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The Canada We Want Canada has worked best when we have been purposeful (e.g. development of health care and other "National Projects). To be effective we need to move from a consideration of "me" to a consideration of "us." We need to determine, as a society, our hierarchy of values. For instance, Canadians view health care as an "us" issue. While we want the best care for ourselves, we do not want it at the expense of others. The Issues Facing Canadian Communities We need to consier the "hydraulics" of our communities: the shift of peole and resources to and from cities. For example, when considering the Urban Aboriginal Strategy, we need to think not only of the cities that people move to, but also the communities they move from. We can not have effective policy if we do not consider both ends. In the same way, we can not have isolated "rural" or "urban" conversations, because they each impact upon the other. As Minister Godfrey travelled the country during his time as Parliamentary Secretary last year, he had the opportunity to observe the "Infrastructure Challenge" first hand. The Department of Infrastructure There is a keen interaction between physical and social infrastructure. (e.g. Public transit is a type of physical infrastructure that allows us to transport people from point A to point B, but it is also a form of social infrastructure because it has a dimension of social inclusion. It allows the opportunity of transit to all.) Physical infrastructure therefore, can have social consequences and so we need to attend to both the physical and social dimensions of our projects. Cultural Health of Communities The impact of arts and culture in our communities can be difficult to quantify. Arts groups often try to make the case that they add economic value to the community, but they add much more than that and we support the Arts for more profound reasons. We are tempted to reduce outcomes to economic measures but we must measure our successes by the impact on the human soul as well. If we take a strictly utilitarian view of culture we rob a precious piece of our souls. A New Deal for Cities & Communities A "conviction politician" is driven by a clear agenda to change the existing order. Minister Godfrey's agenda touches the work of many departments. Canadians live in communities. The cities and communities file, then, is concerned with all of Canada. As a result, a constellation of Government departments has had to organize around themes and issues in order to be effective. Generally, we all struggle with the temptation to stay in our silo and be responsible only for our own program or initiative, but we do our best work when we work together. Great files do not lend themselves to just one department or portfolio. Instead, they tend to be "messy" and complex and we have a difficult time attributing success to any one factor. This work can be made easier and more effective is we agree on our values and priorities. How We Can Help
"Canada exists for a purpose. The purpose is to work together to produce the best society on earth." Additional material
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The
Honourable John Godfrey serves as the Minister of
State (Infrastructure and Communities). He was first elected
as a Liberal Member of Parliament for the Toronto riding of
Don Valley West in the General Election of October 1993 and
re-elected June 1997 and November 2000. He has served as Chairman
of the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, Chairman of
the Standing Committee on Industry, Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister of International Cooperation and Minister
Responsible for la Francophonie, Parliamentary Secretary to
the Minister of Canadian Heritage. He is currently the Chairman
of The National Children's Agenda Caucus Committee, Social
Policy Caucus and of the House of Commons Standing Committee
on Children and Youth at Risk. He is also a member of the
Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, Northern Development
and Natural Resources 
Sherri
Torjman is Vice-President of the Caledon Institute
of Social Policy. She is the author of many Caledon reports
including Reclaiming Our Humanity, The Social Dimension of
Sustainable Development, Strategies for a Caring Society,
Survival-of-the-Fittest Employment Policy, Innovation and
Community Economic Development, The Key to Kyoto, Are Outcomes
the Best Outcome? and Proposal for a National Personal Supports
Fund. She is the co-author of Caledon's How Finance Re-formed
Social Policy, Opening the Books on Social Spending and Lest
We Forget: Why Canada Needs Strong Social Programs.
