Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Allison Harell
Opinion: How Canada and the U.S. entered a cycle of hostility and how they can break it
For decades, the relationship between Canadians and Americans was defined by proximity, economic interdependence and a shared sense of partnership. Millions of jobs in both countries depended on bilateral trade, and the two countries have supported each other as key allies and defence partners. Despite occasional disagreements, the relationship was treated as a stable feature of North American life.
The cycle of hate: How Canada and the U.S. entered a cycle of hostility and how they can break it
FOR decades, the relationship between Canadians and Americans was defined by proximity, economic interdependence and a shared sense of partnership. Millions of jobs in both countries depended on bilateral trade, and the two countries have supported each other as key allies and defence partners. Despite occasional disagreements, the relationship was treated as a stable feature of North American life.
How To Break U.S.-Canada Cycle Of Hate
By Victoria Esses,Allison Harell,Hazel Rose Markus and Prerna Singh For decades, the relationship between Canadians and Americans was defined by proximity, economic interdependence and a shared sense of partnership. Millions of jobs in both countries depended on bilateral trade, and the two countries have supported each other as key allies and defence partners. Despite occasional disagreements, the relationship was treated as a stable feature of North American life.
Expert insight: How Canada and the U.S. can break a cycle of hate
For decades, the relationship between Canadians and Americans was defined by proximity, economic interdependence and a shared sense of partnership. Millions of jobs in both countries depended on bilateral trade, and the two countries have supported each other as key allies and defence partners. Despite occasional disagreements, the relationship was treated as a stable feature of North American life.
How to break the Canada-U.S. cycle of hate
Print Email Read Later For decades, the relationship between Canadians and Americans was defined by proximity, economic interdependence and a shared sense of partnership. Read this article for free: Email Address: Password: I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies. I consent to CASL agreement. Already have an account?
Comment le Canada et les États‑Unis sont entrés dans un cycle d’hostilité et comment ils peuvent y mettre fin
Pendant des décennies, les relations entre Canadiens et Américains ont été marquées par la proximité, l’interdépendance économique et un sentiment commun de partenariat. Des millions d’emplois dans les deux pays dépendaient du commerce bilatéral, et les deux pays se sont soutenus mutuellement en tant qu’alliés et partenaires de défense essentiels. Malgré des désaccords occasionnels, ces relations étaient considérées comme un élément stable de la vie nord-américaine.
The cycle of hate: How Canada and the U.S. entered a cycle of hostility and how they can break it
For decades, the relationship between Canadians and Americans was defined by proximity, economic interdependence and a shared sense of partnership. Millions of jobs in both countries depended on bilateral trade, and the two countries have supported each other as key allies and defence partners. Despite occasional disagreements, the relationship was treated as a stable feature of North American life.
The cycle of hate: How Canada and the U.S. entered a cycle of hostility and how they can break it
For decades, the relationship between Canadians and Americans was defined by proximity, economic interdependence and a shared sense of partnership. Millions of jobs in both countries depended on bilateral trade, and the two countries have supported each other as key allies and defence partners. Despite occasional disagreements, the relationship was treated as a stable feature of North American life.
Majorité libérale à Ottawa : une dynamique nouvelle et inespérée
En avril 2025, les électeurs canadiens ont choisi l’improbable en réélisant un gouvernement libéral minoritaire, cette fois-ci sous la houlette du nouveau chef Mark Carney. Un an plus tard, grâce à leurs trois victoires aux élections partielles de lundi, ils arrachent une courte majorité pour la première fois depuis 2019.
Carney majority: Liberal victory in ‘unwinnable’ 2025 election could explain his growing support Original
A year ago this month, Canadians delivered a result that seemed impossible just a few weeks earlier: another Liberal minority government, this time under newly chosen leader Mark Carney. Now, after three byelections, the Liberals have a majority for the first time since 2019. It’s been an astonishing reversal of fortune for the Liberals. For more than two years, the Conservatives had held a comfortable advantage in the polls. Many analysts treated a Conservative victory as all but inevitable.
The missing voices at AI conferences
(Version française disponible ici) Policymaking should be a society-wide effort, including elected officials, government employees, academics, business leaders, civil society groups and individuals. In theory, each of us should be able to participate. These days, a lot of people are attending conferences on artificial intelligence (AI) around Canada and the world, and the topic is getting increasing media attention.
