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www.policymagazine.ca September—October 2020
›› featured section
Canadian Politics and Public Policy The
Conservative
Race
A Different
Normal
$6.95 Volume 8 – Issue 5
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In This
Canadian Politics Issue
and Public
2 FromPolicy
the Editor / L. Ian MacDonald
A Different Normal and the Tory Leadership
Canadian Politics and
Public Policy
3 Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan
Preparing for Canada’s Next Normal
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
7 Kevin Page
A Fall Budget 2020 Strategy: Drive Toward the Future
L. Ian MacDonald
lianmacdonald@gmail.com 10
Shachi Kurl
The Mood of Canada: Beyond the Coronavirus Summer
ASSOCIATE EDITOR of our Discontent
Lisa Van Dusen
lvandusen@policymagazine.ca
13 Bob Kirke and Elliot Lifson
The Way We Wore: The COVID Crisis in Canada’s
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Thomas S. Axworthy, Clothing Industry
Andrew Balfour, Yaroslav Baran,
James Baxter, Derek H. Burney, 15 Vianne Timmons
A Summer Road Trip: Resilience and Hope on The Rock
Catherine Cano, Margaret Clarke,
Rachel Curran, Paul Deegan,
John Delacourt, Susan Delacourt, 17 Lori Turnbull
The Politics of Prorogation
Graham Fraser, Dan Gagnier,
Helaina Gaspard, Martin Goldfarb,
Sarah Goldfeder, Patrick Gossage, The Conservative Race
Frank Graves, Shachi Kurl, Brad Lavigne,
Kevin Lynch, Jeremy Kinsman,
Peter Mansbridge, Carissima Mathen,
20 Yaroslav Baran
The Conservatives and Post-Pandemic Politics
Elizabeth May, Velma McColl,
David McLaughlin, David Mitchell,
Don Newman, Geoff Norquay,
23
Geoff Norquay
Job One for A New Leader—Putting the Party Back Together
Fen Osler-Hampson, Kevin Page,
Robin V. Sears, Vianne Timmons, 26 J aime Watt
Erin O’Toole’s Political, Policy and Pandemic Challenges
Brian Topp, Lori Turnbull,
Jaime Watt, Anthony Wilson-Smith
WEB DESIGN
28
Guest Column / Lee Richardson
Jock Osler, Beloved Politico. Honestly.
Nicolas Landry
policy@nicolaslandry.ca
Race for the White House
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
Grace MacDonald
gmacdonald@policymagazine.ca 29 arah Goldfeder
S
Reports of the Death of America Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Monica Thomas 32
Column / Don Newman
Beyond the Election, the China Card
monica@foothillsgraphics.ca
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2
From the Editor / L. Ian MacDonald
A Different Normal
and the Tory Leadership
W
elcome back to the fall How are Canadians feeling about perative of uniting the party as Bri-
2020 semester of politics life in the pandemic, and the pros- an Mulroney and Joe Clark did by
and policy in a world trans- pects of moving beyond it? The An- becoming close partners following
formed from the one we used to know. gus Reid Institute’s Shachi Kurl has the divisive 1983 leadership conven-
With a post-pandemic reality not set- some attitudinal data to provide us tion, enabling the Tories to sweep
tled yet, this is not a new normal with a look at the mood of Canada the country the next year. And Jaime
we’re living in now, but it certainly is going into the fall. Watt observes: “O’Toole has earned
a different one. We’re looking at the his win.” But with serious economic
How has daily life changed in the
economic and social aspects of that in and social post-pandemic challenges
pandemic? Just look at the clothes
our extensive cover package. “well beyond the usual uphill battle
we’re wearing, and not. As Bob Kirke
facing a new leader.”
We’re also looking, in that very con- and Elliot Lifson of the Canadian Ap-
text, at the outcome and outlook for parel Federation note: “Canadians And former Conservative MP Lee
the Conservative Party of Canada haven’t been going to work, and they Richardson writes of the passing of a
and its new leader, Erin O’Toole, as don’t need to dress up to work from beloved member of the Conservative
he becomes leader of the Opposition home.” That’s a big problem for Can- family. Jock Osler advised both Clark
in a minority House. ada’s $30 billion clothing industry. and Mulroney. His life itself was a les-
son in collegial unity.
And we’re just weeks away from a Memorial University’s new President,
O
momentous US presidential elec- Vianne Timmons, took a month-long n the race for the White
tion in which Donald Trump—the summer tour of its campuses across House, we offer important
most divisive and disreputable figure her home province of Newfoundland insights shared by experi-
of the modern era—will either win and Labrador, and was struck by the enced Washington hand Sarah Gold-
a second term or be sent packing by resilience of the people. feder, a State Department alumna.
American voters. Our columnist, Don Newman, him-
One of the consequences of the pan-
self a former Washington correspon-
Looking at that different normal, Kev- demic has been money flying out of
dent, joins the conversation with Be-
in Lynch and Paul Deegan ask how the Ottawa, with little due diligence or
yond the Election, the China Card.
global economic narrative will evolve, attention to how it’s spent and who
and in what geopolitical context. And manages it. The WE Charity scan- Finally, in Canada and the World,
as they note: “The nature of work has dal has provided some damaging an- Assembly of First Nations Nation-
changed more in the last six months swers. When the PM’s mother is paid al Chief Perry Bellegarde shares his
than in the previous 20 years.” $250,000 plus expenses for speeches, informed perspective on why In-
everybody gets that. Dalhousie Uni- digenous self-policing is so success-
Looking at the Canadian fiscal frame- versity’s Lori Turnbull considers the ful, in contrast to the troubles of ra-
work, former Parliamentary Budget broader political ramifications, now cial minorities with conventional
Officer Kevin Page has never seen any- including prorogation. law enforcement.
thing like the stimulative deficits of Ot-
L
tawa’s pandemic response. Even with ooking at the outcome of the On the 25th anniversary of the 1995
a deficit of $343 billion in the summer Conservative leadership race, Quebec referendum, author and jour-
update, he notes that Canada’s low strategist Yaroslav Baran of- nalist Graham Fraser looks back at
debt-to-GDP ratio gives Ottawa a mar- fers a 9-point check list of priorities how it changed both Quebec and
gin of manouevre. As he writes: “The for the new leader. He’ll have ev- Canada. And Jean Charest, key-
economics of deficits have changed. erything on his plate, including the note speaker at the historic rally of
With next-to-zero interest rates and challenge of bringing moderate and 100,000 people that may have saved
no inflation in near sight, there are social Conservatives together. Geoff the No campaign, offers his memo-
virtually no bottom-line balance sheet Norquay looks at exactly that, with ries of that day marked by an overrid-
impacts of running larger deficits.” a keen eye on history, and the im- ing question of country.
