Trevor Hancock: Trust, justice and well-being key themes at Victoria Forum

'Trust is eroding, injustice persists and the world is under mounting strain from economic disruption, climate change and their impacts on health.' Dr. Trevor Hancock is a retired professor and senior scholar at the University of Victoria's School of Public Health and Social Policy Last week, I discussed the wicked problems of the ­polycrisis and the need to work together to find ­virtuous solutions rooted in the public good, where ­virtuous means 'behaving in a very good and moral way' (Oxford Dictionary). How then should our society behave morally with respect to the inter-connected ecological, social, ­political, economic and ultimately ethical challenges we face? This was the underlying question behind this year's Victoria Forum. The main themes were trust, justice and wellbeing, because 'trust is eroding, injustice persists, and the world is under mounting strain from economic disruption, climate change and their impacts on health.' In considering this underlying question, it is worth looking back at an article in the Times Colonist last year by Saul Klein, former dean of the business school at UVic and executive director of the Victoria Forum, and Arti Freeman, president and CEO of Definity ­Foundation. They wrote: 'For a long time, we believed that our systems just needed fixing, that they were broken or outdated. But we've come to realize something more unsettling. These systems are not broken. Their ­negative outcomes are not bugs. They are features of the way they were designed. And they are producing exactly what they were incentivized to produce — ­environmental degradation, exclusion, concentration of wealth, and structural inequality.' So how do we create instead a societal system that incentivizes environmental restoration and ­regeneration, inclusiveness, a fair sharing of wealth, greater social and political equity and other key aspects of a society committed to a sustainable, just and healthy future? Senator Rosa Galvez addressed this theme in a 'white paper' she is soon to release, calling for 'a new North Star' to guide Canadian society, based on long-term wellbeing for all within planetary limits. These ideas are closely linked to traditional Indigenous knowledge and values, which were the focus of the opening plenary session — ­appropriately held at the Songhees Wellness Centre — on truth and reconciliation in Canada and globally. Indeed, Indigenous knowledge and values — from respect for Mother Earth to thinking ahead for seven generations, and much else — was a constant theme throughout the forum. The concept of 'goodness' kept cropping up. In his plenary talk, Dr. James Orbinski, a leader of Doctors Without Borders and now master of Massey College at the University of Toronto, urged us to 'make the good choice, the choice of life in all its beauty,' ­adding that we should plant seeds for the good future, for the global public good. Dr. Courtney Howard, chair of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, commented that Canada should not just be an energy superpower but a GOOD energy superpower, while Bessma Momani, professor of ­political science at the University of Waterloo, added that we must work for and create the public good. In her remarks in a plenary on creating the ­conditions for future economies, Arti Freeman ­suggested the common thread is to centre people and planet and question the values that drive our choices. This means creating what is variously called a ­wellbeing, social or purpose-driven economy. Unsurprisingly, in the face of deepening ­polarization and declining trust in institutions, including ­government, one plenary and a number of workshops addressed the question of whether our democratic infrastructure is still fit for the 21st century and how to deepen democracy by building 'more resilient, ­participatory, and adaptive democratic systems,' including how best to use social media and AI. Although the forum was focused on large Canadian and global challenges, there was also a strong focus on local solutions, including local engagement and ­participation and 'community wealth building' that addresses the improvement not just of the economy but of local social and environmental conditions, all of which contribute to the wellbeing of people. All of these themes, and more, were taken up in the 49 parallel sessions spread over the two days, covering topics from justice for Indigenous and other people to the social purpose economy to democratic renewal. In the end, I was left with a sense of hope. Yes, we face wicked problems, but at all levels, from the global to the local, people are seeking, finding and implementing virtuous solutions. [email protected]