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"Saddam Hussein's regime is a grave and gathering danger" by George W. Bush "Is doctrine of pre-emption necessary to deal with Iraq?" by Al Gore "A conflict could endanger the greater region" by Bill Graham Iraq has grabbed the headlines for most of the last four months, as US President George W. Bush pushes his own countrymen, the allies and the rest of the world towards a showdown with Iraq’s dictator, Saddam Hussein. In an attempt to throw light on the issues surrounding the Iraq situation, Policy Options has published edited versions of major policy speeches made in the last six weeks by President Bush, the Democratic Party’s 2000 presidential candidate Al Gore and Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham. "Multilateralism or unilateralism-whither American foreign policy?" by Louis Delvoie From George Washington through Woodrow Wilson to George W. Bush the history of American foreign policy has been characterized by bouts of isolationaism or unilateralism as well as internationalism and multilateralism. It appears now to be going through a phase of unilateralism as seen in its policy in Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Phillipines, and its refusal to sign international treaties like the antipersonnel land mines treaty and the UN convention on the rights of the child. George W. Bush’s recent pronouncements on Iraq also clearly point to unilateralism. But this trend in US foreign policy is neither inevitable nor irrevocable. "How (not) to look at proposals to reform Canadian health care" by Kieke G.H. Okma Before seeking to adopt programs or policies from other industrialize countries, Canada has to carefully look at the differences or similarities in culture, history and approach to medical care. But we can adapt our system using other models in sectors like home care. The author cautions against inflated rhetoric raising expectations and urges reformers to be pragmatic because reform is likely to take place only at the margins, and those changes are more likely to be initiated by stakeholders rather than government. "The illusion of financial unsustainability of Canadian health care" by Gerard W. Boychuk Expenditures on health care in Canada have remained relatively stable when measured as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) during the last decade. There is little evidence to support the notion that health care is unsustainable financially. Yet there is the widespread public perception that we can’t afford health care. The crisis has arisen because the federal government has cut back on transfers to the provinces that deliver health care to Canadians. The question becomes whether or not health care is politically sustainable after almost a decade of federalprovincial wrangling. "Canadians prepared to accept Medicare reform in primary care, polling shows" by Matthew Mendelsohn Polling shows Canadians are deeply attached to their health-care system, especially the principles of access to and quality of care, and political leaders toy with it at their peril. But Canadians also recognize the system is inefficient and needs mending. A complete overhaul is not an acceptable option to most Canadians, but many concede that people who are sick and need urgent attention should be able to use their own money to get medical services. "Are farm subsidies a fair target?" by Ben Bradshaw Hefty farm subsidies in the developed world are targeted as a major reason why the developing world cannot build a strong, export-oriented agricultural industry. While farm subsidies do create inequalities, this paper argues that many other factors are involved. Market access and subsidies are separate issues. And even if subsidies were eliminated, this would not solve other issues, like access to land, capital or technology, or the burden imposed by accumulated foreign debt. "How much diversity can Canadian courts tolerate?" by Thomas M.J. Bateman Canada’s courts more and more are pronouncing on diversity in Canada and how it relates to the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. In three cases cited here, the author raises questions about how the courts deal with public morality and whether they should be dealing with morality at all in a liberal society that values freedom above all. The author hopes the debate is just beginning on these issues because it is a matter of defining our basic political culture. "History-teaching in Canada: The past does not change but its interpretation can alter radically" by Desmond Morton We know from the many polls taken in the last few years that Canadians do not know most of the elementary facts about their history. But neither do the Americans or the British. And new initiatives have been taken recently, including the CBC-Radio Canada series on Canadian history and the formation of a new organization called HISTOR!CA, funded by Charles Bronfman and other business people, that hold out the promise of inciting interest in Canadian history. Finally, the author proposes a Canadian-wide association of history teachers that promotes the exchange of ideas and techniques about history teaching. "Policy-making and moral reasoning: Why the CIHR guidelines on pluripotent stem cell research are inadequate" by Leigh Turner Many of the recently released guidelines on public federal funding of research using human pluripotent stem cells were praiseworthy, but the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) guidelines fail to confront the most divisive ethical issues related to stem cell research. One major disagreement concerns the use of stem cells obtained from embryonic and fetal sources. This topic raises many moral issues that the CIHR guidelines do not adequately address. The author maintains that agencies dispensing public funds should engage arguments on both sides of the issue and thereby make a meaningful contribution to a more open public debate. "Le fiasco de la politique linguistique canadienne dans la region d'Ottawa-Hull" by Charles Castonguay The most recent data on anglicization confirm the failure of the approach favoured by the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism and subsequently adopted by the Canadian Government in order to ensure the equality of English and French in the National Capital Region. The principle of personality on which it is based has not kept anglicization from increasing among francophones on the Ottawa side of the river. Only Bill 101 and the eventuality of Quebec's independence have prevented a similar trend from spreading on the Quebec side. It is time to rethink Canadian language policy, taking into account the growing imbalance between English and French and the definite connection between the percentage of francophones and the rate of anglicization in a given region. |
