Discussion focuses on issues in Canadian public life that govern standards of conduct
BY LORI BONA HUNT
Some of Canada's leading scholars, writers and leaders in ethics and democracy gathered in Elora on the weekend to ‘Think Big' about the nation's state of public affairs. The symposium was organized by U of G's provost's office.
“The timely release of the Gomery report was the perfect catalyst for a weekend of frank and stimulating discussion about standards of conduct and public perceptions,” says Prof. Maureen Mancuso, vice-president (academic), who co-ordinated the event.
“The Gomery inquiry underscores that it's time to think about the implications of delegating important social decisions to a small group of individuals who serve us as leaders, and how we expect those leaders to behave so as to uphold the trust we place in them.”
About two dozen people attended the weekend event, which was aimed at stimulating discussion about the issues in Canadian public life that govern standards of conduct. It was the first in what will be an annual series of “Think Big” symposia sponsored by U of G.
Participants included academics, elected government officials, journalists, lawyers, authors, ethicists and judges. Among them were Jean Fournier, the ethics officer of the Senate of Canada; Roy McMurtry, chief justice of Ontario; Bernard Roy, chief counsel to the Gomery Commission; Coulter Osborne, Ontario integrity commissioner; Bernard Shapiro, Canada's ethics commissioner; and former U of G president Bill Winegard, who is also a former federal minister for industry, science and technology.
The weekend featured presentations and discussions on issues ranging from questions of character and whether leaders know what's expected of them to the Gomery report and the future state of Canadian politics.
“The goal of the symposium wasn't to solve every problem,” says Mancuso. “We hoped to meld diverse viewpoints into a general understanding of the issues and to help develop practical recommendations for consideration by decision-makers.”
Future “Think Big” symposia will also bring together people from a range of backgrounds — including academics, politics, media and the public and private sectors — to engage in stimulating discussion on a topic of social importance.
“Universities are communities of scholars, a unique collection of minds and viewpoints,” says Mancuso. “As such, it's fitting that we bring together experts to ask some big questions and think some big thoughts.”
She adds that the symposia are not traditional academic conferences because the emphasis is on exchanging diverse knowledge and ideas, not on disseminating results.
“‘Think Big' is an attempt to address important issues by approaching them from all sides at once, surrounding them with a complementary array of experiences, insights and perspectives,” she says.
