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Kevin Lynch

Kevin Lynch is vice chair, BMO Financial Group, and former Clerk of the Privy Council. This was originally published in the most recent issue of Policy magazine, edited by L. Ian MacDonald.

‘With or without you’: policy sovereignty in a Trumpian world

  • If we are to achieve the ambition Mark Carney laid out so eloquently and clearly for Canada to set out its own path as
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | January 29, 2026
Five areas where we should be both assertive and protective of our policy sovereignty fall under Defence Minister David McGuinty, left, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson, Culture and Identity Minister Marc Miller, AI Minister Evan Solomon, and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand.   The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

‘With or without you’: policy sovereignty in a Trumpian world

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | January 29, 2026
  • If we are to achieve the ambition Mark Carney laid out so eloquently and clearly for Canada to set out its own path as

‘With or without you’: policy sovereignty in a Trumpian world

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | January 29, 2026
  • If we are to achieve the ambition Mark Carney laid out so eloquently and clearly for Canada to set out its own path as
Five areas where we should be both assertive and protective of our policy sovereignty fall under Defence Minister David McGuinty, left, Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson, Culture and Identity Minister Marc Miller, AI Minister Evan Solomon, and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand.   The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade

Time for Team Canada 2.0

  • Several things made these missions of the past unique: led by the prime minister, joined by cabinet ministers, premiers, and hundreds of business leaders,
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | January 14, 2026
U.S. President Donald Trump’s thuggish threats to our economy have become a rallying cry across Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney, pictured, should capitalize and go all in on a Team Canada approach to trade, write Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House

Time for Team Canada 2.0

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | January 14, 2026
  • Several things made these missions of the past unique: led by the prime minister, joined by cabinet ministers, premiers, and hundreds of business leaders,

Time for Team Canada 2.0

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | January 14, 2026
  • Several things made these missions of the past unique: led by the prime minister, joined by cabinet ministers, premiers, and hundreds of business leaders,
U.S. President Donald Trump’s thuggish threats to our economy have become a rallying cry across Canada. Prime Minister Mark Carney, pictured, should capitalize and go all in on a Team Canada approach to trade, write Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/The White House

In the murky new world order, Canada needs a growth plan

  • First, to achieve the generational pivot the times demand, Canada needs government operating at its best, with focused federal political leadership, bold policies, federal-provincial
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | November 26, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, pictured Oct. 7, 2025, with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Photograph courtesy of the White House

In the murky new world order, Canada needs a growth plan

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | November 26, 2025
  • First, to achieve the generational pivot the times demand, Canada needs government operating at its best, with focused federal political leadership, bold policies, federal-provincial

In the murky new world order, Canada needs a growth plan

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | November 26, 2025
  • First, to achieve the generational pivot the times demand, Canada needs government operating at its best, with focused federal political leadership, bold policies, federal-provincial
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, pictured Oct. 7, 2025, with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. Photograph courtesy of the White House

The fall budget will be an early reckoning for the Carney government

  • The Carney government has much riding on the reaction to its fall budget. So, too, do Canadians as they wait to see what the
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, JIM MITCHELL | September 22, 2025
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson make an announcement about the government's new Build Canada Homes project at a modular home construction site in Nepean, Ont., on Sept. 14, 2025. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

The fall budget will be an early reckoning for the Carney government

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, JIM MITCHELL | September 22, 2025
  • The Carney government has much riding on the reaction to its fall budget. So, too, do Canadians as they wait to see what the

The fall budget will be an early reckoning for the Carney government

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, JIM MITCHELL | September 22, 2025
  • The Carney government has much riding on the reaction to its fall budget. So, too, do Canadians as they wait to see what the
Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson make an announcement about the government's new Build Canada Homes project at a modular home construction site in Nepean, Ont., on Sept. 14, 2025. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

A defence industrial policy is a good offence

  • Canada could revisit its industrial policy and consider a new defence, dual-use, industrial policy. This would take advantage of the government’s already-announced commitment to
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | August 14, 2025
Defence Minister David McGuinty, pictured June 10, 2025, on the Hill. Industrial policy is in play whether we like it or not. Our major trading partner is deploying it very aggressively through tariffs. It is time for us to counter these with industrial policies, write Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

A defence industrial policy is a good offence

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | August 14, 2025
  • Canada could revisit its industrial policy and consider a new defence, dual-use, industrial policy. This would take advantage of the government’s already-announced commitment to

A defence industrial policy is a good offence

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | August 14, 2025
  • Canada could revisit its industrial policy and consider a new defence, dual-use, industrial policy. This would take advantage of the government’s already-announced commitment to
Defence Minister David McGuinty, pictured June 10, 2025, on the Hill. Industrial policy is in play whether we like it or not. Our major trading partner is deploying it very aggressively through tariffs. It is time for us to counter these with industrial policies, write Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Asking the right questions to safeguard our sovereignty

  • The top issue in the next election will surely be the economy, but the second matter of public discourse should be protecting our national
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | November 11, 2024
From defence spending to border control, cybersecurity to foreign election interference, leaders should have a plan for protecting Canada from authoritarian states, write Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan. Pexels photograph by Lara Jameson

Asking the right questions to safeguard our sovereignty

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | November 11, 2024
  • The top issue in the next election will surely be the economy, but the second matter of public discourse should be protecting our national

Asking the right questions to safeguard our sovereignty

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | November 11, 2024
  • The top issue in the next election will surely be the economy, but the second matter of public discourse should be protecting our national
From defence spending to border control, cybersecurity to foreign election interference, leaders should have a plan for protecting Canada from authoritarian states, write Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan. Pexels photograph by Lara Jameson

