Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 7hWhat is the PM's understanding of federalism to begin with? 040
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦John Michael McGrath @jm-mcgrath.bsky.social · 11hOne of the important parts of @justinling.ca's recent piece that set off alarm bells for me personally was the bit about Carney trying to govern around the bureaucracy with new agencies instead of doing civil service reform. www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...theglobeandmail.comOttawa to turn defence procurement agency into Crown corporation, sources sayMove will give Defence Investment Agency and chief executive Doug Guzman far more authority in decision-making 78221
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 12h....many of us have been saying for a while that Forward Guidance alone won't cut it. policyoptions.irpp.org/2025/03/roya...policyoptions.irpp.orgOpen letter to the next prime minister: We need a royal commission on Canada’s future(Version française disponible ici) Sign up for A Stronger Canada for The Trump Era. A temporary newsletter with the latest Canada-U.S. analyses from Policy Options. There is no longer any room for dou... 041
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 12h"Justice Minister Sean Fraser told the courtroom full of dignitaries that provinces, communities and groups of people are asking questions about their roles within the Canadian federation." Well.... www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/politics/chi...thecanadianpressnews.caChief justice stresses need to protect democratic institutions as pressures growOTTAWA - Canada's democratic institutions need protection in the face of unrelenting pressures, Chief Justice Richard Wagner said Monday as the Supreme Court of Canada opened a new judicial year. 100
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 13hNB: the #AfD state party in Saxony-Anhalt is not just #farright: it has been classified as a right-wing extremist organisation since 2023. What could possibly go wrong?dw.comGermany news: Far-right AfD gets first house speaker in a German state parliamentFor the first time since World War II, a far-right party has a house speaker in a German state parliament. And Germany's foreign minister has warned that the climate crisis could fuel extremism. DW has more. 051
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦Luc Turgeon @lturgeon.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Carney likely has even less knowledge of Quebec than Harper had. He’s popular now in the province. Will be interesting to see if that holds with a PQ government constantly criticizing him. 131
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦Waterloo Region Record @therecord.com · 05/10/2026The secret isn’t just high-speed rail or massive infrastructure projects, it’s making public transportation so affordable the alternative seems ridiculous. www.therecord.com/news/waterlo...therecord.comI'd trade my car for Germany's transit systemThe secret isn’t just high-speed rail or massive infrastructure projects. It’s making public transportation so affordable the alternative seems ridiculous. 084
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 03/10/2026It's possible to compare apples and oranges, which is why I am planning to connect - despite all differences - some dots between the Sachsen-Anhalt election in Germany and the Alberta referendum in a panel discussion next week. 011
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦Jared Wesley @jaredwesley.ca · 03/10/2026More confirmation and details of the deep ties between Alberta separatists and Trump Republicans. They are part of the same far-right populist movement. And the Americans are deeply involved in promoting disunity in Canada. www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...theglobeandmail.comThe elephant in the roomAlberta separatists have gone to D.C. offering fresh water and oil in exchange for American support – and Republican operatives have provided tactical assistance inside the province 916886
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 03/10/2026...yes, other levels of government are an important part of the explanation. But a lack of transformative leadership is equally important. www.thespec.com/opinion/cont...thespec.comMunicipal elections are crucial for voting in transformative leadersMore than ever before, we are in dire need of councillors and mayors committed to propel transformative change, Jörg Broschek writes. 010
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 03/10/2026In my ward (city council level) there is one candidate who has a credible climate plan, and it's not the incumbent. Serving six years on a municipal advisory committee has not changed my view that I wrote down in the context of the 2022 election.... www.therecord.com/news/municip...therecord.comLocal climate plans are stalling — and the 2030 goal is slippingThe climate group says local progress is too slow to halve emissions by 2030, with provincial and federal policy shifts undermining key measures. 140
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Yes, he seems to be doing “lüften” while attending the G7 summit. 170
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 02/10/2026While Friedrich Merz seems to join from his attic home office in Arnsberg in the Sauerland region? 180
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦Armine Yalnizyan @armineyalnizyan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Holy cow "government’s huge subsidization of this project – up to 90 per cent of a $40-billion pipeline with ownership split evenly between Ottawa and Edmonton – ....." What kind of a deal is that? esp cuz we're subsidizing the past world of energy markets www.theglobeandmail.com/business/com...theglobeandmail.comOpinion: Is it really a good idea for the government to subsidize a pipeline?Designating the West Coast pipeline as a project of national interest exposes a global reality: Fossil fuels haven’t just lost to clean energy – they’ve already lost 149749
