Gregory Tardi, School of Policy Studies
The essence of democracy is reasoned political debate, bounded by constitutionalism and the rule of law. Within these parameters, leaders in democratic countries have adopted a range of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Divergent courses of action based on local political consensus are legitimate.
Jong-Yong Yun, the long-serving CEO of Samsung, coined the phrase “innovation loves a crisis.” It’s a mantra applied to the business world but rarely to the public sector. In today’s federal government, however, we are seeing a degree of crisis-driven innovation unimaginable three months ago.
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Toby Fyfe, School of Policy Studies
During the pandemic, government policy initiatives have rolled out at lightning speed, with perfection set aside in the interests of efficiency and results.
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Andrew Graham, Queen's University
The first rush of urgency is over. The second-guessing has already started, even as Canada’s public services continue to adapt and innovate in the moment. The question now is: Just what can come out of the pandemic crisis to make our public services better?
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Kyle Hanniman, Queen's University
Canada’s provinces entered the pandemic the most indebted subnational sector in the world. This burden poses few immediate challenges given low interest rates and the Bank of Canada’s recent efforts to support provincial borrowing. That’s good, because the last thing we need is for provinces to slash their deficits during a pandemic. But in the long run, provincial debts need to stabilize. What measures can Canadian governments take to ensure they do?
The Queen’s School of Policy Studies team won Gold at the National Public Administration Case Competition run by the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA) jointly with the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC). The competition is designed to highlight the excellence of Canadian public administration programs and students, as well as provide a valuable learning experience for students.
The School of Policy Studies offers a rich and rewarding learning experience that is unsurpassed in Canada and matched only by the best public policy programs in the world.
Through high quality interactive teaching and integrated learning, we enhance leadership in public policy by providing students with the inspiration, skills, competencies and connections to become contributors to the public good.
Date
Thursday January 15, 2026Location
Robert Sutherland Hall Room 202Join us for a lively discussion with Jonathan Kalles, former adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He’ll take us inside the day-to-day reality of the PMO and reveal how those lessons now guide his career in government relations and lobbying.
Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions directly to our guest during the session.
Jonathan (Jono) Kalles is a former Quebec adviser to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, after previously serving as a senior Quebec adviser to a number of federal ministers. He has been active in political campaigns in Quebec for over 30 years and was senior member of the Quebec war room for the 2019 Liberal Party of Canada campaign team. As a vice-president at McMillan Vantage, Jono leads client files across multiple sectors, sharing his expertise gleaned over two decades both in government and working in federal, provincial and municipal government relations and public affairs. Jono is a regular panelist on CBC’s Power & Politics and is also a contributor on CTV News and CJAD Radio in Montreal, as well as Radio-Canada in French. Jono holds a BA in Political Science and History and graduated with Common and Civil Law degrees from McGill University. He is also a member of the Quebec Bar and practiced corporate and commercial law in Montréal.
Hon. Bob Rae, Matthews Fellow in Global Public Policy | Policy: Canadian Politics and Public Policy
SPS Matthews Fellow, the Honourable Bob Rae, reflects on Trump’s new National Security Strategy in the latest issue of Policy: Canadian Politics and Public Policy.
Date
Thursday January 8, 2026Location
Robert Sutherland Hall Room 202Once heralded – and criticized – as a uniquely Canadian way of defining racial categories, the visible minority concept is being retired from government terminology. This presentation details the rise and fall of “visible minority,” highlighting the unresolved tension between racial classification systems that simultaneously acknowledge racial difference while obscuring structural racial inequality.
Debra Thompson is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies at McGill University. She is the author of The Schematic State: Race, Transnationalism, and the Politics of the Census (2016) and The Long Road Home: On Blackness and Belonging (2022) and is a contributing columnist for the Globe and Mail.
