Policy Connections For Canada

Canada and the Rule of Law: Lessons from History and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

In this article, Roger Sarty examines Canada’s responsibility to defend Ukraine against the Russian invasion, and contextualizes this responsibility within Canada’s historic role of supporting internationalism and its need for stability and close partnerships to...

Practitioner Roundtable: Reflections on the Green Transition in Canada

[Click here for printable PDF] Discussion Summary Ryan Durante, Jenna Phillips and Tatyana Feiner   With the support of the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Balsillie School of International Affairs, this workshop brought...

Brainstorming Session: What are the next steps for Canada in terms of ‘green transitioning?’

[Click here for printable PDF] Discussion Summary #2 Tatyana Feiner, Ryan Durante, Jenna Phillips   With the support of the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Balsillie School of International Affairs, this workshop brought...

Roundtable One: Where have we seen progress, and what are biggest challenges?

[Click here for printable PDF] Discussion Summary #1 Jenna Phillips, Tatyana Feiner and Ryan Durante   With the support of the Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada at Wilfrid Laurier University and the Balsillie School of International Affairs, this workshop brought...

Chapter 18 | Examining the ‘participatory turn’ in forestry governance – what potential does it hold for a green and just transitions?

[Click here for printable PDF]   Key Messages   Perspectives   Governance of public forests (92% of forests in Canada) is frequently contested due to competing land use values (timber extraction, carbon sequestration, biodiversity protection, amongst...

Chapter 17 | Sustainability Transitions Across the Agri-Food Landscape in Canada

[Click here for printable PDF]   Key Messages   Perspectives   There are three core perspectives on agrifood sustainability, each of which emphasizes different dimensions of agri-food (un)sustainability and locates “the problem” and “the solution” very...

Chapter 16 | Canadian Biodiversity Policy in the “Last, Best Chance to Save Nature” Decade

[Click here for printable PDF]   Key Messages   Perspectives   It is increasingly recognized that effectively conserving biodiversity can be used to achieve transformative change to address other societal challenges, such as climate change, and will be...

Chapter 15 | Water Policy and the Green Transition

[Click here for printable PDF]   Key Messages   Perspectives   Canadians are starting to realize the climate crisis is a water crisis as they observe fundamental challenges related to flooding, droughts, wildfires, and water quality issues Water rights...

Chapter 14 | Assessing Ottawa’s Paths to Net-Zero through an Energy Sustainability Lens

[Click here for printable PDF]   Key Messages   Perspectives   Many argue that energy system transitions in the direction of net-zero need to advance wider sustainability goals, such as reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous peoples The Trudeau...

Chapter 13 | Northern Energy Transitions

[Click here for printable PDF]   Key Messages   Perspectives The Canadian North contributes the least to carbon emissions and yet it is the hardest hit by the impact of climate change. The North is also the most vulnerable to energy insecurity, in terms of...

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How well is Canada navigating a dynamic regional and global context marked by profound political, socio-cultural, economic and environmental shifts?  What kinds of challenges are Canadian governments facing, and how are they addressed with the tools of public policy?  

The ‘Policy Connections for Canada’ cluster exists to foster research, education, and discussion of Canada’s policy choices in a changing regional and international landscape. It acknowledges and engages with the complexity, interconnectivity and uncertainty that make public policy such a difficult yet essential field of study and practice.  The cluster’s researchers conduct multidisciplinary research on a wide variety of issues, including trade and foreign policy; climate and environmental policy; immigration, citizenship and refugee policy; as well as social policy and urban development.  

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