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Great work by the Star. Leaving aside that it showcases the widespread culture of secrecy across the board, the piece also confirms that the lack of coordination among orders of government is a very substantial problem of Canadian federalism. www.thestar.com/news/gta/cit...thestar.comWe fought 2 years to see the Ontario mayors’ group chat. Here’s what we foundOne organization fought ceaselessly, with the help of a large, well-respected Bay Street law firm, to conceal this correspondence from the public. 070
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦Blayne Haggart @bhaggart.bsky.social · 02/10/2026My colleagues and I proposed a Royal Commission in part to avoid just this situation. We need many voices, discussing and debating the best way forward, precisely because of the changes we’re facing, not just one voice. Depending on the wisdom of one (fallible) person is bad policy.policyoptions.irpp.orgOpen letter to the next prime minister: We need a royal commission on Canada’s future(Version française disponible ici) Sign up for A Stronger Canada for The Trump Era. A temporary newsletter with the latest Canada-U.S. analyses from Policy Options. There is no longer any room for dou... 01610
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦Blayne Haggart @bhaggart.bsky.social · 02/10/2026“There’s a fundamental contradiction between the tone Carney has struck at the summit and while globe-trotting, and the anger he showed this week after the Stelco news.” This is exactly correct. Another way of putting this is that Carney has been trying to run the old FDI playbook in a new world.…thestar.comWhy laying off 500 workers at Hamilton's Stelco is an unpleasantly familiar warning for Mark CarneyFrom Stelco to Stellantis to shuttered factories, a pattern keeps repeating — and Carney's summit buzz won't fix it. 22213
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦John Muller @mrjohnmuller.bsky.social · 29/09/2026I really love this show, and the second season has been excellent so far. Strongly reccomend checking it out if you haven't already. 1197
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 28/09/2026...which - ideally - elites find more difficult to manipulate. I can't deny that I read a lot of Habermas back in the days. 020
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Yes, that's why I was careful in wording this. The argument in favor of having a constitutional debate though would be that a broader, well designed deliberative process with meaningful public engagement can develop discursive power.... 110
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 27/09/2026....it could work. But agreed - I don't see anyone capable of facilitating this. Arguably, another lost opportunity. 000
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 27/09/2026I see this risk. Neither do we need more centralization nor decentralization (both zero-sum). What we need is a deliberative setting for debating meaningful visions about how we want to manage interdependencies and shared sovereignty. I think if political leadership would recognize this.... 100
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Wondering, however, if there's anyone left in the federal arena capable of articulating a meaningful constitutional vision(s) for Canadian federalism. 363
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Maybe it's time to get over the constitutional odyssey of the 1980s and early 1990s and - assertively - open this can of worms. And perhaps this is exactly the historical moment when Canadians can try to "become a sovereign people", to quote the late Peter Russell. 261
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Not sure if it's wise to let a bad faith actor drive, instrumentalize and pre-empt the constitutional space while all others (Ottawa included) remain silent.... www.thestar.com/news/canada/...thestar.comPremiers keeping cards close on constitutional changes pitched in Alberta referendumEDMONTON - Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's counterparts across the country are keeping their cards close to their chest on where they stand on the major constitutional reforms Smith is sending 13014
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦My IRL friends call me Chris @christyceeck.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Canadians deserve a voice in our country's direction -- and no matter what the CEO of Canada Inc. believes, our voice wasn't a one-and-done in a polling booth on April 28, 2025. #GiftLink 🎁 #CdnPoli www.thestar.com/gift-redeem?... 13616
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 27/09/2026With @bhaggart.bsky.social @prleblond.bsky.social and Erick Duchesne. policyoptions.irpp.org/2025/03/roya...policyoptions.irpp.orgOpen letter to the next prime minister: We need a royal commission on Canada’s future(Version française disponible ici) Sign up for A Stronger Canada for The Trump Era. A temporary newsletter with the latest Canada-U.S. analyses from Policy Options. There is no longer any room for dou... 0135
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Confirms what motivated our call for a Royal Commission in early 2025, which could have facilitated this form of engagement: "Global Canada’s report should serve a more meta purpose: it clearly shows that Canadians are informed and interested, and that they want to be engaged on these questions."thestar.comJustin Ling: Mark Carney may appeal to vast swathes of the country, but there are some things about Canadians he doesn’t seem to getRather than merely address global policymakers and CEOs, the prime minister needs to talk to more everyday voters. 1237
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 26/09/2026So the challenge would be to specify the causal mechanism behind this rather cynical approach to politics....food for thought for sure.... 010
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Ah, understood. Good question, no easy answer, but I would probably start by arguing it has a lot do with shifting mindsets of political leadership over time. A bit elusive, but strikes me as plausible, esp. if one compares how leaders perceived and articulated challenges in the past vs. today. 110