Policy
3
The corner of the Sparks Street Mall and O’Connor in Ottawa. Normally the busiest pedestrian corridor in the capital, with the CBC building (left) and
the back of the National Press Building (right), the street was shut down and utterly deserted during the pandemic lockdown. Nabil Salah Unsplash photo
Preparing for
Canada’s Next Normal
After an unprecedented summer of physical distancing Kevin Lynch
and damage assessment, individuals, governments and and Paul Deegan
global stakeholders are moving forward from crisis mode
T
he COVID-19 pandemic has
to planning for a post-pandemic reality. What might that not only rocked society today,
inter-woven economic and geopolitical narrative look like? it is reshaping our tomorrow—
rapidly accelerating trends that will
Former BMO Vice Chair Kevin Lynch and former CN and define the “next normal” for Canada
BMO executive Paul Deegan offer some insights. and the world.
Unless there is another wave of the
virus, we are through the shutdown
phase, where governments locked
down economic and social activity
to plank the curve and preserve the
health care system. Government fis-
cal policies during the shutdown
have been geared to three things—li-
quidity, liquidity, and liquidity. The
shutdown, while necessary, caused
the first-ever recession driven by the
services sector, not the goods sector
of the economy. Unlike the 2007-
September/October 2020
4
2009 period, which affected men par-
The 2020 pandemic recession has disproportionally
ticularly hard, especially in construc-
tion and manufacturing, the 2020 hit women and visible minority workers in service
pandemic recession has dispropor- sector jobs. This, combined with the higher incidence of
tionally hit women and visible mi- coronavirus in senior care facilities and among
nority workers in service sector jobs. marginalized communities, makes COVID-19 inequality
This, combined with the higher inci-
dence of coronavirus in senior care
a pressing issue.
facilities and among marginalized
communities, makes COVID-19 in-
equality a pressing issue.
Having successfully convinced soci- A return to the old normal is not in Asia, with less reliance on China, and
eties of the imperative to physically the cards—there will be fundamen- there will be a push to re-localize sup-
distance and shut down normal day- tal and lasting impacts from the pan- ply chains for critical goods. Digital
to-day activities, we are now moving demic. These aftershocks include: a services trade will be constrained by
into the restart phase—the unlock- disruption of global trade and invest- geopolitical battles over technology
ing of the economy and society. This ment patterns; a debt hangover of standards, taxes, internet rules and
has been complex and confusing, historic proportions; a fundamental cybersecurity protocols.
with contradictory signals from gov- redesign of work and the workplace
More rigorous screening of foreign di-
ernments and public health experts. (including education and the class-
rect investment will emerge from the
Truly, this is the intersection of de- room) with highly-intensified digiti-
global recession to protect battered
mand and supply, where firms need zation; a recognition that a resilient
domestic firms, and will be ampli-
to rehire and spend; individuals need health care system is both a social as-
fied by geopolitical tensions. Linger-
to return to work and consume; and set and an economic imperative; and
ing coronavirus fears will see declines
trade needs to flow. And all of this is geopolitics on steroids, with impacts
in people movements, particularly
happening with lingering economic touching all countries.
international air travel, internation-
and epidemiological uncertainty and
W
al tourism, and international educa-
very real and very personal health e are witnessing a de-inte-
tion—a major source of funding for
and safety concerns. gration of the global
Canadian universities. One conse-
economy after decades
W
quence of this deglobalization will be
hile the economic impli- of increasing globalization. This piv-
a decline in trade flows and foreign
cations of all this are ot has been stoked by a rising tide of
direct investment flows, particularly
easy to see but difficult to nationalism and protectionism ex-
between China and the West.
quantify, three things are only too emplified by the Trump administra-
W
clear. First, the starting point is a glob- tion’s tariff wars with China and oth-
e are in the midst of a debt
al economy in the sharpest recession ers, including Canada. It has been fed
explosion for governments,
since the 1930s. Second, the timing by strategic competition between the
as well as corporations and
and vigour of the recovery will de- United States and China in key tech-
households, and it’s on a scale that
pend on the duration of the pandem- nologies, such as AI and 5G, as well
Canada has not experienced since the
ic, the state of business and consumer as in geopolitical spheres of influence
Second World War. In May, we wrote
confidence, and the nature of govern- in Asia and elsewhere. And it was the
in the Ottawa Citizen that the Cana-
ment support and stimulus measures choked global supply chains during
dian federal deficit this year could
yet to come. Third, the recovery will the pandemic that spurred the grow-
be—combining automatic stabilizers,
be uneven and the economy will be ing consensus that the world is over-
supports announced so far, and ad-
scarred with record bankruptcies and ly reliant on China—not just for per-
ditional restart stimulus—as high as
lost jobs for some time to come. sonal protective equipment, but also
$300 billion (or than 40 percent of all
for pharmaceuticals and their con-
And perhaps the most challeng- the net debt accumulated since Con-
stituent compounds, telecommuni-
ing phase is yet to come, the “next federation). Our estimate turned out
cations hardware, semiconductors,
normal”, with the complex reboot- to be shy of the $343 billion, forecast
smart phones, solar panels, wind tur-
ing of the economies and societies by former finance minister Bill Mor-
bines, lithium-ion batteries for elec-
post-pandemic. Few crises change ei- neau in the July fiscal “snapshot”.
tric vehicles and other, non-com-
ther everything or nothing, and the To put this year’s deficit in context,
moditized, manufactured goods.
COVID-19 pandemic will be no dif- it is about the same size as total fed-
ferent. So, what might the “known In the next normal, diversification eral spending in a normal year and
unknowns” of lasting change in the of supply chains will be the imper- represents about 16 percent of GDP.
next normal include? ative. They will move elsewhere in Next year, the deficit could easily ex-
Policy
5
ceed another $100 billion, depending framework that supports both growth In the next normal, working from
on the strength of the recovery and in the natural resource sector and im- home will become a regular part of
the political willingness of the gov- proved environmental outcomes? the norm, but only part. Businesses
ernment to ramp down its massive When are we going to upgrade skills will design new hybrid home-and-of-
new spending support programs. training for a digital economy? fice work arrangements, create lower
Where are we going to find new mar- density office settings, substitute vir-
All this will push the federal net debt-
kets for our exports in a world of de- tual meetings for travel, platoon em-
to-GDP ratio from 30 percent to 49
coupling trade? Without such a cred- ployees at the office rather than all-
percent this year, and our gross debt-
ible growth plan, global markets will hands-on-deck all the time, and shift
to-GDP ratio to over 100 percent,
place upward pressure on Canadian to staggered work hours to respond to
putting at risk Canada’s vaunted debt
risk spreads and downward pressure health concerns around mass public
advantage. Near-zero interest rates
on Canada’s credit rating (Fitch has transit and crowded elevators.
make this fiscally affordable as long
already taken away our enviable Tri-
as they stay near zero. Rising debt-to-
ple A status) while foreign direct in-
GDP ratios make this fiscally stable as
vestment will seek opportunities else- The workplace has
long as markets have confidence in become more virtual,
where. Without a credible fiscal plan,
the government’s ability to manage
the deficit post- pandemic and flat-
these pressures will only intensify. more mobile, less physical,
and perhaps less routinized.
T
ten the debt curve. The next normal’s
he nature of work has changed
prospect of low long-term economic For work and education,
more in the last six months
growth makes managing this moun-
than it had in the previous 20
things may never be as they
tain of debt very challenging. were before.
years. Employees are working from
This now trillion dollar plus moun- home en masse and effectively, doc-
tain of public debt, combined with tors are doing tele-medicine as a mat-
high household debt and nonfinan- ter of practice, not exception. Con-
cial corporate sector debt leverage, sumers are buying online as never
will require a clear and credible fis- before, and stores, by necessity, are
cal plan and growth plan to address finding ways to deliver. Educators Employers will worry about productiv-
it. How do we justify interprovincial have moved out of the classroom and ity in a work-from-home world, and as
trade barriers in an era of low growth? onto Zoom. The workplace has be- a consequence will focus investment
What are we going to do to raise Can- come more virtual, more mobile, less and resourcing decisions on digitiz-
ada’s abysmally low productivity per- physical, and perhaps less routinized. ing and adapting to a much more dig-
formance? How can we grow the na- For work and education, things may ital workforce and a much more dig-
tional economy without a regulatory never be as they were before. ital customer—in both in the B2C
Fiscal Outlook Direct COVID Support Measures
Canada (C$ blns, except where noted) 19/20e 20/21f Program or measure (FY20/21) $ blns
Revenues 341.0 268.8 1
Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) 82.3
Expenditures 375.3 612.1
Program Spending 350.8 592.6 Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) 2
73.1
Public Debt Charges 24.5 19.5 Funding for health personal protective equipment 14.0
Adjustment for Risk -- -- Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA) 13.8
Budget Balance (34.4) (343.2) Temporary GST credit enhancement 5.5
Federal Debt 717 1060 Canada Emergency Student Benefit 5.3
As a percent of GDP: Budget Balance (1.5) (15.9) Top-up of essential worker wages 3.0
Federal Debt 31.1 49.1 One-time payment to OAS and GIS recipients 2.5
.
BMO Capital Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance 2.4
Economic Assumptions
(percent) Ottawa Markets Temporary child benefit enhancement 2.0
2019 2020 2021 2020 2021 Various other measures 24.1
GDP Growth Real 1.7 -6.8 5.5 -6.0 6.0 Total direct support
3
228.0
Nominal 3.6 -6.3 7.9 -6.1 7.5
Yields 3-month T-Bill 1.7 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.2 1 Assumes extension and program modification to incent hiring. Details pending.
2 Includes extension from 16 weeks to 24 weeks
10-year GoC 1.6 0.8 1.0 0.8 1.0 3 Direct support only. Tax deferral, liquidity and lending programs not included
Source: Fiscal Snapshot Note: GDP figures are for calendar year (FY19/20 = CY19)
( ) = deficit; e = estimate; f = forecast Sources: BMO Capital Markets, Fiscal Update
. .
September/October 2020
6
(business-to-consumer) and B2B (busi- competitive advantage compared to of a world where superpowers take an
ness-to-business) spaces. They will in- other countries such as the US with a la carte approach to a rules-based
vest heavily in cloud-based human our universal Medicare system and system and the rest of us scramble.
capital management and sales soft- well-connected health care institu-
What the failure to secure a seat on
ware to engage employees, custom- tions coast-to-coast.
the United Nations Security Council
ers and prospects. Digital commerce
Going forward, we should expect a demonstrated is not that the world
will continue to soar, and traditional
strong public consensus that Can- doesn’t like us anymore, but they
brick and mortar retailers will either
ada needs a best-in-class pandem- don’t think they need us as much
adapt and innovate, or they will die.
ic response capacity, including ear- as they did. They don’t see a Cana-
Logistics to support online commerce
ly warning systems, stockpiles of dian foreign policy to align to, part-
will be a business priority. Merger and
critical equipment, skilled pandem- ner with, or support in this new nor-
acquisition activity will increase as
ic care capacity, facilities to devel- mal of dangerous geopolitics. We are
high-quality assets shift from the bat-
op and produce antiviral treatments not leading on the Arctic, which is
tered to the strong. Corporate concen-
and vaccines, adequate testing and becoming a focal point for US, Chi-
tration will continue to increase, par-
tracking capacity, and surge capaci- na and Russia. We are not leading
ticularly in the info-tech space.
ty in ICU beds. Social cohesion and on peacekeeping or peacemaking or
And, without a vaccine, it is hard to federal-provincial cooperation will development in a world where local
see universities and colleges either be tested in the next normal as diffi- tensions have global consequences.
attracting large numbers of interna- cult policy choices and tough finan- We are underinvesting in defence de-
tional students or cramming hun- cial constraints apply in government spite it being a collective NATO ob-
dreds upon hundreds of students decision making. But pandemics are ligation. We are no longer viewed as
into lecture halls—both key elements sadly not a once-off, and neither can having unique relationships with the
of today’s higher education business be investments in health care re- two superpowers but have not devel-
model. A shift to more online educa- sponse capacity and infrastructure. oped new alliances to offset this. In
tion, which attempts to address both short, we need a clear and compel-
P
these risks, puts a very high premium rior to the pandemic, the US, ling foreign policy for the new nor-
on quality and innovation because, China, and Russia were engag- mal, one that blends national in-
in the absence of physical proximity ing in the sort of “Big Pow- terest with multilateralism and a
and exclusivity, a student can attend er” behaviours not seen in decades. rules-based system.
a university or college anywhere. The pandemic has vastly reinforced
COVID-19 has attacked our lives and
these tensions, particularly between
T
livelihoods, and it has shaken our
his is the third pandemic in China and the US It has reinvigorat-
economies and the world order. We
just 17 years, and something ed nationalism, in those countries
need to up our leadership game in
the public will not soon for- and elsewhere, where blaming “oth-
the world, we need to make difficult
get. Indeed, public confidence that ers” is a substitute for taking own ac-
domestic economic decisions for the
we are relatively safe from catching countability. Attacks on the WHO,
long-term, and we need to move on
COVID-19 when returning to work the failure of the G20 and G7 to co-
quickly to shape the next normal
and re-engaging in social activities, ordinate and lead, resistance to new
for Canada. Prorogation may have
and that the health care system has IMF resources to help in the crisis, ig-
been politically motivated, but the
the resiliency and surge capacity to noring international analysis—these
upcoming Speech from the Throne
deal with another wave of COVID-19 all point to the weakness of inter-
provides an opportunity to sketch
or another virus, will be crucial el- national cooperation and stand in
out a bold plan to build a more pros-
ements in the vigor and speed of sharp contrast to how major coun-
perous and inclusive Canada. As for-
the recovery. tries came together to act in the col-
mer prime minister Brian Mulroney
lective interest during the 2008-09 fi-
Social cohesion during the shut- stated recently, “Incrementalism
nancial meltdown.
down phase has been high in many builds increments. Bold initiatives
countries, and federalism has worked In the next normal, we should expect build nations.”
very well in Canada during the shut- a “back to the future” moment for
down phase. What is clear is that a geopolitics. Rising nationalism, pro- Contributing Writer Kevin Lynch was
strong and resilient health care sys- tectionism, de-globalization, and an formerly Clerk of the Privy Council and
tem is both a social asset and an eco- increasing antipathy to multilateral Vice Chair of BMO Financial Group.
nomic imperative in a world threat- institutions pose significant risks for Contributing Writer Paul Deegan,
ened by pandemics. And, despite mid-sized, open countries like Canada CEO of Deegan Public Strategies, was
missteps and mixed signals early in which rely on trade, enforceable rules- a public affairs executive at BMO
the pandemic response, Canada has of-the-game and a global marketplace. Financial Group and CN, and served in
found its footing and has a structural Canada will be caught in the middle the Clinton White House.
Policy
7
A Fall Budget 2020 Strategy:
Drive Toward the Future
If the 2008 financial cataclysm gave economists a bad that means you haven’t gathered
enough information.
name, the health and economic implications of the
To state the obvious, the current pub-
COVID-19 lockdown have generated demand for all the lic health crisis and the scale of eco-
expertise and ingenuity they can muster. As former Par- nomic fallout from containment
liamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page writes, Canada ur- measures is unprecedented. We have
not experienced declines in output
gently needs policies to address long-term issues such as and employment of similar mag-
climate change, income disparity, economic and health nitude since the Depression in the
1930s (Chart1). If we rely on past
resiliency and competitiveness. (stimulus-type) policies to guide eco-
nomic recovery plans they will like-
ly be misguided and fall dangerous-
Kevin Page cine—and trying to find a govern- ly short. We cannot collapse present
ing philosophy for fiscal policy in a policy thinking into the past.
I
t is a safe assumption that govern- world awash in debt.
ment of Canada cabinet minis- Economic planning scenarios in
ters and Finance Department If our political leaders and my former the future will center on a range
officials have spent much of their public service colleagues get a chance of epidemiological outcomes for
summer thinking about an econom- to read one spy novel before the frost COVID-19 (i.e., vaccine, no vaccine;
ic recovery plan for Canada and a hits the ground, I recommend The number and size of waves of infec-
fall budget. Paladin, by David Ignatius. In a pe- tion) and individual country and
riod of great difficulty, the principal global health and economic policy
The political and economic stakes character tells himself to ‘move’. Chart 1responses. Gone is the focus on one
are high. With the prorogation of
When the present
GDP: Allcollapses baseline 2012
intoMillions.Chained,
Undustries, scenario. Gone is the
C$ Employment, as-
Thousands
Parliament, triggered in part by the
the past, the only path of escape is sumption that individual countries
resignation of a finance minister, the
to drive toward the future. When can pretend to isolate themselves
government will table a Speech from
you don’t understand a problem, from what is happening elsewhere.
the Throne in late September.
This will be a vote of confidence. If
Chart 1: COVID19 Impacts on GDP and Employment
the government fails, we are headed
to a fall election. If the government Millions CAD
succeeds, Parliament and Canadians
2,000
will push for a fall budget to ensure 19,250
1,950
words turn into deeds.
1,900 18,750
While I’ve been reading spy novels, 1,850
GDP, 2012 dollars
they are looking over the shoulders 18,250
1,800
of colleagues in the European Union 17,750
and possibly US presidential candi- 1,750
Employment, thousands
date Joe Biden to see what they are 1,700 17,250
planning for recovery. They are as- 1,650
16,750
sessing recently announced provin- 1,600
cial (e.g., Ontario and Alberta) and 16,250
1,550
municipal recovery plans. They are
reading geeky disquisitions on possi- 1,500 15,750
2009 2010 2011 2012 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2017 2018 2019 2020
ble economic scenarios for the world Jul. May Mar. Jan. Nov. Sep. Jul. May Mar. Jan. Nov. Sep. July. May
economy—with and without a vac-
Source: Statistics Canada
September/October 2020
Chart 2: IMF Projections of Net Debt to GDP
8
Plans are required for multiple sce- ting government debt on bank bal- explain the trade-offs and risks of defi-
narios. Uncertainty cannot be an ance sheets) around the world to ease cit finance to Parliament and Canadi-
excuse for no plans. As the saying the burdens of governments going to ans and the evolving role of our inde-
goes, “No plan, no action leads to markets to raise money. While some pendent central bank. The pressure is
no results”. will argue correctly this is not new, on macroeconomists to give us a new
T
the amounts are setting records. governing philosophy for fiscal and
he Organisation for Econom- monetary stabilization policy.
ic Cooperation and Develop-
ment (OECD) suggests that Targeted policies How do policy makers transition
countries should think of at least four are essential. The from fiscal supports essential to help
phases of policy responses: 1) imme- process has started with households and businesses during
diate (Canada is beyond this stage); containment and re-opening phases
2) cushioning impacts and preserving
the evolution of programs to a post-COVID world, given the
capacity (ongoing); 3) recovery; and like the wage subsidy and prospects for a weak, drawn-out and
4) resilience and debt management. employment insurance. uneven recovery?
