The academic and former senior civil servant Richard Saillant discusses his new book, A Tale of Two Countries: How the Great Demographic Imbalance is Pulling Canada Apart (Nimbus, 2016), with Joseph Planta.

A Tale of Two Countries: How the Great Demographic Imbalance is Pulling Canada Apart by Richard Saillant (Nimbus, 2016). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: A Tale of Two Countries

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, at TheCommentary.ca.

A Tale of Two Countries is a new book from the academic and former senior public servant Richard Saillant, who joins me now. In the book he looks at the demographic imbalance in Canada that in the next two decades will see parts of the country aging at an uneven pace. It is the contention of this book that this will spell trouble for eastern Canada, and for the country as a whole. The gulf between so called have and have-not provinces will be starker. So what are the solutions? I’ll get Mr. Saillant to tell us what’s happening, what will happen, and what might be done to not see this country tear itself apart. The book has evidence based policy analysis as well as recommendations. Richard Saillant is the director of the Donald J. Savoie Institute at the Universite de Moncton, of which he was a former vice president. He is a fifteen year veteran of the civil service, with various departments including the Privy Council Office, Industry Canada, and Transport Canada. His previous book was Over the Cliff? Acting Now to Avoid New Brunswick’s Bankruptcy. This new book is published by Nimbus. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, in Moncton, New Brunswick today, Richard Saillant; Mr. Saillant, good morning.

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