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 26/09/2026economics + a technocratic version of public policy analysis became more often influential. This article covers some of this by focusing on how disciplinary developments within polisci contributed to this - applies more to the US than Canada but nevertheless lawliberty.org/book-review/...lawliberty.orgWhy Political Science is Boring – Lee TrepanierPrivate philanthropic foundations like Ford and Rockefeller played an instrumental role in changing the practice and values of political science. 120
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I'd say this more technocratic approach essentially took off in the 1960s influenced by the behavioural revolution in the social sciences. Since the 1980s, the social sciences then generally became more marginalized in policy-making and 110
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Main takeaway: neither centralization nor deregulation is the answer, but: institutional reforms that strengthen the capacity of the public service, govts + stakeholders to coordinate the development and implementation of policies. The Carney government is going exactly in the other direction. 0104
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 26/09/2026In his contribution for the Macdonald Commission, A. Cairns (1985) explained this problem inherent to the "embedded state", and federalism further complicates it. Today we understand it even better based on quantitative + qualitative research. For many: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....onlinelibrary.wiley.comPolicy growth and maintenance in comparative perspectivePolicy growth comes with multiple challenges for policy implementation. Congested policy portfolios increase the likelihood of interactions and contradictions between different policy objectives and .... 121
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 26/09/2026In short, governments in office create more policies than they terminate (for good reasons). On balance, and over decades, this has led to a cascade of problems resulting from complexity and interdependencies for those involved: public service, other levels of government, stakeholders etc. 151
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 26/09/2026There's yet another reason why Bill C-39 misses the point: We know from an abundance of research that it is not regulation per se, but policy "accumulation" that creates structural challenges esp. in the implementation process of projects and programs. www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...thestar.comI’m a former federal labour minister. This is what Mark Carney is forgetting about ‘Canada Strong’Mark Carney is right that Canada must change. But there’s a key thing he needs to do first 1143
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦Brian Doucet @briandoucet.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Kitchener-Waterloo screening of 'Thinking Beyond the Market: a film about genuinely affordable housing' Tuesday 29 September 7:00pm University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy (10A Victoria St N, Kitchener) Co-hosted by @therecord.com Info & free registration here: www.eventbrite.ca/e/thinking-b...eventbrite.caThinking Beyond the Market: a film about genuinely affordable housingFilm Screening followed by Q&A with director Dr Brian Doucet and editor-in-chief of the Waterloo Region Record 045
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Less than a week ago, in his brilliant speech in Strasbourg, the PM quoted Goethe: "Goethe understood that ideals must be fought for, that values do not defend themselves". 43517
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 22/09/2026...while simultaneously displaying the fragmented nature of Canadian sovereignty itself. 0100
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Yes, history rhymes but maybe sometimes it even repeats itself.... The standardization of measures, time zones etc. is nineteenth century stuff. From a historical point of view, it's (almost) fascinating to see how we're embarking on a reversing trajectory in 2026. 000
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Also telling about the capacity of Canadian federalism to harmonize basic standards conducive to building the One Canadian Economy. 263
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Unlike in Canadian federalism, in Germany Land elections still have important implications for federal politics and the federal government itself. p.dw.com/p/5MpIap.dw.comGermany's Merz under pressure as AfD eyes second state winExit polls have the far-right AfD leading the Social Democrats in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and the Left Party ahead in Berlin. Merz referred to the outcome as "a disaster". DW has more. 012
Reposted by Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦Rahel Freiburghaus @rfrbrghs.bsky.social · 20/09/202679% (!) turnout in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Turnout is rising in Germany, largely due to the AfD mobilising former non-voters en masse. Meanwhile, in Swiss regional elections, where constituent units actually have much greater fiscal power, turnout is falling, hovering ≈30% bsky.app/profile/tage... 053
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 20/09/2026How infrastructure ownership and governance matters. Textbook example for "path dependency", literally. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...cbc.caIn Canada's 'Railway City' the tracks end in the grass. Why a passenger rail revival isn't so simple | CBC NewsCanada is spending billions to expand passenger rail after decades of decline, but torn-up tracks, lost corridors and a surviving network built around freight means communities trying to bring trains ... 010
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Most people know about the Berlin-Kitchener thing but there is much more. 13+ years here and I am still discovering new fascinating stuff by occasionally stopping in small towns that we were passing through many times before 011
Jörg Broschek 🇨🇦 @jbroschek.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Reminds me of the reaction of our visitors when we take them on a short trip through Waterloo Region on their first day here and we pass through Mannheim, Heidelberg and Bamberg. 130