51 per cent interest in the pipeline and expansion project. Their plan addresses Indig- enous communities’ right to economic development and environmental conservation and pro- If Project Reconciliation is able tection, and recognizes Canada’s need to get our oil resources to world markets. to buy a majority interest in The following elements form the plan’s foundation: the Trans Mountain pipeline and expansion project, upon Benefit to all Canadians completion of the expansion While maintaining environmental oversight, participating Indigenous community partners project (expected to be in would share in Canada’s economic prosperity and alleviate their dependency on federal pro- 2023), it would direct 80 grams; Canada would get badly needed oil export capability, and our economy would get the per cent of the earnings from boost it needs, making everyone a winner. the investment—approximately Inclusion $200 million per year—to an innovative Sovereign Wealth The pipeline transports—and the expansion project will transport—oil from the Western Ca- Reconciliation Fund. nadian Sedimentary Basin, which underlies the traditional lands of many Indigenous com- munities in Canada’s three westernmost provinces. As well, the pipeline itself directly or indi- This fund, which would be rectly impacts many Indigenous communities in B.C. and Alberta. For those reasons, Project professionally managed in much Reconciliation’s leaders decided it is only fair that all Indigenous communities in B.C., Alberta the same way a pension fund is, and Saskatchewan be invited to participate. would be invested in real estate and infrastructure-based assets Environmental oversight that would yield an estimated With a majority stake in the pipeline and expansion project, participating Indigenous com- $12.5 billion in earnings (before munity partners would have a seat at the table regarding how the pipeline and expansion interest, taxes, depreciation and project are operated and constructed, and the authority to ensure these activities meet high amortization) over the next standards for environmental monitoring, assessment, conservation and protection, and for 50 years. spill response and safety. The long-term wealth resulting from the fund would be a game LI 2 changer for the participating Indigenous community partners, LI 1 EMNTN in that they could use it to invest in community priorities such as health, education, housing, RITIS recreation and low-carbon AERTA energy generation. CMIA Calgary Project Reconciliation would Kamloops distribute the remaining 20 LI 2 Existing active pipeline per cent of the earnings— roposed new pipeline approximately $50 million per RNA roposed reactivated pipeline ancouver LI 1 year—directly to the participating CAAA km Indigenous community partners. SA Key $7.6 billion $12.5 billion $200 million numbers Cost to buy 51 per cent of Estimated earnings (before Approximate annual amount the Trans Mountain pipeline interest, taxes, depreciation Project Reconciliation would at a glance and expansion project and amortization) the direct into a Sovereign investment would generate Wealth Reconciliation Fund over the next 50 years to create long-term wealth

$50 million 336 Approximate annual amount Number of Indigenous communities in B.C. Project Reconciliation (203 First Nations and two provincial Métis would distribute directly organizations), Alberta (47 First Nations and eight to Indigenous community Métis settlements) and Saskatchewan (74 First partners as short-term wealth Nations and one provincial Métis organization)

Marine protection As part of their environmental oversight, the majority owners would engage the First Nations Fisheries Council’s Marine and Environmental Response Program to train and certify marine and environmental response workers in coastal Indigenous communities, and to connect them with employment opportunities across the marine sector. Short- and long-term wealth creation We want [Indigenous Following the construction of the expansion project, participating Indigenous community peoples] to be partners partners would receive short- and long-term revenue that could be used to achieve economic independence, in alignment with Truth & Reconciliation guiding principles and Calls to Action, in prosperity, we want and with UNDRIP. The short-term revenue would come from quarterly earnings from the initial them to share in the investment. The long-term revenue would come from earnings that would be re-invested under a Sovereign Wealth Reconciliation Fund. economic benefits of No upfront cash or public funding some of the natural Project Reconciliation’s financing plan would involve buying a 51-per cent interest in the exist- resources projects that ing pipeline and obtaining funding for 51 per cent of the cost to construct the expansion project. Upon completion of the expansion project, Project Reconciliation’s entire purchase and financ- are available.” ing costs would be refinanced through a syndicated, 20-year bond issue totalling approximately $7.6 billion. Participating Indigenous community partners would not require upfront cash to The Hon. Andrew Scheer, Leader of the Official Opposition invest. No part of the financing would require public funding. Financing and construction guarantees Long-term shipper contracts would guarantee the bonds. Federal and provincial government guarantees would backstop any construction-related cost overruns associated with the ex- pansion project. Share classes that recognize proximity and impact Project Reconciliation would offer differing classes of shares to participating Indigenous community partners in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan based on right-of-way proximity and impact level. Community partners on the right-of-way, for example, would be eligible for A- Class shares, which would generate the highest returns. No financial or liability risk As is the case with any other pipeline, the Trans Mountain pipeline carries—and would continue to carry—insurance that would cover the costs of an incident, should one occur. Participating Indigenous community partners would not be held financially responsible or liable. Collaborative governance Collaborative governance structures would control all aspects of the pipeline and expan- sion project, including the operations and the Sovereign Wealth Reconciliation Fund. These structures would depend on many factors, including the actual ownership percentage that Indigenous community partners are able to realize. “Our plan offers Canada’s Indigenous peoples a place as equal partners in the economic and environmental landscape of our nation,” says Wapass. “And it paves the way for us as Canadians to get our resources to market. We have found a way to solve a lot of problems through one very good plan.”

32

Saskatchewan Premier and Quebec Premier René Lévesque at the historic First Ministers’ Conference in November 1981, which patriated the constitution with a notwithstanding clause advocated by Saskatchewan and Alberta, but without the consent of Quebec. Background, Pierre Trudeau (left) and Justice Minister Jean Chrétien (right). Library and Archives Canada photo

The Conscience of the Country

Nearly four decades ago, the process of patriating Can- Lori Turnbull ada’s constitutional authority from Westminster and he defining moment in the formulating a new Charter of Rights and Freedoms history of Canada’s written catalyzed an exploration and legal entrenchment of T Constitution was arguably its homecoming in 1982 and the con- Canadian values. As constitutions around the world current signing into law of the Char- become targets for populists, Canada’s remains a model ter of Rights and Freedoms. Prime for the protection of rights and the codification of demo- Minister Pierre Trudeau expressed the following sentiment at the patriation cratic governance. ceremony, attended by Queen Eliza- beth II, that saw the power of West- minster to amend Canada’s Consti- tution Acts transferred to Canadian legislators: “I wish simply that the

Policy 33 bringing home of our Constitution It is the job of a constitution to protect and preserve marks the end of a long winter, the the institutions and values that define a place but, breaking up of the ice jams, and the beginning of a new spring. What we simultaneously, to adapt and to grow with enduring are celebrating today is not so much changes in cultural expectations and attitudes about ideas the completion of our task, but the such as democracy, fairness, social justice, diversity, renewal of our hope—not so much inclusion, and gender equality. an ending, but a fresh beginning.”

Despite the optimism and positivity of his words, there is no doubt that the prime minister was relieved to The earlier document outlines the try. Some constitutional changes re- draw the constitutional negotiations parameters of executive, legislative, quire the unanimous consent of the that had nearly torn the country and judicial powers and differenti- Senate, House of Commons and leg- apart to a close. The provincial pre- ates between federal and provincial islative assemblies of every province. miers, with the exceptions of Bill Da- jurisdiction, while the 1982 addi- Due to deep-seated differences among vis of Ontario and Richard Hatfield tion includes the Charter of Rights Canada’s regions, provinces, and ter- of New Brunswick, resisted Trudeau’s and Freedoms, an amending formu- ritories in terms of their approach- campaign to entrench a new consti- la, and clauses recognizing Aborigi- es to politics and economics, these tution for Canada. Trudeau warned nal and treaty rights and the federal- thresholds have rarely been met, even the premiers that he was more than provincial equalization arrangement. when there has been a strong desire willing to pursue his goal alone and The entrenchment of the Charter for institutional change. As was prov- that patriation would happen with or enhanced the role and significance en during the Meech Lake process of without provincial participation. The of the judiciary and turned citizens 1987-1992, the risk that constitution- Supreme Court confirmed that this into rights-bearers and therefore real al reform talks will fail is high, which was an option. stakeholders in the Constitution in has scared politicians away from ways that they had not been before. Quebec Premier René Lévesque was meaningful discussions about formal perhaps the most vocal opponent to The political landscape has changed constitutional reform. This stunts our the prime minister’s plan, framing it a lot since 1982. It is the job of a con- growth as a democracy. as an attempt to centralize the federa- stitution to protect and preserve the tion and diminish the role and signif- institutions and values that define a icance of the provinces. In November place but, simultaneously, to adapt The real problem is of 1981, the Prime Minister finally and to grow with enduring chang- the lack of political cracked the “gang of eight” by reach- es in cultural expectations and atti- will to pursue and ing a deal with seven of the eight out- tudes about ideas such as democra- cy, fairness, social justice, diversity, implement change, even lier premiers. Levesque was not invit- when it is sought by many, ed to these secret meetings and thus inclusion, and gender equality. Is the new Constitution went ahead Canada’s Constitution successful in and the seeming inability of without Quebec’s consent. As the meeting this challenge? I would ar- governments to build a new document was signed in Ottawa, gue that the record is mixed. consensus around a protesters marched in Montreal. The The amending formula that was in- preferred course of action. consensus around the new Constitu- cluded in the Constitution Act 1982 tion was broad enough to move for- could be interpreted (positively) as ward, but ultimately incomplete. a definitive step in Canada’s gradu- al emancipation from British colo- anada’s Constitution is un- nial rule and, therefore, a measure ique in its design and evolu- of our independence as a country. It f course, the amending for- C tion in that it has both writ- could also be seen, in retrospect, as mula is not the problem; the ten and unwritten parts, reflecting a significant barrier to constitution- O requirement for intergovern- the influence of the American and al reform—at least, to formal reform mental consensus on constitutional British constitutions respectively. involving changes to the wording of change is the only just and respon- The Constitution Act 1982 and the the Constitution. The general amend- sible way to go in a country as large British North America Act 1867 are ing formula requires that proposed and as diverse as ours. The real prob- the written components; essentially, changes have the support not only lem is the lack of political will to pur- they lay out the basics of how parlia- of Parliament but also of seven of ten sue and implement change, even mentary and federal governance op- provinces representing at least 50 per when it is sought by many, and the erate in Canada. cent of the population of the coun- seeming inability of governments to

