Coronavirus will not dent the trust Canadians have in each other
In just a few days, we went from wondering how COVID-19 would affect us to finding ourselves in the midst of a national emergency. Many expect major disruptions to expose the weak patches in our civic fabric, and there have been, and will continue to be, actions and episodes that have disappointed and shocked.
The shifting lens through which Canadians see the Wet’suwet’en crisis
Canadians don’t just want things to get back to normal; they want things to get better. The country has moved on from where it was in 1990.
Satisfaction with Canada’s democracy declines significantly in Alberta
A functioning democracy depends on the support of its citizens. The popularity of specific leaders and political parties may rise and fall, but ideally without affecting the extent to which citizens are satisfied with the political system and have trust in its core institutions, including the executive, the legislature and the judiciary.
Canadians: richer than they think
Americans don’t often talk about Canada, except when they need a foil in a political debate. Bernie Sanders has praised our health-care system. Gun-control advocates point to radically lower rates of firearms fatalities north of the border.
In Canada, education excellence is also about equity
Functional families celebrate their members’ achievements – be they graduations from school, promotions at work, or personal bests in weekend pursuits.
Are Canadians ready to confront racism?
When racist incidents in Canada grab public attention, they usually provoke two reactions: general condemnation, and then a resolution to finally start a serious conversation about race relations in this country.
The real roots of Canada’s education test successes
As usual, the triennial report from the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – released in early December – brought a mix of good and bad news. Canada’s scores in reading, math and science are drifting downward over time; this is the bad news.
Achievement and equity in education in Canada: an update
On December 3, the OECD released the results of the 2018 PISA assessment of students around the world. The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada released the results for the ten provinces.
Let’s not get too smug about public attitudes on immigration
Many international commentators have been impressed by the strength of public support for immigration in Canada. At a time of considerable backlash elsewhere, Canada has actually been increasing its annual immigration intake.
Voters need to be suspicious of all the magical promises from politicians
As the two most powerful parties promise that Canadians can have it all, without sacrifice, surely some voters have a sneaking feeling there’s something important they’re not being told.