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Articles by Stephen Van Dine
Time to retool Canada’s Arctic strategy in the face of Russian aggression
Subscribe Home Page News Opinion Foreign Policy Politics Policy Legislation Lobbying Hill Life & People Hill Climbers Heard On The Hill Calendar Election 2021 Archives Classifieds Hill Times Events Inside Ottawa Directory Hill Times Store Hill Times Careers The Wire Report The Lobby Monitor Parliament Now Reuse & Permissions Advertising FAQ Contact UsLog In time-to-retool-canadas-arctic-strategy-in-the-face-of-russian-aggressionAno By Stephen Van Dine April 6, 2022 Canada’s Arctic and the...
How Toronto correctly managed the protesters and Ottawa didn't
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity,” begins Charles Dickens’ famous quote from A Tale of Two Cities, which continues: “in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.” The novel, published in 1859, could easily...
The federal public service desperately needs renewal
The 28th Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada was released on Dec. 13, two weeks after the throne speech, one day before the economic update, and three days before the prime minister’s mandate letters to his cabinet. The thread that connects each of these major transition milestone documents is the impact of the pandemic, the response to it, and its long-term economic and health implications for Canada.
The waning influence of deputy ministers
Recently, the prime minister announced changes to senior personnel in the public service, also known as deputy ministers. While some have written about who they are and where they’ve been placed, there’s been little-to-no coverage of the role these appointed people play in serving Canadians and the government of the day. Deputy ministers are chosen by the prime minister on the advice of the clerk of the Privy Council, and appointed by the Governor General.
The Arctic has reappeared on the national agenda
Not in the Liberals’ 2021 election platform, nor in the speech from the throne, but tucked into a tightly worded paragraph in the mandate letters of Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, Defence Minister Anita Anand, and Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, you’ll find that Canada’s Arctic and Northern Policy Framework (ANPF) is back on the national agenda.
The role of mandate letters in setting the government's course The views, opinions and positions expressed by all iPolitics columnists and contributors are the author’s alone. They do not inherently or expressly reflect the views, opinions and/or position
The prime minister and his thoroughly shuffled cabinet are now in place and already getting down to work, sending signals about what this mandate will be about. The government clearly intends to double down on climate action with the appointments of Steven Guilbeault as minister of Environment and Climate Change and Jonathan Wilkinson as minister of Natural Resources.
To retain talent, Ottawa must manage the changing workplace
The prime minister’s announcement that federal employees and those in regulated industries must be vaccinated against COVID-19 has turned the public service upside down. Up to this point, plans for returning to work were shrouded in a warm cloud of ambiguity, with federal departments, boards, and agencies given wide discretion to implement their own strategies.
An Arctic opportunity to test parliamentary collaboration
In Election No. 44, Canadians showed they were tired of heated partisanship by voting in a Parliament with similar seat standings as the previous Parliament. The challenge for the prime minister is to find a topic everyone can work on without partisan rhetoric. The Canadian Arctic is one natural candidate.
The other case for a majority mandate
Winning enough seats in the House of Commons to form a majority government is often considered the only “true” victory in a federal election. It’s the reward or mandate that Canadians give to one party to advance a particular agenda or initiative that’s captured their imagination. Most often, it’s something uniquely federal that requires a law, a program, money, or all three.
New Governor General Mary Simon is a true 'north star'
The selection of Mary Simon as Canada’s next governor general by all accounts is an inspiring choice. Her accomplishments have been well reported in recent days including her devotion to public service, the Arctic, reconciliation and education. Simon is a true north star capable of shining a path to a more inclusive and better future.
Canada needs a national strategy for digital government
Digital transformation is changing society. Governments around the world need to embrace this transformation and actively encourage it. Today, Finland is leading Europe in e-government and transformation. Years ago, Canada was a leader in e-government. Today, it’s not. But there are opportunities to accelerate our adoption, increase innovation, and chart a future where Canadians are digitally connected to similar programs, services, and opportunities, regardless of where they live.