July/August 2019 34 build a consensus around a preferred ing the Meech Lake and Charlotte- hough there has been prog- course of action. The capacity for con- town Accords, have failed. Howev- ress in some areas, Canada’s sensus building, essential to political er, in 2006, Harper tabled a motion, T constitutional maturity is more leadership, would lessen the political which was approved by the House developed in some areas than others. costs of making difficult decisions and of Commons, that recognized “that The reconciliation project, and rela- would mitigate the risk of failure. the Québécois form a nation within tions between Canada and Indigenous a united Canada.” This was a nod to peoples in general, continue to be Take Senate reform, for example. the distinct society clause that died wrought with mistrust. Justin Trudeau Though the traditional Senate mod- with Meech Lake and Charlottetown. emphasized Canada’s relationship el has its supporters, most Canadians Though not constitutional in status, with Indigenous peoples as his top pri- are looking for something different. it was a meaningful symbolic gesture ority in the mandate letters he sent to But there is no agreement on what a that signaled the desire of the federal his cabinet ministers on their swear- new Senate should look like, so there government to repair relations with ing-in after the 2015 election. is no clear path forward for change. the province and to recognize Que- bec’s special role in Confederation. In The government followed through on its promise for an inquiry into miss- connection with this, Dalhousie Uni- For its part, Quebec ing and murdered Indigenous wom- versity’s Jennifer Smith has argued in en and girls. Also, the former Depart- remains outside of favour of the propriety of “asymmet- ment of Indigenous and Northern the constitutional fold in rical federalism,” an approach that Affairs has been replaced by two de- some ways as efforts to has been used to make it possible partments: Crown-Indigenous Re- for Quebec to opt out of federal pro- draw it in, including the lations and Northern Affairs Cana- grams in favour of pursuing the prov- da, and Indigenous Services Canada. Meech Lake and ince’s own priorities. Charlottetown Accords, There are positive developments, have failed. Further, bilateral negotiations be- such as a reduction in the number of tween the federal government and on-reserve water advisories, but on the provinces allow for more tailor- more fundamental matters such as made policies that are responsive to the Indigenization of Canada’s Con- provincial needs—but, again, this ap- stitution and of institutions of poli- proach allows politicians to avoid the tics and government, there is much difficult task of consensus building to be done. A pre-requisite for prog- What has happened instead is that and nation making. ress on reconciliation is the devel- recent prime ministers have pursued opment of a meaningful consensus Senate reform outside of the formal In the absence of the right conditions on what reconciliation really means. requirements of the amending for- for formal reform to our governing in- This consensus must bridge the space mula. Prime Minister Stephen Harper stitutions, our Constitution has grown between Indigenous and non-Indig- sought to use legislation rather than and evolved in other ways. The courts enous persons in Canada to develop constitutional reform to introduce have been granted a leadership op- a true sense of shared responsibility term limits for Senators and plebi- portunity in moving rights forward in and common project. scites to select candidates for the Sen- many cases, including same-sex mar- ate, only to be told by the Supreme riage, access to abortion, equal paren- A government’s greatest and most Court that he was not permitted to do tal benefits, protections for persons important challenge is to bring peo- through the back door what he could with disabilities, and others. ple together—not through the sup- not do through the front. Prime Min- pression of difference in interest or ister Justin Trudeau has taken a dif- The late Alan Cairns observed that opinion, but through the power of ferent approach: he introduced a the Charter produced a “vast, qualita- reasoned argument, transformative non-binding, independent adviso- tively impressive discourse organized dialogue, and the reinforcement of a ry board to make suggestions for ap- around rights,” through which those common identity that exists simul- pointments based on merit and oth- claims that meet the threshold to taneously with an appreciation of er criteria. This is a lighter touch and qualify as rights have been recognized what makes us unique. This was the so has flown under the constitutional not as mere political pursuits, but as ultimate challenge that framed con- radar. To put it another way, the new non-negotiable entitlements that the stitutional debates in the 1980s, and appointments process has no consti- state is obliged to honour. The courts’ it is the challenge that remains with tutional significance whatsoever and role in acknowledging rights has been us today. could be undone in a heartbeat. fundamentally important to the Con- stitution’s evolution and consisten- Dr. Lori Turnbull is the Director of For its part, Quebec remains outside cy with Canadian values, particular- the School of Public Administration at of the constitutional fold in some ly in cases where the political will for Dalhousie University and fellow at the ways as efforts to draw it in, includ- change has been lacking. .

Policy 35

Author Donald Johnston (second from left), former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (third from right), author Mordecai Richler (far right) and companions on Sable Island in July, 1994. Photo courtesy Donald Johnston

Better Than Good Enough

As secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Donald J. Johnston

Development and Cooperation (OECD), Don Johnston rying to capture the Canadian saw Canada as a nation among nations. As a longtime idea reminds me of the famous Liberal cabinet minister under Pierre Trudeau, he saw T Indian parable of a group of blind men attempting to describe an the country in ways most people never do. The Canadian elephant with each touching a dif- idea, Johnston writes, requires perspective to get right. But ferent part of the beast; one the side, it does include some fundamental truths. one a tusk, one the trunk, another the tail etc. Each then describes the whole elephant based on their own limited experience. It is not surpris- ing that each describes a totally dif- ferent animal than the reality.

July/August 2019 36 Of Canada, a country of elephantine proportions, many of us have impres- sions of particular regions, cities and people, but very few know it in much detail from sea to sea to sea. With some exceptions, most Canadians of my generation could be likened to blind men describing an elephant. At the same time, many academics, stu- dents, journalists, workers in national businesses, in government bureaucra- cies, in the military and the RCMP,

to name a few, do have opportuni- Then-Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Donald ties not only to work in many areas Johnston with Russian President Vladimir Putin in October, 2000. Wikipedia photo of Canada, but to live in them. Even with the distance-obliterating power In early 1994, I was in Ottawa with copter to an Oil Rig anchored on the of the internet, it’s day-to-day living my wife Heather, former Prime Min- Grand Banks. All of us had memories that gives one a true sense of people, ister Pierre Trudeau, author Mordecai of the tragedy of the Ocean Ranger their values and cultures. Richler and his wife, Florence, jour- of 1982 and we wished to see what nalist E. Kaye Fulton and my former life was really like on such a rig. As No doubt that the average Canadian senior aide Elizabeth Dickson, cel- we passed over Sable, we saw beach- knowledge base has expanded great- ebrating the opening of Parliament es covered with harbour seals, huge ly since my birth in 1936 on a small and the new Liberal government of white sharks lurking offshore wait- dairy farm in eastern Ontario. That Jean Chrétien. ing for dinner and the famous po- was before the introduction and ex- nies gamboling in the sand dunes. pansion of radio, television, the in- Despite the desire We thought it would be interesting ternet and routine air travel. to visit some day. and opportunities hose of us who have been As it turned out, not even Pierre had members of Parliament and we may have, few of us been on Sable. Our destination was T ministers at the federal level have touched enough parts set. Elizabeth was commissioned to are especially fortunate, enjoying op- and elements of Canada to get the necessary permission from the portunities in the course of our work fully appreciate its richness federal government to visit Sable and to establish networks of people in all I was mandated to organize transpor- walks of life across this vast and phys- in beauty, resources tation, which could only be by private ically beautiful country. These oppor- and peoples. air charter. The plan came together tunities are not available to many and we arrived by private plane from Canadians. I campaigned during my Halifax, landing on a hard sand beach 10-year career as an elected politi- the morning of July 4th, 1994. cian in many urban communities in It was a beautiful, even magical, sunny all provinces. To that, I add my trav- After a small reception, we chat- summer day thoroughly enjoyed by els across the country for four years as ted over dinner, discussing the great all, with Pierre even trying to cozy up president of the federal Liberal Party. beauty of Canada and wondering to a pony with a handful of goodies, To my regret, I’ve never campaigned which areas none of us had ever seen, which was strictly forbidden. Elizabeth in, nor even visited the great North, and which we could travel to as a and Kaye took many photos, which except for a bit of Ungava in Que- group. Trudeau had the greatest grasp I have mounted because they are a bec. However, campaigning and con- of the places and peoples. What place small part—one elephant section—of ferences are not a substitute for even could we name where he, nor the rest my notion of physical Canada, with temporarily living somewhere. of us, had been? Kaye and I suggested its diversity and physical beauty. Sable Island, the massive sand bar off Despite the desire and opportunities After retiring from active politics, our East Coast known as the grave- we may have, few of us have touched I spent 10 years living in Paris and yard of the Atlantic because of its enough parts and elements of Cana- traveling to many other countries status as the cause of so many ship- da to fully appreciate its richness in because of my international respon- wrecks over the centuries. beauty, resources and peoples, al- sibilities as secretary general of the though we should each do better Why Sable? Because some years ear- Organisation for Economic Cooper- than the blind men in the parable. lier when I was in Trudeau’s cabinet ation and Development (OECD). Al- Travel is one gateway to greater per- and Kaye was based in Halifax, I in- most every country has extraordinary spective on the parts of the whole. vited her to come with me by heli- beauty and important resources, but

Policy 37 TABLE 1: The World Economic Forum Inclusive Development Index 2018 Numbers on Inequality in Canada vs. the United States

