|
"A new dawn of American leadership" by Barack Obama In an elegant and eloquent victory speech in Chicago, Barack Obama summarzed the theme of his historic campaign for the presidency of the United States. “Yes, we can.” "An American tableau of healing grace" by Gil Troy The two-year campaign for the American presidency culminated in the fall 2008 runoff between Barack Obama and John McCain, a race that was largely determined by the financial meltdown and the leaders’ debates. While there were unworthy moments on both sides, presidential historian Gil Troy of McGill University writes in this campaign narrative that both rose to the occasion on the evening of November 4, offering in their Election Night speeches “a magnificent display of the grace, civility and patriotism that could heal America, even during these painful times.” "The Obama campaign: 10 lessons for Canadian politicians" by Robin V. Sears and Joseph Lavoie The Obama campaign for the presidency was historic in many ways, culminating in the election of an African American as the next president of the United States. Obama’s biography was the personification of his movement of hope and change. He proved to be a compelling orator. But he also built a juggernaut that will be the model of future political campaigns. Robin Sears and Joseph Lavoie, devoted students of the political game, examine Obama’s model of success and suggest 10 lessons for Canadian politicians. "Canada in Obama's world: a cork in a stormy sea" by Derek H. Burney Barack Obama won an historic election to the American presidency on November 4, but the enormity of the economic challenges he faces is daunting, to say the least. In Canada, the Harper government, fresh off its own election in October, faces steep challenges of its own. As Canada’s former ambassador to the United States makes clear, the “repercussions of the financial crisis are global,” but “the pain for us and others will be greater if the US fails to act to put its economic house in order.” President Obama, he suggests, “will have about six months to prove whether he is a Roosevelt or a Carter.” "Obama and the future of Social Security" by Daniel Béland Although pension reform seldom moved to the centre of the recent US presidential campaign, President-elect Barack Obama pledged to tackle major problems related to retirement security. First, although this federal program does not face any shortterm fiscal crisis, the future of federal old age insurance (Social Security) is a crucial issue the new president should tackle. Second, in the short run, President Obama must respond to the crisis affecting private pensions and retirement savings, which the recent financial downturn has exacerbated. Partly because of that crisis, Social Security remains the main source of retirement security in the United States. "Toward North American cooperation on climate change and energy" by Velma McColl The election of Barack Obama to the US presidency and the re-election of the Harper government in Canada occur at a moment when two major North American issues, climate change and energy, are converging into one. “No country,” writes energy and environmental consultant Velma McColl, “can be serious about climate change until it addresses and transforms the ways that energy is used, produced and conserved by its citizens and industries.” As she points out, “our continental energy market is already integrated,” with Canada supplying 100 percent of America’s imported electricity, 82 percent of its natural gas imports and 18 percent of its imported oil. "Yes, we can, now! A fierce urgency" by John Parisella The Obama campaign really began on the stage of the Democratic convention in Boston in 2004. John Parisella was there doing television commentary. Barack Obama’s keynote speech “electrified” the convention, and delegates all thought they were witnessing something special — the arrival of a future presidential candidate. But few would have thought then that his arrival would occur so quickly, in the very next presidential cycle. Here are the personal reflections of a professional political operative who became a volunteer in Obama’s movement for change. "Good luck, Mr. President ! L'héritage économique de George W. Bush" by Pierre Martin George W. Bush leaves a heavy legacy of deficits, debt and financial bailouts to Barack Obama. At a time when Obama needs fiscal flexibility to stimulate economic activity and restore confidence, his margin of manoeuvre is limited by Bush’s economic legacy — a deficit of more than $500 billion to end the last fiscal year, another $3 trillion in debt, and another $700 billion on top of that in the federal rescue package of Wall Street. Université de Montréal’s Pierre Martin, who spent last winter in residence at Washington’s Woodrow Wilson Center, examines the financial situation the 44th president of the United States will inherit. "The mood of Canada through an economic prism: from confidence to anxiety" by Nik Nanos From confidence to anxiety: there’s been a sea change in Canada’s mood over the last year. And it’s entirely due to the economy. Our second annual Mood of Canada poll by Nanos Research reminds us clearly that, as Nik Nanos writes, “Canadians see everything through the prism of the economy.” Compared with the numbers in last year’s poll, twice as many Canadians say they are worse off financially than they were a year ago, while only half as many say they’re better off. And more than half of Canadians think the economy will get worse in the next six months. Batten down the hatches. There’s a storm coming. "Alberta bracing for slowdown" by Todd Hirsch [summary