Once a year Canada’s senior federal civil servants gather to exchange ideas and information. Top policy experts from across the country are invited to speak to the annual retreat of deputy ministers.
This year, AIMS president Brian Lee Crowley examined the pending shortage of labour in Canada. He reviewed federal government programmes, immigration policy and regulatory conditions that are contributing to the problem rather than providing solutions.
“All of this implies a major shift in federal policy from supporting consumption to investing in Canadians’ productive capacity. This will include changes in tax policy to improve the climate for private sector productivity-enhancing investment, as well as public sector spending on genuine infrastructure investments that pass a tough cost-benefit test.”
Crowley told the deputies that they as the “brains and muscle behind public policy in the federal government, have the opportunity of a generation to put a whole new face on the role of government in this country”. He concluded that time is short and urged them to make the most of it.
To read the complete Commentary based on Crowley’s remarks to this exclusive gathering of senior federal deputies, click here.
