March 5, 2011
In Brief:
In partnership with the Winnipeg free Press, the Frontier Centre presented an 8-part series on a variety of topics affecting Manitoba competitiveness, well-being and prosperity. Law Professor Bryan Schwartz makes the case that Manitoba’s chronic reliance on transfer payments, its ever-inflating public sector and its increasing concentration of sectoral decision-making power in the hands of a few on Broadway is having an enervating effect on the province. He includes practical ideas for de-politicizing Manitoba and reversing its “have not” province policy model.
Manitoba, The Supplicant Society
Manitoba: The Supplicant Society (Part 1 of 8)
Manitoba has evolved into a supplicant society based on equalization payments that have the unintentional effect of limiting the province's freedom and prosperity.
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Diversity in Healthcare (Part 2 of 8)
Manitoba policy makers need to see how patient choice and institutional diversity can help, rather than hinder, cost control.
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Diversity in Governance: A New Deal for Cities (Part 3 of 8)
Manitoba must adopt a new deal with its cities which is reflected in provincial legislation and changed attitude on the part of provincial leaders.
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Empowering Innovation in Education (Part 4 of 8)
Thoughtful and imaginative reforms to the governance of our schools can be an integral part of moving from a supplicant society to a revitalized Manitoba.
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Political Diversity: Money Talks and its Language is Incumbency (Part 5 of 8)
Manitoba’s supplicant society allows the government to maintain its incumbency through the use of public monies to buy promotional advertising, as well as secure union and corporate support.
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Watchdogs or Poodles? (Part 6 of 8)
There is a conflict of interest when a government must decide if it will call an inquiry into its own conduct. The solution is to introduce a major role for an independent official. That person would be a preliminary investigator examining the need for an inquiry, considering carefully its scope and the protections to be given to those under scrutiny, and would make a decision or a public recommendation to the government of the day.
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Manitoba Hydro: Reforming the Jurassic Crown (Part 7 of 8)
Manitoba Hydro needs a full mandate review and governance overhaul if it is to serve the people of Manitoba and become the engine of economic growth it ought to be.
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Sustainable Underdevelopment? (Part 8 of 8)
Part 8 of 8
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View all articles in PDF (25 Pages)
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Bryan Schwartz
is the Asper Professor of International Business and Trade Law at the University of Manitoba. He holds a LL.B. from Queen’s and a Master’s and Doctorate in law from Yale Law School. He is the author of seven books and over seventy academic articles in a wide variety of areas, including constitutional and international law, law and economics, Aboriginal law, human rights law, and law and literature. He is the inaugural editor of two journals: the Asper Review of International Business and Trade Law and Underneath the Golden Boy, an annual review of legislative developments in Manitoba. Over the years, he has received numerous awards and honours for teaching, research and community service. Bryan is also a practicing lawyer. He has been counsel to the Pitblado law firm since 1994, and appeared many times before the Supreme Court of Canada. He frequently advises governments, organizations and individuals on legal issues involving policy development or legislative reform. He has often appeared as a media commentator, and has published op-ed pieces in newspapers such as the Winnipeg Free Press, the Ottawa Citizen, and the Globe and Mail.
