Political polarization isn't a new phenomenon. Our institutions have a propensity to define political movements and actors on a spectrum, rather than evaluating them for whether their policy positions are the best for the people they represent. Join a dialogue on lived experiences fighting against the inclination to defer to polarizing policy solutions. Panelists will discuss the following, along with providing their experiences and insights on forming a new political centre inside and outside of our political systems.

SPEAKERS

Diana Rodríguez Franco is the Secretary for Women for the city of Bogotá (Colombia). She holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Sociology from Northwestern University, and a J.D. and B.A. in Economics from the University of Los Andes (Colombia). Previously, she was Deputy Director at the Center for Law, Justice and Society (Dejusticia) and head of its Environmental Justice division. She has been a lecturer at University of Los Andes. In 2018, she was an Advocate in Residence at Yale University. Her publications include Radical Deprivation on Trial: The Impact of Judicial Activism on Socioeconomic Rights in the Global South (Cambridge University Press, 2015, coaut.), “Internal Wars, Taxation, and State-Building” (American Sociological Review, 2016), Environmental Peace: Challenges and Proposals in the Post-accorde (Dejusticia, 2017); “Dependency Theory” (Oxford Handbook on the Politics of Development, coauthor, 2016) and “Globalizing Intellectual Property Rights: The Politics of Law and Public Health” (Routledge, 2012).

Elena Landau is an economist with an outstanding performance in the implementation of structural reforms in the Brazilian state, in the mid-1990s, she migrated to the field of Law, becoming a reference voice mainly in issues related to the Brazilian electrical sector. Elena was advisor to the presidency of BNDES and, later, director of the area responsible for the National Privatization Program, during Fernando Henrique Cardoso's government.

Michelle Rempel Garner is the Member of Parliament for Calgary Nose Hill. In government, Michelle held the positions of Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment. In opposition, Michelle is the Shadow Minister for Industry and Economic Development. Previously Michelle served as the Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and was the Vice-Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. She is a member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada. Previously, Michelle built a strong reputation for successfully promoting innovative academic and business research partnerships, serving in a senior managerial capacity at the University of Calgary. She also worked in the technology commercialization division of the University of Manitoba, where she assisted in administering commercialization strategies for a portfolio of over 200 emerging technologies. Prior to this, she was engaged as a managerial consultant in Calgary, applying her knowledge of intellectual property management within a professional service framework in the areas of strategic planning, project management, process reengineering, and marketing where she gained insight in the health and educational sectors. Michelle holds a degree in economics. Highlights of her many honours include being named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women's Executive Network, Calgary’s “Top 40 under 40”, and being named twice by Maclean’s Magazine as their Parliamentarian of the Year – Rising Star calling her “one of the government’s most impressive performers.” Michelle is also a Young Global Leader, invited to be so by the World Economic Forum. The World Economic Forum calls the Forum of Young Global Leaders a “unique and diverse community of the world’s most outstanding, next generation leaders."" Rempel was also recently named one of ""Alberta's 50 Most Influential People"". Michelle is considered to be one of the Conservative Party of Canada’s top performing MPs. She has accomplished much for Canada as a policy maker, both in government and in opposition. Michelle is also sought after writer, speaker, and commentator, and has one of the most prominent social media presences of any Canadian politician. Michelle’s volunteer work has made a difference in Calgary. She has planned events, raised tens of thousands of dollars, and acted a volunteer leader for numerous local not-for-profit organizations including the Children’s Wish Foundation and the Northern Hills Community Association. A Maple Leaf Award winner, Michelle has been extremely active in the Conservative Party in many important roles as a volunteer, organizer and leader. She was co‐chair of the Conservative Party’s National Policy Committee, co‐chair of the Alberta’s CPC President’s Council and co-chair of the inaugural Alberta Congress, the Conservative Party’s policy forum for Alberta CPC members. Michelle was co-chair of the enormously successful Conservative Party Convention in Calgary in 2013.

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