April 27, 2016

Policy Options – Susan Delacourt

How policy is being made under the new Liberal government

Delacourt’s analysis looks at first impressions when the new Liberal government was in place and the evolution of a new and more collabourative approach, consulting a wide variety of people around policy.  “The word is getting around,” says André Albinati, a principal at the Earnscliffe Strategy Group and head of the Government Relations Institute of Canada, “that policy-making in the new Liberal government neither starts or ends at the PMO. Absolutely that’s out there…”  http://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/april-2016/how-policy-is-being-made-under-the-new-liberal-government/   Related article: Policy Options – Rachel Curran   Will “deliverology” work for the federal government?  The Trudeau government’s focus on deliverology shouldn’t distract it from building the public service’s policy muscle.  http://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/april-2016/is-deliverology-right-for-canada/

  Ottawa Metro News – Joe Lofaro

‘It’s a nightmare for them’: Mothers of inmates in Ottawa jail to host public forum

Mothers Offering Mutual Support (MOMS) is a support group in Ottawa whose members have children in jail.  The MOMS are holding a public Forum in Ottawa because they do not believe that such a place as the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre should exist in Canada.  “It’s just completely unbelievable that we can have a place like this in Canada,” said one mother whose son has been in and out of the Ottawa jail.”  Frightful conditions have prevailed for a long time and seem to defy correction.  http://www.metronews.ca/news/ottawa/2016/04/25/ottawa-moms-highlight-troubling-conditions-in-ottawa-jail.html

CBC News – Kristy Kirkup

Indigenous youth overrepresented in justice system: department data – Figures from Justice Department paint dark picture of state of Indigenous incarceration

We have long known that both male and female Indigenous people were vastly over-represented in the prison population.  The figures from the Justice Department itself for youth entering some form of the justice system are more even disturbing:  7% of the population but 41% of those entering the system.  “Correctional Investigator Howard Sapers, who has extensively documented challenges for aboriginal offenders inside the federal system, called the figures “atrocious” and said they reflect systemic failures…The criminal justice system is really a barometer of those failures.”  Says Justice Murray Sinclair:  One of the central problems is the state of the child-welfare system.  http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal/indigenous-youth-overrepresented-justice-system-1.3554394   Related article: CBC News – Tribunal orders federal government to ensure services for Aboriginal kids – Also calling on INAC to confirm Jordan’s Principle has been implemented http://www.cbc.ca/news/aboriginal/tribunal-orders-federal-government-ensure-services-1.3554279  Related article: New Orleans (US) Advocate – Denese Shervington   Including juveniles in the adult justice system perpetuates trauma http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/opinion/15603278-172/guest-column-including-juveniles-in-the-adult-justice-system-perpetuates-trauma

 National Newswatch – John Milloy

Bill C—14 is about more than individual rights

Former MPP Milloy thinks that the public discussion around physician assisted dying has been reduced to a question of individual rights and he thinks there is a broader tableau to consider and contextualize the discussion.  He says there are two issues to consider:  The first is the issue of personal autonomy and liberty; and the second is our common belief in the sanctity of life, which, says Milloy, is a legal term.  “In all this noise and activity we cannot forget that the end product needs to reflect the type of society we want. I, for one, want a law that not only confirms individual rights but also reflects our common belief in the value and sanctity of life in even the most dire of circumstances.”   http://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2016/04/27/bill-c-14-is-about-more-than-individual-rights/#.VyC3vFYrKM8  Related article: Toronto Star – Thomas McMorrow    Does assisted dying law pass the constitutional test?    http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2016/04/26/does-assisted-dying-law-pass-the-constitutional-test.html