Once the pandemic is over, we’ll need a new social contract for Canada

The Trudeau government should appoint an independent task force or royal commission to design a new social contract for Canadians, one that is much more inclusive. This task force or commission should be made of a small, say half dozen, outstanding Canadians, along with a couple of members from countries that have been the most successful in sustaining and strengthening their social contracts.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, pictured March 31, 2020, at his daily press conference outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa. The Trudeau government should direct Statistics Canada to prepare a full social/economic/health report on the lives of Canadians from the year 2000 to the present. Much of the data is available within the great data resources of Statistics Canada, but it needs to be put together in one comprehensive report that digs down into detail. Such an exercise would also identify where there are critical data gaps that need to be filled, writes David Crane. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY DAVID CRANE

April 6, 2020

TORONTO—Even before the pandemic hit, it was clear we needed a new social contract. While the pandemic brutally exposed the shortcomings of our society and just how vulnerable so many individuals and families really are, this didn’t start with the pandemic. Rather, the pandemic put the spotlight...

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