insight & evidence
Government policy posts by the Policy Wonks.
By Peter Nicholson – June 23, 2026 This essay is the first in a trilogy inspired by the original short-form article, A Pipeline Isn’t a Field of Dreams, published June 29, 2026, on SAGE Canada | Substack. Read part two and part three. The push for a major new pipeline connecting the oil sands to the British Columbia coast has become wrapped in larger symbolism—Is Canada committed to...
In all the hoopla around the July 2 pipeline agreement, little notice has been paid to Ottawa’s reduced demands on the Pathways project partners By Peter Nicholson – July 14, 2026 This essay is the third in a trilogy inspired by the original short-form article, A Pipeline Isn’t a Field of Dreams, published June 29, 2026, on SAGE Canada | Substack. Read part one and part two. Prime...
By Peter NicholsonA Presentation to the Nova Scotia Offshore Wind R&D Forum; Halifax; September 24, 2025 Good afternoon, and thanks to our organizers, Net-Zero Atlantic, for the opportunity to outline why I believe, passionately but logically, in the nation-building power of Atlantic offshore wind energy. In the two years since publication of a paper for the Public Policy Forum in which I...
Canada’s provincial electricity systems are impressive but to make the country an energy superpower, they must be linked together. By Peter Nicholson and Rick Smith for The Hill Times, July 2, 2025 Faced with unpredictable and disruptive American trade aggression, nation-building projects are urgently needed to strengthen Canada’s economy and turn crisis into opportunity. The federal government’s...
by Peter Nicholson This essay updates a previous update posted June 26, 2025, and a paper of the same title published by the Public Policy Forum in December 2024 ( ). EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Industrial Revolutionary makes the case that today’s unprecedented developments in artificial intelligence (AI) will drive a new era of global innovation and economic growth, comparable to the transformative shifts...
An analysis of public service employment trends: 2010-23 By Peter Nicholson Since Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister in 2015 almost 100 thousand (net) new employees have been added to the federal public service, an increase of nearly 40% in eight years. The growth in 2023 alone numbered some 21,000 or 6.3%.[1] The significant increase has begun to attract media attention, notably a recent...
By Dr. Peter Nicholson – Opening Statement 5 February 2024 Let me begin by thanking the Committee for providing this forum to address the potential for massive offshore renewable energy development off our Atlantic coast, a scale of opportunity that has been greatly underestimated. Realization of the opportunity will depend on many factors, but one essential precondition is an appropriate...
How Atlantic Canada Can Become an Energy Superpower By Peter Nicholson for public policy forum INTRODUCTION Less than 200 kilometres off the coast of Nova Scotia lies the fabled Sable Island, known to generations of seafarers as the Graveyard of the Atlantic, a testament to the countless ships that foundered on its shallow, sandy reefs. Famous for its unique herd of feral horses that have...
Lessons for Canada from Nova Scotia’s Experience by Bernie Miller Introduction: Volkswagen and Canada’s Ambition for Leadership in the Green Economy Imagine it is late 2027 and the Volkswagen plant in St. Thomas, Ontario, funded with a $16B federal subsidy, is ready to go into production. There is a grand ceremony. Dr. Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG addresses...
What the Data Tell Us By Peter Nicholson This document presents a statistical portrait of the pre-pandemic state of health care in Canada. The data are placed both in an international comparative context and also disaggregated by province.[1] The portrait is focussed on 2019 and the years immediately preceding, owing partly to the latest data that is available, and partly to avoid the exceptional...
insight & evidence