The Market and Health and Housing in a Climate Emergency

Party platforms of the Liberal party and the PC Party as discussed in the recent NS Election debate appear to rely heavily on market forces to remedy the problems in health care, affordable housing, low wages, and climate emergency response.

The Market for these Problems?

 

It is a good time to recall the difficulties that “for profit” long term care experienced in the Covid pandemic. The Nova Scotia experience with “P3” public-private partnerships has been expensive while creating uncertainty about the long term responsibility for “P3” assets. John Woodside, writing in the National Observer, notes: 

public-private partnerships, or P3s, have long been a contentious way to finance projects. Advocates say the strategy moves project risks from the public to private sector while offering cost savings and speedier delivery, but as the Council of Canadians points out, in practice, they often do the exact opposite. In 2014, Ontario’s auditor general reviewed 74 P3s and found they cost the province nearly $8 billion more than if done under traditional public procurement.1

In the era of climate breakdown, we need to be alert to the methods that the government plans to use to finance infrastructure.

 

How should Canada finance infrastructure in an era of climate breakdown?
1	Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna	“call for an independent advisory body … with a clear mandate to carry out the assessment and provide the government and Canadians with impartial expert and evidenced-based advice,”1
2	Canada Infrastructure Bank chair Tamara Vrooman	“We are big fans of public-private partnerships,”1
3	NDP Infrastructure critic Taylor Bachrach	“The question is whether public infrastructure should be seen as a profit opportunity by the private sector. So I'm very concerned about any recommendations that suggest making the infrastructure bank even more central in Canada's infrastructure plan,”1
4	Novel Futures Corporation director and International Institute for Sustainable Development associate Darren Swanson	“More and diverse sources of funding are needed going forward for climate-resilient infrastructure … both built and natural infrastructure will be needed to really adapt to climate change,”1

  Perhaps some of the quotes cited by Woodside will define some of the positions advocated in Canadian politics.

 1 (2021, July 30). How should Canada finance infrastructure in an era of climate .... Retrieved July 30, 2021, from https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/07/30/news/how-should-canada-finance-infrastructure-era-climate-breakdown