AIMS On-Line for mid February 2002
Here is what's new at AIMS, Atlantic Canada's Public Policy Think Tank
Government Handouts in Newfoundland – The truth behind the Rhetoric
Ottawa Citizen writer Bruce Ward recently described the final episode of the Random Passage series as “The struggle of Irish immigrants in Newfoundland before the invention of government handouts.” Needless to say, this comment elicited a storm of negative responses from Newfoundlanders. In this reply piece, again in the Ottawa Citizen, Peter Fenwick, AIMS' regular contributor from Newfoundland and Labrador and former Director of Communications at the Institute, takes the Newfoundland government to task for perpetuating the negative stereotype that Ward was repeating. Fenwick argues that Newfoundlanders are struggling to reduce their dependence but their provincial government undoes much of their hard work in the eyes of the rest of the country with make-work projects and other policies little suited to a modern economy. Publication: OC, February 8, 2002
Robin Neill’s presentation to the Standing Committee on HRD and the Status of Persons with Disabilities
Robin Neill, Chair of AIMS Research Advisory Board, appeared before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities during the statutory review of the Employment Equity Act. As part of his remarks, Professor Neill highlighted the difficulty with quotas by explaining to the committee that the problem now is a decline in the participation rate of males in the labour force. Employment of women is going up and the proportion of men employed is going down. Professor Neill asked if this then required legislation to improve the position of men, placing yet one more constraint on market forces? His answer is that what was not good for the gander is not good for the goose; we ought not to legislate advanced employment quotas of men in this country. What we ought to do is undo the legislation we now have on the books.
AIMS author discusses the potential role of for-profit hospitals and clinics
Professor Brian Ferguson identifies common Canadian myths about private health care systems and outlines the difficulties associated with estimating hospital productivity.
Canada First Puts Canada (and New Brunswick) Last
The efforts to implement a so-called "Canada First" export strategy for natural gas will seriously jeopardise the future of the natural gas industry in Atlantic Canada. This is the message that AIMS President, Brian Lee Crowley, brought to the National Energy Board during hearings in New Brunswick. According to Crowley, if such a policy had been in place ten years ago there would be no gas for us to fight about today – the Sable Offshore project never would have happened. Similarly, adopting New Brunswick's proposed changes would not only put at risk current developments like the Deep Panuke project, but the future of the industry on the East Coast as well. A policy that restrains gas exports will make large capital investments in Atlantic Canada difficult to justify especially when weighed against other areas of gas exploration worldwide.