Action Canada Public Dialogues on Inequality, Green Energy and Creativity

Since April I have been a fellow with the Action Canada program. Action Canada is a national fellowship that offers leadership development for early-career professionals with an interest in public policy through cross-country conferences that enhance an understanding of Canada and public policy choices for our future. Fellows are chosen from all sectors, including business, science, government, academia and the professions.

Part of the program includes preparing a Task Force Report and public dialogue on a public policy issue facing Canada today. This year, Action Canada is hosting its public dialogue on November 4 at the University of Winnipeg's Convocation Hall from 7:30 to 12:30. Throughout the morning, three diverse panels of experts will address three public policy issues.


Panel 1: Prospering Together: How inequality and poverty are jeopardizing Canada’s human capital potential and economic future

The first panel will examine the potential for rising inequality and persistent poverty to undermine Canada’s prosperity in the knowledge-based economy. Since the 1980s, the top 20% of Canadian income earners have seen $27,000 added to their average incomes, while the incomes of the bottom 60% have essentially remained stagnant. Income inequality is rising faster in Canada than it is in the United States, by far the most unequal advanced economy in the world. Inequality and poverty are associated with a number of social problems that threaten full economic participation, including poor health and literacy, as well as economic segregation. This panel will explore the issues as well as policy recommendations that enhance human capital formation by reducing inequality and poverty – to harness the potential of the entire population in the drive to make Canada a leader in the knowledge-based economy. http://www.prosperingtogether.ca

Panelists:
Armine Yalnizyan
Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Jim Milway
Executive Director, Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity

John Curtis
Professor, Queen’s University

Panel 2: New Ideas for financing Canada’s low-carbon energy future

The second panel will address the future financing of Canada’s low-carbon energy. As global energy demand continues to rise, high-carbon fuels such as oil and coal will become scarce, which, combined with climate change, will drastically increase the cost of energy. But considering that cleantech is an expensive venture, how can it be financed? This dialogue seeks to explore these issues.

Panelists:
Elizabeth Huculak
Vice-President, World Alliance for Decentralized Energy Canada (WADE) and founder E5 Projects

Tom Rand
Advisor at MaRS; Author of “Kick the Fossil Fuel Habit, 10 Clean Technologies to Save Their World”

Franz Tattenbach
President and CEO of the International Institute for International Development; former negotiator and climate change ambassador for Costa Rica at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC)

Alex Wood
Senior Director of Policy and Markets, Sustainable Prosperity and former acting CEO and President of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE).


Panel 3: Our Home and Creative Land: Developing Canada’s Creative Workforce for Tomorrow

The third task force is examining the question of how to train Canadian workers to be more creative. Creativity is the genesis of innovations across all sectors when developing new ideas, products and services. The ability to further leverage the economic potential of those innovations will increase prosperity in Canada. This project examines how a national training program that enhances creative skills can be developed and delivered for Canada’s workforce. For more information you can visit www.creativecanadians.com

Panelists:

Dave Angus
President and CEO of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce

Catherine Graham
Author and founder of CMG Creativity

Alan Freeman

British economist and visiting fellow at the University of Manitoba

Mary Corrigan
Founder and Principal Tracking the Wisdom

I highly encourage everyone with an interest in any of these topics to attend and to please help spread the word about this event!