The November issue of Inside Policy, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s national magazine examines some of Canada’s more intriguing and challenging public policy issues.
This month’s edition features a cover story by Guy Giorno, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Giorno, a lawyer with expertise in accountability and ethics, notes that while on paper the government is committed to compliance with Access to Information laws, the real values of an organization are demonstrated by its conduct, rather than its written policies. Giorno wonders why public servants who preside over organizations that fail to comply with the Access to Information Act don’t seem to face any career consequences. Giorno relates his own frustrations trying to access information from the RCMP.
In other articles, Stanley Hartt takes a look at recent takeover bids in key sectors as he examines the intersection of national security interests and foreign investment, and Tom Axworthy examines four contending visions of the north: military frontier, treasure trove, wilderness and homeland, noting that only the fourth was conceived by northerners themselves.
Also in this issue, William Dempster, Adrienne Blanchard and Johanne Chambers examine the progress of the Pan-Canadian Pricing Alliance, an initiative that involves provincial governments collaborating to negotiate lower prices for brand name pharmaceuticals, Mary-Jane Bennett has some recommendations for how the federal government can deliver on its Speech from the Throne commitment regarding cross-border airfare discrimination, and MLI senior fellow Philip Cross explains why determining where oil refining should take place should be left to the global market.
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The Macdonald-Laurier Institute is the only non-partisan, independent national public policy think tank in Ottawa focusing on the full range of issues that fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
For more information, please contact David Watson, managing editor and communications director, at 613-482-8327 x. 103 or email at david.watson@macdonaldlaurier.ca. On Twitter @MLInstitute
