Uncommons with Nate Erskine-Smith

As provinces set plans to re-open our economy, are they prioritizing childcare? The economic fallout of COVID-19 has hit women the hardest and childcare is critical for young families to return to the labour force. Nate is joined by Brock U Professor Kate Bezanson to discuss how and why childcare should be placed at the centre of recovery efforts. 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

How can and should we regulate big tech platforms, from Facebook to Google? Our online lives are largely filtered through a small number of these companies and we need new laws to protect the public interest. Nathaniel is joined by Professor Taylor Owen, McGill University’s Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications, to discuss the issue of platform governance. 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

Conservative MP Michael Chong has been a strong advocate for empowering Parliament, including through his Reform Act. Nate speaks to Michael about the need for greater independence in politics, his experience resigning from cabinet in 2006 and running for leadership in 2017, and how we can and should strengthen our parliamentary institutions. 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. Hedy Fry, Liberal MP for Vancouver Centre, has been a pioneer in the fight to treat drug use as a health issue. She speaks with Nathaniel about how COVID-19 exacerbates the realities of vulnerable populations, how B.C. is taking steps to address a contaminated drug supply, and her passion for the Charter and for life in politics. 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

Peter Singer may well be the world’s most influential living philosopher.  In episode 8, Nathaniel speaks with Peter about effective altruism and global poverty, animal rights, food policy and the need for a global ban on wet markets, and broader questions including how we can make the biggest difference. 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

If the world can mobilize against COVID-19, can we do the same against climate change? Nathaniel speaks with former Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands, about her climate advocacy, lessons we might learn from the pandemic, and the need for greater ambition and action to tackle the climate crisis. 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

Do we have enough personal protective equipment? Are we mobilizing fast enough to scale up the testing and tracing required? In episode six, Nathaniel discusses the health response to COVID-19 with Sarah Downey, the President and CEO of Michael Garron Hospital, and the need for a war-time effort with Danielle Allen, Professor and the Director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University. 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

Disinformation has helped to upend elections, and in a pandemic it can cost lives. Nathaniel speaks with NDP MP Charlie Angus about the challenges posed by disinformation online, their shared committee work in the last parliament, and the importance of a non-partisan and international approach to tackling platform governance issues.  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

Can we still talk about sports? Nathaniel is joined by Toronto Star Sports/COVID-19 Columnist Bruce Arthur and The Athletic Canada Editor-in-Chief James Mirtle to discuss the meaning of sports in a pandemic, the big league emergency response, and how the economics of sports will be changed in a post-pandemic world.    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

How should we prioritize human rights in the midst of a pandemic? In episode three, Nathaniel speaks with Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada. They discuss why human rights should be at the heart of the response to COVID-19, how Canada’s approach meets that call in many ways but falls short in others (notably for refugees), and what the future holds for a human rights agenda post-pandemic. 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