Nearly half of the Canadian labour force is at high risk of automation within the next two decades – so how should we prepare?

 By Daniel Komesch Automation has become a scary word lately.  As new technologies proliferate, unease and uncertainty surround the labour market of the future.  Will jobs be destroyed? Created?  Can a robot really replace what I do?  What kind of career should my child pursue if we don’t know what

Rare insights into campaign war rooms – an Ottawa must read

 There are more civil servants than politicians and journalists in Ottawa, but increasingly, and of necessity, allegedly neutral government employees are political players, their lives often turned around by the incoming government’s new policies and priorities. They will find veteran campaign manager John Laschinger’s new book, Campaign Confessions, Tales from the

Are we finally in a health election campaign?

 Why more affordable medications for Canadians should be an all-party priority in this federal election. It's become almost a matter of faith: health and health care are perennially among the top priorities for Canadians, but are nearly invisible in election platforms and debates. This observation has led health care providers, health care

Oil: A High-Stakes Game of Chance

 Popular wisdom has it that the only certainty in life is death and taxes. Until a few short months ago, most economists, politicians, political pundits and journalists would have added to that short list a perpetual increase in the price of oil. But, in today’s interconnected world, much can happen

Defending workers’ rights while advocating for a new approach

 How do we determine value in Ontario? This question typically drives the development of economic policy, but in today’s Ontario, it also frames labour relations. If one were to listen to some politicians, lobby groups and thinktanks, one would assume that workers in this province were overpaid, underworked and slacking

Building a Better Canada

 Welcome to 2014. This issue marks the beginning of our series on Building a Better Canada. Ottawa is where politicians and senior civil servants make the key decisions that directly impact the type of country we want Canada to be. How do we improve health care by making it more

Giving Up On Government As An Agent For The Public Good…Is Not A Good Idea

 When I first got into the commercial polling business, about 70% of Canadians held a somewhat favourable impression of politicians. Today, more believe in the devil or that Elvis is alive than hold this particular point of view. Now, I know all of us smirk knowingly, from time to time,