The Best Laid Plans nominated for Leacock Award

On November 3, 2007 I wrote about a wonderful book that I had read by Terry Fallis called "The Best Laid Plans". Well it's been nominated for a prestigious award!

The Best Laid Plans or TBLP for fans is on the shortlist for the Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, named after Stephen Leacock. Go to http://www.leacock.ca/NEWS.htm to read the press release.

Here's the synopsis of Terry's book from the press release:

"Terry Fallis’s The Best Laid Plans centres around a cranky and reluctant political candidate who consents to run in a federal election based on the fact that he is “certain-to-lose.” Daniel, a jaded and burned out former speech writer is eager to leave politics for the relative calm of academia. His final political assignment is to find a candidate – any candidate he can uncover – to run in a futile race against a wildly popular cabinet minister in the Ottawa area. Daniel finds a candidate in crusty Angus McLintock, who in mourning for his wife, reluctantly accepts the task with the proviso that he won’t campaign, give interviews, canvass door-to-door, attend all-candidate meetings, use lawn signs, contact with campaign workers or even be in the country during the election campaign! As the reader can well imagine, things do not turn out as anticipated – always a great source of humour."

For those of you who have not yet bought the book - what are you waiting for?!!! It is a fantastic novel on Canadian politics. I could not put it down & I am not the only one who says so. Go to Terry's website and read about the kudos he has gotten and where you can buy the book - here is the linkhttp://www.terryfallis.com/

Enjoy!!

Another Fine Mess!

I’ve been thinking about the subprime mortgage debacle in the USA and its impact not only there but around the world.

For those who have not heard about this latest financial “scandal” in the US, where have you been hiding??!! To sum up what has happened….in the US, as you may know, a certain portion of mortgage interest is tax deductable (the interest payable on up to $ 1 million of principle) for your primary residence and even for secondary residences. Unlike Canada, this means that there is no incentive to pay off your mortgage as this tax deduction can be quite substantive. In addition, this tax policy incents people to buy bigger and bigger homes. That is just one part of the back-drop. The next part was the unscrupulous mortgage brokers whose incentive structure was based purely on commissions not on the integrity of the mortgage. They peddled subprime mortgages that started at a low interest rate and then a few years later reset at a substantially higher rate to individuals who would not have qualified for a normal mortgage. This was all based on the presumption that housing prices would continue to increase and that the asset value of the property would increase. In many instances, there was little or no down payment required. In other cases, people who wanted to renovate their home or needed money for health care costs took out these subprime mortgages. I have heard these loans called NINJA loans, which stands for "No Income, No Job or Assets"!!

At the same time some of those smart Wall Street types (the same ones who have brought you the Savings & Loans scandal of the late 70’s/early 80’s and the Enron/Worldcom, etc fiasco) dreamed up a way of packaging this portfolio of mortgages and selling them on the market as grade A commercial paper. They basically bundled solid grade mortgages with these NINJA ones into Asset Backed Commercial Paper and solid them as investment vehicles to banks, pension funds, governments, etc. I guess no one looked under the hood and analyzed the precarious nature of some of these “assets”. Where were those guardians of fiscal probity – the credit rating agencies?? What’s the outcome of all this – record high foreclosures in the USA, a drop in the price of housing, a Wall Street investment firm sold at a fire sale price, housing prices dropping in the US and a recession in the US that is threatening not only Canada but other parts of the world as well.

Here is a video on the subprime mess http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ_qK4g6ntM .

I have also added a good PowerPoint presentation that explains this mess.....enjoy

Download the slideshow

CPA on-line and Google

IPAC’s prestigious peer-reviewed journal – Canadian Public Administration – is now fully on-line. That’s 50 years worth of content that is accessible on line!! And Google has recognized the significance of IPAC and CPA!!

That’s right – Google – that BIG search engine has recognized the value of our website. How you may ask. Well, just google “IPAC” and see what comes up. Our little institute is at the top of the page (there are other organizations that have the same acronym). In addition, there is a breakout of some of our features such as “Gabriel’s Blog” (this is not going to my head, really it isn’t!!), “Public Sector Magazine”, “CPA Journal”, and “CEPMA”. I am told that for that kind of detail to appear, someone at Google HQ had to put it in. And they only do that if they believe that there is a significant interest in the detail from the “googling” public.

As you also know, through our partnership with Wiley-Blackwell, our journal – Canadian Public Administration – is now fully on-line. All 50 years of articles can be found on line. It has been interesting going back in time to see what were the topics of interest 50, 40, and 30 years ago. IPAC members get full access to all 50 years and all future editions. If you are not a member (or even if you are)…go to Google Scholar and look up “Canadian Public Administration” and see what comes up! If you are a member and haven’t yet logged it to take a look at CPA on-line, I would urge you to do so – there is a wealth of information available – you can search by keyword for areas of interest. Enjoy!!

Le Français dans les Airs : Numériser un héritage

Sandy Borins, que beaucoup d’entre vous connaisse, a publié un livre en 1983 par l’entremise de l’IAPC sur le conflit du bilinguisme dans le contrôle de la circulation aérienne qui s’est déroulé en 1976. Je me rappelle bien de cet épisode dans nos débats nationaux. Voici l’histoire que raconte Sandy…..


Un message laissé par une voix du passé : Jean-Luc Patenaude, ex-contrôleur aérien québécois que j’avais interviewé pour Le Français dans les Airs, mon histoire du conflit du bilinguisme dans le contrôle de la circulation aérienne, appelait pour dire qu’il passerait à la populaire émission de télévision de Radio-Canada « Tout le monde en parle ».

À l’intention de ceux et celles qui ne sont pas familiarisés avec le contexte historique, le voici en bref. Au début des années 70, les pilotes et contrôleurs francophones au Québec ont commencé à introduire le français dans un système de contrôle de la circulation aérienne qui ne fonctionnait qu’en anglais. Les pilotes et contrôleurs anglophones résistèrent, affirmant qu’ajouter une seconde langue réduirait la sécurité. Le gouvernement Trudeau, cependant, appuyait les francophones. Les pilotes et contrôleurs anglophones, tirant profit de l’insatisfaction du public au Canada anglais par rapport aux politiques de bilinguisme de Trudeau, déclenchèrent un débrayage sauvage, ce qui interrompit tout trafic aérien au Canada à la fin de juin 1976, deux semaines avant le début des Jeux olympiques de Montréal.

Afin de mettre fin au débrayage, le gouvernement Trudeau accepta de nommer une commission d’enquête judiciaire pour déterminer si le contrôle de la circulation aérienne bilingue était en effet sécuritaire. La colère des francophones face à cette entente contribua grandement à l’élection du Parti québécois au Québec cinq mois plus tard. En bout de ligne, la commission d’enquête appuya la position du gouvernement, et le contrôle de la circulation aérienne bilingue fut mis de l’avant au Québec en 1979.

En plus de m’informer que l’émission de télé passerait en revue le conflit, Patenaude m’a demandé comment il pouvait obtenir des copies de Le Français dans les Airs pour ses collègues. La question m’a fait tiquer. Peu de temps après la publication de Le Français dans les Airs (la version française de The Language of the Skies) en 1983, l’éditeur a fait faillite. J’ai mis la main sur toutes les copies qui restaient auprès du syndic de faillites et ai distribué la plupart aux bibliothèques québécoises et aux membres francophones de l’Institut d’administration publique du Canada, qui était partenaire de la publication originale. J’en avais plusieurs douzaines d’exemplaires dans mon sous-sol, et je les ai acheminés pour la plupart à Jean-Luc.

Ceci m’a incité à envisager de numériser tout le livre et de le rendre librement accessible. La façon la plus simple de le faire s’inscrit dans l’ambitieux projet de Google de numériser toute la connaissance humaine. J’ai donc envoyé une copie à Google et j’ai précisé que tout l’ouvrage serait visualisable. Rendez-vous à www.books.google.com, recherchez Sandford Borins, puis cliquez sur « Full view » (Affichage du livre entier) (http://books.google.com/books?q=Sandford+Borins&as_brr=1) et vous obtiendrez l’ouvrage à télécharger ou à lire en ligne en totalité ou en partie.

Verser le tout en ligne m’a amené à réfléchir à quatre thèmes : les narrations contentieuses, l’élaboration de politiques fondées sur la preuve, les fonctionnaires innovateurs et la préservation d’un héritage.

Le livre a trait à une narration contentieuse. Pour les souverainistes, le récit est l’une des nombreuses humiliations du fédéralisme canadien en raison de l’opposition du Canada anglais à l’usage du français dans l’espace aérien québécois. Pour les fédéralistes – et c’est là l’histoire que j’ai racontée – c’est un accommodement en bout de ligne réussi du caractère distinct des francophones dans un État fédéral.

Les deux narrations conflictuelles, cependant, ne sont pas mutuellement exclusives. À coup sûr les francophones, y compris de puissants ministres du cabinet de Pierre Trudeau tels que Marc Lalonde et Jean Marchand, se sont sentis humiliés par les concessions qu’ils ont dû faire pour convaincre les pilotes et contrôleurs de mettre fin à leur débrayage. Mais la solution au problème, assurer le contrôle de la circulation aérienne dans l’une ou l’autre des langues officielles au Québec, a été entièrement mise en oeuvre à peine trois ans plus tard.

