New Directions for Intelligent Government in Canada Edited by Fred Gorbet and Andrew Sharpe To be published in September 2011 by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards The traditional "big-government/small-government" debates are ideological rather than content-driven. We do not necessarily need 'more government', but we do need 'more intelligent government', that is a government that recognizes there is a legitimate role for the state in social and economic policy and focuses on how to best play that role in a way that is effective without stifling innovation, creativity and private initiative. Whether it is government programming (ie., new spending programs versus targeted tax expenditures) or regulation (ie., how much, affecting who, what sanctions) there are choices to be made. But in all of these areas there is a role for governments to play that should be informed by solid analysis. In his work as a public servant Ian Stewart brought this analytical focus to the role of the state. The editors believe that we need more of this approach as we move forward to deal with the challenges ahead. This workshop and the resulting volume will contain contributions from leading Canadian economists that discuss specific public policy issues and the role of an intelligent government in addressing them. Workshop Venue: Earl Grey Room, Minto Place Hotel, 185 Lyon Street North, Ottawa, Ontario WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 2011 (Sessions Chaired by Fred Gorbet) 9:00- 9:15 Opening Remarks Fred Gorbet and Andrew Sharpe 9:15-10:30 Session 1: Tax-Transfer Policy Robin Boadway (Queen's University) "Tax-Transfer Policy for 21st Century Canada" Discussants: Stan Winer (Carleton University) and Stephen Richardson (University of Calgary) 10:45-12:00 Session 2: The Role of Government in the Economy John Richards (Simon Fraser University) "How Big Should Government Be?" Discussants: Mario Seccareccia (University of Ottawa) and Russell Robinson (Former senior Finance Canada official) 12:00-1:00 Lunch 1:00-2:15 Session 3: Macro-Economic Policy Lars Osberg (Dalhousie University) "Macro-Economic Policy, Economic Insecurity, and Unemployment: Policy Discourse in Canada since Ian Stewart: Disappearance and Re-Discovery" Discussants: Tim Sargent (Privy Council Office) and Gordon Betcherman (University of Ottawa) 2:15-3:30 Session 4: Monetary Policy Chris Ragan (McGill University) "Getting Monetary Policy Right" Discussants: Paul Jenkins (former Senior Deputy Governor, Bank of Canada) and Nick Rowe (Carleton University) 3:45-5:00 Session 5: Financial Sector Policy David Dodge (Bennett Jones) "Public Policy for the Canadian Financial System: From Porter to the Present and Beyond" Discussants: Nick Le Pan (former OSFI Head) and Rob Stewart (Finance Canada) 6:00-7:00 Reception: Mamma Theresa, 300 Somerset Street West at O’Connor Street (upstairs) 7:00 Dinner: Mamma Theresa, 300 Somerset Street West at O’Connor Street (upstairs) THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2011 (Sessions Chaired by Andrew Sharpe) 9:00-10:30 Session 6: Public Policy and Data Issues Munir Sheikh (Queen’s University, Carleton University and former Chief Statistician of Canada) "Good Data and Intelligent Government" Discussants: Ivan Fellegi (Chief Statistician Emeritus, Statistics Canada) and Ross Finnie (University of Ottawa) 10:45-12:15 Session 7: Policies to Improve Subjective Well-being John Helliwell (University of British Columbia and Canadian Institute for Advanced Research) "How Can Subjective Well-being Be Improved?" Discussants: Judith Maxwell (former President, CPRN) and Hugh Segal (Senate of Canada) 12:15-1:15 Lunch 1:15-2:15 Session 8: Health Policy Michael Wolfson (Statistics Canada and University of Ottawa) "Health Care is an Information Industry" Discussants: John Wright (President, Canadian Institute for Health Information) 2:30-3:45 Session 9: Roundtable on Energy Policy Participants: Andre Plourde (University of Alberta), Alan Nymark (Centre for the Study of Living Standards) and Michael Cleland (Canada West Foundation) 3:45-4:00 Concluding Remarks Ian Stewart Papers to be Included in Festschrift Volume but not Presented at Authors’ Workshop Scott Clark (former Deputy Minister of Finance) “Building Credible Fiscal Policy: The View of a Former Practitioner” Craig Riddell (University of British Columbia) “The Development of Human Capital in Canada” Morley Gunderson (University of Toronto) “Principles of an Effective Labour Market Adjustment Strategy” Don Drummond (Queen’s University and former Associate Deputy Minister of Finance) “Personal Reflections on the State of Public Policy Analysis in Canada” Keith Banting (Queen’s University) “Social Policy in A Global Recession: Staying the Course or Changing the Trajectory” Pierre Fortin (UQAM) “Income Support in the Canadian Federation"