Kevin Lynch and Paul Deegan
Kevin Lynch is former vice-chair of BMO and former clerk of the Privy Council. Paul Deegan is CEO of Deegan Public Strategies and former deputy executive director of the National Economic Council of the White House.
Federalism works best when it’s based on shared economic and social visions of the future. It’s time to turn battles over short-term irritants into cooperation over long-term policies that will pave the way to a more sustainable, prosperous tomorrow.
It’s time for more Canadian CEOs to talk to Americans, find out what’s on their minds, see how we fit into that agenda, and work with them to build a more prosperous continent for all.
Canada is rich in talent. As the economic challenges facing Canada become more and more pronounced, where are today’s Mulroneys, Mazankowskis, Lumleys, Wilsons, and Martins, who can help make Canada more competitive, prosperous, and confident?
A second Trump presidency would bring chaos to an already divided America, and sow confusion in an increasingly uncertain and dangerous world. If that is the outcome Americans choose, then Canadians have to seek out remedies.
Today’s political world is too full of hype and cheap shots, where soundbites masquerade as policy. As a minister, Ed Lumley always reached across the aisle and embodied a ‘Team Canada’ approach years before the term was coined.
The reality is that Canada’s productivity and innovation challenge runs deep and broad, and the keys to its solution lie in many hands, not just government support programs or agencies. Here’s hoping the proposed Canada Innovation Corporation avoids the pitfalls of some well-meaning previous efforts and is focused on improving the innovation environment not on sprinkling lots of small grants to many firms.
In the event a future American government comes with the request to ‘share the water, please, we’re neighbours,’ Canada needs a coherent and well-thought-out strategy. Being taken by surprise is not acceptable.
Better and more sophisticated risk monitoring is essential, particularly at international institutions, given the deep global interconnectedness of risks today.