T
The transition from phase 2 to 3 will With high but declining
not be “linear and smooth”. Differ- argeted policies are essential.
ent industrial sectors and people will
unemployment rates and no The process has started with
not get to the recovery phase at the vaccine in sight, expect this the evolution of programs like
same time. to continue. the wage subsidy and employment in-
surance. With high but declining un-
As somebody who worked in an employment rates and no vaccine in
auto garage during high school and sight, expect this to continue but with
learned to drive in an old tow truck increased focus on people and busi-
(1950s Ford) with a standard trans- nesses locked out of the recovery.
mission—can you ride the clutch
The economics of deficits have As McKibben and Fernando (CEPR,
without causing harm to the trans-
changed. With next-to-zero interest 2020) point out in a recent pa-
mission? Do you have a choice, when
rates and no inflation in near sight, per assessing prospects for differ-
you’re starting on a hill? In econom-
ic speak, there are costs to living with there are virtually no bottom-line bal- ent COVID-19 economic scenarios,
more debt. Debt finance is the eco- ance sheet impacts of running larger “Withdrawing macroeconomic sup-
nomic transmission fluid. deficits. All the risks are punted to the port and creating ‘fiscal cliffs’ through
future. Debt creates instability risks. If setting expiration dates on critical fis-
Fiscal and monetary policy are (have years down the road, inflation makes a cal support policies in economies is
been) headed into uncharted waters. comeback, interest rates will rise. The likely to worsen the uncertainty and
Since the 2008 financial crisis, terms carrying cost of debt will skyrocket. increase economic costs.”
like “quantitative easing” are becom- Higher debt interest costs will crowd
ing commonplace in the speech- out spending on key policy priorities. Should policymakers focus on long-
Chart 2: IMF Projections
es of central of Netbanks
bankers. Central Debt to GDP term goals as they develop COVID-19
are working with governments (put- The pressure is on finance ministers to economic recovery policies? Yes.
Chart 2: IMF Projections of Net Debt to GDP
Percent
180
160 2018 2019 2020 2021
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Canada France Germany Italy Japan United United Advanced
Kingdom States Economies
Source: International Monetary Fund
Policy International Monetary Fund
Sources:9
The European Union has already din. If they do, maybe the economic
While financing the
launched its recovery policy path recovery strategy will be focused on
to the future. They have recently challenges will long-term challenges. We can use a
agreed to a trillion dollar plus (Ca- depend on a presidential Canadian version of the “missions”
nadian) recovery fund. The policy victory and congressional approach to generate the evidence,
framework is composed of five big backing, the Democratic collaboration, and policy experimen-
missions—cancer, climate change, tation to hit defined targets.
oceans, cities, and food. The mis-
candidate is proposing
sions are designed to bring evidence, government support well in If we are going to use deficit finance
resources and policy experimenta- excess of a trillion dollars. to dig our way out the economic hole
tion to long-term issues. Targets will created by COVID-19 then it is essen-
be set—along the lines of President tial that spending is future-focused to
John F. Kennedy’s 1961 vow to put help the next generation. In a Cana-
a man on the moon by the end of dian context, the EU/US long-term
the decade. fiscal stimulus would be well in excess
capacity to address the next policy $100 billion over the next five years.
US Presidential candidate Joe Biden shock, whether a pandemic or finan- This number might have been incon-
will campaign on a long-term recov- cial or geopolitical crisis), and com- ceivable a few years ago, but not now
ery policy “Build Back Better”. The petitiveness are urgently needed. in the context of an estimated decline
high-level plan focuses on four long- Governments need to lay out a vi- in GDP of 7 percent in 2020, millions
term challenges—manufacturing, in- sion (a north star) and plans to build of Canadians out of work, and a re-
frastructure, children, racial equality. confidence and partnerships (invest- cord increase in the estimated federal
While financing the challenges will ment). Why not pro-actively shape deficit to $340 billion. If our compet-
depend on a presidential victory and and drive our future—more sustain- itors can afford it, can we afford not
congressional backing, the Demo- able, more equitable, more resilient, too when our public finances are in
cratic candidate is proposing govern- more digital. better shape?
ment support well in excess of a tril-
lion dollars. I hope that over the summer and ear- Contributing Writer Kevin Page,
ly fall that cabinet ministers and fi- formerly Canada’s first Parliamentary
I
n Canada, policies to address nance officials spend some time Budget Officer, is founding President
long-term issues such as climate reading EU documents and US presi- and CEO of the Institute for Fiscal
change, income disparity, eco- dential campaign materials and may- Studies and Democracy (IFSD) at
nomic and health resiliency (i.e., our be the odd spy novel like The Pala- University of Ottawa.
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September/October 202010
The Mood of Canada:
BEYOND THE CORONAVIRUS SUMMER OF OUR DISCONTENT
Shachi Kurl This summer of job of Secretary General of the OECD.
our coronavirus All but officially, to quell what was
S
ix months in, no clear end in turning into open warfare between
sight. As Canadians turn their discontent was also the Prime Minister’s Office and Mor-
first major corner living with punctuated by non-stop neau, whose proximity to and expen-
COVID-19, here’s some develop- political drama that started sive travel with WE did an already-
ments to watch for this fall, and some
with a now-cancelled damaged Justin Trudeau no favours
thoughts on how public opinion will in the affair.
affect them. contract to WE Charity to
run a student volunteer In an administration pocked by re-
At the Angus Reid Institute we were
in the field in mid-August, asking
program and ended with sets, Morneau’s departure offers a
the awkward resignation tantalizing opportunity for anoth-
Canadians whether they approved
er, albeit risky one. For better or for
or disapproved of Justin Trudeau of Finance Minister Bill worse, Trudeau has been the face of
as prime minister. His approval rat- Morneau.
ing, high during the first several his government. Having soared in ap-
months of the pandemic, definitely proval in the first months of the pan-
took a major hit with the WE Char- demic, the scandal has largely eroded
ity negative news explosion over whatever gains he made.
the summer. non-stop political drama that started
In a largely anonymous cabinet, Mor-
with a now-cancelled contract to WE neau was one of the better known,
We looked at a lot of things Cana-
dians are concerned about, and the Charity to run a student volunteer but least publicly liked ministers. He
re-opening of schools was high on program and ended with the awk- is now replaced by one of his only
the anxiety list, although Canadians ward resignation of Finance Minister other well-known cabinet colleagues
as a whole were more anxious about Bill Morneau. Officially, to try for the Chrystia Freeland.
the situation than they were relieved
to have come through it. And while
Chart 1: Do you approve or disapprove of Justin Trudeau. August 2020
generally approving of vaccinations
(46 percent) should an effective one
become available, many said they 64%
would wait a while before getting one 60% 61%
(32 percent). In terms of diversions, 54% 55% 54%
51% 50%
the prospect of the summer NHL
playoffs beginning in August had 72
percent of Canadians very or some- 36% 48%
35% 44% 44% 44%
what excited about the prospect of 43%
the return of hockey.
33%
It would have been too much, I sup-
pose, to have hoped in this most try-
ing of years the political Gods might 6%
5% 3% 3%
have given us the summer off. If ever 2% 1% 2% 2%
we needed to flake out, to swing in
our hammocks, to lounge lakeside Oct Dec Jan Feb Apr May Jul 10-11 Jul 23-24
and contemplate our altered lives in 2019 2019 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020 2020
the “new normal”, surely it would
have been these past weeks.
Approve Disapprove Don't know
Alas, this summer of our coronavirus
discontent was also punctuated by Source: Angus Reid Institute
Policy11
Freeland has a high profile and has ately affected by the pandemic back eral caucus’ bench-strength. It’s mus-
carried high approval ratings. But into the workforce, and re-starting cle they’ll need build in order to fend
she will come to one of the most de- Canada’s economy from all but a off attacks from a Conservative Party
manding and high-stakes jobs in gov- standstill are each daunting enough. refreshed with new leadership.
ernmentofalready
Percentage carrying
Canadian childrenher
agesduties Freeland
10 – 17 who may
say each is abe'big
a political
worry' fordynamo,
them (n=650)
as Deputy Prime Minister. Tasks such but a super-powered eight-armed Ve- Little wonder then, that Trudeau pro-
as transitioning from CERB to an en- dic goddess she is not. Stretching any rogued Parliament, announcing Au-
hanced Employment Insurance pro- mortal this thin also highlights what gust 18 the beginning of a new ses-
gram, getting women disproportion- has been a chronic deficit in the Lib- sion on September 23, only two days
after the previous session was to have
resumed. But he also promised an
Chart 2: Percentage of Canadian children ages 10 – 17 who say each is early vote of confidence on the new
a ‘big worry’ for them. (n=650) May 2020 Speech from the Throne. The oppo-
sition Conservatives may not like it,
but hey, Stephen Harper set the prec-
Missing out on next school year 29% edent in 2008 proroguing a minori-
ty House to avoid defeat on a confi-
dence motion.
Missing out on this current school year 27%
L
uckily for the Trudeau govern-
Other family getting sick 26% ment, what is likely to be the
single biggest stressor for par-
ents over the next three months falls
Parents getting sick from COVID 19 22% under provincial jurisdiction. As
tantalizing as the prospect of no lon-
Parents losing/lost work 20% ger home-schooling the kiddies may
be, what appears to be patchwork of
at times nebulous, yet-to-be-defined,
Getting sick yourself 15% back to school plans from province
to province offers little comfort.
Tension or arguments where I live 12% Guidance around social bubbles is
effectively popped with all the small
folk hanging around with each oth-
Source: Angus Reid Institute
er again. Multi-generational house-
Table 1: How Canadians say they have been feeling over the holds that depend on grandpar-
past few weeks. August 2020 ents for pick-ups and drop-offs are
flummoxed.
COVID Compliance Index Two key upsides of sending kids back
to school: it enables many parents
Infection The Cynical without alternative childcare to go
Total
Fighters Inconsistent Spreaders back to work. It’s also what the kids
(n=1,511)
(n=704) (n=537) (n=270) want. In the spring, just six weeks
into the transition to learning from
Worn out/Fatigued 37% 34% 40% 40%
home, Canadian children were so
Anxious 26% 29% 26% 20% over it. They were missing friends,
feeling unmotivated, and worried
Grateful 22% 26% 19% 15% about falling behind in class:
Normal 21% 20% 22% 24% Sending kids back to class will repre-
sent an unprecedented public health
Happy 15% 16% 14% 17% experiment. If it doesn’t go well, ex-
pect the grown ups to give their pro-
Bored 14% 14% 16% 12% vincial politicians failing grades.
C
Lonely 11% 11% 11% 11% oronavirus fatigue set in a
long time ago, but it’s how
Angry 9% 7% 7% 17% we’re dealing with it that sets
Source: Angus Reid Institute segments of Canadian society apart. A
September/October 202012
Table 2: If a vaccine against the coronavirus became available, would of those who say they wouldn’t get
you get vaccinated, or not? August 2020 a vaccine themselves say vaccination
should be mandatory… for health
Region care workers.
Total
(n=1,519)
BC AB SK MB ON QC ATL Let there be no
(n=205) (n=156) (n=127) (n=126) (n=448) (n=300) (n=157)
mistake. Canadians
Yes, I would get a have been intensely focused
vaccination as soon
as one became
46% 52% 41% 33% 44% 46% 47% 44% on the greatest concern of
available to me their lifetime for the last six
Yes, I would months. A little diversion
eventually get a
vaccination, but
is healthy.
32% 30% 30% 31% 32% 35% 29% 34%
would wait a
while first
No, I would not
get a coronavirus 14% 10% 22% 20% 17% 13% 14% 11%
vaccine
When the poet Juvenal wrote of
Source: Angus Reid Institute “bread and games”—it was to illus-
trate the shallowness of a society ne-
glecting greater concerns. Let there
late summer study revealed that while If there is such a thing as “back to be no mistake. Canadians have been
almost half of Canadians continue to normal”—we will not even be able to intensely focused on the greatest con-
fight their best fight against commu- dream of it until much awaited vac- cern of their lifetime for the last six
nity transmission by practicing fas- cines find their way up our noses or months. A little diversion is healthy.
tidious hygiene, wearing masks and jabbed into our arms. It could be a
long wait. Whenever this potential- Little wonder then, that hockey fans
keeping their social bubbles small,
ly life saving substance is made avail- left indefinitely in the penalty box
about one-in-five sit on the other end
able to the general population, fewer when the NHL suspended its season
of the spectrum, and could care less
than half of Canadians say they’ll be took to the midsummer playoffs like
about precautions. These “Cynical
a power forward to Gatorade. The
Spreaders” are not only more likely to lined up immediately to be vaccinat-
games have been a little odd, what
socialize with larger groups of people, ed. Indeed, more than 20 per cent say
with no fans and all, but hockey is
(often not well known to them, often they either won’t get the vaccine or
hockey, and we have been happy to
inside, without masks), they also take aren’t sure. Willingness to be vacci-
have it.
