Long-term short-term problem
Grammarians will wince at his phraseology, but Roy Romanow’s on to something. “ Short- termism and the application of simplistic solutions to complex problems seem to have taken over,” the former Saskatchewan premier and medicare commissioner told the Council of Canadians in a recent speech.
“ There are moments when I feel we are well down a pathway that leads to more poverty, increased racism, increasing crime and environmental degradation. I don’t recognize this road as a Canadian one.” Romanow is no stranger to shortterm political pressures. As an eight- term legislator, he kept one eye on the electoral calendar. As premier of his province, he implemented his share of quick fixes and myopic policies. As a first minister, he engaged in petty turf wars and ad hoc deal- making. But the 66- year- old statesman tried not to lose sight of the bigger picture or neglect his responsibility to future generations. Romanow isn’t sure that could be said of today’s policy- makers. He looks at the way Prime Minister Paul Martin and the premiers have reduced his 2002 call for far- reaching reform of Canada’s public health- care system to a simple formula: Shorten the waiting list for five high- demand treatments ( cancer and heart surgery, joint replacement, sight restoration and diagnostic imaging). That might bring temporary relief from the complaints that well up at election time. It might alleviate the most visible symptom of an overstressed system. It might ease federalprovincial tensions for a while. But it won’t put medicare on a secure footing. It won’t slow the growth of a parallel, private health- care system for those willing to pay. It won’t address the chronic diseases that plague the poor, the elderly and aboriginal communities. It won’t ensure that all Canadians have access to medically necessary drugs. And it won’t lessen the strain on overburdened hospitals.
Martin promised a “ fix for a generation.” What he and his provincial counterparts produced was a plan to buy peace for a year or two. Romanow worries about one-off deals the Prime Minister has struck with various provincial premiers. Danny Williams of Newfoundland and John Hamm of Nova Scotia got an agreement to keep their offshore oil revenues without losing equalization payments. Jean Charest got special deals on child care and health, allowing Quebec to receive federal funds without agreeing to national standards. Dalton McGuinty hasn’t done as well in his campaign to get a reduction in the $23 billion gap between the taxes Ontarians pay into the federal treasury and the services they receive, but Martin did offer him more money for immigrant settlement, job training and affordable housing last spring. As each of the premiers attempts to get more federal cash with fewer conditions, the bonds of nationhood weaken. “ The federation is becoming more like an association,” Romanow said.
There is any number of other examples one could cite:
The Liberals dole out tax cuts on the eve of an election while serious structural problems such as Canada’s deteriorating urban infrastructure, its inability to capitalize on the skills of new immigrants, its failure to curb greenhouse gas emissions and the emergence of a permanent economic underclass go unattended.
The Prime Minister rushes from problem to problem, applying cash poultices. After an outbreak of E. coli in Kashechewan, he frees up money to bring clean water to native reserves. After an outbreak of gun violence in Toronto, he allocates money to fight urban crime. Meanwhile, the conditions that gave rise to these crises remain untreated.
Each agency, branch and level of government focuses on its particular bit of an issue, leading to a bewildering and unsatisfactory array of half- measures. It appears not to matter to policy- makers that the challenges facing the nation don’t fit into rigidly defined categories.
All of these practices are buttressed by the constant use of polls and focus groups. As long as governments rely on multiple- choice questions and market testing to guide their choices, they are going to opt for the quickest, easiest means to satisfy the demands of the moment.
There is a remedy for short- termism, Romanow told his audience.
“ We need leadership that is informed by national purpose, a clarity of values and a longer view of things.” He didn’t say where to find it. Carol Goar’s column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.