In response to these issues, Canada’s Public Policy Forum convened 20 leaders from the public, private, non-profit and academic sectors on June 19, 2012 to explore the future state of public finance in Canada. [...] According to roundtable participants, growing partisanship in Canada’s political environment, coupled with the public’s ability to quickly respond to unpopular policies via the internet, have led to a growing reluctance or inability on the part of government to communicate openly on controversial issues. [...] Rebuilding trust in our public institutions and in public debate will be essential if Canadians are to have the national policy discussions that are required to address the challenges we collectively face. [...] They include: persistent shortages in Canada’s labour force that limit the private sector’s economic potential; an inability to accommodate macro-economic shifts that are derived, in part, by global market fluctuations; the complex interplay between macro-economic and micro-economic trends and their effects on businesses and households, and; Shortages in Canada’s labour force The Canadian ec [...] The shrinking size and adaptability of the labour force suggests that the difference between today and past cycles is the degree to which certain sectors – particularly manufacturing – may recover from economic retrenchments.