I have worked in and around politics and public policy for a good part of my life, and I now believe we can only rejuvenate our political system, end the widely felt apathy, cynicism, frustration and, increasingly, anger of ordinary Canadians, and create the kind of good, public-spirited and long-term thinking we urgently need, if we undertake three important reforms: end all corporate and for-profit lobbying; start capturing the real social, economic and environmental costs of commercial undertakings (full & true cost accounting); and convene citizen assemblies to play an active part in the collective choices and resource allocation decisions presently made by a narrow stratum of public officials and corporate executives.
The pandemic, growing divisions in our society, catastrophic flooding in BC this past fall, coupled with heightened levels of mental health distress among young people, are several disparate factors that tell us that things cannot continue in their present form indefinitely. The old model of politics and economics is not responsive enough to deal with the multiple challenges that confront us today.
This site is about developing progressive ideas and solutions to take Canada forward in the 21st Century.