Fiscal Choices: Canada After the Pandemic; Michael M. Atkinson and Haizhen Mou (University of Toronto Press)
Fiscal Choices offers a succinct and sobering, yet vital, analysis of Canada’s post-pandemic fiscal landscape. The authors navigate the “polycrisis” of stagnation, inflation and inequality and offer a welcome discussion of the benefits and costs associated with government interventions during a difficult period. They offer valuable reflections on economic recovery strategies as well as prescriptions for the policy-making process itself, and perceptively capture federal/provincial dynamics. Fiscal Choices is a timely contribution to the policy landscape, given the importance of federalism in dealing with emerging threats.
Michael M. Atkinson is an emeritus professor at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan and an adjunct professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria.
Haizhen Mou is a professor at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan.
And Sometimes They Kill You: Confronting the Epidemic of Intimate Partner Violence; Pamela Cross (Between The Lines)
And Sometimes They Kill You is a powerful combination of legal expertise and advocacy, exploring the systemic failures in addressing intimate partner violence. Cross has made an important contribution to our understanding of what has been done and what is left to do to diminish violence against women and children and persuasively discusses the need for wider use of restorative and transformative justice. Her call for a “whole-of-society” strategy to address this pervasive issue makes it essential reading for policymakers.
Pamela Cross is a feminist lawyer who works in the gender-based-violence movement, focussing on the intersections between intimate partner violence and Canadian legal systems. She lives in Kingston, ON
Constraining the Court: Judicial Power and Policy Implementation in the Charter Era; James B. Kelly (UBC Press)
Constraining the Court explores what happens when a statute involving a significant public policy issue – French language rights in Quebec, or medical assistance in dying – is declared unconstitutional by the Court. It tackles with nuance and subtlety the inherent tension between the Supreme Court’s supremacy on constitutional matters and the legislature’s democratic mandate to set policy. Kelly discusses how the ways in which the Court responds to policy issues tell a compelling story about judicial power in Canada. The book offers valuable insights for those navigating Canada’s legal and policy landscape.
James B. Kelly is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University. He is the author of Governing with the Charter: Legislative and Judicial Activism and Framers’ Intent, which was shortlisted for the 2005 Donner Prize.
Seized by Uncertainty: The Markets, Media and Special Interests that Shaped Canada’s Response to COVID-19; Kevin Quigley, Kaitlynne Lowe, Sarah Moore, and Brianna Wolfe; (McGill-Queen’s University Press)
Seized By Uncertainty is a deep dive into Canada’s response to the COVID crisis; exploring how cultural, institutional and political factors influenced decision-making, as well as the impact of government measures on various segments of the Canadian population. The authors argue that Canada’s response was inadequate, and that institutional inertia will prevent us from learning the right lessons from the pandemic. It delivers a clear message to policymakers that a more comprehensive understanding of risk tolerance and emergency preparedness is required to face the next pandemic.
Kevin Quigley is Director of the MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance and a professor in the Department of Public and International Affairs at Dalhousie University.
Kaitlynne Lowe, Sarah Moore and Brianna Wolfe are research assistants at the MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance at Dalhousie University.
Hard Lessons in Corporate Governance; Bryce C. Tingle (Cambridge University Press)
Hard Lessons in Corporate Governance extensively reviews current corporate governance, challenging many conventional issues — basically eviscerating the claims of the corporate governance “industry” that performance will improve. One by one, Tingle shows that “best practices” are nothing of the sort and provides a well-thought-out roadmap and precise policy recommendations for more effective and socially responsible internal governance. This has a wider importance as corporate governance has an impact on policymaking, and aligning corporate decision-making with societal goals would make for better policy.
Bryce C. Tingle KC is Professor and N. Murray Edwards Chair in Business Law in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary.