Taking the long view in public policies

“Look up – look waaaaay up.” That is how The Friendly Giant invited children to expand their horizons through the magic of puppets on TV. In a similar way, Indigenous brothers and sisters remind us to consider seven generations ahead and seven generations backward to broaden our perspective on specific decisions. Being mindful of wider horizons is an important counterbalance to the short-term pressures that drive current public policy decisions in Canada.

Red tape blindness

Buried in the 600-page, federal Budget 2025 Implementation Act (Bill C-15) is a provision that facilitates short-sighted decisions at the risk of unintended future consequences. It allows cabinet ministers to exempt individuals and corporations from current laws, except the Criminal Code, in order to encourage “innovation, competitiveness or economic growth.” De-regulation, heavily promoted by corporate lobbyists, sounds like a good way to get things done.

Lift your eyes and think for a moment. Quick approval for foreign investment in a pulp mill led to the Grassy Narrows tragedy in the 1960s, in which mercury poisoned the fish and water that Indigenous people relied on, causing illness and death until today. Or think about the Walkerton water crisis, when water treatment regulations were skipped, and children died from preventable infections. Think about the abandoned oil wells spoiling Alberta farm fields because clean-up requirements are delayed until there is no money left to do it. Laws that protect public health and the environment preserve future horizons. Calling them red tape to justify ignoring them for short-term interests can limit our children’s horizons.

Some amendments made to Bill C-15 will require more disclosure and reporting to Parliament. But when all major political parties are focused on today’s street-level issues, it is unlikely that brief consultation periods and parliamentary review will prevent harmful impacts down the road.

Public scrutiny

These decisions are often made indirectly, out of the public eye. An “equivalency agreement,” for example, allows Saskatchewan to expand coal mining in violation of national clean air regulations. Very few people understand or monitor “equivalency agreements.” Coal kills – later. We know that. There are alternative, cleaner sources of energy. That is why other provinces have put in the effort to stop using coal. Thankfully, Citizens for Public Justice and other civil society groups are taking court action to stop this exemption and protect future air quality for our children. Citizens going to court should not be necessary.

Changing immigration criteria to favour military expertise over other skills is another low-horizon policy. It is part of plans to develop a military-industrial complex to grow the economy. Defence is important, but militarization for economic growth leads to more weapon sales in unstable contexts and more sophisticated armed conflicts. It does not lead to peace, the future horizon we pray for in church.

Citizens need to look way up, think about seven generations, and insist that our political leaders broaden their horizons. Even better, let’s stop rewarding them for being short-sighted.