EXPERT ADVISORY – April 2, 2025 – R0044
A Brock expert, together with colleagues from other Canadian universities, is calling upon the federal government to convene a royal commission on securing Canada’s future.
Alongside Jörg Broschek, Érick Duchesne and Patrick Leblond, Brock University Associate Professor of Political Science Blayne Haggart penned an open letter, available in English and French and also published by Policy Options, outlining the argument in favour of a royal commission.
Haggart says that although royal commissions may seem old-fashioned — the last one was the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, established in 1991 — they have proven effective at mapping out complex issues and informing a path forward.
“Royal commissions not only set out recommendations that the government should act on, but they also set out a way of thinking about things based on voices from across the country,” says Haggart. “A royal commission is a way we can think publicly about these things and build consensus.”
In the letter, the authors outline how drastically the world has changed over the past 20 years and say that Canadians are long overdue for some dedicated thinking and action around security.
According to Haggart, some key concerns are reducing economic dependence on the United States and reducing security vulnerabilities within the military, while also continuing to co-operate with the U.S., when necessary.
He also says the threat to Canadian sovereignty has created a moment for Canada to commit more fully to respecting the sovereignty of Indigenous nations and finding ways to work together.
“It is vitally important that our current moment of patriotism and nationalism be used positively,” says Haggart. “Our Canadian sovereignty is under attack by the United States, and it’s at risk, which tells us that sovereignty is important, something we should respect, especially in our treaty obligations with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.”
Haggart points to recent calls to resurrect plans for constructing a national oil pipeline as an example of how reactive thinking and decision-making that fails to involve multiple perspectives or consider new options will not serve the current moment.
“Building a cross-country pipeline is a project that has been on the back burner for the past several decades,” he says. “But it’s not 2009 anymore. We’re in a climate emergency. There are other energy technologies out there. Things have changed, and a pipeline is only one possible way we could address our current problems. Simply dusting off existing projects won’t be enough to get us through.”
He also says the groundswell of popular support for Canadian businesses in the last two months shows that citizens are ready to consider new approaches.
“The ideas people are open to today — of creating a more self-contained, resilient Canadian economy and making the military more independent — have been largely ignored or downplayed for the past 40 years, during which we focused on free trade and integration with the United States,” says Haggart. “There is a visceral sense that we have to change things, but unless we work through exactly what that means in the public eye, the temptation of the status quo will continue.”
Haggart is also concerned that the big picture is not yet playing a major part in the federal election campaign.
“We can’t tax-cut our way out of the problem that we’re in — we need new thinking,” he says. “If we make decisions moment to moment, we could end up sleepwalking in a direction that we don’t want to go. At some point, the government has a responsibility to take the time, do the work and figure out what we want to do as a country.”
Associate Professor of Political Science Blayne Haggart is available for media interviews on this topic.
For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
*Sarah Ackles, Communications Specialist, Brock University [email protected] or 289-241-5483
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