Uncommons with Nate Erskine-Smith

Leah Gazan is the NDP MP for Winnipeg Centre, and she is the sponsor of Motion 46 calling for a guaranteed livable basic income. Leah joins Nate to discuss her motion and to call for action to end poverty as a matter of human rights and dignity. Read the full text of Motion 46 here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca

Jim Balsillie is a philanthropist, businessman (former co-CEO of Blackberry's RIM), and he has led efforts in calling for a new innovation agenda in Canada. On this episode, Jim joins Nate to discuss a report from the Council of Canadian Innovators, how Canada lags our peer countries on innovation, why Canada needs national IP and data strategies, and what an innovation agenda means in a modern and global economy.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca

From our food supply, to frontline healthcare, migrant workers are often essential workers. Yet they are both undervalued and subject to systemic exploitation through our temporary immigration work programs. That migrant workers are predominantly racialized raises additional concerns about the exploitative nature of these work programs, as our federal government has committed to address systemic racism.In this episode, Nate is joined by Professor Fay Faraday to discuss migrant worker rights in Canada. Professor Faraday is an expert on labour rights, she has been active in community organizing with migrant and marginalized workers for over 25 years, and she has published three landmark reports on migrant worker rights here in Canada.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca

Dr. Jane Goodall is a world famous primatologist and anthropologist best known for her work with chimpanzees, 60 years ago in Tanzania. Her life's work is focused on conservation and animal welfare issues. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute which does important work in nearly 100 countries around the world, including engaging young people through its Roots & Shoots program.In this episode, Nate and Jane discuss the lessons learned through this pandemic, why we can't continue to treat animals and our environment as we have, and how we can challenge the status quo to build a better world for our future. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca

Irwin Cotler is a giant in the field of human rights, most recently as founder and chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. He's also a former McGill professor, parliamentarian, Minister of Justice, and he has dedicated a great deal of his life to defending political prisoners, including as Canadian counsel for Nelson Mandela. In this episode, Nate and Irwin discuss the Wallenberg Centre's current work and human rights concerns around the world, including China's genocide against the Uyghurs, Saudi Arabia's mistreatment of Raif Badawi, Venezuela's systematic use of torture, and more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca

Parents and educators are rightly concerned about a safe September in our schools and for our kids. More, a failure to open schools safely has the potential to increase community transmission and affect us all. On this episode, Nate is joined by expert epidemiologists and professors Ashleigh Tuite and Amy Greer to discuss provincial plans, the frustrating lack of planning from the province and the need for stronger action, and the risks parents and educators need to consider upon their return.Professor Tuite is an infectious disease epidemiologist and mathematical modeler at the University of Toronto's school of public health.Professor Greer is a Canada Research Chair in Population Disease Modeling with appointments at both the University of Guelph and the University of Toronto, and she previously held scientific positions in the Centre for Communicable Diseases and Infection Control at the Public Health Agency of Canada. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca

In July, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police published a report calling on governments to treat drug use as a health issue, including action to decriminalize all drugs and create options for a safer drug supply. In this episode, Waterloo Police Chief Bryan Larkin joins Nate to talk about why police in Canada want to decriminalize all drugs. As the CACP report notes: "We must adopt new and innovative approaches if we are going to disrupt the current trend of drug overdoses impacting communities across Canada. Merely arresting individuals for simple possession of illicit drugs has proven to be ineffective. Research from other countries who have boldly chosen to take a health rather than an enforcement-based approach to problematic drug use have demonstrated positive results."You can read the report here. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca

Senator Murray Sinclair has accomplished much in his career, including as a judge in Manitoba and as the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Nate is joined by Senator Sinclair to discuss the government's reconciliation efforts to date, the slow pace of change, and how we can improve efforts going forward.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca

China has arbitrarily detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, weaponized tariffs and trade, violated international law and human rights in Hong Kong, and continues to commit mass atrocities against the Uyghurs. In this episode, Nate is joined by national security expert and professor Stephanie Carvin to discuss Canada’s relationship with China. Professor Carvin is also the co-host of the Intrepid Podcast focused on national security law and you can follow her on Twitter here.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca

In 2019, Jaime Battiste was elected as the MP for Sydney—Victoria, and he's the first Mi'kmaw MP in Canada. He's been a professor at Cape Breton University, a senior advisor to Eskasoni Band Council, a citizenship coordinator for KMKNO and Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief. In addition to his MP role, Jaime is also the Chair of the Liberal Indigenous Caucus. In this episode, Nate and Jaime have a conversation about reconciliation, economic racism, and UNDRIP.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.uncommons.ca