Changes are needed to limit provincial use of the notwithstanding clause
Much has already been written about Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe’s decision to apply the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause to his controversial school pronoun policy. At its simplest, this preemptive move is meant to prevent judicial review of a new provincial rule stating that children under 16 require parental consent before school staff may recognize their changes of preferred names or pronouns.
Generation X takes the helm of the public service with John Hannaford
(Version fran√ßaise disponible¬†ici) OTTAWA ‚Äď John Hannaford, the first Gen Xer to head Canada‚Äôs public service after decades of Baby Boomer dominance, thinks it‚Äôs time for a reaffirmation of the values and ethics of an upstanding public servant. The new clerk of the Privy Council Office inherits a federal workforce larger than at any time in history with the biggest demographic turnover in years.
How citizens’ assemblies worked in one Quebec city
(Version française disponible ici) The turnout rate for municipal elections in Quebec, as in much of , is very low. The most recent round of municipal elections held in 2021 saw turnout of just 39 per cent in the province. With a minority of eligible citizens voting, it is essential to ask how to make municipal democracy more dynamic and legitimate.
Saskatchewan’s use of the notwithstanding clause reveals its fundamental flaw
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has announced his government’s intent to pass legislation invoking the notwithstanding clause aimed at his province’s high-school pronoun policy. The notwithstanding clause is a constitutional tool that allows federal, provincial, and territorial legislatures to temporarily suspend certain Charter rights for a period of up to five years.
Building an adaptable country
From June 12 to 14, 2023, the Institute on Governance (IOG) and the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation at the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) partenered to convene Resilient Institutions: Learning from Canada’s COVID-19 Pandemic – a conference on making public institutions and governance more agile. As the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic has recently demonstrated, countries that want to thrive in this turbulent century must be adaptable.
Future pandemics demand a response that’s better focused on inequities
With COVID-19 no longer considered a public health emergency of international concern, the federal government is engaging in efforts to improve pandemic preparedness both domestically and globally, recognizing the need to learn from COVID-19 and prepare for the next potential infectious disease crisis. Among the many lessons learned from the pandemic is the need to better mitigate the health and social inequities exacerbated by, and created within, COVID-19 responses.
What the Alberta election means for Canada
What do the results of the 2023 Alberta election mean for the future of the province? What consequences will the election have for the province’s relations with Ottawa, with other provinces, and with First Nations? Tune into this panel discussion, moderated by the IRPP’s Charles Breton, executive director of the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation, for a forward-looking exploration of these questions and many more.
Using simulations to teach civics in high school could improve voter turnout
Voter turnout in Canada has been falling for about 35 years, a trend driven primarily by declining turnout among younger voters. Why this is happening has been the subject of much research and considerable concern. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like things will be improving anytime soon. Studies indicate that turnout for voters in the first election for which they are eligible declined from 71 per cent in 1968 to 36 per cent in 2011.
The public service is ailing. Janice Charette says organizational health is the next big challenge
OTTAWA – Janice Charette left the job as Canada’s top bureaucrat stressing that the public service must turn its attention to “organizational health” so it can manage in a world seemingly gone haywire with one crisis on top of another.
Banning pre-election polls is a bad idea
(Version française disponible ici) Ontarioâs chief electoral officer recently published a report on the 2022 provincial election in which he raised questions regarding the state of democracy in Canada. Surprisingly, there was a call for legislative changes banning the publication of public opinion polls two weeks before election day.
Stress testing Canadian governance
Across Canada, the public sector struggled to put in place pandemic public health measures, provide emergency relief to households and businesses, and continue to deliver a vast array of services to Canadians. These efforts are now going through after-action reviews supported by an extensive array of officers and agents of Parliament. I cannot personally attest to the inner workings of government during the pandemic years.
Toward more resilient public institutions
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious weaknesses in our public institutions across the federation. As we emerge from the biggest health crisis in a century, it’s time to think critically about lessons learned and paths forward.
With Hannaford’s unexpected pick, “the qualifications for clerk are changing”
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has left many tongues wagging in the nation’s capital in picking a new top bureaucrat with a résumé out of step with that of previous public-service bosses but one that aligns with the thorny issues dogging the government in the run-up to the next election. John Hannaford, the deputy minister at Natural Resources, has been named the next clerk of the Privy Council Office.
Perspectives on the Ottawa convoy protest and the Rouleau commission report
(Version française disponible ici) In February 2022, the federal government declared a controversial national state of emergency after a convoy of protesters from across the country blocked access to downtown Ottawa and key border crossings in Ontario, Manitoba and Alberta.
