Ice-Breakers

Cardus Policy in Public is about provoking public debate. Conversation in Canada tends to exist within sharply defined boundaries, often between people who generally agree with each other and about why anyone who thinks differently is wrong. We have lost the art of intelligent disagreement – engaging, critiquing and even learning from those who see the world differently than we do. It is an art that Policy in Public is out to recover.

Considering and presenting both (or many) sides of an issue doesn’t mean being neutral. It doesn’t imply that we only go for the safe opinions. Cardus itself has a definite position in the political and social spectrum of Canadian public life, and most of what we do is about finding ways to contribute positively on the most difficult issues of the day. That contribution more often than not talks about social architecture – the fabric and institutions that make up our shared common life, and the danger that this common heritage is in. We argue that a recovery of our common life begins with a recovery of deep convictions, matters of faith and life that are not merely private but which shape how we understand problems and propose solutions.

In this issue of Cardus Policy in Public, we focus on the topic of crime and punishment. In her inaugural address as a Cardus Senior Fellow, Eleanor Clitheroe suggested that our criminal justice system isn’t working. She cited recidivism rates, rates of crime, community safety and the cost of our court and prison system. In this issue, Eleanor argues that in order to address these concerns we need to incorporate the principles of restorative justice into our criminal justice system. Timothy Egan, President of High Park Advocacy Association and a lawyer by training, disagrees with Eleanor.  He suggests that we draw a distinction between the motives of justice and mercy. Courts and prisons are best equipped for and should focus on objective justice, while the task of mercy is subjective and better carried out by different institutions.

In this issue we also review Thomas Farr’s World of Faith and Freedom. Farr has the benefit of insights gained through  21 years in the United States Foreign Service, in particular dealing with the various perspectives of religion in both domestic and international politics. 

We have included a submission we received from Stephen Kushner, the President of the Merit Contractors Association, in response to the exchange in our first issue on “Why is Construction in Ontario so Expensive.”

Finally, in a signature feature of CPIP, we conclude with an annotated index of what think tanks across the country have been publishing and commenting on since our last issue.  Believing as we do in dialogue, it is important to engage in and reflect on the discussion as it is taking place across Canada.   

Cardus Policy in Public is a modest contribution to this public conversation and one that by its very nature, will invariably provoke disagreement.  We hope such disagreement is constructive and that our part in it will strengthen the much-needed art of civil disagreement.