Employees say they work better from home, despite stress: survey
During the pandemic, public servants in local, provincial, and federal governments from coast to coast to coast have provided essential services while working from home. And it would appear that federal employees are happier now about their workplace than they were before the pandemic, according to the 2020 Public Service Employee Survey released by the Treasury Board Secretariat last week.
Public servants say they work better from home, despite stress: survey
During the pandemic, employees of local, provincial, and federal governments from coast to coast to coast have provided essential services while working from home. And it would appear that federal employees are happier now about their workplace than they were before the pandemic, according to the 2020 Public Service Employee Survey released by the Treasury Board Secretariat last week.
Coping with COVID requires a return to co-operative federalism
Budget 2021 provides a bold blueprint for economic recovery with two objectives: managing the pandemic crisis and creating the conditions for greener, more socially inclusive sustainable long-term economic growth. However, both can be derailed if provinces, territories and Indigenous governments choose protectionist or small-“n” nationalist policies to repel federal intrusions into their jurisdictions.
The bear, the dragon, and Canada’s Arctic
A stone’s throw from the shores of Nunavut, Greenlanders go to the polls on Tuesday to decide which party will govern for the next four years. The ballot question: Should a China-backed company have access to the Kvanefjeld mine, which holds a significant deposit of 17 valuable rare-earth elements in the southern tip of Greenland?
Input from public sector leaders needed in shaping a post COVID future
In a time of tremendous uncertainty, information overload and misinformation, Canadians are getting reams of advice and opinion on everything from how to manage the pandemic to the Supreme Court decision on climate change. The commentary comes from pundits, political actors, academics and interest groups, all important contributors to democratic debate. Some of it is informed, some of it is not.
It's time for Canada to show leadership in the Arctic
Less than a month after U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held their virtual summit that established “The Roadmap for a Renewed U.S.-Canada Partnership” — a joint commitment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, advance global health security, bolster co-operation on defence and security, build back their economies, and safeguard Arctic ecology — the same Biden administration is meeting on U.S. Arctic soil in Alaska to hold delicate first talks with China.
'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss'
Pete Townsend of the English rock band, The Who, coined that lyric back in 1971, but it could easily apply to the current investigation of the second chief of the defence staff, Adm. Art McDonald, within weeks of his appointment.
A tale of two federations and their (mis)handling of the pandemic
On Monday, Canada hit a dark milestone of over 20,000 deaths from COVID-19. One reason for this disturbing statistic is the intergovernmental finger-pointing 10 months into the pandemic; the ability of Canadian federalism to meet this national crisis continues to be tested. There’s a sharp contrast between Canada and Australia, also a federal state, in how each country has managed the pandemic. Australia crushed the curve, while Canada’s approach has been much less successful.
After Keystone's cancellation, what we need is a royal commission
U.S. President Joe Biden’s cancellation of the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline expansion brings to mind a similar stark choice in the late 1970s, when the Canadian economy had reached its limits, with visible cracks in its seams, following the post-Second World War boom.
Canada's Arctic needs ongoing investment in infrastructure
Many aficionados of the Canadian Arctic are afflicted with infrastructure envy. The deficiency is hard to miss when we compare Canada’s Northern infrastructure to that of our seven circumpolar neighbours, including southeast Alaska, Finland, Norway, and Russia. The evidence is hard to dispute: Over the past 50 years, these nations have invested trillions of dollars in ports, roads, rail, energy, and telecommunications.
Canada’s Arctic leadership moment
A recent debate on a Chinese state-owned company’s interest in acquiring TMAC Resources, a Canadian-based mining company that owns the Hope Bay Project in Canada’s Arctic backyard, has rekindled our existential Northern sovereignty anxiety once more. This time the duel is between Dr. Michael Byers on one side, and retired major-general David Fraser on the other. Byers takes the position that the purchase is no threat to Canadian sovereignty while the retired Major-General argues that it does.
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