GDP Median Life Net Income Wealth per Capita Employment Daily Income Poverty Expectancy Country Gini Index Gini Index (USD) Rate (%) (USD PPP) Rate (%) (Years) Canada 31.20 73.50 50,232 60.80 49.20 12.60 72.30 United States 37.80 85.90 52,195 58.90 48.90 16.80 69.10 most suffer from widening inequal- When I travelled lish-speaking and French- speaking ity. A glaring example is our neigh- extensively as head peoples in a peacefully enduring fed- bour, the United States, where in- eration despite efforts by separatists to come and wealth disparities continue of the OECD, I saw create an independent Quebec. It’s be- to widen. I find comparisons help to Canadian flags on luggage cause Canada has developed excellent describe the Canadian idea. and back packs everywhere. and equitable education and health Nobel Prize winner Joe Stiglitz iden- Some suggested they were systems. Americans look at us with envy in both fields. It’s because Can- tified the society-wide negative im- a shield against being pacts of this growing problem in his ada has built one of the most success- book The Price of Inequality: How To- mistaken for an American. ful societies in history, having drawn day’s Divided Society Endangers Our I disagreed. They were proud upon the incredible success of the best Future. He writes that “politics have to be Canadians, as I am. of capitalism and concomitant wealth shaped the market, and shaped it in creation, with the importance of in- ways that advantage the top at the come and wealth distribution being in expense of the rest.” He also says, “By equitable balance. The latter remains 2007 the average after-tax income of a work in progress, but it is far better the top 1 percent had reached $1.3 hen I travelled extensively than in the United States. million, but that of the bottom 20 as head of the OECD, I saw New Yorker writer, author of the newly percent amounted to only $17,800. W Canadian flags on luggage released book A Thousand Small San- The top 1 percent get in one week and back packs everywhere. Some ities: The Moral Adventure of Liberal- 40 percent more than the bottom 20 suggested they were a shield against ism and transplanted Canadian Adam percent receive in a year.” being mistaken for an American. I Gopnik writes: “The truth is that Can- And that trend continues. See Table disagreed. They were proud to be Ca- ada is a model liberal nation—mean- 1 for some statistics from the World nadians, as I am. ing that it’s a nation built on the two Economic Forum’s Inclusive Develop- Why are we proud? Because of the founding liberal premises. First, that ment Index for 2018 which apply the breadth of the Canadian idea. It’s not good enough is good enough, that widely used Gini coefficient to com- just because we enjoy a physically sustaining social sympathy, even if it parative income and wealth. beautiful country, as so much of the means accepting a permanently im- Certainly, Canada has challenges of planet does. We had no hand in that. perfect existence, counts for more governance, as does every country. But It’s more because Canada is gener- than Utopian schemes. Second, that I would rather have ours than those of ous and welcoming to immigrants, compromise and conciliation are not the U.S., where even the federal elec- whether the famished Irish immi- weak words pointing toward a medio- toral system is a shambles. Looking at grants of the mid-19th century, the cre centre, but magical words pointing Canada from the vantage point of the Vietnamese boat people of the late toward semi-miraculous consequenc- OECD, I always felt pride in being a 20th century or the recent Syrian ref- es: sustained social peace and prosper- Canadian, but also very grateful. We ugees. (Nonetheless, there have been ity and successful pluralism.” have our challenges—economic and some shameful policy exceptions such Gopnik has perhaps captured in one social—but there is no area where I as the “None is too many” tragedy, paragraph the essence of the Canadi- would trade places with Americans. In when Jewish immigrants trying to es- an idea without describing each part making comparisons, I’m reminded of cape the holocaust were turned away). of the elephant. Chrétien’s quip when he was running It’s because French and English Ca- for the leadership of the Liberal Party: Donald Johnston is a former Liberal nadians fought valiantly together in federal cabinet Minister; former Secretary Quand je me regarde je me désole both 20th century World Wars to de- Quand je me compare je me console. General of the OECD; founding Director fend our common values and to de- and former Chair of the International Canadians who express envy of the feat both the Kaiser and Hitler. It’s be- Risk Governance Council (IRGC) and American way should take that say- cause Canada has overcome linguistic Chair Emeritus of the McCall MacBain ing to heart. and cultural differences to unite Eng- Foundation, Geneva.

July/August 2019 38

Wanda Thomas Bernard spent her career as a social worker, academic and anti-racism activist before being named to the Senate in 2016. “I encourage young people to find their political voice, and to use that voice to create change in their communities,” she writes. “I plant seeds of change and action. I plant seeds of tolerance, acceptance, and above all, inclusion.” Senate of Canada photo Racism in Canada: Planting the Seeds of Inclusion

After a career as a social worker, academic, advocate for Wanda Thomas Bernard Nova Scotia’s Black community and warrior against rac- o many, Canada represents a ism, Wanda Thomas Bernard became Senator Wanda land of freedom, a place of op- Thomas Bernard in 2016. She has leveraged that plat- T portunity, and a country that prioritizes human rights. We are for- form to honestly and ceaselessly tell Canadians exactly tunate to live in a country where how racism looks, feels and persists in this country de- most Canadians feel safe, connected, and have a sense of belonging. spite our sometimes self-righteous illusions and good in- tentions, providing an invaluable public service without Some Canadians, however, do not en- joy this daily sense of belonging; they which there can be no progress. experience a lack of opportunity, ex- clusion, and an erosion of their rights.

Policy 39 Many Africans accessed the Under- Generations later we remain marginalized, othered, ground Railroad to escape slavery in and overlooked. We lack representation in positions the United States and seek out the “Promised Land”. They risked their of power, our voices are rarely heard in policy development, lives during this journey to Canada, and our communities are continuously fighting for enough as slavery was also legally practiced funding to offer adequate services. here. Their freedom was not guaran- teed upon travelling North. Even af- ter the abolition of slavery in 1834, Africans in Canada continued to face discrimination. The emancipation, or freedom of enslaved Africans, did not ing identities such as the LGBTQ+ ates racism-related stress and other mark the end of anti-Black racism. If community, people with disabili- health issues. anything, lingering sentiments of an- ties and the Muslim community, ti-Black racism from times of slavery among many others. Many of the George and I eventually moved to created a strong foundation for seg- people on this list are living in pov- East Preston, my hometown. East regation, exclusion, and marginaliza- erty, a circumstance created by inter- Preston was a place where the men tion. We continue to see deeply in- secting oppression. As a result of rac- in the community habitually cleared grained systemic anti-Black racism ism and racial oppression, the reality the snow on the roads themselves. in health care, child welfare, educa- of poverty, isolation and exclusion Due to systemic racism and segre- tion, employment, the criminal jus- is overwhelming for many racialized gation, East Preston historically did tice system, and the daily lives of Af- communities. not have municipal snow clearance, rican Canadians. which necessitated the communi- I reflect on a time that my spouse, ty effort. East Preston was a place George Bernard was ill in Febru- where neighbours drop in with food We continue to see ary of 2004. He had recently begun when we are ill, or wave and smile deeply ingrained a round of chemotherapy treatment when they see us walking to church and we were snowed in for several on Sunday. I felt welcome here; I felt systemic anti-Black racism in days after the “White Juan” blizzard at home. health care, child welfare, hit our neighbourhood in Cole Har- education, employment, the bour, Nova Scotia. I looked out my lthough East Preston has criminal justice system, and window and saw that a group of men been a place where I have al- the daily lives of African in the neighbourhood had joined to- A ways felt a sense of belong- gether and were taking turns shovel- ing, it was not until 1992, when I Canadians. ing out each of their driveways. Our left Canada to complete my PhD in house shared a driveway with one of , that I felt that sense of be- the men in the group. I watched as longing in Canada as a whole. My they shoveled a line down the center family was continually mistaken for of the lane, leaving the snow on our American, and it was at this time side untouched. that I reflected on what it meant Despite being historically perceived for an African Nova Scotian woman as a ‘Promised Land’ and 185 years At that moment, not knowing yet whose family has been in this coun- after emancipation, people of Afri- that my husband was going to sur- try for hundreds of years to be Ca- can descent still do not have equita- vive his cancer, I realized that I could nadian. For perhaps the first time, ble access to opportunity in Canada. not become a widow in this neigh- I reflected on my position of privi- Generations later we remain margin- bourhood. I felt a deep ache of iso- lege. Although I experienced racism alized, othered, and overlooked. We lation that had been piling up over and oppression as an African Cana- lack representation in positions of time. The exclusion from the snow dian, I also derived some benefit or power, our voices are rarely heard in cleanup was only the latest in an ev- privilege from being a Canadian citi- policy development, and our com- er-growing list of daily events that zen. The intersection of my African munities are continuously fight- had built up over years of fighting identity and my Canadian citizen- ing for enough funding to offer ad- for equity in my workplace, in the ship took on new meaning outside equate services. community, and dealing with racism of Canada. Stepping away from Can- faced by African Nova Scotians across ada helped me to view my position he marginalization I have de- the province. This ache of isolation I through a different lens. scribed overlaps and com- have described is felt by other mar- T pounds the oppression felt ginalized people in our country. It is As a grandmother of two young by many Canadians with intersect- directly linked to oppression and cre- grandsons, I often have a chance to

July/August 2019 40

Thomas-Bernard with staff and students working in the Colour Me Truth group on anti-racism and anti-oppression at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Collegiate in Scarborough, Ont. Photo courtesy Sen. Bernard’s office

view Canada through their eyes. At I plant seeds of that sprouts, and find such critical their young age, they have both al- change and action. hope in the projects that blossom. ready experienced racism. They are very aware of what exclusion means I plant seeds of tolerance, any Canadians limit their and how it feels. Already, they under- acceptance, and above all, idea of human rights viola- stand what it feels like to be exclud- inclusion. I plant these seeds M tions to blatant acts of vi- ed and can use this feeling to under- with young people because I olence, hate speech, and other tan- stand how other marginalized groups can see how attuned they are gible events. Experiencing exclusion are excluded and face discrimination. like the instance during the blizzard, I have conversations with them about to issues of social justice, and facing daily microagressions, and oppression, inclusion, and empathy. how keen they are to grow feeling the effects of systemic barri- These conversations can happen at their ideas into action. ers, all create a cumulative impact any age, with appropriate levels of consistent with the impact of violent details gauged by their ever-chang- human rights violations against Afri- ing level of understanding. Children can Canadians. understand much more than we give them credit for. This act of planting seeds is what As an advocate for human rights, gives me hope for the next genera- race equity and social justice, the When I hear stories of racism, xeno- tion. I encourage young people to current social climate is not the fu- phobia and other instances of hate find their political voice, and to use ture I had envisioned for my grand- and discrimination in Canada, I think that voice to create change in their children. Although our reality may about how preventable these acts of communities. I plant seeds of change not be what I had imagined for 2019, violence are. Young children under- I encourage us all to continue to stand the harms of exclusion. This and action. I plant seeds of tolerance, plant seeds that will help us to strive is why, when I am not in the Senate acceptance, and above all, inclusion. for equality, equity and inclusion for Chamber, I focus a great deal of my I plant these seeds with young peo- all Canadians. energy visiting schools and summer ple because I can see how attuned camps sharing my experiences and they are to issues of social justice, Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard exploring topics of anti-Black racism and how keen they are to grow their represents Nova Scotia (East Preston) and with young people. Planting seeds ideas into action. After these conver- sits in the Upper Chamber as a member with them. sations, I am moved by the passion of the Independent Senators Group.

Policy 41

Prime Minister with Russian President Boris Yeltsin at the PM’s Centre Block office in 1992. Under Mulroney and Jean Chrétien, writes Jeremy Kinsman, Canada played a significant middle role during the East-West thaw and the end of the Cold War.PMO photo

May You Live in Canadian Times

Having served in some of the most senior diplomatic post- Jeremy Kinsman ings around the world under a number of Canadian prime ministers over half a century, Jeremy Kinsman has wit- “ h. You’re Canadian?” nessed firsthand the evolution of Canada’s international O image. One major change? People no longer think Cana- In Delray Beach, Florida, meeting one dians aren’t interesting. more snowbird holds little mystery. But for a local’s first-time encounter in Ulan Bator or Timbuktu, a Cana- dian can seem exotic. In London or Berlin, Shanghai or Santiago, people think they know us from hearsay but their impressions can be distorted.

In the autumn of 2000, before 9/11 changed our world, when England

July/August 2019 42 was still basking in apparent prosperi- But seeing one of Canada’s young tennis ty and self-satisfaction, I opened Lon- phenoms—Denis Shapovalov—wearing daring don’s Sunday Times. Headlining the Arts section was an interview with floral tennis shirts and polka dotted shorts, draw love from Margaret Atwood, short-listed for the European crowds, I get that our general image has Booker Prize for the year’s best novel changed, that Canada has gone from being soldierly and in English. The journalist declared he solid to becoming sort of “cool”. had just met that “rarest” of species— “an interesting Canadian.” Being the Canadian High Commis- sioner to the UK, hoping to upgrade Canada’s image to a decent approxi- back then understood that Canadians Meanwhile, the United States is busy mation of reality, my first temptation came through for France in the War throwing its vast weight around, now was despair. But is being “interest- without trying to take anything over, more than ever. Under “good presi- ing” really so unexpected of a Cana- something that De Gaulle forgot in his dents,” it was for good causes. But dian? And what in today’s world is separatist dotage in 1967. when the effort turned to wars against interesting? Britain’s War, their “Finest Hour,” be- poorer people in Vietnam and Iraq, a notion grew of Canada as the “other Artistically, notably in fiction, we stowed a very different narrative but North America,” an image we didn’t compete internationally. After all, left some recognition for the more seek, but began to take on from the Atwood won the Booker. And so did than one million Canadian service- eyes of others who saw Canada as Michael Ondaatje, while Alice Munro men and women who passed through fair-minded. At the United Nations in won the Nobel. Our artists and inno- Britain to fight in the great European the 1970s, Canadians became the de- vators are everywhere. wars of the 20th century. But seeing one of Canada’s young tennis phe- fault choice to chair meetings meant Only a few years ago, The Economist’s noms—Denis Shapovalov—wearing to bridge differences between East irrepressible impulse to inject every daring floral tennis shirts and polka and West and North and South. Pierre piece filed from Canada with lame dotted shorts, draw love from Euro- Trudeau invited Canadians to work parenthetical asides about moose, pean crowds, I get that our general that space between hawkish Washing- bears, and maple syrup finally pushed image has changed, that Canada has ton and a truculent world. me over the edge. I wrote to ask how, gone from being soldierly and solid hen he burst on the scene amid their catastrophic post-Brexit to becoming sort of “cool”. mess, a serious British paper could so in the template-shifting chaos year of 1968, easily sneer at another country that ustin Trudeau recently shot W Trudeau struck the world as a com- actually works, from which the Brit- across the world as a fresh face pletely different Canadian—intel- ish have hired competent Canadians Jwho said hopeful things, and got to manage such iconic assets as the lectual, glamorous. Truth be told, a lot of initial attention from people he struck us the same way, and we Bank of England, the Royal Mail, and hungry for some good news. Sunny hoped it would rub off. the Lawn Tennis Association. And ways suited their idea of Canada’s ex- they did, more or less, knock it off. ample. But I wonder if we look better His search for fairer North-South ac- The Economist can again be enjoyed because most other people are feel- commodation didn’t make many by Canadians without acid reflux ing sort of bad? For postwar Europe- waves in geo-politically obsessed from schoolboy taunts. ans, Canada became mostly about Washington, except with the idealis- Of course, how we appear to others opportunity, an emigration destina- tic Jimmy Carter, but it enlarged Can- depends on who’s looking. tion until Europe’s economic recov- ada’s international playbook. Allan ery gained traction. As Liberal MP Al- Gotlieb, Canada’s best-known am- hen a student in Paris, I fonso Gagliano used to say on visits bassador to the U.S., argued that our noticed I got kinder treat- to his native Italy, “I sailed to Cana- best card globally was actually show- ment than American, Ger- da in search of labour and returned as ing how close we were to the world’s W Canadian Minister of Labour!” superpower, believing our proximity man, or Iranian classmates from tra- and intimacy with America earned us ditionally salty concierges, diffident Globally, tens of thousands of Cana- reach and influence with others. train conductors, or morose cafe table dian aid workers, engineers, doctors, neighbours, once they heard I spoke teachers, diplomats, and peacekeep- When presidents from Reagan to French though I looked more or less ers have spread over Africa, the Ca- George H.W. Bush and Clinton re- American. (Decades later, other trav- ribbean, Latin America, and South sponded to Soviet leader Mikhail elling students would put maple leaf Asia, where they seem like comfort- Gorbachev’s move to end the Cold flags on their backpacks for such better able North Americans, but with a dif- War, Canadian leaders—Brian Mul- treatment from locals.) Most French ference; they listen. roney, then Jean Chrétien—were

Policy 43 critically helpful allies trying to wid- encies, it undermines faith abroad in en one-world cooperation. U.S. Sec- Canada’s value as an international retary of State James Baker credited honest broker and consistent defend- Canada with the vital talent for “get- er of human rights. ting things right.” So did the post-So- So, while we quarrel among ourselves viet Russians, at first. over our own stuff, and respective Canada’s internationalism and atten- styles, we should also acknowledge tion to human security also created that our ways look good from the out- real influence, at least among the in- side. We’re a place that seems to work ternationalist like-minded. On issues for most of its citizens, most of the like the International Criminal Court time, and if others ponder the “geno- and land mines, Canada challenged Jeremy Kinsman, then Canadian High cide” against native women, we’ll at Commissioner to London, and his wife Hana the big powers and led the way. By Kinsman with Prince Philip who was the least get some points for transparency. 2002, the European Union recog- Guest of Honour at an Arts Festival at Canada In the off-colour White House these nized Canada as one of its six stra- House in 2001. Image courtesy Jeremy Kinsman days, it is a slur to call someone a tegic partners—with the US, Russia, “globalist.” A “do-gooder” is simi- China, India, and Japan. larly mocked by populist right-wing Alas, our early post-Cold War hopes nationalists in Italy (“bonfattore”) or for a harmonious North Atlantic-Eu- the Middle East into the world’s first Germany (“gutmensch”). The Iran rope axis, “from Vancouver to Vladi- “failed” region. Nuclear Accord, the Trans-Pacific vostok,” and for a new era of global In 2007-08, Canadian governments Partnership, the Paris Accord on Cli- consensus fuelled by new technolo- did not succumb to the global urge mate Change, and other key agree- gies, were derailed by the rise of di- of greed and carelessness that caused ments on trade, migration, and se- visive and competitive nationalism, banking scandals and financial break- curity aren’t disposable just because populist sectarianism, and the down- down elsewhere, that undermined a nationalist-populist U.S. President sides of globalization. global confidence in political and fi- wants to make them so. nancial leadership and democracy’s These days, German commitment to fairness. Let’s face up proudly ministers stream to But in a troubled and uncertain world, to our Canadian what’s really most interesting to oth- Canada to explore how we ers is what solves their problems, es- vocation to be globalist manage pluralism, via pecially if it seems fair. These days, do-gooders. It’s partly a community-sponsored German ministers stream to Canada curse, but one we have immigration settlement, to explore how we manage pluralism, earned and need to earn via community-sponsored immigra- neighbourhood policing, and tion settlement, neighbourhood po- every day. other integrating techniques licing, and other integrating tech- learned over time. niques learned over time. As global headlines turned to violence, jihadism and mass migration, Canada’s image clarified as a society that succeeded Let’s face up proudly to our Canadi- in areas where others were struggling. an vocation to be globalist do-good- It became increasingly clear that as ers. It’s partly a curse, but one we have one of very few settlement immigra- earned and need to earn every day. It hree events in the new milleni- tion countries left, which greeted new comes with the obligation to be will- um sharpened Canada’s image. T landed immigrants with a “Welcome ing to commit to the defence of de- Home” card, the composite face of mocracy, inclusivity, and multilateral When fanatical enemies of the US changed the global agenda on 9/11, Canadians had changed. cooperation. the American mood became venge- As a brand, in today’s world, that ful and inward. Canada’s working as- anaging inclusivity became ought to be “interesting” enough. sumption that we were a neighbourly our most admired brand. As Contributing writer Jeremy Kinsman is “buddy” became dulled as our shared M long as our new Canadians a former Canadian ambassador to border hardened. We strained to make join us in a collective cause, it works. Russia, the UK and the EU. He is it work. But we didn’t buy into the When politicians corrupt foreign pol- affiliated with University of California, catastrophic American march to war icy choices for electoral purposes in Berkeley, and is a distinguished fellow of against Iraq in 2003 that has turned order to play to domestic constitu- the Canadian International Council.

July/August 2019 44 Column / Don Newman The Best of Times. Seriously.

rovinces suing the federal gov- ed Conservative government in Al- in 1990, Canadi- ernment. Provinces suing each berta says it will make certain the an federalism has been a noisy work P other. Voices rising along with Trans Mountain extension is built. in progress. tempers and the temperature of fed- eral-provincial relations. Is Canada But the New Democratic Party gov- At the same time the constitution- coming apart at the seams? ernment in B.C. is equally deter- al crisis was enveloping the country, mined to stop the expansion. The Ottawa was engaged in an energy cri- Certainly, things have become more minority NDP are propped up by sis with Alberta over the domestic lively in Canada on the constitu- three Green Party members, and price of oil, and how petroleum rev- tional and national unity file. Af- though they lost the first round in enues should be divided between Ot- ter 20 years of relative tranquility court they are appealing that de- tawa and the producing provinces. following a closely run and heavi- cision as they try to stop the Trans At the moment, things are heating up ly contested referendum in Quebec Mountain expansion. again, but ultimately the pipeline dis- on the future of that province in the Alberta has retaliated by saying it pute between Alberta and British Co- country, things have started to heat will cut off all oil transmission to lumbia will be decided by the courts. up again. B.C. if the government there doesn’t And despite the court challenges over But this time Quebec is not a princi- back off. the carbon tax, it is really just a po- pal player. At least not yet. And nei- litical fight between the Liberals and The federal government is involved ther is the question of one or more Conservatives. in the dispute because under the provinces continuing as part of Can- Constitution, interprovincial pipe- And in an election year, this turns out ada a principal issue. At least not yet. lines and interprovincial trade are Ot- to be a weapon of choice, with feder- Instead, the main protagonists are Al- tawa’s responsibility. al Liberals promoting a carbon tax to berta versus British Columbia, and achieve reduced emissions, and pro- Ottawa is also under attack in the vincial Conservatives opposing it as Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario courts from the Conservative govern- inhibiting their own capacity to act fighting Ottawa over the federal gov- ments of Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba on the environment. ernment’s carbon tax to cut green- and Saskatchewan. The issue is the house gas emissions and Canada’s carbon tax the Liberal federal govern- By Canada’s very nature as a feder- contribution to global warming. ment has imposed on those provinc- ation, the fundamental discussion es which do not have a carbon reduc- Canada’s two westernmost provinces between Ottawa and the provinces tion program of their own. are fighting over the expansion of the turns on the division of powers in the Constitution Act. Trans Mountain Pipeline. The expan- But while tensions between some of sion will more than double the size, the country’s government are defi- These are normal federal-provincial more than double the amount of the nitely higher today than they have squabbles, but nothing to get too ex- production from Alberta’s oil sands been in recent years, before starting cited about. crossing B.C. to arrive on the West a lament for Canada, recall if you can Coast, and more than double the how things were in the “Good Old Compared to what Canada and Cana- number of tankers in the Port of Van- Days,” 50, 40, 30 or 20 years ago. dians have gone through in the past couver to ship the bitumen to Asia. half century, this seems very much From the election of a separatist gov- like the best of times. lberta needs the pipeline ex- ernment in Quebec in 1976, to refer- pansion to develop new mar- endums on sovereignty in 1980 and Don Newman is Senior Counsel at A kets for the oil sands. Pipe- 1995, from the negotiations over Navigator Limited and Ensight Canada, lines both east and west are already the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and a lifetime member of the Canadian filled to capacity. The recently elect- in the early 80s to the demise of the Parliamentary Press Gallery.

Policy Canada’s ICT Infrastructure. Chasing Answers. Canada’s National Housing Strategy. THE REVIEW The Future of Transportation. JUL-AUG 2019 VOL 2 ISSUE 4 SUMMER REFLECTIONS THE REVIEW | FROM THE EDITOR

FROM THE EDITOR h summer! It’s time at the of housing in Canada. Dale Smith’s recaps cottage and moments to the discussion and their proposed solutions in reflect. Where peacefulness For Whom The (Door) Bell Tolls. caffeine and content envelops you, ridding us of the Next we went back to those panelists Adaily grind and time to unwind. And it is following the program to get answers to the in these moments where we can afford the President | Executive Producer top unasked questions during the show. You luxury of clearing our minds and thinking can read those answers in Chasing Answers Andrew Beattie big. Because in this issue we are challenging on Housing. [email protected] you with some big ideas. Then, Kevin Lee, chief executive So let’s begin by thinking about the future officer with the Canadian Homebuilders Vice President of transportation. Automakers are making great Association chimes in that homeownership is Executive Producer strides in autonomous vehicles and this will imperative in a piece entitled Time to unlock Todd Charlebois have a large impact on future of mass transit, the door to homeownership. [email protected] how citizens commute and even how and Coming full circle, Before the Bell where we work. It requires sound public policy looked at ICT infrastructure in Canada. As Associate Producer to make sure we can fully capitalize on this op- the technological promise and future hold Bruce Libbos portunity. Dale Smith talks about these issues great potential for Canadians, Canada must in his piece entitled The Future of Mobility. [email protected] look to ensure it has the infrastructure Following, Colin Earp, partner, infra- to capitalize on that. You can read Dale Host of Before the Bell structure with KPMG in Canada and Richard Smith’s article recapping the Before the Catherine Clark Threlfall, global head of infrastructure with Bell discussion that featured a group of in- KPMG in the UK team up to expand on dustry executives, thought leaders and the Guest Hosts their thoughts on what society, government Minister of Rural Economic Development, David Akin and business should consider for Canadians Hon. Bernadette Jordan MP. to capture their share of the estimated annual Finally, following the show on Infrastruc- Video and USD $22 trillion dollar industry in their ture we went back to Minister Jordan to ask Streaming Production opinion piece called A new era of connected her opinion on some key issues raised by Skyfly Productions transportation. the audience during the show. You can read From transportation we segue from her response in Chasing Answers on ICT Contributing Writers what is in your garage to discuss national Infrastructure. Dale Smith, Kevin Lee, housing. Before the Bell invited a group of And if all that isn’t enough to think about housing industry executives and the Hon. while you are sitting at the dock, in four Richard Threlfall, and Colin Earp Jean-Yves Duclos, minister of families, chil- months we are going to the polls. So enjoy Editor, The Review dren and social services to discuss the future the summer serenity! Andrew Beattie

For information about advertising in The Review please contact Table of Contents Todd Charlebois, Vice President andExecutive Producer at MOBILITY 2030: Chasing Answers [email protected] A Sixth Estate Spotlight On Housing In Canada 7 BY DALE SMITH 2 Opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or Opinion | Time to unlock homeownership position of the Sixth Estate Opinion | A new era of BY KEVIN LEE 8 connected transportation Sixth Estate | Before the Bell is a live jour- BY RICHARD THRELFALL nalism event series focused on important Infratructure: AND COLIN EARP 3 issues that impact Canadians. To further A look at ICT its commitment to editorial excellence and BY DALE SMITH 10 support its mission, Sixth Estate relies on sponsorship support. To learn more about NATIONAL HOUSING: sponsorship opportunities please email us at For Whom the (Door) Bell Tolls Chasing Answers [email protected] or call us at 613- 232-1130. BY DALE SMITH 5 with Hon. Bernadette Jordan Minister 11 The review | MOBILITY 2030 MOBILITY 2030: A Sixth Estate Spotlight

BY DALE SMITH Sixth Estate Environmental impact t is estimated that innovations in mobility, including autonomous vehicles and electric cars, will add an additional USD$10 Air polliution in Delhi is 40 x over trillion to USD$22 trillion annually to the the World Health Organization’sd Iglobal transit market by 2030, thanks to added recommended safe level productivity and changes to the insurance mar- ket. On May 9, Sixth Estate Spotlight hosted a MIT estimate shift to EVs in session in Toronto that gathered industry leaders the US could cut transport and experts in Toronto to talk about the future of emissions by mobility and the infrastructure needed to make 30% it happen. In a keynote address, Richard Threlfall, 76 % reduciton in CO2 and 95% partner and global head of infrastructure at reduction in roadside NOx (UK KPMG, said that we are on the verge of a trans- estimate for EV impact by 2050) port revolution brought about by three major transformational changes in the industry – the electrification of transport, the automation of then we waste this fantastic opportunity that next year,” said Llewellyn-Thomas. “The idea vehicles, and the rise of platforming known as comes out of this period of seismic change.” is that it would be on-demand and there would “mobility as a service.” During the panel discussion hosted by be an app so that the person can say I need the According to Threlfall, these changes will Catherine Clark, Greg Overwater, director of vehicle that’s in my community to take me to result in accident reduction, emissions reduction technical and regulatory affairs for the Global the mainline service.” and improvement in service to people with Automakers of Canada, said that the customer Raed Kadri, director of automotive tech- disabilities and in rural areas where public trans- profile for automakers may change in years nology and mobility innovation at the Ontario portation isn’t economically viable. to come, perhaps with ridesharing companies Centres of Excellence, said that behaviour Environmental impact Source: KPMG buying cars outright. drives technology at first, but when it comes “From a public policy point of view, there “It all comes down to satisfying a customer to automation and connectivity, the premise are both social and economic reasons to want need,” said Overwater. “You have economic becomes whether people want to even own a this transport revolution to happen as soon considerations — affordability for vehicles — vehicle when shared vehicles become more as possible,” said Threlfall. “The reason the and the regulatory side, with both safety and the widespread thanks to connectivity. impacts are so great is because we are talking environment. There is a great impetus to move Kadri added that there is potential for shared about something that affects such a vast propor- societies to the point where transportation is a mobility in communities where they don’t have tion of the population.” much cleaner prospect, and fewer people are the established transit infrastructure, and options Threlfall added that the concept of shared losing their lives on a daily basis.” like ride-sharing are available, such as the pilot mobility is still a long way off, given that there Kathleen Llewellyn-Thomas, chief customer project in the Ontario municipality of Innisfil. could be a tripling of car ownership with the officer with the Toronto Transit Commission, “The opportunities are endless,” said Kadri. advent of autonomous, electric vehicles, and that said that Toronto’s transit system is looking to “Collaboration is paramount between private it’s incumbent upon governments today to move respond to the growing call from the public for and public, and things are changing. Economi- policy levers in order to keep congestion from mobility-on-demand services. cally, the opportunities are there. We have com- becoming an even bigger problem than it is. “In small communities, we are looking at panies that are smaller, that potentially would “If we go into this in the right way, we could micro-transit, and we’re hoping it will eventual- never have the opportunity to enter the mobility have way more liveable societies than we have ly be autonomous, but are actually doing an [au- supply chain, now talking directly with potential today,” said Threlfall. “But if we do it wrong, tonomous vehicle] pilot with the City of Toronto customers or potentially public transit agencies.”

The Review // 2 opinion | future of mobility A new era of connected transportation Welcome to Mobility 2030; a revolution led by auton- omous vehicles, electric Electric vehicles Changing customer and alternatives Mobility networks, and on-demand and societal powertrains value demands chain transportation services. In Moving people addition to reshaping our Moving goods roads and cities, this new era of mobility is driving mas- Collaboration sive societal changes and in the future Connected Collaboration mobility giving rise to a multi-trillion and in the future ecosystem dollar industry. autonomous mobility vehicles ecosystem In short, it is time to buckle up.

utes per person per day for everyone on the planet. By repurposing that time for productive tasks, it is estimated the US alone would benefit from an CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION PROGRAM economic boost of nearly US$1.3 trillion a year. We are on the verge of a The electrification of transportation is equally Hire exceptional talent promising; as is the advance of Mobility as a Carleton University’s co-op program connects Service (MaaS) offerings which allow consumers transport revolution brought motivated students from over 100 programs with one-click access to all their transportation options about by three major on a single, user-friendly platform. Taken inde- employers looking to add new talent or skills to Colin Earp Richard Threlfall their organization. PARTNER, GLOBAL HEAD OF transformational changes in pendently, each of these trends would significant- INFRASTRUCTURE, INFRASTRUCTURE, ly disrupt the ecosystem: but in combination, they KPMG IN CANADA KPMG IN THE UK the industry – the electrification should drive unprecedented change. Invest in your future These technologies are gaining traction well Co-op students can bring fresh perspective and DISRUPTING FOR GREATER GOOD of transport, the automation beyond Canada’s borders. MaaS platforms have knowledge to your business. Hire Carleton The road ahead is rife with disruption and fueled taken root in North American and UK markets, University co-op students for 4, 8, 12, and 16-month by three key technology-driven trends. Consider the of vehicles, and the rise of while every day brings news of autonomous work terms to best suit your staffing needs. rise of self-driving autonomous vehicles; a move- platforming known as “mobility vehicle (AV) initiatives in both the consumer and ment fueled by public sector investments and pri- commercial spaces. We are also seeing progress in Recruitment for the Fall 2019 term is now underway. vate sector support for a smarter, cleaner, and more as a service.” countries like Singapore where private sector com- Visit carleton.ca/employers/hire-co-op or contact us accessible way to commute. The potential of smart, panies are collaborating with public sector entities at [email protected] to hire a Carleton University hands-free driving cannot be overstated. Accessibil- to trial ‘smart’ vehicle technologies, as well as in co-op student. ity and infrastructure implications notwithstanding, — Richard Threlfall, jurisdictions like Norway where 40 percent of new research indicates we spend more than 600 billion partner and global head of cars sold in 2017 were electric or hybrid. hours in our cars every year – an average of 14 min- infrastructure at KPMG CONTINUES ON PAGE 4 carleton.ca/employers 3 // Sixth Estate opinion | future of mobility

BIG CHALLENGES REMAIN CONTINUES FROM PAGE 3 A NUMBER OF RECURRING QUESTIONS Indeed, while unfettered access HAVE EMERGED, INCLUDING: to reliable transportation may GAINING MOMENTUM be the Holy Grail for mobility, The momentum is building, but the • How will customers respond to potentially it is a destination marked by path is far from smooth. As we move radical changes to our daily lives and numerous logistical, financial, closer to making these technologies a environments enabled by technology? What will and societal challenges. It is also mainstream reality, new and important their future behaviours be? one that relies on significant questions come into view. How will • Where will value be created across the future investments, infrastructure, public self-driving vehicles be regulated? mobility ecosystem? How big will the ‘value pools’ participation, and the governments’ How will governments compensate for be and how will they evolve? ability to foster an environment the loss of gas revenues as a result of • What will the new ecosystem look like and how that encourages private sector electric vehicles (EVs)? Who will pay will the various players’ roles change? Who are the participation in the development of for the infrastructure of tomorrow (e.g. emerging customers for EVs, AVs and MaaS? What these technologies. ‘smart’ roads, transportation telematics, will these customers value? The change will be seismic, and 5G vehicle connectivity, etc.)? • What are the potential participation strategy one cannot assume it will simply be Then there are the long-term consid- options, given existing asset bases and capabilities? incremental from where it is today. erations. Will the adoption of self-driving Who are the key players across the value chain? Investing in this space is about more cars and on-demand services negate the Which organizations – or countries – are set to win? than funding new consumer products need for public parking? Will the prolifer- • What are the implications for financial, and services; it is about asking these ation of smart vehicles in richer countries business and operating models? How should questions, immersing oneself in mean an excess of unwanted gas-powered financial ambitions change? Where and when these discussions, understanding vehicles in other markets? Will greater should car companies, energy providers, etc. what these technologies offer, and accessibility lead to more congestion? If participate? How can they evolve to participate collaborating with public and private so, who (or what) will determine com- effectively? players to achieve outcomes for the muting priority? greater good of society.

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carleton.ca/employers THE REVIEW | NATIONAL HOUSING

For Whom what issues will impact your vote? top 3 CANaDA 39% the (Door) health care 35% economy & jobs 34% Bell Tolls taxes 31% % BY DALE SMITH housing affordability 26 Sixth Estate wages/inequality 26% ith urban housing costs being inflated by gentrification, supply climate change 25% shortages and the global corpo- ratization of short-term rentals, Whousing may be shifting from a millennial niche issue to a top-tier ballot question in the upcom- ing federal election. Before the Bell examined the topic of whether or not there is a brewing housing crisis in Canada. David Coletto, CEO of Abacus Data, said that in a survey of Canadians, 26 percent of them felt that housing was one of their top three election issues, with cost of living coming in at 39 percent – something Coletto says is an interchangeable issue. Just over a month ago, the 2019 federal budget unveiled the First Time Home Buyer Incentive — a measure widely seen to be aimed at millennials whereby the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) will use up to $1.25 billion over three years to help lower mortgage costs for eligible Canadians. The Abacus survey of millennials found that 64 percent of them felt that the federal govern- ment was making housing affordability a high priority and that this was a national concern — not just concentrated in Toronto and Vancouver. Before the Bell host Catherine Clark in conversation with Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, minister of families, children and Millennials also said that housing affordability social services. is one of their top issues across the country. During the pulse segment with host David Akin, Martin Joyce, KPMG’s Canadian national you change governments, you could change the It’s a very multi-pronged strategy in terms of leader for human and social services, said that path of a strategy like this.” how you approach is so that there’s not one a national housing strategy — something his Jennifer Stewart, president and founder of response, and the government is approaching native Australia doesn’t have — is a good first Syntax Strategic, said that governments need to it from that point of view, and I think that’s step for Canada. be cautious that they’re not simply providing smart.” “It’s an infrastructure play at its heart, so a band-aid solution to housing affordability by Jeff Morrison, executive director of Canadi- you have to build houses and maintain and providing too many subsidies. an Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA), repair housing, and that’s a long-term invest- “Look at what happened in the U.S. in 2008 said that the recent imposition of a stress test for ment,” said Joyce. “My worry is that it makes — a whole economic collapse due to mortgage first-time home buyers is, in the words of the through different political cycles. The risk is, if rules,” said Stewart. “It’s not black-and-white. CONTINUES ON PAGE 6

5 // Sixth Estate THE REVIEW | NATIONAL HOUSING

test, prices have come down approximately five housing than home ownership, and mortgage CONTINUES FROM PAGE 5 percent,” said Morrison. “Is it working, is it a rules have been compounding since 2008 and CEO of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing barrier, is it a help? It depends on what you want they have all now taken root. Corporation (CMHC), akin to Buckley’s med- to achieve both in the housing market and the “We need to be really careful not to compare icine in that it tastes awful but works to reduce economy overall.” ourselves to the United States, because our finan- the risk of a future housing collapse. During the policy segment, hosted by Cath- cial system is entirely different and did incredibly “He even went onto suggest that because erine Clark, Kevin Lee, CEO of the Canadian well in 2008 and 2009,” said Lee. “Were there of that reduced demand, it’s had an impact on Home Builders Association said that the federal accelerated house prices in some markets? Yes. prices, and that in Toronto, because of the stress housing strategy is more geared toward social Did we need to do something about it? Yes. Lots has been done, but we’ve overshot now.” Michael Bourque, president and CEO of the Canadian Real Estate Association, said that since the stress test was introduced, the volume thalesgroup.com of sales in Vancouver has gone down 44 percent, and in places like Calgary and Edmonton, it has dropped by 18 percent. Similarly, Toronto has seen a 20 percent drop. “There’s no doubt that it’s had an impact,” said Bourque. “We understand the concerns of policy makers about household debt, but the question is how do you balance? We think the government in their budget did a very good job of identifying balance with the shared equity program, and they also increased the home buyer’s plan – these are good measures.” Catherine McKenney, councillor for Ward 14 (Somerset) in Ottawa, said that the private rental market in the capital is so tight that the low-to-medium affordability range is no longer absorbing as many people transitioning from community housing. “We need capital dollars – we need to build more affordable stock,” said McKenney. “We also need our systems to integrate. If we’re going to take people out of shelters and house them, we need health dollars, and we need supports for people with mental health and addiction issues. And we need [income] supplements – in Ottawa, we have 50,000 households who are in poor housing need, spending more than thirty percent of their income on housing.” The Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, MP for Québec City and Minister for Families, Children and The people we all rely on Social Development, said that the government’s national housing strategy is thanks to the col- to make the world go round, lective effort of stakeholders in the sector who have been doing the groundwork for the past they rely on Thales twenty-five years. “When you look at the whole continuum of housing conditions in Canada through the national housing strategy, we achieved the goal of working for everyone in the context of the incredible benefits that investments in housing - ©Getty images Shutterstock makes when it comes to making our communi- Search : Thalesgroup ties more livable, our housing more affordable, and our partnerships more sustainable,” said Duclos.

THALES KV Global 5.5x8.5Pouces-EN.indd 1 04/02/2019 10:54 Chasing Answers | National Housing

Average household Average home price in income in constant 2017 constant 2017 dollars, CHASING dollars, 2017 vs. 1980 2017 vs. 1980 CANADA 25% 156% ANSWERS VANCOUVER 11% 263% CALGARY 26% 57% ON HOUSING EDMONTON 31% 47% IN CANADA WINNIPEG 22% 98% TORONTO 26% 253% ollowing the Before the Bell edition on housing in Canada, For Whom the OTTAWA 24% 107% (Door) Bell Tolls,Sixth Estate editors MONTREAL 15% 156% asked panelists to respond to the most Fvoted on unanswered questions from the show. Table courtesy of Canadian Real Estate Association Questions were posed to the Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos MP and minister for families, children National Housing Strategy (NHS) is helping vulnerable demand side of affordable housing. executive officer, Canadian Home Builders As- Canadians meet their housing needs. A. (MJ) It’s a combination of factors of sociation, Michael Bourque (MB), president and The NHS’ National Housing Co-Investment which wages is one input. House prices have CEO with the Canadian Real Estate Association, Fund, for example, will create the next gener- increased significantly due to increased demand Jeff Morrison (JM), executive director Canadian ation of housing, and make communities more (newcomers, investors, and booms in certain Housing and Renewal Association and Martin accessible and inclusive, while improving life cities for jobs etc) and supply not keeping pace. Joyce, partner KPMG Canada. Here are their outcomes for low-income and vulnerable people. Wages affect people’s ability to pay a certain responses. Tackling housing supply is the strongest antidote amount for housing, but that doesn’t affect the Q. What about the fact that there’s very little to demand pressures that are driving prices high- need for more housing (of all types). the federal government can do in a politically er and preventing Canadians in larger cities from Q. How does the Canadian Home Builders realistic manner to materially impact prices for buying or renting affordable housing. In 2018, Association see the connection between social/ first time buyers? Canada’s average house price was $277,000 affordable housing and market-rate affordability? Q. Isn’t the lack of wage growth the real A. (KL) There is a clear connection as all A. (Minister Duclos) Our government has As investors, as risk takers, and as put measures in place that have helped temper villain in this discussion? aspects of housing markets are interconnected. house prices already. For example, with the A. (MB) The increase in home prices and A successful housing system has people moving We all have roles communicators, insurers can send the market Department of Finance’s stress test, houses household incomes have been largely decoupled up the housing continuum. in Canada are now 3.4 per cent cheaper than over the last 30 years. Home prices have risen First-time homebuyers moving out of rental signals needed to transition to a low carbon they would have been without it. Budget 2019 considerably as opposed to household incomes. have traditionally been the largest source of rental supply. That is why the federal govern- to play in tackling introduced measures to increase the supply of There are complex economic factors and economy. We’re here to partner and to lead. housing, because it is the most effective way challenges for the government to consider in ment must adjust the stress test and restore 30- to address affordability in the long run. To order to address this issue. year insured mortgages for these buyers. help more middle class families, Budget 2019 A. (JM) Certainly the fact that wage growth Every level of government can do its part by climate change. Together we can build a prosperous and is offering new targeted support for first-time has not kept up with CPI, and certainly not introducing policies that address the full housing homebuyers. Among other measures, a program housing inflation in most markets, is a con- continuum, including affordability of home- resilient Canada. called the First-Time Home Buyer Incentive will tributing factor in the overall lack of housing ownership and rental homes. Limiting access be created. For more information, visit: https:// affordability, and has put greater pressure on to homeownership has negative ripple effects www.budget.gc.ca/2019/docs/themes/hous- non profit housing providers. Stagnant wage through the rental market, as well as increasing ing-logement-en.html growth is one of many factors contributing to demand for social housing. Q. Forty percent of Canadians households the demand side of affordable housing. Q. A large portion of the Millennial work live with less than $60 thousand per year, none Minister Duclos referred to the new Canada force does so on a contract basis, further locking of them will ever be able to buy any house. Housing Benefit that was included in the Nation- them out from mortgage lending. Do our banks What about them? al Housing Strategy. Once it’s implemented in need to change? A. (Minister Duclos) Our government April 2020, it will provide an average of $250/ A. (MB)- Almost one third of Canadians believes that all Canadians deserve a safe and month to qualifying low income individuals currently engage in some form of freelance, con- affordable place to call home. Our mandate is to to help offset the cost of housing. Although tract, part-time or otherwise precarious work. serve Canadians in all parts of Canada, and to welcome (and of course, subject to many details Non-traditional workers in Canada are facing support all forms of housing. Our focus with the that are still unknown), more must be done on CONTINUES ON PAGE 9

@insurancebureau 7 // Sixth Estate @InsuranceBureau IBC.CA Insurance Bureau of Canada Opinion | Homeownership

risks spurring price inflation; too strict a system while still mitigating against excessive consum- Kevin Lee and too many buyers are locked out. er debt, excessive price escalation, and risky CEO CANADIAN Price inflation has been driven by many things borrowing. These include: HOMEBUILDERS in recent years, and certainly not just mortgage 1. Recalibrating the stress test; ASSOCIATION rules or low interest rates. Lack of supply has been 2. Restoring 30-year amortizations on a principle driver—not enough houses of the form insured mortgages for well-qualified first- people want drives up the prices of the few that are on time buyers; and the market (Vancouver and Toronto are perfect exam- 3. Have all levels of government focus on ples). Speculation, foreign investment, development getting more housing supply on-line—a Time to unlock taxes, and stricter codes are other factors that have all key factor, but one that will take time. contributed to excessive price increases. These actions are prudent and can get new the door to But today’s mortgage rules, after over 60 buyers into the market without driving up prices changes since 2009, including the most recent stress or causing undue risk. CMHC analysis shows test, have done more than “take out the froth” in that returning to 30-year mortgages for first-time homeownership Toronto and Vancouver. They’ve overshot their buyers would only increase prices by 1 to 2.4%, mark and caused a housing recession across the a range that reflects normal appreciation; at the he 2019 federal election is nearly here, country. They have slowed or lowered prices, but same time CHBA analysis projects this would and housing affordability is top-of- that does not equate to affordability: when prices allow some 33,000 well qualified first-time mind for voters. And party platforms drop because you’ve locked tens of thousands of buyers into the market annually. Now that is truly can unlock the door to home- Millenials out of the market, that’s not improved improved affordability! Townership, in responsible fashion. affordability. By definition, if mortgage rules lock Younger Canadians are also the lowest risk At stake are the financial futures of the next out buyers, you’ve decreased affordability. The group of buyers—they have the lowest rate of generation of Canadians, local economies, and result is market instability, pent up demand, lowered mortgage arrears and the longest timeframe to hundreds of thousands of jobs. homeowner equity, faltering local economies, and a pay off their mortgages. Their incomes also Housing affordability is determined by three whole generation of young and new Canadians with rise the fastest, making mortgage payments factors: income, house price, and mortgage their financial futures hampered. increasingly affordable over time. And first- rules. Addressing housing affordability is tricky There is a better way. time buyers seeking entry-level homes do not business—the mortgage system is built to enable Heading into the election, there are actions cause excessive house price escalation in any buyers to enter the market with a down-payment that the federal parties can introduce to tweak market, period. and long-term financing. Too loose a system the system to enable access to homeownership CONTINUES ON PAGE 9

As investors, as risk takers, and as We all have roles communicators, insurers can send the market signals needed to transition to a low carbon to play in tackling economy. We’re here to partner and to lead. climate change. Together we can build a prosperous and resilient Canada.

