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Gordon A. McBean and Henry G. Hengeveld, "The Science of Climate Change" The authors review the scientific knowledge relative to climate change and briefly present someof the implications for the policy community. The basis for concern about climate change is scientifically sound. The risks of danger are real and significant. Some of the greatest danger may be associated with changed frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Ian Burton, "Climate Adaptation Policies for Canada" The ultimate objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. This is called the policy of "mitigation". Adaptation to climate change is a secondary policy concern, but one that is gaining in importance as the scientific projections of climate change improve, and as the inevitability of some significant climate change becomes increasingly apparent. The author provides an "anatomy" of adaptation, and suggests the principle elements that are required in a national adaptation strategy. Some suggestions are put forward for the way in which an adaptation policy might be developed. Robert Hornung, "The Voluntary Challenge Program Will Not Work" The Voluntary Challenge Programme is failing to make much of a contribution to Canada’s greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts. This failure clearly lies at the feet of those who designed the program: the federal and provincial governments. The program is failing because it lacks several of the key elements required in any successful voluntary program: mandatory reporting requirements, technical support for participants and clear incentives for participation. John Robinson, "Clearing the Air on Climate" The evidence on climate change and its likely impacts is solid enough to dictate immediate action. The costs of cutting emissions are often exaggerated. A host of measures are either profitable or will cost less than the damages they will prevent. And the move to environmentally benign, energy efficient and information intensive technologies implied in a strong emissions reduction strategy may also be the best approach to enhancing Canadian competitiveness in the global economy. H. Douglas Lightfoot and Chris Green, "New Sources of Energy are Needed to Halt Global Warming" Most proposals for cutting greenhouse gases by a large-scale replacement of fossil fuels with alternative energy sources are unrealistic. Most existing alternatives, be they solar, wind, hydro-electric or biomass, are not practical on a large scale because, in all cases, they require a great deal of a land. Erik Haites, "Emissions Trading for Greenhouse Gases in Canada" The Kyoto Protocal allows countries to use international emissions trading to meet their commitments to cut greenhouse gases. Emissions trading can significantly lower the costs of achieving given cuts in emissions. In practise, there are numerous approaches, and the best mechanism for handling emissions varies according to the particular nature of the gas and source in question. Dominique Baillard, Philippe Crabbé, Deborah Herbert, Paul James, William Rees, Robert Smith and Peter Victor, "Kyoto Protocol Offers Opportunities Too Good to Pass Up" The outcome of last December’s climate change negotiations in Kyoto, Japan, in which Canada agreed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 6% from 1990 levels by 2012, must be viewed as a tremendous opportunity for the Canadian economy. The opportunity lies in developing and selling the new technologies the world will need to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Governments and corporations that lead the way here will be rewarded with new jobs and increased profits. The inordinate stock-market success of Vancouver-based Ballard Power Systems, the developer of the world’s most advanced hydrogen fuel cell (an alternative to fossil fuelled engines), is a current case in point. Those governments and firms that dig in their heels and refuse to approach the challenge of emissions reduction creatively will forfeit enormous benefits to others. Canada cannot afford to find itself in the latter group. Heather Smith, "The Provinces and Canadian Climate Change Policy" Achieving greenhouse gas emission reductions is more complicated in a federal state, such as Canada, where the national government has the right to negotiate international agreements but where implementation of those agreements is difficult, if not impossible, without the cooperation of the provinces. The author looks at some of the federal-provincial dimensions of climate change. Jonathan Kay, "Explaining the Modern Backlash Against Multiculturalism" In the late eighties and early nineties, when words like "diversity" and "multiculturalism" came into wide usage in North America, there was a popular notion that western monoculturalism was obsolete. Many commentators foresaw a benign fragmentation of our society that would eventually free immigrant cultures from the need to compromise their imported group identities. However, during the last decade, multiculturalism has endured a powerful conservative backlash. The legal and ideological roots of that backlash are the subject of this essay. Maurice Beaudin, "L’avenir des minorités francophones hors Québec" The 1996 Census suggests that francophone minorities outside Quebec continue to be assimilated at an alarming rate. Some communities are doing better than others. The authors provides an analysis of the latest data. The future of francophone communities is tied up with their economic prospects in an economy that is increasingly urban and global. John S. McCallum, "Issues to Address Before Letting the Banks Merge" The proposed merger of the Royal Bank and the Bank of Montreal will affect a large number of people and organizations and is for all practical purposes irreversible. The author outlines seven issues that need to be analysed before such a decision is approved. Mahmood Iqbal, "The Future of Taxation on Capital Income in Canada" The perception of a declining corporate tax contribution is based largely on the notion that corporations pay only income tax, the share of which has been declining as a percentage of GDP and total tax revenue for a number of years. However, corporations pay taxes on practically all aspects of their business. The share of all of these taxes has been increasing during the last 30 years. Eric Mintz, "Recalling Governments" The idea that voters should be able to recall their representatives is superficially attractive. However, the recall of representatives is inconsistent with Canada's parliamentary system of government. Attempting to recall a representative who holds a cabinet post challenges the idea that the cabinet is collectively responsible for the good of the country as a whole. Cabinet ministers faced with the possibility of a recall initiative in their own constituency may be even more tempted than under the current system to direct benefits to their own constituency. |