Canada is struggling and government is part of the problem

  • Federal government spending, public service employment, and the national debt are soaring, but delivery of essential government services is sputtering, and the Bank of
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, JIM MITCHELL | April 24, 2024
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the Liberal caucus on April 17. Excessive centralization of decision-making in the Prime Minister’s Office has sidelined cabinet, ministers, and the public service, write Kevin Lynch and Jim Mitchell. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Canada is struggling and government is part of the problem

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, JIM MITCHELL | April 24, 2024
  • Federal government spending, public service employment, and the national debt are soaring, but delivery of essential government services is sputtering, and the Bank of

Canada is struggling and government is part of the problem

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, JIM MITCHELL | April 24, 2024
  • Federal government spending, public service employment, and the national debt are soaring, but delivery of essential government services is sputtering, and the Bank of
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the Liberal caucus on April 17. Excessive centralization of decision-making in the Prime Minister’s Office has sidelined cabinet, ministers, and the public service, write Kevin Lynch and Jim Mitchell. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

The Davos crystal ball: global risks in 2024 and beyond

  • As a recent World Economic Forum report observes, ‘The next decade will usher in a period of significant change, stretching our adaptive capacity to
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | January 15, 2024
The World Economic Forum's annual meeting takes place in Davos, Switzerland, from Jan. 15-19. Despite calls for boycotts, it will attract the global A-listers, making it much better for Canada to show up than tune out, write Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan. Photograph courtesy of Paul Kagame/Flickr

The Davos crystal ball: global risks in 2024 and beyond

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | January 15, 2024
  • As a recent World Economic Forum report observes, ‘The next decade will usher in a period of significant change, stretching our adaptive capacity to

The Davos crystal ball: global risks in 2024 and beyond

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | January 15, 2024
  • As a recent World Economic Forum report observes, ‘The next decade will usher in a period of significant change, stretching our adaptive capacity to
The World Economic Forum's annual meeting takes place in Davos, Switzerland, from Jan. 15-19. Despite calls for boycotts, it will attract the global A-listers, making it much better for Canada to show up than tune out, write Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan. Photograph courtesy of Paul Kagame/Flickr

How should Canada respond to the scourge of economic nationalism?

  • History shows that this bout of economic nationalism will pass, but just how or when is unknown. What is known is that nations need
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | October 5, 2023
Today, we are inflicted with another bout of economic nationalism. The current variant is reshaping policies in the world’s two major economic markets—the U.S. and China—and risks infecting the rest of us, write Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

How should Canada respond to the scourge of economic nationalism?

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | October 5, 2023
  • History shows that this bout of economic nationalism will pass, but just how or when is unknown. What is known is that nations need

How should Canada respond to the scourge of economic nationalism?

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | October 5, 2023
  • History shows that this bout of economic nationalism will pass, but just how or when is unknown. What is known is that nations need
Today, we are inflicted with another bout of economic nationalism. The current variant is reshaping policies in the world’s two major economic markets—the U.S. and China—and risks infecting the rest of us, write Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

What midterm crisis?

  • For Canadian politicians, the lesson out of the U.S. midterms is that extremism on the right or left is not the answer for the
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | November 21, 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden, who was largely written off in the recent U.S. midterm elections, was a clear winner with a Lazarus-style comeback. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Adam Schultz

What midterm crisis?

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | November 21, 2022
  • For Canadian politicians, the lesson out of the U.S. midterms is that extremism on the right or left is not the answer for the

What midterm crisis?

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | November 21, 2022
  • For Canadian politicians, the lesson out of the U.S. midterms is that extremism on the right or left is not the answer for the
U.S. President Joe Biden, who was largely written off in the recent U.S. midterm elections, was a clear winner with a Lazarus-style comeback. Photograph courtesy of Flickr/Adam Schultz

Time for Canada to up our innovation game

  • The good news is Canada moved up in the Bloomberg 2021 Innovation Index. The bad news is we moved from 22nd to 21st—barely overtaking
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | March 31, 2021
Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan ask: can we reverse the brain drain to the South of graduates from our world-class universities in critical skill disciplines like software engineering and make it attractive for them to stay home with exciting opportunities? Photograph courtesy of Pexels

Time for Canada to up our innovation game

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | March 31, 2021
  • The good news is Canada moved up in the Bloomberg 2021 Innovation Index. The bad news is we moved from 22nd to 21st—barely overtaking

Time for Canada to up our innovation game

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH, PAUL DEEGAN | March 31, 2021
  • The good news is Canada moved up in the Bloomberg 2021 Innovation Index. The bad news is we moved from 22nd to 21st—barely overtaking
Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan ask: can we reverse the brain drain to the South of graduates from our world-class universities in critical skill disciplines like software engineering and make it attractive for them to stay home with exciting opportunities? Photograph courtesy of Pexels

Letter from Davos

  • After an exuberant gathering of the global policy elite at Davos last year, the 2017 edition was a subdued and rather anxious affair. Coming
Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH | April 17, 2017
Canada has considerable scope to provide policy leadership and to burnish the Canada brand. While Prime Minister Trudeau’s absence from Davos was a missed opportunity, given the dearth of Western political leaders, Davos 2018 will be focused on identifying solutions to the populist threat, writes Kevin Lynch. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright

Letter from Davos

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH | April 17, 2017
  • After an exuberant gathering of the global policy elite at Davos last year, the 2017 edition was a subdued and rather anxious affair. Coming

Letter from Davos

Opinion | BY KEVIN LYNCH | April 17, 2017
  • After an exuberant gathering of the global policy elite at Davos last year, the 2017 edition was a subdued and rather anxious affair. Coming
Canada has considerable scope to provide policy leadership and to burnish the Canada brand. While Prime Minister Trudeau’s absence from Davos was a missed opportunity, given the dearth of Western political leaders, Davos 2018 will be focused on identifying solutions to the populist threat, writes Kevin Lynch. The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright
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