{~_~} Раиса
2014-05-09 00:26:13 UTC
Good think this organization is independent of the government; otherwise
Harper would be cutting their funding and silencing their researchers. (>_<)
_______________________________________________
May 8, 2014 - www.theglobeandmail.com
Canada falling in governance rankings because of Harper majority, report
finds
When it comes to good government, Canada is just average, and slipping
Canada generally stacks up well compared to other countries in quality
of life, incomes and happiness.
But when it comes to good government, Canada is just average, and
slipping, according to a new report.
Among the key reasons: the Senate expenses scandal, weakened
environmental laws, and a lack of commitment to "evidence-based
decision-making," says a global ranking of sustainable governance
released on Thursday by Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation.
"The word I use is 'middling,'" remarked Andrew Sharpe, executive
director of the Ottawa-based Centre for the Study of Living Standards,
which compiled the Canadian scores and analyzed the country's policies.
Canada placed 20th out of 41 developed countries in overall policy
performance, 17th in the quality of its democracy and 10th in governance.
The worst score was on environmental policies, where Canada ranked 38th
out of 41 countries, including ones as diverse as Croatia and the United
States.
"Environmental policy is the area that has most tarnished the
government's reputation for sustainable governance, both domestically
and internationally," according to a 43-page report that accompanies the
ranking. It cited the streamlining of energy projects, weakened
environmental assessments and diluted species and habitat protection.
The country also scored in 26th in access to information, where the
report found a "reluctance on the part of political and bureaucratic
officials to release information that puts the government in a bad light."
Canada fell further behind in all three categories – policy, democracy
and governance – compared to Bertelsmann's previous report in 2011.
Canada ranks much higher in its economic (7th), and social policies (7th).
The report traces Canada's slide in the overall rankings directly to the
Conservative government's majority election win in May, 2011.
"A strong case can be made that the quality of governance provided by
the government of Canada deteriorated somewhat from May 2011 to May
2013," the report said. "While the government has constructed high
quality governance structures and implemented effective polices in many
areas over many decades, the actions of the Conservative government
since winning a majority ... have jeopardized this situation."
The report highlighted several developments that have damaged Canada's
record, including the $90,000 payment by Nigel Wright, the Prime
Minister's former chief of staff, to now-suspended Senator Mike Duffy.
The report said the scandal "had a significant negative impact on the
government's record for probity."
It also took the government to task for "open hostility" to now-departed
Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page as well as the 2011 replacement
of the mandatory long-form census with a less reliable voluntary survey
that provoked the resignation of Canada's top statistician.
"Good governance requires evidence-based decision-making and [that]
requires high quality data," the report pointed out.
Even though the crime rate has been declining in Canada for several
years, the government continues to push a "tough-on-crime agenda," the
report added.
On economic policy, Canada generally ranks high. But the report said
weak labour productivity, particularly compared to the United States,
and rising inequality are key challenges.
Harper would be cutting their funding and silencing their researchers. (>_<)
_______________________________________________
May 8, 2014 - www.theglobeandmail.com
Canada falling in governance rankings because of Harper majority, report
finds
When it comes to good government, Canada is just average, and slipping
Canada generally stacks up well compared to other countries in quality
of life, incomes and happiness.
But when it comes to good government, Canada is just average, and
slipping, according to a new report.
Among the key reasons: the Senate expenses scandal, weakened
environmental laws, and a lack of commitment to "evidence-based
decision-making," says a global ranking of sustainable governance
released on Thursday by Germany's Bertelsmann Foundation.
"The word I use is 'middling,'" remarked Andrew Sharpe, executive
director of the Ottawa-based Centre for the Study of Living Standards,
which compiled the Canadian scores and analyzed the country's policies.
Canada placed 20th out of 41 developed countries in overall policy
performance, 17th in the quality of its democracy and 10th in governance.
The worst score was on environmental policies, where Canada ranked 38th
out of 41 countries, including ones as diverse as Croatia and the United
States.
"Environmental policy is the area that has most tarnished the
government's reputation for sustainable governance, both domestically
and internationally," according to a 43-page report that accompanies the
ranking. It cited the streamlining of energy projects, weakened
environmental assessments and diluted species and habitat protection.
The country also scored in 26th in access to information, where the
report found a "reluctance on the part of political and bureaucratic
officials to release information that puts the government in a bad light."
Canada fell further behind in all three categories – policy, democracy
and governance – compared to Bertelsmann's previous report in 2011.
Canada ranks much higher in its economic (7th), and social policies (7th).
The report traces Canada's slide in the overall rankings directly to the
Conservative government's majority election win in May, 2011.
"A strong case can be made that the quality of governance provided by
the government of Canada deteriorated somewhat from May 2011 to May
2013," the report said. "While the government has constructed high
quality governance structures and implemented effective polices in many
areas over many decades, the actions of the Conservative government
since winning a majority ... have jeopardized this situation."
The report highlighted several developments that have damaged Canada's
record, including the $90,000 payment by Nigel Wright, the Prime
Minister's former chief of staff, to now-suspended Senator Mike Duffy.
The report said the scandal "had a significant negative impact on the
government's record for probity."
It also took the government to task for "open hostility" to now-departed
Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page as well as the 2011 replacement
of the mandatory long-form census with a less reliable voluntary survey
that provoked the resignation of Canada's top statistician.
"Good governance requires evidence-based decision-making and [that]
requires high quality data," the report pointed out.
Even though the crime rate has been declining in Canada for several
years, the government continues to push a "tough-on-crime agenda," the
report added.
On economic policy, Canada generally ranks high. But the report said
weak labour productivity, particularly compared to the United States,
and rising inequality are key challenges.