Venezuela’s trauma underscores volatility facing Latin America
OTTAWA—Only rarely these days do societies collapse in the way Venezuela has. Once one of the richest countries in Latin America, it has descended into complete disorder, with failing power supplies, severe shortages of food and medicine, rampant political repression, a failing economy, an exodus of 3.4 million residents, and an authoritarian ruler propped up […]
PSPC set to award contracts to speed up Phoenix pay processing, says Linklater, as unions protest third anniversary
Later this month, the department overseeing the fix of the government’s Phoenix pay system will award two contracts to companies in the hopes of speeding up the processing of public servants’ problem pay. Public Services and Procurement Canada associate deputy minister Les Linklater, who is in charge of fixing the pay system, told the House […]
Rewrite Senate anti-harassment policy, says Upper Chamber subcommittee
The Senate needs to start from scratch when it comes to its anti-harassment policy, instead of merely updating its existing decade-old document, says a group of Senators tasked with studying the Upper Chamber’s anti-harassment rules. “When the subcommittee was charged with reviewing the current policy, members knew that they were undertaking a considerably broad task […]
Fair dealing is a right, not a privilege
This week at schools and campuses across the country, teachers, students, and librarians are celebrating Fair Dealing Week. This annual event increases awareness of a little-known—but well-used—feature of the Copyright Act: fair dealing. The Copyright Act touches all Canadians. At its core, copyright determines under what conditions artistic and literary works (including ebooks, computer software, […]
Nearly two-thirds of public servants have unresolved pay issues three years after Phoenix launched, survey shows
More than half of the public servants who experience harassment at work and choose to do nothing about it say they don’t file a formal complaint because they feel it wouldn’t matter, according to the results of the latest government-commissioned survey of federal employees. Meanwhile, 65 per cent of survey respondents say they have not yet […]
Time for the grown-ups to stand up against cyberbullies
Often when we talk about cyberbullying, we focus on children—and rightly so. Nearly half (42 per cent) of school-aged kids have experienced cyber abuse in the past four weeks, and 60 per cent have witnessed others being tormented online. In truth, though, cyberbullying can happen to anyone, including adults. Indeed, in this hyper-connected digital age, […]
We can do more to make Canada more accessible, inclusive
“The decency of a society is measured by how it cares for its least powerful members,” wrote Rabbi Harold Kushner. These words ring especially true when it comes to people with disabilities. While policy-makers have achieved progress in making Canada more accessible and inclusive, significant deficiencies remain. Last week, in an effort to address some […]
Reframing Canada’s global AI leadership: a realistic path to the top
All signs point to artificial intelligence (AI) being key to the new economy and perhaps even the 21st century as a whole. But in the world of policy, AI is an abused term that is subject to misinterpretation and political posturing, not to mention real confusion. In Canada, many decision-makers and commentators seem to agree that […]
New book for early-career civil servants meant to demystify how government works
Not sure what the bureaucracy’s hierarchy is? Never heard of a policy cycle? Not sure what you need to emphasize in your public-sector job application? Memorial University political science professor Alex Marland has a book for you. Teaming up with University of Alberta political science professor Jared Wesley, the two are trying to make sense […]
Here are the building blocks of a good digital strategy
Canada’s future competitiveness and growth prospects are inextricably linked to our ability to seize the opportunities created by the rapidly evolving digital economy. Evolving digital technologies create an opportunity for new products, technologies, services, business processes, societal tools, and organizations to generate new wealth, but they also challenge the existing system of production and our […]
