I was excited when I saw Roger Martin’s cover story in the November edition of The Walrus, “Healthy But Stupid,” because, well, I’m a policy geek. But seriously, it’s the kind of public discourse we should be having in Ontario on what our priorities are, especially when we are undergoing such a massive shift in our economic base. Manufacturing in Ontario does not hold a robust future and so we must look to a new economy and prepare for it with new knowledge and skills. What we want out of our education system is an important discussion — one which we’ve had on The Agenda in the past and will continue to cover in the future.

But tonight’s show is about the big picture — looking at government policy as a whole — or the pot of gold, and who gets it. We’ll examine what motivates politicians to invest in one program and not another and ask whether they’re equipped or motivated enough to make the long-term decisions we need to be able to adjust to globalization. We’ll look at smart and not-so-smart policy decisions. I really encourage you to read the article, “Who Killed Canada’ Education Advantage?” by Roger Martin. You may not agree with it, but it’s an interesting look at how a chain of events can affect our lives.

So now, I throw it to you, our viewers and Ontario tax payers. Should we continue to invest as heavily as we do in health care? Should post-secondary education receive a huge boost in public funding? And if we have to make cuts, which we may inevitably have to down the road, where would you cut? 

My self-serving two-cents: Support TVO! Here’s a look at our Go Public campaign.