Montreal – Canada is in the midst of a severe housing crisis. The federal government has unveiled two major housing initiatives in recent years, but neither has adequately targeted the “deeply affordable housing” needed to address homelessness and reduce core housing need among very-low- and low-income households.
According to new IRPP research, delivering on “deeply affordable housing” is achievable, but only by taking a co-ordinated approach that combines mechanisms available to all levels of government.
“It’s what I call the loaded nacho approach,” explains the paper’s author, housing expert Carolyn Whitzman. “Each level of government needs to add its own ingredients to the mix to ensure success.”
In her paper, Whitzman proposes a three-pronged approach:
In addition, Whitzman calls for the use of clear and consistent income-based definitions of “affordable” and “deeply affordable” housing. This would allow governments to set clear priorities and would permit a stacking of government grants while enabling the monitoring of results against set targets.
“We have the tools to improve housing affordability for very-low- and low-income Canadians. Now it’s a matter of using them wisely,” says Whitzman.
Montreal — In the face of major challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and geopolitical tensions, policymakers around the world have taken a renewed interest in industrial policy to address pressing challenges that aren’t being solved by markets alone.
Industrial policy, which involves using government resources to influence private-sector activity, has gained renewed attention in recent years. Many countries, including the U.S. with its Inflation Reduction Act and CHIPS and Science Act, have launched major industrial initiatives. Should Canada follow suit?
The Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) is addressing this crucial issue through its new multi-year project titled Canada’s Next Economic Transformation: What Role Should Industrial Policy Play? led by IRPP research director Steve Lafleur and guided by an expert steering group.
“We are engaging with stakeholders — including academics, government officials, and Indigenous and industry leaders — to learn from experience and identify potential industrial policy tools. We will provide evidence-based recommendations to governments exploring industrial policy,” says Lafleur.
To kick off the project, the IRPP has released Should Governments Steer Private Investment Decisions? Framing Canada’s Industrial Policy Choices, outlining potential applications for industrial policy:
“For industrial policy to succeed, it needs a clear strategy, strong governance and rigorous evaluation. It should benefit society at large, rather than just boosting corporate profits,” says Lafleur.
The IRPP will host a series of expert workshops and consultations throughout 2024, culminating in a major report and conference in 2025. For more information on the Canada’s Next Economic Transformation project, visit irpp.org.
Montreal – As our daily lives move increasingly online, Canada’s digital divide becomes ever more obvious. But that divide is about more than just internet access: it relates to the benefits that users get from online services, resources and networks and whether they have the necessary skills to navigate the digital world.
In their new IRPP paper, policy expert Christine Pinsent-Johnson and education researcher Matthias Sturm argue that Canada’s adult education and skills development system should have a more prominent role in bridging the divide between those who have the necessary digital skills to thrive in the modern economy and those who don’t.
“Canada’s adult education programs are well positioned to offer essential digital learning opportunities but are currently excluded from the digital learning conversation,” explains Pinsent-Johnson.
“We advocate for sustained core funding for adult education programs and establishing a national platform for resource sharing. We also call for connecting community-level adult education with broader digital literacy efforts through a cross-sectoral network to ensure equitable access to digital resources and support,” she says.
In the paper, Pinsent-Johnson and Sturm urge Employment and Social Development Canada to work with provincial and territorial governments to:
“We are now at a pivotal moment. During the pandemic, we saw the digital divide for what it was — a complex issue that cannot be solved by ramping up technological solutions without considering underlying social inequalities of digital access and their harmful impact on every facet of our lives. To bridge the gap, we need a comprehensive, co-ordinated and sustainable approach to keep up with the relentless pace of technological change. And we need it now,” says Sturm.
Adult Education: The Missing Piece to Bridging the Digital Divide can be downloaded from the IRPP’s website (irpp.org).
Montreal – In Canada, having reliable access to the internet is a fundamental part of everyday life — but not for everyone. While the federal government’s goal to provide high-speed internet access to 100 per cent of the country by 2030 is on track, there are still many gaps to close between now and then. A new paper from the Institute for Research on Public Policy argues that, to get there, governments need to address the needs of underserved communities while making internet access more affordable.
In the paper, former Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission chairperson Ian Scott calls for improved co-ordination within and across governments. At the same time, he recommends that northern and Indigenous communities receive priority treatment and that discounted internet plans for low-income Canadians be expanded.
“There has been significant progress across the country, but gaps remain,” says Scott. “Only half of households in First Nations communities and 58 per cent of households in northern Canada meet the basic service target,” Scott explains.
“These challenges are not limited to rural and remote areas. Low-income Canadians, regardless of where they live, struggle to afford the technology and internet plans needed to take full advantage of the digital economy,” he adds.
Improving access for Indigenous and northern communities will require greater government involvement in expanding fibre optic and satellite networks. In addition to financing, better federal-provincial-territorial co-ordination is needed to overcome jurisdictional barriers in accessing infrastructure, such as utility poles, needed to expand fibre cables into more remote areas. .
When it comes to making high-speed broadband services more affordable, existing government and private-sector efforts have resulted in progress but there is more to do. Scott recommends that the federal government commit to providing the necessary funding to expand existing support programs, possibly drawing on the proceeds of spectrum auctions. He calls on Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada to jointly develop an easy-to-use program to defray internet costs for low-income households.
“Ensuring that all Canadian homes and businesses have access to quality high-speed broadband services should remain a first-order priority. However, we can no longer measure progress on the digital divide solely through the availability of high-speed internet to all Canadians. We need to consider the magnitude of societal benefits associated with community access, and the ability of low-income households and northern and Indigenous communities to access and afford high-speed internet,” concludes Scott.
Montreal, June 13, 2024 – The Institute for Research on Public Policy is delighted to announce that Anika Ganness has been awarded its first Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Support of Indigenous, Black and Other Racialized Scholars.
Ganness, who is a PhD candidate in the department of political science at the University of Toronto and a Trudeau Centre Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, will investigate how child protective services in Canada engage disproportionately with racialized people, focusing on British Columbia and Ontario.
“We look forward to supporting Anika’s work and learning from her research findings, and hope that this fellowship will play a constructive, meaningful role in her already impressive career,” said Jennifer Ditchburn, president and CEO of the IRPP.
As a contributor to the IRPP research program on social policy, Toward a More Equitable Canada, Ganness will be co-supervised by IRPP research director Shaimaa Yassin and McGill University political science professor Debra Thompson. Her research will incorporate the lived experiences of marginalized populations through interviews with racial-minority parents involved in child welfare systems.
“Anika’s project offers a valuable opportunity to enrich the IRPP’s research by exploring the policy choices and governance structures that contribute to racial inequity in child protective services in Canada,” said Rachel Samson, vice president of research at the IRPP.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP: The IRPP Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Support of Indigenous, Black and Other Racialized Scholars was funded through contributions to the IRPP’s 50th anniversary gala held in 2022, and its 2023 fall lecture. Anika Ganness will hold the fellowship from January 2025 to December 31, 2026. She will receive a stipend of $70,000 a year for the two-year duration of the fellowship, as well as a research allowance of up to $5,000 per year to cover related expenses. The fellowship was awarded following a national call for applications, and a rigorous review process that included an external advisory committee.
ABOUT THE INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON PUBLIC POLICY: The IRPP seeks to improve public policy in Canada by generating research, providing insight and influencing debate on current and emerging policy issues facing Canadians and their governments.
Montreal, June 3, 2024 – The Institute for Research on Public Policy is proud to announce that Kurtis Boyer has been appointed its first Alphonsine Lafond – Tom Molloy Memorial Fellow on Leadership and Innovation in Indigenous Governance.
Boyer, who holds the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School Research Chair in Métis Governance and Policy and is an assistant professor of public policy at the University of Saskatchewan, will receive $30,000 in research funding over two years for his work on a new project titled Kinship and Collaboration: Strengthening Métis and First Nations Intergovernmental Co-operation.
Alphonsine R. Lafond, who is a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and the daughter of former IRPP Board director George Lafond, said her family is delighted to launch the fellowship. It is named in part to honour her grandmother and namesake, Alphonsine Lafond, in support of Indigenous women and their families.
“She was a trailblazer in Canadian political leadership as chief of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and as a senator in the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations. She was a proud mother and grandmother whose husband served in two wars. She would be proud to see her legacy of transformative leadership continue through this fellowship,” said Alphonsine R. Lafond.
The fellowship is also named for former lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan and chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan, Tom Molloy. He negotiated numerous agreements and treaty settlements with Indigenous Peoples, including the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement that led to the creation of the Territory of Nunavut. Said his daughter Kathryn Pally, who was also involved in establishing the fellowship, “This initiative honours the shared vision of Alphonsine and Tom, as well as their collective forefathers and grandmothers, that Canada held an intrinsic promise for all of its inhabitants to live in peace and harmony with each other.”
Through the fellowship, Boyer will investigate how existing governance structures and dialogues between Métis and First Nations in Saskatchewan contribute to effective intergovernmental relations. Ultimately, the research project will deepen understanding of governance in Canada by addressing how provincial policies and frameworks impact the dynamics of Métis and First Nations governance and their relations.
“Kurtis’s project offers a valuable opportunity to study how Métis and First Nations can collaboratively address issues of shared concern and jurisdiction and develop leadership and processes that are conducive to effective Indigenous intergovernmental relations,” said Charles Breton, executive director of the IRPP’s Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation.
ABOUT THE FELLOWSHIP: The Alphonsine Lafond – Tom Molloy Memorial Fellowship on Leadership and Innovation in Indigenous Governance is funded thanks to a donation from the Alphonsine Lafond Fund for Innovation, which was established by, Alphonsine R. Lafond through the Saskatoon Community Foundation. Kurtis Boyer will hold the fellowship from June 1, 2024 through to May 31, 2026. The fellowship was awarded following a national call for applications, and a review process by an external advisory committee working with the IRPP’s Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation.
ABOUT THE CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE ON THE CANADIAN FEDERATION: The Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation is a permanent research body within the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Its mission is to build a deeper understanding of Canada as a federal community.
Montreal – Canada’s adult education programs help people advance their literacy skills. In the past, adult education professionals and policymakers across Canada benefited from a shared body of knowledge on learners and teaching materials. Over time, declining federal support has caused this national knowledge infrastructure to deteriorate, leaving literacy practitioners struggling to find the right resources to better adults’ literacy skills.
In a new IRPP paper, literacy expert Brigid Hayes argues that a comprehensive, national adult literacy knowledge infrastructure needs to be reinstated to better support learners, practitioners and policymakers. National oversight is crucial to eliminating regional disparities, knowledge gaps and duplication of effort. Provinces and territories would still lead program delivery, while benefiting from access to the best knowledge resources available in Canada.
“To bolster adult literacy across Canada, the federal government needs to play a leading role,” says Hayes. “The provinces and territories currently responsible for adult education delivery do not have adequate resources and opportunities to create and maintain a national knowledge infrastructure efficiently. A national infrastructure would promote collaboration and break down jurisdictional silos.”
She recommends taking the following steps:
“These recommendations will provide adult literacy practitioners and policymakers with the tools to do their work effectively, which will benefit adult learners and society as a whole. Without a national knowledge infrastructure, adult literacy will remain marginalized, and Canadians who want to advance literacy skills will be left further behind,” says Hayes.
Montreal – The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has highlighted the deficiencies in Canada’s social safety net. Provincial social assistance programs, which are supposed to provide enough money to buy food and other essential needs, fall short while the rate of food insecurity rises.
A new report from the Institute for Research on Public Policy outlines the various cash-transfer mechanisms that the federal government could use to increase income supports to low-income households. Report author Gillian Petit focuses on reforms to already existing cash-transfer programs delivered through the Canada Revenue Agency, including the GST/HST credit, the Canada Child Benefit and the Canada Workers Benefit, because these reforms could be implemented more quickly than designing an entirely new benefit.
To determine which of the potential cash-transfer scenarios the government should implement, Petit sets out the following criteria:
Based on these criteria and her analyses of the various options, Petit recommends that the federal government expand the existing GST/HST credit for families with working-age adults and their children. The existing GST/HST credit has several advantages: it reaches all family types including working-age, unattached single adults and single-parent families, and is well targeted to low-income households. However, the existing credit provides modest support: in the 2023-24 benefit year, it provided a base benefit of $325 a year per adult and $171 a year per child.
The report recommends the federal government adopt one of two options: a GST/ HST credit of either $100 a month per working-age adult spread relatively evenly among low- and middle-income households or $150 a month targeted to those in deep poverty. Both scenarios would improve access to basic needs for low-income households at a comparatively moderate cost.
In addition, Petit recommends that the expanded GST/HST credit be distributed monthly to spread the payments evenly throughout the year and give recipients more stability to pay monthly bills. She also recommends that the federal government implement the automatic tax filing pilot program announced in the 2023 budget to help Canadians who currently do not file their taxes receive the benefits to which they are entitled.
“There is an urgent need to increase income supports to low-income households. The federal government needs to act now to provide more generous targeted transfers to specific groups to reduce poverty rates and food insecurity and to improve access to basic needs,” says Petit.
Improving Access to Food and Essential Needs: Options for a More Generous Cash-Transfer Benefit can be downloaded from the IRPP’s website (irpp.org).
Media contact: Cléa Desjardins – 514-245-2139 – cdesjardins@nullirpp.org
Montreal – Digital technologies have the potential to transform urban mobility — from reducing traffic congestion and air pollution to enhancing accessibility and affordability for underserved groups, according to a new report from the Institute for Research on Public Policy.
But co-authors Ren Thomas and Ata Khan caution that several barriers must be addressed before digital technologies can achieve their full potential.
They find that digital technologies offer a pathway toward a more sustainable and efficient transportation ecosystem in three key areas:
“To achieve this, we need to see increased and improved collaboration between land use and transportation departments in governments,” says Thomas. “Aligning affordable housing with public transit hubs is essential, particularly for low-income households relying on public transportation.”
We need to find innovative ways to fund infrastructure upgrades and the purchase of electric vehicles, she adds. Equity considerations must also be considered so that all Canadians have equitable access to digital transportation services by providing discounted transit passes, alternative payment options and safety measures for vulnerable populations. And clear regulatory frameworks are needed to address safety concerns associated with shared micromobility and the electrification of public transit.
“Furthermore, embracing a diverse shared mobility ecosystem that encompasses rail services, fixed-route buses, ride-hailing, carsharing and micromobility options is imperative,” says Khan. “This approach, coupled with safe pathways for walking, biking and micromobility, improves choices and promotes sustainable transportation practices.”
All levels of governments have their part to play in the digital transformation of public transportation, Khan and Thomas say. Municipal governments must review transit decisions through an equity lens. Provincial and territorial governments should encourage integrated mobility and support regulatory frameworks that facilitate seamless transportation solutions. And federal support will be required to fund operating costs, promote digital technology adoption and break down silos in decision-making across sectors.
The New Mobility Era: Leveraging Digital Technologies for More Equitable, Efficient and Effective Public Transportation can be downloaded from the IRPP’s website (irpp.org).
Media contact: Cléa Desjardins – 514-245-2139 – cdesjardins@nullirpp.org
OTTAWA — A major new report calls on the federal government to appoint an expert panel to lead a comprehensive pan-Canadian examination into how public institutions performed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Resilient Institutions: Learning from Canada’s COVID-19 Pandemic, published jointly by the Institute for Research on Public Policy’s Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation and the Institute on Governance, is the first report to look at how the crisis impacted public institutions across the country. The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 pandemic four years ago this week.
“Canada has only a fragmented, partial picture of what happened to its institutions during the pandemic. We’re recommending that a forward-looking and truly national examination be conducted by an independent panel of experts,” says IRPP president and CEO Jennifer Ditchburn.
“The panel should hear from key players in the provinces, territories, Indigenous communities and cities to better understand how the pandemic response unfolded. They should hear from the people who worked at the community level to understand how decisions and messages filtered down to everyday lives,” she adds.
The report summarizes the reflections and analyses of senior government officials and civil society leaders from across the country, who shared their pandemic experiences during a two-day conference in June 2023. It outlines four key lessons learned and makes 12 key recommendations, including:
“The pandemic demonstrated vividly how our public institutions and public servants can be innovative, agile and nimble, but it also exposed core weaknesses that affected government responses and public health outcomes,” says David McLaughlin, president and CEO of the Institute on Governance. “We need to learn lessons from the pandemic now, while it’s fresh, and not snap-back to traditional ways of running governments that proved inefficient and outdated.”
The full report can be found at: www.iog.ca and centre.irpp.org.
Contact Information
Cléa Desjardins
Director of Communications – Institute for Research on Public Policy
514-245-2139 / cdesjardins@nullirpp.org
