Public Policy Papers

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10294/6600

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SIPP Public Policy Papers 01
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy., 2000-10) Kneebone, Ron; Leach, John
What have been the causes of the accumulation of government debt in Canada? How large have been the respective contributions of high interest rates, low growth rates, the business cycle, and changes to tax rates and program expenditures? To what extent have the fiscal choices of members of the Canadian economic union impacted upon one another? This paper investigates these questions and finds that the causes of debt accumulation at the federal level differ substantially from the causes of provincial government debt accumulation. What’s more, we find that the fiscal policy choices of the federal government have had a negative impact on the efforts of the provinces to control their accumulation of debt. This paper was presented at the Fiscal Federalism: Working Out the Future conference, Regina, October 12 and 13, 2000. The conference was sponsored by Saskatchewan Finance and Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy.
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SIPP Public Policy Papers 02
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2001-03-06) Dion, Stéphane
Our country is so vast and so diverse that our knowledge of it is always limited. This could be a disadvantage. I believe on the contrary that we draw three advantages from this. First, a permanent call to modesty: all Canadians know they have a lot to learn about their country. Next, an invitation to listen: we know that it is by listening to one another that we will learn. Finally, a creative candour: a Saskatchewanian’s fresh viewpoint on Quebeckers can be useful for them, and vice-versa
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SIPP Public Policy Papers 03
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2001-04) McIntosh, Tom; Rushton, Michael; Kouri, Denise; Horsburgh, Martha E.; Labonte, Ronald; Muhajarine, Nazeem
Table of Contents Contributors......................................................................................................................... v A Fyke in the Road: The ‘New’ Politics of Health Reform........................................... 1 Tom McIntosh Economics, Incentives, and the Fyke Commission on Medicare .................................. 5 Michael Rushton Health System Governance After Fyke........................................................................... 9 Denise Kouri The Fyke Report & Nursing in Saskatchewan ............................................................. 13 Martha E. Horsburgh Caring for Medicare or Caring for Health? Why Health Care Reform is Only a Small Piece of the Puzzle ................................................................................................ 19 Ronald Labonte & Nazeem Muhajarine
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SIPP Public Policy Papers 04
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2001-06) Allan, John R.
Over the last two decades, the public sector has been viewed as cumbersome, unresponsive and costly. In view of its perceived inability to meet the complex and rapidly changing demands of modern societies, there have been calls for the government to “re-invent” itself by shifting its role from primary provider of public goods and services to the procurer and regulator of services from the for-profit and third sectors...
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SIPP Public Policy Papers 05
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2001-12) Greenberg, Louise
Canada has one of the safest food safety systems in the world. It has created a system that includes regulation, inspection, enforcement, research and education. The various orders of governments, the food industries, retailers, the distribution networks, consumers and farmers all contribute to the safety of the food that we consume. Even so, our food safety system is not infallible as Canada, along with other countries, has experienced a number of serious food safety incidents in recent years.
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SIPP Public Policy Papers 06
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2001-12) Ruggeri, G. C.; Howard, R.
It is becoming increasingly evident that the fiscal structures of the federal government and of provincial-territorial governments combined are not moving in parallel directions. While provincial and territorial governments must be vigilant in order to avoid budget deficits, the federal government enjoys surpluses that will increase in magnitude over time. This situation indicates that the Canadian federation is entering the new millennium with a fiscal structure that has a built-in tendency to generate vertical fiscal imbalances (VFI).
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SIPP Public Policy Papers 07
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2001-11) Rushton, Michael
Suppose that changing technology, patterns of trade, and prices have created a situation that, left unchecked by decisive government action, would result in a migration from rural to urban areas. Should the government take an active role to discourage migration, through subsidizing agriculture either through direct payments or through the provision of infrastructure that otherwise would not pass a standard cost-benefit test? Should the government provide such social goods as hospitals and schools to rural areas to a degree unwarranted by the population distribution, again in an effort to stem the flow of migration from rural to urban areas?
