Established in 2007, the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS) is a centre for advanced education, research and training in policy and administration. It has locations at the University of Regina and the University of Saskatchewan.The school is named after two of Saskatchewan's best-known public servants, Albert Wesley Johnson and Thomas Shoyama. The school offers five graduate programs - Master of Public Administration (MPA, professional degree, Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA) accredited), Master of Public Policy (MPP, research-based degree), PhD in Public Policy (PhD, research-based degree), Master of International Trade (MIT, online delivery), Master of Health Administration (MHA, online delivery), five Master's Certificates, and executive and board education. The School employs faculty that include two Canada Research Chairs..
This study examines the influence of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on Jamaica’s rainfall patterns, leveraging CHIRPS data from 1981 to 2021 in 370 locations. Our analysis reveals a distinct ENSO imprint on rainfall, with La Niña phases showing a consistently higher probability of exceeding various rainfall thresholds compared to El Niño. Notably, La Niña increases the likelihood of heavier rainfall, particularly in the wet seasons, with probabilities of exceeding 200 mm reaching up to 50% during wet season II. Spatially, the probability of total monthly rainfall (TMR) during La Niña is elevated in the northeastern regions, suggesting regional vulnerability to excess rainfall. Additionally, during El Niño, the correlation between TMR and the maximum air temperature (Tmax) is significantly stronger, indicating a positive and more pronounced relationship between higher temperatures and rainfall, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.39 to 0.80. Wind speed and evapotranspiration show a negligible influence on TMR during both ENSO phases, maintaining stable correlation patterns with only slight variations. The results of this study underscore the necessity for differentiated regional strategies in water resource management and disaster preparedness, tailored to the unique climatic characteristics imposed by ENSO variability. These insights contribute to a refined understanding of climate impacts, essential for enhancing resilience and adaptive capacity in Jamaica and other small island developing states.
GST/VAT should apply to groceries in Canada. Misconceptions have led many Canadians to oppose taxing groceries or special interest groups to complain about the inequities inherent in taxing some food products but excluding others. With a broader GST base, for example by including groceries, the rate can be kept lower for a given amount of revenue. A lower rate is important, as the distortionary cost imposed by the VAT increases with the rate. Moreover, high income groups enjoy more tax relief from the concessionary treatment of groceries than low income groups. Concerns about regressivity can be addressed through refundable credits. Canada should have included many necessities when it enacted the GST, and Canadians should have recognized that the GST was fundamentally superior to the MST it replaced in many ways. This did not happen. Canada is left with complex GST rules that increase administrative costs for government, compliance costs for businesses, and create inscrutable consumer-facing tax rules. Groceries are an exemplar, and by including them in the tax base, it would be harder for special interest groups to lobby for exclusions from the base that are not in the public interest.
AbstractDrawing on the literature on federalism and public policy, the present article explores the recent politics of two highly-similar and closely integrated Canadian public pension programs created in the mid-1960s: the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and the Quebec Pension Plan (QPP). This article argues that the parallel evolution of CPP/QPP can be understood by examining how the unique jurisdictional arrangements for the CPP/QPP interacted with other factors to generate by these linked programs have led to the emergence of specific federalism policy dynamics, while muting or foreclosing other potential policy dynamics. As shown, governments have engaged in a process of ‘collusive benchmarking’ that has limited the scope of the available policy options. Differing demographic trends in Quebec and the ‘Rest of Canada’ have strained but also reinforced this policymaking dynamic in recent years. Simultaneously, intergovernmental race to the top dynamics have facilitated the recent push for both CPP and, later, QPP expansion.
Feeding the globe's population, projected to exceed nine billion by 2050 is a serious challenge. The application of new breeding techniques (NBTs) offers substantial potential to meet rising global food demand through sustainable intensification of agriculture. Yet, the development of crops derived from these techniques will largely depend on their regulatory approval. Using a Delphi method, we asked an international panel of experts to identify the top biotechnologies for improving global food security. Results clearly indicate that gene editing, led by CRISPR/Cas9 will be key for future crop improvements and production. In light of the debate on the future regulation of NBTs, survey results offer concrete guidance to those in a position to influence the direction of research and development and in particular to regulators.
