Inside Policy: The public policy echo chamber

Press Release

December 20, 2024

Ideology has always been integral to politics. From John A. Macdonald’s “National Dream” and Lester B. Pearson’s vision of a “uniquely Canadian” identity, to Pierre Trudeau’s “Just Society” and Brian Mulroney’s fight for free trade, the most successful leaders captivate the public and inspire dedication to their cause.

But when politicians get lost in an ideological feedback loop of their own devising, the public ultimately suffers.

In this issue, we unveil our winner for Policy-maker of the Year: the public policy echo chamber. We explain how, by manipulating public opinion and even manufacturing consent, the current federal government has pushed forward a radical policy agenda that is both unpopular with Canadians and out-of-touch with their needs.

Elsewhere in this issue, John Desjarlais writes about undemocratic attempts to silence Indigenous proponents of the oil and gas sector, while Indigenous Affairs Director Ken Coates reminds us that First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities need more than just platitudes about reconciliation – they require authentic, tangible support as they deal with increasingly complex cultural, social, and economic issues.

On the gender ideology front, Senior Fellow Mia Hughes and Deputy Director of Domestic Policy Peter Copeland challenge a misguided and dangerous federal policy that permits biologically male trans inmates to be transferred to women’s prisons.

Senior Fellow Ryan Alford details a looming potential constitutional battle over the use of section 33 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, also known as the “notwithstanding clause,” while Tom McCaffery and Denaige McDonnell pull the plug on the federal government’s risky bet on EV battery manufacturing.

With Canada facing rising threats from authoritarian regimes like Russia, Iran, and China, Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment Director Heather Exner-Pirot warns that Canada has taken its economic and national security for granted for far too long. Meanwhile, MLI Research Advisory Board member and historian J.L. Granatstein calls for increased funding for the Canadian Armed Forces.

Finally, former US Drug Enforcement Administration intelligence expert Gary J. Hale reveals how Mexican crime cartels are extending their deadly reach into Canada.

As for our cover story, most Canadians want political parties to stand for something. But when governments become too rigid and entrenched in their dogma, they tend to overreach rather than reach out, impose rather than convince, and infringe on their citizens’ liberties. Eventually, their echo chamber – along with their popular support – collapses. Politicians of all stripes would do well to heed this warning

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