@insurancebureau @InsuranceBureau IBC.CA Insurance Bureau of Canada THE REVIEW | NATIONAL HOUSING

better security for employment. Unfortunately that might not be possible and lenders (includ CHASING ing banks) need to factor in flexibility when as TIME TO sessing a person for a mortgage. Contract work is slowly becoming the new “norm” and if the ANSWERS banks don’t take this into account, other lenders UNLOCK THE will which might start drawing customers from banks. At that point banks will have to take ON HOUSING notice I suspect. Q. How much are code changes affecting DOOR TO affordability? IN CANADA A. (KL) With Canada’s housing affordability HOMEOWNERSHIP crisis, policy makers need to consider well all CONTINUES FROM PAGE 7 CONTINUES FROM PAGE 8 the impacts involved when making changes to a harsh reality when it comes to applying for a the Building Code that increase costs. While It is also time to adjust the ‘stress test’. mortgage. Since they do not have a regular pay current building standards are excellent, there CHBA members reported a 33 percent drop in check or access to financial statements such as are many ways to continue to improve housing; first-time buyer activity this past year after the the T4, “gig” workers have found themselves but this needs to be done through innovation to stress test was introduced—this is much too on the wrong side of conventional mortgage avoid excessively increasing costs. When you extreme. Ratcheting the stress test down for lenders. CREA believes that financial institu add up all the changes that various groups want longer mortgage terms can get more buyers tions and their regulators should adapt to the that “don’t cost a lot”, it costs a lot! safely into the market without increasing risk. changing face of today’s work force and ensure That is why federal parties need to adopt It is time to unlock the door to home- lending practices provide more flexibility for CHBA’s recommendation to enshrine affordabil ownership. We can no longer afford to see it non-traditional workers ity as a core objective of the National Building locked—there is simply too much at stake. A. (MJ) This is a larger question here for Code, to ensure that we are building better, more Kevin Lee is Chief Executive Officer, our societies and whether we need to ensure efficient houses for the same price or less. Canadian Home Builders’ Association

2015-06-03-Politics-half-page-ad v4.0 NR.indd 1 2019-06-03 5:01:54 PM The Review | Canada’s ICT Infrastructure

“When you can get a phishing attack that looks like it’s coming from your boss or your best friend…it’s scary because they actually know INFRASTRUCTURE: who your contacts within your organization are.” During the Policy segment, hosted by Catherine Clark, Colin Earp, partner and national transport lead at KPMG, said that society is A look at ICT reorienting itself around the ability to communi- cate through digital means, and is moving toward allowing systems to make decisions for us. “Digital has a social equity dividend,” said Earp. “Autonomous vehicles have a safety divi- dend. When we’re talking about autonomous vehi- cles, we’re talking about a $22 trillion trend going forward. Canada has all of the right ingredients.” Cara Salci, national director of public affairs and communications with Thales Canada, said that companies are investing in connectivity, Big Data, artificial intelligence, and cyber-security, and that industry can help backstop government delivery of those technologies. “As the government is grappling with the regulatory and policy development of some of these topics, industry can help build the case as for a certain technology and how it’s working,” said Salci. “Closing the digital divide between remote Pictured left to right: Host Catherine Clark, Hon. Bernadette Jordan MP, Carole Saab FCM, Cara Salci Thales Canada and rural communities can really leave a legacy for and Colin Earp KPMG Canada the next generation so that they are connected.” Carole Saab, executive director of policy BY DALE SMITH “The auditor general last year put all of these and public affairs for the Federation of Canadian Sixth Estate [past studies] together and said for all of the Municipalities, said that municipalities are deal- agreement in them, virtually nothing in terms ing with the on-the-ground challenges around s the Canadian economy evolves, of action had changed, that nobody had come things like “smart cities,” and that can include the country’s infrastructure needs up with a national broadband strategy, much figuring out how to implement new technologies are moving beyond roads, bridges less implemented it,” said Weston. “Part of the over the existing built infrastructure. and sewers to digital infrastruc- reason is that for all of the focus, it was money “If you look at smaller municipalities in ru- Ature such as information and communications and the cost of funding this.” ral and remote areas, the face of this challenge is technology (ICT), including internet backbone, Joanne Stanley, executive director of Women a lot different,” said Saab. “It’s about achieving broadband, mobile telecommunications tech- in Communications and Technology (WCT), access to adequate broadband right now. It is a nology and more. Before the Bell assembled a said that access to broadband helps foster inno- serious economic and quality-of-life issue.” panel of industry and government stakeholders vation and entrepreneurship in young women, Hon. Bernadette Jordan, MP for South Shore to discuss what Canada’s ICT needs are when particularly in northern communities. — St. Margarets, Nova Scotia, and the minister it comes to building the next phase of our “In the context of distribution of digital of rural economic development, said that there is economy. infrastructure into rural communities, it’s good a sense of urgency in getting digital infrastructure Ihor Korbabicz, executive director of Abacus for the country that we do that,” said Stanley. “It to rural and remote communities because there Data, said that in a poll of Canadian millennials, allows young, talented people outside of major has been such growth in the use of internet, and 93 per cent rated a smartphone as necessary to centres to be part of the innovation structure to it makes it difficult for young people to stay in their quality of life, as compared to 88 per cent start companies. It’s important to us from a com- those communities if they don’t have access. who rated a car as necessary. Eighty-six per cent petitive perspective.” “When we talk about a sense of urgency, our of all Canadians rated the internet as being crucial Craig Stewart, vice-president of federal government has committed to 90 per cent by to Canada’s economic prospects over the long affairs for the Insurance Bureau of Canada, 2021, 95 per cent by 2025, and the last five per term — more than immigration or automation. said that at the C-suite level, businesses should cent by 2030 because we know that rural com- During the Pulse panel, hosted by David be thinking about their exposure as well as the munities are so vital to our economic growth Akin, Greg Weston, principal at Earnscliffe opportunities that come with increased digital as a country,” said Jordan. “Thirty per cent of Strategy Group, noted that Parliament has been infrastructure. our GDP comes from rural Canada. When you promising action on rural broadband since at “Whole businesses and their viability are now have businesses that can’t grow, or can’t attract least 2001. relying on inoculating themselves,” said Stewart. people, you can’t access markets.”

The Review // 10

2015-06-03-Politics-half-page-ad v4.0 NR.indd 1 2019-06-03 5:01:54 PM CHASING ANSWERS | Canada’s ICT Infrastructure CHASING ANSWERS with Hon. Bernadette Jordan Minister of Rural Economic Development on Canada’s ICT Infrastructure Before the Bell host Catherine Clark with ollowing the Before the Bell edition on the Smart Cities Challenge includes a prize stream Hon. Bernadette Jordan MP Infrastructure: A look at ICT in Canada specifically geared to small communities, even while Sixth Estate editors asked the Hon. those communities can apply to any stream. Q: Is the Canada infrastructure bank pushing Bernadette Jordan MP South Shore – We were thrilled to get 63 applications from broadband as a priority? FSt. Margaret, Nova Scotia and minister of rural rural communities, representing nearly half of A. The Canada Infrastructure Bank was economic development to respond to three of applications overall . established as an innovative new way to help the top unanswered audience questions from the Q: The federal governments internet infra- our communities build even more infrastructure show. Here are her responses. structure is known to be archaic and inadequate. by bridging a gap between public and private Q: Are rural communities at risk of being Is updating this costly endeavour the first step? funding. The investments made by the Bank will left out of smart cities? A. The Government of Canada recognizes that align with the Government of Canada’s priori- A. The application of connected technolo- students, families and businesses require reliable ties in areas like broadband. gies to improve local outcomes is not just for and high-speed Internet to participate in today’s The Bank is also examining opportunities to large cities but a true opportunity for rural economy. In Budget 2019, the Government is mak- attract private-sector investment in high-speed in- communities too. ing an ambitious new commitment to ensure every ternet infrastructure for unserved and underserved Canada is encouraging all communities big single household and business in Canada has communities. Working to maximize the contribution or small, to explore how best to apply smart city access to high-speed internet by 2030. By working of private capital, the Bank will seek to invest $1 approaches in their local context. with provinces, territories and industry, the Gov- billion over the next 10 years, and leverage at least A Smart cities approach can improve the quality ernment is planning to deliver up to $6 billion in $2 billion in additional private-sector investment to of life of residents in communities of all sizes. In fact, new investments to achieve this target. increase high-speed Internet access for Canadians. Let’s start at impossible and go from there

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58 Avec vous à bord, on est sur la bonne voie

Ensemble, nous menons les Canadiens vers un avenir durable

La voie productive La voie écologique La voie économique La voie collective

Avec un accès Wi-Fi gratuit, Notre destination commune : En avançant ensemble, on En connectant plus de 400 com- des sièges spacieux et des un avenir durable. En choisis- donne un coup de pouce au munautés au Canada, on permet à bornes de rechargement à sant le train, vous contribuez portefeuille des Canadiens. près de 4,8 millions de voyageurs portée de main, vous serez à bâtir un Canada plus vert. de se rapprocher des personnes aussi confortable qu’au bureau. et des endroits qu’ils aiment.

Liaison Nombre Distance Temps Temps Coût du voyage Coût du voyage Économies pour de départs productif non productif en voiture** en train le contribuable par jour en train en voiture* (à partir (voyage en train)*** de seulement)

Ottawa Toronto Jusqu’à 20 450 km 4 h 25 min 4 h 46 min 487 $ 49 $ 438 $

Ottawa Montréal Jusqu’à 12 198 km 1 h 50 min 2 h 21 min 230 $ 37 $ 193 $

Ottawa Québec Jusqu’à 8 482 km 5 h 39 min 4 h 47 min 510 $ 49 $ 461 $

Toronto Montréal Jusqu’à 13 541 km 4 h 49 min 5 h 39 min 583 $ 49 $ 534 $

Les employés du gouvernement du Canada sont admissibles à un rabais de 10 % sur leurs voyages personnels réservés auprès de VIA Rail. Les employés du gouvernement du Canada peuvent profiter de tarifs spéciaux pour leurs voyages d’affaires réservés par l’entremise des Services HRG de voyage partagés. Le rabais ne s’applique ni aux tarifs Évasion ni à la classe Prestige. * Donnée issue d’une application de voyage en date du 22 mars 2019, à 17 h. ** Le coût du voyage en voiture est calculé selon la formule suivante : coût en $ du voyage en voiture (taux de 0,58 $/km établi par le Conseil du trésor pour l’Ontario pour une voiture conduite par un employé du gouvernement X distance parcourue) + frais en $ d’employé gouvernemental (taux horaire moyen d’un employé gouvernemental de 48 $/h selon un salaire de 100 000 $ par année, y compris les avantages sociaux X durée du voyage) = coût total en $ pour le contribuable. *** L’économie pour le contribuable associée aux voyages en train est calculée selon la formule suivante : coût en $ du voyage en voiture – coût en $ du voyage en train = économies en $ pour le contribuable. Les tarifs et les conditions peuvent changer sans préavis. MC Marque de commerce propriété de VIA Rail Canada inc.

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