Futureproofing Canada

Refocusing Canada’s International Security Agenda, a Policy Options Podcast. This week, we spoke with James Fergusson, director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies at the University of Manitoba, about the changing international security landscape and how it affects Canada. We look at the lessons from Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan, our relationship with NATO, and whether Canada is equipped to deal with the threats it faces.

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To find out about James Fergusson and Francis Furtado’s recent book Beyond Afghanistan: An International Security Agenda for Canada, please visit http://www.ubcpress.ca/search/title_book.asp?BookID=299175195

Technology-enabled trade in Canada, a Policy Options Podcast. E-commerce is revolutionizing the way we trade by giving businesses unprecedented access to new markets. Tools such as eBay have become the great equalizer of international trade: empowering small businesses in a globalized trade environment traditionally dominated by large firms. With so much to gain from these emerging trade patterns, Canadian trade policy can’t afford to be stuck in the past.

In a new IRPP study, authors Hanne Melin and Usman Ahmed argue that Canadian trade policies are creating obstacles for small businesses engaging in cross-border online trade. Using data from eBay between 2008 and 2013, they found that e-commerce businesses export at a much higher rate, reach more countries, and grow faster than do their offline counterparts. We caught up with Hanne to learn how the government can foster the growth of technology-enabled small businesses.

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Hanne Melin and Usman Ahmed’s IRPP study “Technology-Enabled Small Business Trade in Canada: New Evidence from eBay Marketplaces” http://irpp.org/research-studies/aots6-ahmed-melin/

Episode 15 of the IRPP’s Policy Options Podcast. In an era where access to political figures is unprecedented (and a scandal is just a tweet away), for those in politics controlling the political brand has become major priority. Narratives come from the top and make their way down, driving the need for message consistency throughout the process. In his new book Brand Command: Canadian Politics and Democracy in the Age of Message Control, Alex Marland argues that the consequences of this shift go beyond the substance of political communications — they're changing democratic participation itself. We caught up with Alex to talk about the “alarming developments” he sees in Canadian democracy.

Download for free. New episodes every second Tuesday.

To find out more about Alex Marland's new book Brand Command, visit http://www.ubcpress.ca/search/title_book.asp?BookID=299175196

Episode 14 of the IRPP’s Policy Options Podcast. In the wake of the Brexit referendum, this week’s episode tackles a Canadian issue that might soon trigger a referendum of its own: electoral reform. To kick off the podcast, podcast host Alex Shadeed briefly explains why some Canadians want to do away with the current system and what lies ahead in the electoral reform debate. Then, Policy Options editor-in-chief Jennifer Ditchburn speaks with Pippa Norris, professor at Harvard University and director of Electoral Integrity Project, about Canada’s electoral reform debate.

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The Policy Options Special Feature on electoral reform http://bit.ly/29gvNXE

Episode 13 of the IRPP’s Policy Options Podcast. Five years ago, the special expert panel on innovation in Canada, chaired by Tom Jenkins, tabled its report, which outlined several policy recommendations for improving Canada's lackluster research and development portfolio. Last week, the IRPP released a report by Andrei Sulzenko that looks at whether governments have followed up on the Jenkins Report's recommendations, and what must be done to achieve the current government's goal of turning Canada into an "innovation powerhouse." We caught up with Andrei Sulzenko to learn more about orienting Canada’s innovation policy for the future.

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Andrei Sulzenko's IRPP report Canada’s Innovation Conundrum: Five Years After the Jenkins Report http://bit.ly/1r2Kuom

Episode 12 of the IRPP's Policy Options Podcast. This week we spoke with immigration scholar and IRPP research director Leslie Seidle, to learn more about the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe, how the European Union's response differs from the Canadian government's response, and how European states can improve their immigrant integration regimes.

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See also Leslie Seidle's Policy Options article, "Resettling Syrian refugees: The Canadian advantage," at http://bit.ly/27wKxKC

Episode 11 of the IRPP’s Policy Options Podcast. This week, we spoke with acclaimed author and scholar Donald J. Savoie – winner of the 18th Annual Donner Prize for his book What Is Government Good At? A Canadian Answer – to learn how the federal government can improve public administration and regain the waning trust of Canadians.

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The Donner Canadian Foundation’s news release announcing Donald J. Savoie as the winner of the 2015 Donner book prize. http://bit.ly/1fELUPs

Episode 10 of the IRPP’s Policy Options Podcast. This week, we caught up with Dwayne Winseck of Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication to talk about the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunciations Commission’s “#TalkBroadband” conference, and how we can make the Internet more accessible to all Canadians.

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Dwayne Winseck’s blog about the conference: “A Radical Broadband Internet and Cultural Policy for Canada” http://bit.ly/1rtJU3M

Episode 9 of the IRPP’s Policy Options Podcast. This week, we caught up with Canada’s information commissioner, Suzanne Legault, to learn more about access to information in Canada and how the federal government can be more open and transparent.

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The Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada’s report Striking the Right Balance for Transparency: Recommendations to Modernize the Access to Information Act: http://bit.ly/1SiQ1yg

Episode 8 of the IRPP’s Policy Options Podcast. This week, we caught up with Christopher Waddell, one of the co-authors of the IRPP's colloquium report to learn more about the major points of consensus and contention surrounding leaders' debates in Canada.

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The IRPP's leaders' debate colloquium report: http://bit.ly/1TLR8Mf