La mise en oeuvre en soi est un net exemple de ce que nous pourrions maintenant appeler l’élaboration de politiques fondées sur la preuve. Lorsqu’il se préparait à faire valoir son point devant la commission d’enquête judiciaire, Transports Canada a mis au point une simulation d’opérations de contrôle de la circulation aérienne, en utilisant de vrais contrôleurs et pilotes, et a comparé le fonctionnement bilingue et unilingue dans toutes les conditions imaginables (notamment des orages durant une journée de déplacement à son comble). La conclusion retentissante qui est ressortie des données était que le système bilingue était tout aussi sécuritaire et efficace que le système unilingue.

La motivation à installer un contrôle de la circulation aérienne bilingue au Québec est venue des fonctionnaires innovateurs – des contrôleurs francophones tels que Jean-Luc Patenaude qui croyaient que la sécurité serait améliorée si les pilotes dont la langue maternelle était le français étaient servis dans leur langue et qui par conséquent commencèrent officieusement à utiliser le français.
La version française de mon livre a vu le jour étant donné que le directeur de l’Administration canadienne des transports aériens du temps, Walter McLeish, le souhaitait traduit. Il a permis à la traduction de se matérialiser en la confiant au service de traduction du ministère, qui l’a produit sans aucun frais ni pour moi ou pour l’éditeur. Traduire des ouvrages savants ne faisait pas partie de l’étroit mandat de Transports Canada. Mon impression – et je ne le saurai jamais, puisque McLeish est décédé il y a quelques années de cela – est que McLeish l’a fait parce qu’il pensait que c’était la bonne chose à faire et il n’a pas demandé l’autorisation de son ministre, de son sous-ministre ou du Conseil du Trésor.

Au moment d’interviewer les participants au conflit, bon nombre ont déclaré qu’ils souhaitaient rédiger un livre sur le sujet. Mais écrire votre premier ouvrage dans vos temps libres n’est pas chose facile; essentiellement, j’écrivais leur livre et préservais leur héritage. (Le seul participant à avoir écrit sur le conflit était le commissaire aux Langues officielles du temps Keith Spicer qui lui a consacré un chapitre dans son livre paru en 2004, Life Sentences: Memoirs of an Incorrigible Canadian. Spicer m’a demandé de formuler des commentaires sur une version préliminaire et a souvent fait référence à mon livre.)

Beaucoup, peut-être même la plupart, de ce qui est affiché sur Internet est transitoire, mais c’est également un lieu où faire circuler un savoir durable. Faire numériser Le Français dans les Airs et l’afficher en ligne est ma tentative visant à m’assurer que l’histoire faisant autorité de cet important épisode du conflit linguistique canadien et de la réconciliation, et une partie de mon propre héritage savant, soit accessible de manière vaste et permanente.

Le Francais dans les Airs: Digitizing a Legacy

Sandy Borins, who many of you know wrote a book in 1983 (published by IPAC) about the air traffic controller controversy in Québec in 1976. I remember this episode in our National debate quite well. I wanted to relay Sandy's story...from his blog.

A message left by a voice from the past: Jean-Luc Patenaude, a former Quebec air traffic controller whom I’d interviewed for Le Francais dans les Airs, my history of the bilingual air traffic control conflict, was calling to say that he would be appearing on the popular Radio-Canada television program “Tout le Monde en Parle.”

For those not familiar with the historical background, here it is in brief. In the early Seventies francophone pilots and controllers in Quebec began introducing French into an air traffic control system that used only English. Anglophone pilots and controllers resisted, claiming that adding a second language would reduce safety. The Trudeau government, however, supported the francophones. The anglophone pilots and controllers, drawing on public dissatisfaction in English Canada with Trudeau’s bilingualism policies, launched a wildcat walkout bringing all air traffic in Canada to a halt in late June 1976, two weeks before the start of the Montreal Olympics.

To end the walkout, the Trudeau government agreed to appoint a judicial commission of inquiry to determine if bilingual air traffic control was indeed safe. Francophone anger at this agreement contributed mightily to the election of the Parti Quebecois in Quebec five months later. Ultimately, the commission of inquiry endorsed the government’s position, and bilingual air traffic control was implemented in Quebec in 1979.

Besides telling me about the program revisiting the conflict, Patenaude asked how he could get copies of Le Francais dans les Airs for his colleagues. The question made me wince. Shortly after Le Francais dans les Airs (the French translation of The Language of the Skies) was published in 1983, the publisher went bankrupt. I acquired all remaining copies from the receiver and distributed most to Quebec libraries and the francophone members of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada, which had been a partner in the original publication. I had several dozen copies in my basement, and sent most to Jean-Luc.

This led me to consider digitizing the entire book and making it freely available. The easiest way to do that is as part of Google’s ambitious project to digitize all human knowledge. So I sent a copy to Google and I specified that the entire book would be viewable. Go to www.books.google.com, search on Sandford Borins, and click on “Full view” (http://books.google.com/books?q=Sandford+Borins&as_brr=1) and it is there to download or read online in full or in part.

Putting it online led me to reflect on four themes: contested narratives, evidence-based policy making, innovative public servants, and preserving a legacy.
The book is about a contested narrative. For sovereigntists, the narrative is of one of the many humiliations of Canadian federalism because of the English Canadian opposition to the use of French in Quebec airspace. For federalists – and this is the story I told – it is one of an ultimately successful accommodation of francophone distinctiveness within a federal state.

The two conflicting narratives, however, are not mutually exclusive. Certainly francophones, including powerful ministers in Pierre Trudeau’s cabinet such as Marc Lalonde and Jean Marchand, felt humiliated by the concessions they had to make to convince the pilots and controllers to end their walkout. But the solution to the problem, providing air traffic control in either official language in Quebec, was fully implemented three short years later.

The implementation itself is a clear instance of what we would now call evidence-based policy-making. In preparing to make its case to the judicial commission of inquiry, Transport Canada developed a simulation of air traffic control operations, using real controllers and pilots, and compared bilingual and unilingual operations under every imaginable condition (such as thunderstorms on a peak travel day). The resounding conclusion that emerged from the data was that the bilingual system was just as safe and efficient as the unilingual system.

The impetus for bilingual air traffic control in Quebec came from innovative public servants – francophone controllers like Jean-Luc Patenaude who believed that safety would be enhanced if pilots whose mother tongue was French were served in French and who therefore informally started using French.

The French version of my book came about because the then head of the Canadian Air Transportation Administration, Walter McLeish, wanted it translated. He made the translation happen by assigning it to the department’s translation service, which produced it at no cost to either me or the publisher. Translating scholarly books was not part of Transport Canada’s mandate narrowly defined. My sense – and I’ll never know, because McLeish passed away a few years ago – is that McLeish did this because he thought it was the right thing to do and he didn’t seek permission from his minister, deputy minister, or Treasury Board.

When interviewing the participants in the conflict, many said that they wanted to write a book about it. But writing your first book in your spare time isn’t easy; in essence, I was writing their book and preserving their legacy. (The only participant to have written about it was then Commissioner of Official Languages Keith Spicer who gave it a chapter of his 2004 book Life Sentences: Memoirs of an Incorrigible Canadian. Spicer asked me to comment on a draft and frequently referenced my book.)

Much, perhaps most, of what is posted on the Internet is transient, but it is also a place for enduring knowledge. Having Le Francais dans les Airs digitized and posted online is my attempt to make sure the authoritative history of this important episode of Canadian linguistic conflict and reconciliation, and part of my own scholarly legacy, is widely and permanently available.

Gwen Boniface awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal of Distinction in Public Administration (Ontario)

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending the awarding of the 2007 LG’s Medal of Distinction in Public Administration.

The award is presented annually by the 3 Ontario Regional Groups of IPAC – the Hamilton, National Capital Region and the Toronto Regional Groups – to recognize leadership and excellence in public administration in Ontario. The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Honourable David C. Onley presented the award to Gwen Boniface, the retired Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police in a special ceremony in the LG’s suite at Queen’s Park.

Gwen has worked in policing for more than 30 years, beginning as a constable in Downsview. She has a law degree from Osgoode Hall and held a variety of senior positions in the OPP, ending in 1998 with her appointment as the first female Commissioner of the 7,500 member OPP force. Gwen retired from the OPP in October 2006 and is now working in Ireland, with the Irish National Police Service. Speakers yesterday spoke about the tremendous impact she has had on policing in Canada and on her leadership in reaching out to all groups in Ontario.

Congratulations to Gwen on this well deserved award!

A Picture is worth….a lot!

Just read an interesting article in The Economist (January 26, 2008; page 78) that had people rate the leadership abilities and other personality traits of CEO’s by looking at their picture. And the findings suggest that these instant judgements are more accurate than assessments by experts.

The study that is going to be published in Psychology Today, asked 100 undergraduate students to look at the faces of CEO’s from the top 25 and the bottom 25 companies of the Fortune 1000 list. Half the students were asked how good they thought the person they were looking at would be at leading a company and the other half were asked to rate 5 personality traits – namely, competence, dominance, likeability, facial maturity and trustworthiness. Since all the CEO’s were white & male, the possible impact of these variables did not play a part in the study. As The Economist puts it “both the students’ assessments of the leadership potential of bosses and their ratings for the traits of competence, dominance and facial maturity were significantly related to a company’s profits.” Trustworthiness and likeability, however, were not linked to the company’s profits.
Wonder what a study like this would show in the public sector. Just food for thought!