On November 17, leading Canadian economist and the newest member of SSHRC’s governing council Jack Mintz addressed a capacity room on Parliament Hill as part of the Big Thinking lecture series. Organized by the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the series brings leading Canadian researchers to Parliament Hill between September and May each year for lively discussions on subjects of importance to policy-makers and Canadians.
Mintz’s talk was on the world economic outlook and its implications for Canadian fiscal policy. He offered insights on spending programs and taxation related to both recent and potential future economic disturbances, as well as how federal and provincial governments might respond to these disturbances. He identified education, research and infrastructure as three key areas where policy-makers and leaders should focus their attention and investments as they seek to bolster Canada’s economy.
SSHRC president Chad Gaffield, executive vice-president Carmen Charette, and vice-president, Research Capacity, Brent Herbert Copley were among the number of SSHRC staff who attended the event. Also in the audience were the minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney, the senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada Tiff MacKlem, member of Parliament Peter Braid, and representatives from numerous public sector and non-governmental organizations. Member of Parliament Michael Chong, who sponsors the Big Thinking series, thanked Mintz for his talk and for his overall research contribution. In doing so, he underlined the major influence Mintz’s work continues to have on public debate and policy-making in Canada.
Since January 2008, Mintz has held the Palmer Chair in Public Policy at the University of Calgary, where he is also director of the School of Public Policy. His research on public economics has been widely published and he is a regular contributor to Canadian Business and the National Post.