not available] "The eternal Russian question" by Jeremy Kinsman Our former ambassador to Moscow knows that Russia’s political story is a layered, complex one that defies attempts to simplify it. The Russian invasion of Georgia, in response to Georgia’s attack on Ossetia, is only the latest example. Sophisticated European observers thought there was plenty of blame to be apportioned on both sides. But in the US, notably in the Bush administration, the McCain campaign and even the mainstream media, the interpretation was simplistic and one sided: “the Russians were the bad guys, the Bear was back, and had to be stopped.” If only it were that simple. And then there’s the Russian strongman, Vladimir Putin. It seems there is always a Russian strongman. Jeremy Kinsman considers the eternal Russian question. "The provinces and carbon pricing: three inconvenient truths" by Thomas J. Courchene and John R. Allan In spite of the important and creative role of the provinces driving the climate change agenda, issues relating to constitutionality, to competitiveness, to fiscal equity and to preserving the environmental union point to the necessity of Ottawa donning the mantle of leadership. With this in mind, the role of this article is to delve deeper into what we term “environmental federalism,” that is, to attempt to bridge this jurisdictional gap by assessing how various carbon pricing models can accommodate an increased federal presence while still respecting the reality that the provinces cannot and should not be left out of the equation. "The real constitutional question: Canada's 21st-century national policy" by Roderick Macdonald and Robert Wolfe Does Canada have a national policy for the 21st century? The authors note that Canada’s first national policy was first articulated by Sir John A. Macdonald, not in the BNA Act, but in his 1879 election campaign. They suggest four characteristic features of Canada’s national policies: the economy, communications, society, and the public policy process itself. In their view, a second national policy, NP2, followed in the half-century from 1930-80, and that NP3 has been unfolding since then. Key elements of NP3 include Pierre Trudeau’s Charter of Rights, and North American free trade under Brian Mulroney. Roderick Macdonald and Robert Wolfe “juxtapose legal text and policy practice in order to illuminate Canada’s key constitutional challenges.” "Newfoundland's coming of age" by Tim Powers From have-not to have status, it’s been a remarkable journey for Newfoundland within Confederation. Only 15 years ago, the province’s historic cod fishery was closed, throwing tens of thousands of Newfoundlanders out of work, ruining a way of life on which the province’s economy was built, and from much of its rich culture was derived. Off shore oil has changed everything. The province recorded a healthy surplus of $1.4 billion this year. It is rich in hydro-electricity resources. And then there is Premier Danny Williams, flexing his muscles, and occasionally thumbing his nose, at Ottawa. As this evocative essay from Ottawa consultant Tim Powers eloquently reminds us, you can take the boy out of Newfoundland, but you can’t take Newfoundland out of the boy. "Bulk water exports, diversions and conservation" by Mohammed H.I. Dore and B. Timothy Heinmiller One dimension of water conservation that has garnered periodic public and political attention over the last several decades is the protection of Canada’s freshwater resources from bulk exports and large-scale diversions to other countries, most notably the United States. Mohammed Dore and Timothy Heinmiller outline the existing rules on bulk exports and diversions, as well as the existing economic incentives and opportunities to undertake bulk exports and diversions. They find that in most cases, bulk exports are legally prohibited and also economically unviable. Still, large-volume, long-distance diversions from the Great Lakes could be possible from Lake Michigan via the Chicago Diversion. Since there are no institutional mechanisms on which Canada can rely to stop such future diversions, the best strategy for Canada may be to rely on cooperation with the Great Lakes states to enforce sound principles of watershed management that require in-basin use. "Les droits linguistiques au Canada : un minimalisme inquiétant" by Claudette Tardif and Marie-Joie Brady Despite some symbolic progress in bilingualism and linguistic duality in Canada, and here Prime Minister Harper's learning of French is worth highlighting, "the Official Languages Act is being applied in an increasingly minimal way, and the linguistic rights of French-speaking Canadians, far from being a given, are slowly eroding," say Senator Claudette Tardif and political scientist Marie-Joie Brady. A change in direction is necessary, they argue, especially since French-speaking Canadians in minority areas are already in a precarious situation. They review recent developments in official languages governance and offer several courses of action: "With a renewed and strengthened mandate following the recent general election, the government can now lead the way to breathe new life into the French fact in Canada." "Le théorème de Johnny" by Alain Noël [summary not available] Hilary Pearson reviews Lester B. Pearson by Andrew Cohen [summary not available] Anthony Wilson-Smith reviews Hell or High Water: My Life in and out of Politics by Paul Martin [summary not available] Mel Cappe reviews Entourage on the Rideau and the Thames: Court Government and the Collapse of Accountability in Canada and the United Kingdom by Donald Savoie [summary not available] |