a more jaded view towards the pub- nated varies regionally, which means
lic health officials and politicians ex- public health officials in some prov- Sadly for some, the CFL is done for
horting them to change their ways. inces will have more work to do than the season, having failed in their bid
others if they hope to achieve vac- for $30 million from the Trudeau
A number of factors delineate the cination levels above 70 per cent— government. For a government that
“Infection fighters” from the “Cyni- the number some say is needed to calculates (and sometime spectacu-
cal Spreaders”—but one of the most achieve herd immunity. larly miscalculates) funding decisions
striking differences is age. The major- based on political math, bailing out
W
ity of those 65+ are in the uber-cau- hat’s driving some of the the Canadian Football League may
tious group. Those aged 18-24 are reticence—or at least the have earned thanks in the end zone,
twice as likely as the national aver- desire to “wait and see”? but not at the ballot box. CFL fans
age to be found among the don’t Consider that a majority, six-in-ten— are a passionate bunch. But predomi-
care bears. In terms of their mental express worries about side effects nantly over the age of 55, the major-
and emotional health, the Cynical from a hypothetical coronavirus vac- ity male, they correlate more closely
Spreaders are far more likely to define cine. One-fifth fret the vaccine won’t with voting Conservative than Liber-
“anger” as the emotion they’ve expe- be effective anyway. And so it goes. al NDP or Green.
rienced the most lately when com- Shades of anti-vaccination sentiment Contributing Writer Shachi Kurl is
pared to other segments. By contrast, towards other illnesses are revealed Executive Director of the Angus Reid
Infection Fighters are significantly around a vaccine that doesn’t yet ex- Institute, the national non-profit public
more likely to say they’ve been feel- ist. New sickness, old arguments. In opinion research and polling firm based
ing “grateful”. one head-shaking finding, 25 percent in Vancouver.
Policy13
The Way We Wore:
THE COVID CRISIS IN CANADA’S CLOTHING INDUSTRY
Among the myriad impacts of the pandemic lockdown on rules of origin, the content of fin-
ished Canadian-made clothing was
human behaviour, including commercial consumption pat- considered Canadian, irrespective of
terns, has been the fact that, whatever you do for a living where it came from.
and whatever your gender, chances are you’re not wearing In many respects, the government’s
a suit right now. That fundamental, unforeseeable fact has initial response to COVID-19 had to
be broadly based: there was an urgent
shaken Canada’s clothing manufacturers. Bob Kirke and need at the outset to stabilize person-
Eliot Lifson of the Canadian Apparel Federation provide al incomes and corporate finances.
a case study from the front line of the pandemic recession. The government correctly rolled out
benefits for individuals (CERB) and
wage subsidies for firms (CEWS) plus
a host of other programs. As we re-
start, it is becoming clearer that all
sectors of the economy are not equal-
Bob Kirke feet, apart. You don’t need a new suit
for that. ly impacted, nor do they need the
and Elliot Lifson same policy responses.
A
You get the idea. A major industry is
fter months of difficult trad- While the apparel sector is among
in big trouble, facing unprecedented
ing conditions, Canada’s ap- the most seriously impacted by the
and costly change. In Canada, cloth-
parel industry remains one pandemic, firms with stronger bal-
ing is a very big industry. The Ca-
of the sectors most impacted by the ance sheets, deeper management
nadian apparel sector (pre-COVID)
COVID-19 crisis. The industry has skills, and stronger brands were able
employed more than 70,000 people
restarted operations, and is looking to move more of their business on-
and more than $31 billion in cloth-
for signs of recovery and a return to line or pivot to the manufacturing
ing is sold in Canada each year. Pret-
some sort of “normal”. But it is equal- of personal protective equipment
ty good for an industry once written
ly true that substantial restructuring (PPE). Firms that retain signifi-
off for dead. More than anything, the
of the industry is looming. cant domestic manufacturing have
clothing industry is diverse: On the
When you put it in the context of the one hand, the Canadian apparel sec- shown particular resilience through
pandemic, and how it’s changed our tor is a global industry with domes- this challenging time. But the reality
lives, it’s not very complicated. The tic and offshore production, incredi- is that no industry can lose 30 per-
way we were is gone. And so is the ble product development, and strong cent of its annual sales, watch major
way we wore. supply chain management capabili- customers fall into insolvency and
ties. On the other, we have dynam- not be affected.
Offices have been closed since March. ic local designers and innovators.
Canadians haven’t been going to Canadian retail sales of clothing were
Canadian global clothing brands are
work, and they don’t need to dress down more than 50 percent in March,
both global and local.
up to work from home. Working on and nearly 90 percent in April. Sales
Zoom, you don’t even need a jack- In previous years, government-in- for May and June showed signs of re-
et, much less a suit. A golf shirt and dustry sectoral groups were a prom- covery, but only when compared to
shorts will do just fine. From kinder- inent feature of policy-making. the complete collapse in March and
garten to graduate studies, nobody’s In particular, the Sectoral Adviso- April. The absolute decline in appar-
been going to school. No dressing ry Group for International Trade el sales has been compounded by the
up for the graduation ceremony or (SAGIT) for clothing and footwear, seasonal nature of the merchandise.
the prom. Weddings and funerals, played a major positioning role for
N
when they haven’t been cancelled, the clothing industry in the talks o other retail commodity has
have been limited to small groups leading to the Canada-US Free Trade encountered similar sales de-
of people sitting two metres, or six Agreement in 1987. Under the FTA clines. Prospects for the rest
September/October 202014
We need to confront all of these chal-
lenges and we need the government
to be a partner in this. One of the rea-
sons for this is the significant impact
of government policies, current and
planned, on this sector.
W
hile the government has
many mechanisms in
place for economic guid-
ance and consultation with the pri-
vate sector—the sort of restructuring
likely to take place over the coming
year within this sector does not fit
squarely into the mechanisms the
government has created. Economic
Strategy Tables and the newly formed
Industry Strategy Council focus on
A deserted shopping mall in Montreal during the pandemic. At the low point of the lockdown, specific priorities. While the govern-
retail clothing sales in Canada were down 50 percent in March and 90 percent in April, before ment rightly supports endeavours
recovering somewhat over the summer. Alesia Kazantceva Unsplash photo
such as advanced manufacturing, the
industry is facing sectoral challeng-
of the year are uneven at best, and the faced frequently insurmountable
es and this warrants a different type
market will stabilize only in 2021. Ca- challenges in accessing financing— of action from government. It is time
nadians are prepared to avoid non-es- even when the federal government for the government to complement
sential purchases and wherever pos- took on 80 percent of the risk. these longer-term initiatives with tar-
sible minimize trips to non-essential geted engagement with sectors facing
retail stores. Another issue contributing to the li-
quidity squeeze facing the sector is specific challenges, with a 12-to-24
squarely in the government’s court. month time horizon to help specific
Canadian retail sectors through this crisis.
Import duties charged on clothing rep-
sales of clothing resent a significant outlay for import- The apparel industry needs to be-
ers, one that is hard to afford in the come more agile, more sustainable,
were down more than 50
present circumstances. In the case of and more digital—but getting there is
percent in March, and Spring 2020 merchandise, many firms no small feat. It is important to align
nearly 90 percent in April. imported apparel six to eight months the needs of the industry with the
Sales for May and June ago and were assessed duties of 18 per- priorities of the government. For sec-
tors less impacted by COVID-19, this
showed signs of recovery, cent at the time of import. It should be
noted that imports represent 90 per- may not be needed; for ours it is. We
but only when compared to have a skills challenge, international
cent of clothing sold in Canada.
the complete collapse in trade hurdles, demands from the gov-
March and April. These duty payments constrain firms ernment for new, more responsible
trying to invest in raw materials sourcing practices, greater sustain-
needed for the development of new ability and challenges around digital
lines and prevent firms from extend- transformation.
ing credit to their retail customers. As we move forward, it will be im-
Canadian clothing manufacturers/
COVID-19 is not the first challenge portant to look ahead and be proac-
importers finance Canadian retail-
this industry has faced, nor will it be tive. We need to bring about a mean-
ers by extending credit. When fash-
the last. COVID has accelerated the ingful recovery for the sector, while
ion retailers restructure or close,
pace of change in fashion/retail, en- helping the industry work through
their suppliers are the last to be paid.
a fundamental restructuring. The fu-
While we commend the government abled by technology, and reinforced
ture of the Canadian clothing indus-
for measures to support Business De- by consumer insecurity. This indus-
try depends on it.
velopment Canada and Export De- try is changing at an incredible pace.
velopment Canada in lending to Brands are moving to sell directly to Bob Kirke is Executive Director of the
Canadian business during the pan- consumers, stronger retailers are re- Canadian Apparel Federation.
demic, Canadian financial institu- balancing their supply chains, diver- Elliot Lifson is President of the
tions have been less willing partners. sifying their offerings, and boosting Canadian Apparel Federation and
Companies connected to retail have e-commerce capabilities. Vice-Chairman of Peerless Clothing.
Policy15
A Summer Road Trip:
Resilience and Hope on The Rock
Vianne Timmons students. A challenge for me, as a new
president, was how can I be visible?
W
hen I was turning 15, my
I did use Twitter, but not extensive-
family left Labrador and
ly. I decided on April 1, the first day
moved to Nova Scotia.
on the job, to record a video. I filmed
This was one of the most traumatic
a brief amateur 20-second spot and
experiences in my life. Growing up in
posted it. I slipped during one of
Labrador was a wonderful experience.
the takes, and decided to post that
We did not have a lot, but we (six chil-
one, too. Posting little videos be-
dren) had a town full of large families,
came a way to connect with the cam-
friends and activities. I can honestly
pus. People responded positively so
say I had a fabulous childhood.
I bought my first selfie stick. During
I cannot say that about my teenage these unusual times, we all have to
years. We moved the first of June and Memorial University President Vianne adapt, learn new skills and connect
Timmons on the ferry from Newfoundland
my parents decided we did not need to to her native Labrador. A working family’s in different ways.
attend school as the year was almost daughter in the Iron Ore Company town of
over. That meant for three months I Labrador City, she writes: “I can honestly say I Though unable to meet with students
had a fabulous childhood.” Stuart Mason photo in person for the most part, as a pres-
knew no one. It was a lonely time.
ident they are always on my mind.
R
I share this because resilience comes elocating, buying a house and So, of course, I have been thinking a
from many places. It is often built from starting a new job during a lot about the COVID-19 generation—
experiences that are positive, but also pandemic was not easy. There the students of today who are miss-
negative. These experiences can de- were small challenges, such as being ing milestones in their lives, such as
fine us. Many people are experiencing unable to get my Newfoundland and graduation and attending university
things during this pandemic that will Labrador driver’s licence, to bigger for the first time. They have to adapt,
have a lasting impact on them. I hope ones, like difficulty getting the inter- learn new skills and figure out differ-
resilience will help see them through. net hooked up in my home. These ent ways to connect.
I accepted a new job in December issues resolved themselves over time.
2019 as President and Vice-Chancel- But as you will read, not everyone In early July, when
lor of Memorial University of New- can get internet issues fixed. Newfoundland
foundland in St. John’s. I served as
As a university president it is import- and Labrador lifted some
President of University of Regina for
11 years prior and had many great ex- ant to have a solid team. I am fortu- pandemic restrictions, I
periences during that time. In March nate as I did inherit such a team. It is decided to venture outside of
interesting that—as I had to work vir-
2020, there were a number of events St. John’s and see for myself
planned at the University of Regina tually—I did not meet the vice-presi-
dents in person until the end of June. how Memorial University is
as a send-off, and events in April at
Memorial to welcome me, including I realize now how important that per- perceived by communities
a formal installation. Due to the pan- sonal contact is, as you learn so much throughout the province.
demic, all were cancelled. from watching body language and in-
teractions. I found that chairing Sen-
I had to self-isolate for 14 days when ate was also tricky, as there are close
I arrived in the province, so I left Sas-
I
to 100 participants and I have not yet
katchewan early and set up in an n early July, when Newfoundland
built relationships with faculty.
Airbnb in St. John’s. I could work and Labrador lifted some pandem-
from home anywhere, so I finished As president, one of the things I en- ic restrictions, I decided to venture
my term at the University of Regina joy immensely is walking through a outside of St. John’s and see for my-
while in St. John’s. campus, meeting faculty, staff and self how Memorial University is per-
September/October 2020You can also read