The impact of China targeting its diaspora
Recently I made a routine phone call to my grandma, Helen Taylor, to ask her to share two things with me: a CBC article she had earlier mentioned that I might be interested in, and her sweet and savoury banana bread recipe. Nothing noteworthy for most Canadians. But for certain diaspora communities these days, this routine phone call and simple act of information-sharing would be considered too dangerous to attempt.
Outgroup Bias and the Unacceptability of Tax Fraud
Abstract In countries with well-developed welfare state systems, it is often claimed that racial or ethnic minorities impose a heavy burden on social assistance programs without contributing to public goods. In this study, we consider the attitudinal effects of anecdotal reports of tax cheating by minorities. We conduct survey experiments in France and the United States to assess if people react more harshly to tax fraud perpetrated by members of a minority group rather than the majority group.
The radical improvement of data will transform public sector reform
Recent Policy Options articles have reflected on the need for public sector reform to deal with “wicked problems” related to decentralization, outsourcing, lack of public trust, lack of openness and the politicization of policy advice. Donald Savoie argues that the public service, with its obsolete policies and processes, has come so irreparably off its moorings that only an independent royal commission can fix it.
Outgroup Bias and the Unacceptability of Tax Fraud
This website relies on cookies to help provide a better user experience. By clicking Accept or continuing to use the site, you agree. For more information, see our Privacy Policy and information on cookie use .
Why your MP’s little newsletter needs to be archived online permanently
(Version française disponible ici) How is the average Canadian to know what their elected member of Parliament (MP) is up to in Ottawa? Canada is a representative democracy – that is, one in which citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf. Every four years or so, we strike a deal with our would-be representatives: tell us what you want to do, we approve or disapprove, and then we’ll re-evaluate how you did when the next election rolls around.
Minority representation in the House won’t improve without better data
(Version française disponible ici) One of the fundamental purposes of the House of Commons is to represent the diversity of interests, identities, and values of Canadian society. In 2021, Canadians elected 53 members of Parliament of racialized-minority background, 15.7 per cent of the House of Commons. These represent the highest number and share for minority representation in Canada’s history, but a significant representational deficit remains.
The never-ending question of contracting in the public service
Over the last few months, we have seen a rising tide of interest in the use of contracted services by the federal government. The latest episode seems to have crystallized around the use of consulting firms, notably McKinsey & Company. It has triggered another round of partisan squabbling at a parliamentary committee and the pack of journalists who cover politics are piling on, unsure of what narrative is the most important.
Explicit Gender Stereotyping in Canadian Politics
People express considerable, if not overwhelming, support for women in politics. A supermajority (60+ per cent) of Canadians consistently agree that the best way to protect women is to elect more to Parliament (Fournier et al., Reference Fournier, Cutler, Soroka and Stolle2011; Stephenson et al., Reference Stephenson, Harell, Rubenson and Loewen2020).
Improving the Senate’s role as protector of provincial rights
In a Dec. 1, 2022 Globe and Mail article, columnist Andrew Coyne opined that the Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act subordinates federal authority, as well as the role of the courts as constitutional interpreters, to the jurisdiction of the Alberta provincial government. He could also have added to his list one of the original roles of the Senate, which the Fathers of Confederation saw as being the protector of sectional interests.
Diversity lags in provincial and territorial legislatures but is improving
How does diversity in the provincial and territorial legislatures compare with diversity in the federal Parliament? Federal Parliament diversity has been tracked systematically since 1993 by Jerome Black, but little comparative analysis has taken place at the level of the legislatures.
After years of neglect, we’ve lost a key element of federal-provincial negotiation
The age old question of “Whither Canada?” seems particularly apt at a time when tensions between the Government of Canada and provincial and territorial administrations appear at such a low point, made worse by an undercurrent of personal animosity. The situation cries out not only for genuine leadership but a re-examination of the machinery of intergovernmental relations.
The differences between Canada and the U.S. remain significant
Political leaders in Canada benefit from our inevitable tendency to compare ourselves to the United States. No matter how bad things are here, there is a good chance they are worse there. We have had fewer COVID deaths per-capita, many fewer murders and mass shootings, and infinitely fewer losing politicians unwilling to accept voters’ verdicts. Our health-care system is under tremendous strain, but there are still no fees for service. Meeting these low bars can be presented as achievements.
The Fundamentals of Fiscal Federalism
Debates around fiscal arrangements are always at the heart of federal-provincial relations in Canada. These days, health care funding and the Canada Health Transfer are even front-page news. Just a few months ago, equalization and Alberta’s demand for a fair deal that were making waves. In this episode, we do a deep dive into fiscal federalism: the current state of it, its history and how we got here, as well as the challenges ahead.
Alberta’s sovereignty act part of a troubling trend in Canadian democracy
As the rebranded Alberta Sovereignty within a United Canada Act was tabled recently, many observers were keenly watching whether it would keep what many observers see as its more blatantly unconstitutional provisions. Not only did it keep them by arguing Alberta could refuse to enforce federal laws, it doubled down: under its provisions, cabinet would have the authority to unilaterally amend provincial legislation.
The federal dental plan may fall short of expectations
Now that Bill C-31 has received Royal Assent, some Canadian families will soon want to apply for the interim federal Canada Dental Benefit created by the legislation. The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has opened the application portal, so we think it’s important to review how this benefit will work in practice, and where its design is almost guaranteed to fall short of the policy and political goals.
Don’t give more powers to CSE until it submits to effective review
The federal government plans to provide further cybersecurity powers to the agency responsible for collecting foreign intelligence and providing cybersecurity services, the Communications Security Establishment (CSE). These powers are meant to enable the CSE to better understand and subsequently mitigate threats directed towards Canada’s critical infrastructure providers. On its face, that may sound like a good idea.
The notwithstanding clause is at the very heart of federalism
(Version française disponible ici) This article is the second of a two-part series on the power of notwithstanding clause in the Canadian Constitution. The first part can be found here. In the previous article, we examined the legitimacy of the notwithstanding clause. We now turn to the question of whether the notwithstanding power is compatible with federalism, constitutionalism and constitutional democracy.
The unexamined implications of Canada’s pandemic-related interprovincial barriers
It would be hard to overstate COVID-19’s impact on Canadian society. The diverse state responses to the pandemic included decisions that previously would have been unthinkable: vaccine mandates, nightly curfews, international border closures, and the shuttering of schools and businesses. In addition to its enormous effects on individuals, the pandemic challenged Canada’s federal structure.
Canada’s national security institutions have fallen woefully behind
This article is based on a talk held at McGill University that is part of a series of nine delving into the theme of “What should be on Canada’s policy radar?” The panel discussions are being held all through this year to mark the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Institute for Research on Public Policy, publisher of Policy Options magazine.
Seniors need trauma-informed services in long-term care homes
(Version française disponible ici) Canada needs trauma-informed aged care, training and strategies in long-term care homes across the country that take into account recent and past traumatic experiences of seniors. Trauma is a heavy word, but it’s the right word.
Data sharing should not be an afterthought in digital health innovation
Within Canada and abroad, many health-care organizations and health authorities struggle to share data effectively with biomedical researchers. The pandemic has accentuated and brought more attention to the need for a better data-sharing ecosystem in biomedical sciences to enable research and innovation. The siloed and often entirely disconnected data systems suffer from a lack of an interoperable infrastructure and a common policy framework for big data-sharing.
The urgent need for mental health-care supports
Mental health is a growing issue in Canada, particularly after COVID. Approximately one in five Canadians is experiencing mental health issues and this increases to half by age 40. Before the COVID pandemic, about two per cent of Canadians reported moderately severe or severe symptoms of depression. By 2022, that number had skyrocketed to 14 per cent or one in every seven people.
Post-mortem needed on problems with COVID Alert app
On June 17, 2022, Health Canada decommissioned the COVID Alert exposure notification app, nearly two years after it was launched in the summer of 2020. The app was billed as a way for individuals to alert people when they had come into close contact with someone who had been infected with COVID-19, without collecting personal data. But it required users to enter a one-time key, given to them when they received a positive PCR test result – a cumbersome system.
The COVID-19 disaster in senior care should make reform a top priority
Waves of the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed and created many competing public policy priorities. Perhaps no revelation has been more embarrassing than the state of elder care in Canada. A quote often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi goes, “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” As Canada recovers and rebuilds from the pandemic, addressing the health of our seniors should be among the country’s top policy priorities.
Canada needs to implement pandemic preparedness in dealing with TB
Because of the pandemic, tuberculosis deaths globally have increased for the first time in over a decade. Concerning considering that before COVID, TB was the leading infectious-disease killer in the world. In Canada we also see disruptions in services, damaging our progress toward TB elimination as part of the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). Overall rates of TB are low in Canada, but the federal government has committed to ending TB by 2030 with a focus on Inuit Nunangat.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Allison
Contact Allison, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack