By Dr. Jason McVicar 2019/20 Fellow
The Action Canada traveling roadshow rolled into Nova Scotia the day after the 43rd federal election. As the political landscape for the country had shifted, the national leadership and public policy program returned to Nova Scotia. No better time to discuss policy.
Action Canada is a national public policy leadership training program that brings 16 fellows together on a yearlong program consisting of five study tours that reach across the country. This year’s cohort has had the privilege of visiting Vancouver and Victoria, Yukon and has plans for a winter rendezvous in Quebec City before the final tour stop in the National Capital Region in March.
If you want to understand how the land, the people, the culture, the politics and the economy inform public policy and want to meet the next generation of hip policy savvy leaders, there is no better way to it. For those on the inside of the public policy bubble there are other leadership forums and conventions such as the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference and the Banff Forum but Action Canada stands out with a longitudinal approach.
The study tours are jam-packed with opportunities to meet with local leaders in order to understand the regional issues and the impacts of policy decisions. A series of pre-readings are provided to provide local context and insight into the issues to be discussed. It could be described as a policy marathon but a Tough Mudder obstacle course may be a more accurate description of the variety of issues discussed. Over the course of four days in Nova Scotia, we met with provincial and municipal officials, academics and leaders from the cultural and media sectors who are engaged with the issues facing the Atlantic Canada.
The overarching annual theme for this year’s program is the Future of Work. It tacks on to and builds off of the work being done on the same theme at the Public Policy Forum, an independent think tank for leaders to meet regularly to discuss governance and public policy. They also deliver Action Canada.
We opened the tour with a welcome and regional orientation from our four Atlantic Fellows who presented perspectives from New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. The group was also treated to some down-home Acadian hospitality from Fellow Angèle, the Chief Administration Officer of Rogersville, NB, with a potpourri of cultural gifts for the whole team. We knew were in for a very special tour that would push beyond the Atlantic tourism tropes of tartans, lobsters and lighthouses. To use an Acadian slang expression, ca va être right d’la fun, là!
The range of topics covered in three days in Halifax stretches the imagination. We had the privilege to hear from the Office of the Clerk of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, were briefed on the disruptive challenges of the fishery industry and toured the Port of Halifax. There were several references to the landmark Ivany report, a call to action to reverse the demographic and economic trajectory of Nova Scotia. Sarah Young, a managing partner of The National public relations firm shared her innovation of The Atlantic Women’s Venture Fund which aims to get more women investing and facilitates the process for women CEOs to acquire investment money for their businesses. There was a refreshing emphasis on the arts and culture policy including visits to the Island of Misfits animation studio and the set of This Hour Has 22 Minutes where the cast and crew tested scripts for upcoming episodes. It really takes a whole village to create the weekly dose of East Coast infused political satire Canadians come to expect.
The team breached the confines of the Halifax Metropolitan area with a visit to the town of Bridgewater, which recently made national headlines as the winner of the Smart Cities Challenge, garnering $5 million towards a plan to reduce energy poverty in the community. It was a chance to speak to rural Nova Scotians about issues affecting them and provided an opportunity to do some community outreach for our policy documents on the future of work, which will be presented in Ottawa at the final study tour. My group is looking at policy affecting government-assisted refugees entering the job market. We connected with MJ, (all you have to say is MJ in town and everyone knows who you are talking about- like Madonna) a community organizer who is highly engaged with refugee resettlement and Rezan, who recently arrived in Bridgewater from Syria and has established a custom tailoring business in the mall. He shared the story of his journey to Canada while providing a tour of his store and his talents. The experience provided us with an opportunity to see policy in action and its direct effect on everyday people.
The Fellowship provides a unique opportunity to access and connect with community leaders in all regions of the country while bonding with a diverse group of dynamic leaders of tomorrow in a way that feels very natural.
In my day-to-day life I am a physician (an anesthesiologist to be specific) in Ottawa. I spend a great deal of my waking hours taking over someone’s physiology and consciousness in order to allow surgeons to access their innards. Most would consider it a small stretch for me to discuss refugee employment policy with a tailor in rural Nova Scotia. Not with this fellowship. Action Canada redefines the archetype of the policy wonk. The Fellowship provides a unique opportunity to access and connect with community leaders in all regions of the country while bonding with a diverse group of dynamic leaders of tomorrow in a way that feels very natural. That’s a difficult recipe to pull off. Full credit goes to the organizing team that puts it all together.
Next month, la Vieille Capitale!