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 08
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2002-02) Arcus, Peter; Parsons, Graham
The three Prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta1 have been in a state of restructuring and change since settlement by European immigrants in the latter half of the 19th and the early part of the 20th centuries. From the 1880s through to the Second World War, the Prairies developed a well-earned reputation as “the breadbasket of the world”. Settlements, road and rail transportation, government institutions, research and legislation, were all created around the needs of the export grain economy.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 09
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2002-03) Bullinger, Anne-Béatrice
This paper summarizes and analyzes a 1999 report by the Swiss federal government and the cantons (Conseil fédéral 1999), which presents the planned reform of the equalization system in Switzerland. I argue that this reform is the result of hard work by both levels of government, and that it proposes ideal solutions to reform Swiss federalism in terms of economic rationality, but I doubt that such an extensive reform can be successfully implemented within the Swiss political context.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 10
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2002-03) Hornosty, Jennie; Doherty, Deborah
In order to understand wife abuse in a rural context, it is important to recognize the nature of that context. New Brunswick is a largely rural province with 51% of its 738,133 inhabitants living in areas defined as rural. According to the 1996 Census rural means living in small towns, villages and other places with populations of less than 1,000 (Statistics Canada 1996). Only Prince Edward Island and the Northwest Territories have a higher percentage of their population living in rural areas. By comparison, 22% of Quebecois and 17% of Ontarians live in rural areas. Even provinces with considerable activity in the areas of farming, fishing and agriculture have a greater proportion of urban dwellers. For example, the rural population of Manitoba is 28%, Saskatchewan 37%, British Columbia 18% and Newfoundland 43%.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 11
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2002) Allan, John R.
The recent release by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) of the results of the Programme for International Student Assessment (“PISA”) has served once more to focus the attention of Canadians on the thorny issue of standardised educational testing. We rightly felt a sense of pride in the accomplishments of the fifteen-yearold Canadians who, in the tests for literacy in reading, mathematics and science, ranked second in reading among the thirty-two countries tested and fifth in mathematics and science. Indeed, the fifteen-year-olds from Alberta actually topped the highest ranked country, Finland, in reading literacy, while those from British Columbia and Quebec were not far behind. In literacy in mathematics, the students from Quebec were second only to those of Japan, while those from Alberta and British Columbia followed closely. With the exception only of New Brunswick, which fell below the OECD average for scientific literacy, all of the Canadian provinces exceeded the 32-nation average in each of the literacy tests. The results for the Saskatchewan students tested were above the OECD averages, but trailed the Canadian average in each area tested. It is of interest to enquire what should be made of such results.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 12
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2003-02) Pitsula, James M.
The rationalization and coordination of the university sector has been a major public policy concern for the Government of Saskatchewan. Following two major inquiries in the 1990s, policy-making in this area has been placed within a logical, coherent framework. This essay steps back from the particulars of specific models and planning processes to consider broader conceptual issues. Public policy is shaped by the historical context in which it has arisen, including well-established "myths" that are never subjected to critical scrutiny. For this very reason, such "myths" function as extremely effective instruments of public policy. Using the Roland Barthes definition of myth, the essay argues that the University of Saskatchewan, for most of its history, has been in the grip of a powerful myth that has helped shape its identity and govern its decision-making. According to the myth, there is only one university in Saskatchewan, and it operates without interference from the Provincial Government. The myth was most prevalent from 1907, when the University Act was passed, to 1974, when the University of Regina came into existence, but its effects have not been altogether extinguished. It exerted great influence over the history of higher education in Saskatchewan, but, as with all with myths, as soon as it is identified and dissected, it dissolves, enabling policy-makers to understand issues and problems in a new light.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 13
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2003-03) Green, Joyce
Canada is, in historical terms, a fairly recent political manifestation. The name, so myth tells us, is drawn from some Aboriginal language, though opinion differs on which one, or what the literal translation was. Nor does that precision matter. It is the history of the name itself that is significant, a mutated fragment of a language of an indigenous nation, which pre-existed but leaves its mark on the colonial state. Turtle Island is a name, or approximation of a name, used by several Aboriginal nations to refer to this continent. It is also a mythic reference, drawn from the cosmology of some indigenous cultures, in the way that “the Dominion” reference to Canada is derived from the biblical myth of Genesis. Historically a geographical rather than political designation, Turtle Island is now a political invocation. There were and are politics, of course, between the many nations resident on Turtle Island, including the sequence of colonial populations that eventually formulated Project Canada. Turtle Island, and other original names, exist as a palimpsest for the myth and reality of contemporary Canada, whose name comes from Turtle Island folk who are themselves contemporary residents (if not all unequivocally citizens) of Canada. Palimpsest can be written or experienced, but all layers of palimpsest define its totality.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 14
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2003-04) Wardhaugh, Robert
This paper examines popular attitudes toward welfare recipients in the province of Saskatchewan from 1970 until 1990. Rather than analyzing government policy, it uses as its primary sources the two largest and most significant newspapers in the province - the Regina Leader-Post and the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. In particular, the paper focuses on the issue of "productivity" and how this notion has entered the welfare debate in order to further "value" the contribution of welfare recipients to society.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 16
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2003-05) de Clercy, Cristine; Greenberg, Louise; Gilchrist, Donald; Marchildon, Gregory; McHughen, Alan
This research paper on GM food policy had its beginnings in late 2001, when the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy began a research project on the GM industry in Saskatchewan supported equally by the Government of Saskatchewan and the Department of Western Economic Diversification. Dr. Greg Marchildon and Dr. Louise Greenberg oversaw much of the research for this project while they were, successively, Government of Saskatchewan Public Policy Fellows at the Institute. The Institute would like to acknowledge their contribution to this project.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 17
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2003-06) Rushton, Michael
This paper examines the costs and benefits associated with extending competition in the electrical sector in Saskatchewan beyond the wholesale level, to the retail level. The paper does not contain recommendations on how competition could be made to work in Saskatchewan, but instead at a more general level asks whether an extension of competition makes sense.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 18
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2003-09) Peykov, Pavel
In recent years governments across Canada have tried to deal with the issue of the provision of essential services through new or amended legislation. More specifically, the attention has been focused on whether strikes should be permitted and if so, whether certain employees should be designated as essential. This has not been a smooth process as every attempt by politicians (regardless of party stripe) to “change the rules of the game” has been met with resistance and hostility by labour unions. The latter have been generally opposed to any legislation that would diminish or compromise their bargaining power.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 19
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2003-10) Stokes, Janice
Recent Census results and projected demographic trends for Saskatchewan are troubling. An aging non-Aboriginal population and a very young Aboriginal population are demographically polarizing the province, and related statistical trends indicate that Saskatchewan will experience arduous challenges as a result of its population features. Demographics in Saskatchewan are negatively affecting the condition of the workforce, health care system, education, and race relations, threatening long-term socio-economic sustainability in the province. Less important in past years, demographics now have significant implications for Saskatchewan that require acute governmental action to avoid a crisis in the near future.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 20
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2003-11) Green, Ross
Few issues in Canada have stirred public debate as has youth crime. Over the last decade and more, cries for a more punitive focus to our statutory young offender law have been frequently, and loudly, heard from those wishing to “get tough” on young offenders. The obvious answer to youth crime, from this perspective, is increasing the level of punishment within the youth system. Hence, more frequent and longer sentences of custody are said to be the answer. Others, however, view this punitive focus as narrow minded, and urge a more balanced and broad based view of youth crime and justice. Advocates of the latter view focus more on the root causes of youth crime, and often suggest a very different solution to the problems faced.
Open Access
SIPP Public Policy Papers 21
(Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy, 2003-12) Peach, Ian; Hovdebo, Don
In the first decades of the Cold War, northern Saskatchewan provided the United States military with a valuable, stable supply of uranium for strategic purposes. The mining operations that were developed to supply uranium to the United States military in this era ceased operations in the 1960s. Yet the people of northern Saskatchewan continue to live with the environmental and human health and safety risks of these mines to this day because, under the federal laws that regulated these mines in the 1960s, they were simply abandoned when they outlived their usefulness. As well, due to a quirk of Canadian constitutional law, the federal government has also abandoned its responsibilities for these sites and now claims that they are the responsibility of the Government of Saskatchewan. In the midst of this, 40 mines and 2 uranium mill sites remain abandoned and continue to pose a risk to the people who live in the vicinity. While the greatest concern should be for the environmental and health and safety risks these sites pose to the residents of the region, it is also worth noting that the current uranium mining industry views government inaction in addressing these abandoned sites as a continuing impediment to the public acceptance of their current operations, their international reputation, and their future growth in this province. This stems in large part from the fact that the general public does not differentiate between the historical owners of the properties in question and the (unrelated) uranium mining companies currently active in the province.

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Browsing Public Policy Papers by Subject "Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy"