Responses In Canada Research Articles

Environmental Regulation and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of Regulator Response in Canada

Environmental Regulation and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Review of Regulator Response in Canada

Labour Market Attachment, Workplace Infection Control Procedures and Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Canadian Non-healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to large proportions of the labour market moving to remote work, while others have become unemployed. Those still at their physical workplace likely face increased risk of infection, compared to other workers. The objective of this paper is to understand the relationship between working arrangements, infection control programs (ICP), and symptoms of anxiety and depression among Canadian workers, not specifically working in healthcare. MethodsA convenience-based internet survey of Canadian non-healthcare workers was facilitated through various labour organizations between April 26 and June 6, 2020. A total of 5180 respondents started the survey, of which 3779 were assessed as employed in a full-time or part-time capacity on 2 March 2020 (prior to large-scale COVID-19 pandemic responses in Canada). Of this sample, 3305 (87.5%) had complete information on main exposures and outcomes. Anxiety symptoms were measured using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder screener (GAD-2), and depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire screener (PHQ-2). For workers at their physical workplace (site-based workers) we asked questions about the adequacy and implementation of 11 different types of ICP, and the adequacy and supply of eight different types of personal protective equipment (PPE). Respondents were classified as either: working remotely; site-based workers with 100% of their ICP/PPE needs met; site-based workers with 50–99% of ICP/PPE needs met; site-based workers with 1–49% of ICP/PPE needs met; site-based workers with none of ICP/PPE needs met; or no longer employed. Regression analyses examined the association between working arrangements and ICP/PPE adequacy and having GAD-2 and PHQ-2 scores of three and higher (a common screening point in both scales). Models were adjusted for a range of demographic, occupation, workplace, and COVID-19-specific factors.ResultsA total of 42.3% (95% CI: 40.6–44.0%) of the sample had GAD-2 scores of 3 and higher, and 34.6% (95% CI: 32.–36.2%) had PHQ-2 scores of 3 and higher. In initial analyses, symptoms of anxiety and depression were lowest among those working remotely (35.4 and 27.5%), compared to site-based workers (43.5 and 34.7%) and those who had lost their jobs (44.1 and 35.9%). When adequacy of ICP and PPE was taken into account, the lowest prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms was observed among site-based workers with all of their ICP needs being met (29.8% prevalence for GAD-2 scores of 3 and higher, and 23.0% prevalence for PHQ-2 scores of 3 and higher), while the highest prevalence was observed among site-based workers with none of their ICP needs being met (52.3% for GAD-2 scores of 3 and higher, and 45.8% for PHQ-2 scores of 3 and higher).ConclusionOur results suggest that the adequate design and implementation of employer-based ICP have implications for the mental health of site-based workers. As economies re-open the ongoing assessment of ICP and associated mental health outcomes among the workforce is warranted.

What just happened (and keeps on happening)?: The experience of COVID-19 in Canadian pharmacy practice and education

The Canadian experience in managing the first wave of COVID-19 highlights the value of unified political leadership, belief in experts, evidence-informed decision making and social cohesion. Though far from perfect, Canada's response was built upon a foundation of universally accessible health care and faith in public health guidance. Community pharmacy has been an integral part of care delivery during COVID-19. As a second or third wave evolves, it is essential to learn from previous experiences to better prepare for what comes next.

Experiences of Environmental Public Health Professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic response in Canada

Environmental Public Health Professionals (EPHPs) have been playing a significant role in the COVID-19 pandemic response. This study examines the lived experiences of EPHPs during the COVID-19 pandemic and explores short- and long long-term strategies to address the challenges of EPHPs. A mixed-method, cross-sectional online survey was conducted in May 2020. The participants were the Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors certified EPHPs who currently work in Canada during the pandemic. The study results reveal that EPHPs have been heavily involved in the COVID-19 pandemic response by assuming different roles and tasks in many cases. The study highlights the vast array of EPHPs functions such as education and enforcement. Lack of employer support for training and access to safety equipment are among the significant outcomes. Mechanisms should be developed to ensure that mental health support is accessible for EPHPs to overcome the pandemic work’s challenges. As this is the first study to examine the lived experiences of EPHPs during the COVID-19 pandemic, further in-depth qualitative research should be conducted to examine the experiences of EPHPs at the local level.

Finances of the Nation: The Economic Response of Governments in Canada to COVID-19 in the First Three Months of the Crisis

For almost 60 years, the Canadian Tax Foundation published an annual monograph, <i>Finances of the Nation</i>, and its predecessor, <i>The National Finances</i>. In a change of format, the 2014 <i>Canadian Tax Journal</i> introduced a new "Finances of the Nation" feature, which presents annual surveys of provincial and territorial budgets and topical articles on taxation and public expenditures in Canada. In this article, the authors recount how Canadian governments have responded to the COVID-19 crisis through the economic measures announced between March 11 and May 15, 2020. Their analysis shows that Canadian governments have acted quite rapidly and that, by expanding emergency measures, they have tried to help just about everyone. The authors set out the estimated costs of the various measures, followed by a brief comparison of Canada's response with the responses of other countries. The underlying data for the <i>Finances of the Nation</i> monographs and for the articles in this journal will be published online in the near future.

Economic Policy Trends: The Bank of Canada's Response to COVID-19 and the Collapse in World Oil Prices

Economic Policy Trends: The Bank of Canada's Response to COVID-19 and the Collapse in World Oil Prices

Economic Policy Trends: The Bank of Canada's Response to COVID-19 and the Collapse in World Oil Prices

The Canadian economy is being hammered by global demand and supply shocks from the COVID-19 crises and a collapse in world oil prices. Much attention has been on the various fiscal policy measures introduced by governments in Canada, but the Bank of Canada has also been actively engaged in companion emergency monetary policy measures.

Novel Coronavirus, Old Partisanship: COVID-19 Attitudes and Behaviours in the United States and Canada

The novel coronavirus reached the United States and Canada almost at the same time. The first reported American case was January 20, 2020, and in Canada it was January 15, 2020 (Canada, 2020; Holshue et al., 2020). Yet, the response to this crisis has been different in the two countries. In the US, President Donald Trump, prominent Republicans, and conservative media initially dismissed the dangers of COVID-19 (Stecula, 2020). The pandemic became politicized from the early days, and even though Trump and Republicans have walked back many of their initial claims, there continue to be media reports of partisan differences in public opinion shaped by that early response. At the same time, the response in Canada has been mostly characterized by across-the-board partisan consensus among political elites (Merkley et al., 2020).

A Critical Juncture in Fiscal Federalism? Canada's Response to COVID-19

The COVID-19 crisis could trigger a critical juncture for several institutional arrangements in Canada, potentially leading to notable changes in fiscal federalism. This research note combines insights from historical institutionalism with recent economic and fiscal projections to explore avenues for reform in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Given the magnitude of the crisis, provincial governments may be unable to absorb the fiscal costs on their own. But vast differences in fiscal and economic circumstances across provinces make federal arrangements difficult to design. We argue that intergovernmental power dynamics and the principle of provincial autonomy are particularly important considerations in thinking about fiscal federalism post–COVID-19.

Forks in the Road: Energy Policies in Canada and the US since the Shale Revolution

ABSTRACT This article examines policy responses in Canada and the US to the shale revolution and changing North American oil and gas markets. We outline the effect of the shale revolution on North American oil and gas markets, and how the subsequent energy policy choices in each country changed the relationship between Canada and the US. In the US, increasing production, combined with the policy imperative of maintaining energy security, led to less support for Canadian supply and the subsequent on-off-on saga of the Keystone XL pipeline. In Canada, growing concern about the balance between the environment and the economy led to stalled pipeline development and reform of regulatory systems, problems exacerbated by the new policy direction in the US.

Многосторонний ответ Канады на вызовы пандемии COVID-19

This year the world is faced with a new global challenge of novel coronavirus, a strategy for responding to which each country has developed its own. For many countries, the spread of COVID-19 has highlighted problems and exposed weaknesses that have become more pronounced every month. Canada is no exception. Despite the developed economy, strong democratic institutions and effective governance at the federal, provincial and territorial levels, the pandemic has become a threat not only to people’s lives, but also to the economic and political systems. The federal government, as well as provincial and territorial authorities were placed in unprecedented conditions when it was necessary to make tough decisions on the introduction of restrictive measures (including a ban on mass events, restrictions on freedom of movement, mandatory quarantine for visitors) and at the same time timely financial support for the Canadian population. The federal center, together with regional authorities – provinces and territories – have formed an integral system of response measures in various areas, including support mechanisms for individuals (students, elderly people, persons with disabilities, indigenous people, etc.), Canadian NGOs, business – community, various sectors of the economy – from agriculture to energy. Also a system of timely exchange of information and data, increasing the dynamism and efficiency of political decision-making process was launched. This article is about the multidimensional focus of Canada's response to the COVID-19 outbreak, plans for responding to the new challenge at the federal and provincial-territorial levels, and how politically effective the federal government's decisions have been.

Policy Forum: Is Accelerated Depreciation Good or Misguided Tax Policy?

The authors examine the implications of Canada's response to the 2017 US tax reform. Canada's focus on accelerated tax depreciation will achieve lower marginal effective tax rates on capital for taxpaying companies, well below the US levels achieved with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that came into effect on January 1, 2018. By ignoring neutrality, the government offsets some of the potential gains by reducing the tax burden on capital, thereby failing to maximize efficiency gains from a better corporate tax system. Further, Canada's approach fails to respond to competitiveness effects of US reforms on corporate tax base erosion in Canada as companies shift profits to the United States. The low US tax rate on intangible income will draw certain functions to the United States. A more comprehensive approach to corporate tax reform, including some reduction in corporate income tax rates, would have been a preferable response.

Responding to student mental health concerns in social work education: reflective questions for social work educators

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we explore ways in which social work educators might respond to students who report that mental health issues underlie their difficulty in meeting core competencies, or otherwise use the language of mental health to describe their struggles to succeed in social work programs. We discuss various trends in policy responses in Canada, the US, the UK, and Ireland. While there are general policy trends, it is clear that responding to these kinds of issues requires the development of highly flexible and situated policy processes that can respond to student realities, concern for students’ rights and privacy, and an awareness of potential discrimination against students. These processes also need to meet the specificities of practicums, particular institutional policies, the mandates of relevant professional bodies, and the precise local legislative framework that shapes these situations. Given these varying contexts, in this conceptual paper, we used a framework on disability that is informed by critical theory to engage existing school policies and propose a set of reflective questions that can guide schools of social work to create an overall responsive environment. These reflective questions are designed to help social work educators balance the rights and needs of students with the professional and institutional demands that students meet core competencies in their education.

The Canadian Crown's Duty to Consult Indigenous Nations' Knowledge Systems in Federal Environmental Assessments

In 2016, the Government of Canada undertook a review of regulatory processes for federal environmental assessments (EAs) in preparation for replacing the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. An EA Expert Panel was appointed to review numerous oral and written submissions from Indigenous nations, government agencies, and the public. The Panel's final report included recommendations that were considered by Canada in the development of its currently proposed new legislation regarding federal EAs: Bill C-69. The goal of this analysis is to evaluate the extent to which Canada’s review and proposed legislation actually addressed the Crown’s duty to consult Indigenous nations' knowledge systems. Detailed examination of the Panel's review and Canada's response shows clearly that the Crown's duty has not been fulfilled by the proposed legislation, in either spirit or practice.

Rebuttal to the Correctional Service of Canada's Response

Rebuttal to the Correctional Service of Canada's Response

International large-scale assessments, affective worlds and policy impacts in education

This paper examines the impact of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in two national policy contexts: Canada and Australia. Drawing on theories of globalisation and affect, the paper explores ‘catalyst data’ and its effects in these contexts to show how affective responses to mediations of PISA performance have become important levers for policy change. Two empirical cases of the role of data in the globalisation of schooling are discussed. The first case examines responses in Canada to the PISA 2012 results, which generated senses of anxiety among parents that coalesced into a view that Albertan schools faced a mathematics crisis. The second case interrogates how, since PISA 2009, a narrative about the declining quality of Australian schooling has become dominant in political discourse and in media representations. The paper compares and contrasts the affective effects of data across both contexts.

Starving Ukraine: The Holodomor and Canada's Response by Serge Cipko

Reviewed by: Starving Ukraine: The Holodomor and Canada's Response by Serge Cipko John C. Lehr Serge Cipko. Starving Ukraine: The Holodomor and Canada's Response. Regina: University of Regina Press, 2017. pp. xxiii 351 Notes. Bibliography. Index. $80.00 hc. This book by Serge Cipko is an invaluable addition to the historiography of the Ukrainian Holodomor – the famine of 1931-34. It differs from most works on the Holodomor by having its focus on what was known about the Holodomor at the time, both within and outside the Soviet Union, how differing political ideologies chose to interpret information about this tragic event, and how social organizations and governments responded to it. This is a particularly relevant approach today, when partisan populist demagogues routinely dismiss the mainstream media as purveyors of "fake news," and opinion is increasingly polarized according to political orientation. In 1931, the Soviet Union under Stalin launched a five-year plan to drag the nation into the industrial age by launching massive projects and reforming society. A key element of this plan was to modernize what was still a largely peasant-based agricultural system through collectivization, abolishing private ownership of land and pooling resources in collective farms. There, it was reasoned, mechanization would result in greater efficiency, increased productivity and the creation of a surplus for export. The foreign exchange from agricultural exports would fuel the industrialization of the Soviet Union. In Ukraine, many peasants opposed collectivization and were reluctant to turn over their farms and crops to the state. Soviet authorities seized grain, shipped thousands who opposed their policies off to the gulag and reduced the peasantry to starvation. The result was a famine of horrible proportions. Millions died, although the exact numbers will probably never be known with absolute certainty. From hindsight, and since the fall of the Soviet Union, this all seems very clear but as Cipko points out, at the time, facts were few and the truth was in short supply. So, what did the outside world know about the famine as it was occurring? In the 1930s the Soviet Union was a tightly controlled society in all aspects. Movement within the country was controlled and the countryside of Ukraine remained inaccessible to foreign visitors. Most Ukrainians in Canada were from Polish-controlled western Ukraine, which was not affected by famine. The picture was clouded further because information coming out of the Soviet Union was contradictory and reports of famine were generally dismissed as counter-revolutionary lies propagated by left-oriented [End Page 145] organizations in North America and Europe. The Soviet Union refused offers of international aid, claiming there was no famine and its continuance of grain exports suggested that this was so. There was a reluctance to believe that a government would knowingly let its people starve. Its defenders pointed to Lenin's acceptance of international aid during the famine of 1921, reasoning that Stalin would do the same if a crisis really existed. Remarkably even-handed, this book reviews an impressive array of published and archival sources, including some 94 different newspapers and periodicals of the time, drawn from half a dozen countries, with an emphasis on Canadian English-language and Ukrainian-language newspapers. Cipko shows how conflicting reports and opinions confused even impartial observers. Some of the attitudes of Soviet apologists strike one as appalling, justifying mass starvation in the name of a political ideology: "What are 1,000,000 in a population of 162,000,000?" Then, as now, attention was deflected from the issue at hand by the "what about …?" ploy, in this case deflecting attention from famine in Ukraine by pointing to the poor economic conditions then rampant in western Canada. Urban populations in Ukraine, though affected by food shortages, generally did not experience famine conditions. Significantly, those journalists who were able to visit Ukraine were usually confined to the major cities. It was difficult to traverse the countryside and see first-hand the conditions of the peasantry. Even those who suspected that things were desperate in rural areas were reluctant to publish their suspicions, knowing that to do so would inevitably result in a cancellation of their visas. The famine in Ukraine affected all rural...

After the Paris Attacks: Responses in Canada, Europe, and Around the Globe, Edward M. Iacobucci and Stephen J. Toope, (eds)

Reviewed by: Jez Littlewood, Carleton UniversityAfter the summer of terror in Europe in 2016, readers picking up After the Paris Attacks: Responses in Canada, Europe, and Around the Globe may expect a book about recent terrorism in Europe. It is, but not in the manner they may first believe.The Paris attacks in the title refer to the 7 January 2015 assault on the offices of the magazine Charlie Hebdo by Said and Cherif Kouachi, the separate 7 January attack by Amedy Coulibaly, and the 9 January attack by Coulibaly on a kosher grocery store. The Kouachi brothers killed eleven, injured eleven, and during their escape summarily executed a prostrate police officer. After extensive hunt across Paris, they were killed in a shoot-out on 9 January. Coulibaly first shot and injured a jogger and then killed a police officer and a city worker, before killing a further four Jewish shoppers at the supermarket. He was killed when police stormed the building.This edited collection draws upon contributions from a conference on 9 March 2015 at the University of Toronto. With two exceptions, all twenty-four contributors are Torontonians by location.These attacks shocked Western states, as indicated by global headlines, marches, and gatherings in solidarity, and the presence of world leaders on 11 January in Paris. As Toope notes in his postscript, the rationale for the conference was the assumption that the attacks represented inflection point and, in Toope's view, an important moment in global affairs (212).Following that January in France, ninety-one other countries suffered terrorist attacks in 2015. Neither editors nor contributors could anticipate the wave of attacks in the following eighteen months, including during 2015 in Ankara (October), Paris (November), and San Bernardino (December), and in in Brussels (March), Orlando (June), Wurzburg, Ansbach, and Reutlingen in Germany (July), Columbus, Ohio (November), and Berlin (December), as well as a further eighteen attacks in France in 2016, including when a truck was driven into the crowd gathered on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice to celebrate Bastille Day, killing eighty-six and injuring over 430. This incomplete list misses many of the 29,000-plus people killed by terrorists in 2015. Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Syria account for 72% of all deaths, and the Middle East and North Africa account for 84% of the 12,089 attacks and 95% of the deaths overall. Terrorism takes many forms, but despite this it remains correct to note that terrorism conducted or inspired by al-Qaeda and the Islamic State remains the predominant terrorist threat to Western democratic states. Indeed, as the Global Terrorism Index 2016 report notes, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries recorded 577 deaths from terrorism in 2015, compared to seventy-seven in 2014.[1]It is not possible to read the book while ignoring this context. Even for readers less familiar with terrorism in Western states or worldwide, so many attacks (and responses to them) have occurred since January 2015 that understanding has changed. In addition, altered perceptions are not solely related to terrorism, but also to the rise of populism in the United States and Europe. So, a fundamental question is whether or not a book focused on early 2015 is worth reading two years after the events it refers to have passed--and terrorist attacks have become much worse in France, and elsewhere, in the ensuing period? …

Development of the Cold Weather Training Courses

With the increasing interest to drill in extreme cold environments and the existing drilling and production of oil in extreme cold weather locations, the extent of cold regions operations are expected to increase. OSRL tasked its Cold Weather Working Group to assess and build on its capability to maintain a suitable level of competence to deliver the response services required by its members. The subsequent action was the design and delivery of a five day cold weather Standard Course and Continuation Course to OSRL staff, Global Response Network (GRN) members and industry. The courses were designed using the cold weather knowledge and experience that OSRL staff gained through their secondments in Sakhalin, Kazakhstan and Alaska. GRN members, in particular Eastern Canada Response Centre (ECRC) and Alaska Clean Seas (ACS), were also instrumental in the design and delivery of the courses. The paper will seek to present how knowledge collaboration and impartation has been integrated throughout the full training cycle which includes the preparation phase of the courses, the delivery phase in Canada with the delegates from GRN members and industry, and the evaluation phase with a view for future development courses. Much research has been conducted on theory and methods of response to oil spills in extreme cold weather environments and the challenges that can arise such as the safety elements of working on ice and in remote locations. In conclusion, the paper will highlight the elements of the Standard and Continuation Courses that are implemented into the training cycle in order to increase, and thereafter, maintain OSRL's competence and industry's preparedness.

Population Control in the “Global North”?: Canada's Response to Indigenous Reproductive Rights and Neo-Eugenics

An historical analysis of reproductive politics in the Canadian North during the 1970s necessitates a careful reading of the local circumstances regarding feminism, sovereignty, language, colonialism, and access to health services, which differed regionally and culturally. These features were conditioned, however, by international discussions on family planning that fixated on the twinned concepts of unchecked population growth and poverty. Language from these debates crept into discussions about reproduction and birth control in northern Canada, producing the state's logic that, despite low population density, the endemic poverty in the North necessitated aggressive family planning measures.