One of the big lessons of the current crisis: government matters and public institutions matter

No one need be denied testing or health care for lack of money. We now have a better appreciation of the importance of government and the regulatory state and we are likely to see a comeback in support for effective government and a decline in support for small government. Collective action matters.

Bank of Canada Governor Stephen Poloz, pictured in Ottawa on March 18, 2020, giving an update on the financial measures to help Canadians with the effects of COVID-19 pandemic. In many ways, the parallel is closer to 1929-30 and the Great Depression than to 2008-09 and the Great Recession. In fact, it is quite possible our pandemic will be worse than the Great Recession of a little more than a decade ago. Among those most seriously affected will be young Canadians just entering the job market, just as young Canadians were severely impacted by the Great Recession of 2008-09, writes David Crane. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY DAVID CRANE

March 23, 2020

TORONTO—These are scary times, with no end in sight. While Canada has been more fortunate than many other countries, with relatively few cases of deaths from the virus, no one can say what the future may hold. Will COVID-19 largely disappear in a few months or will it extend well into next year, ...

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