Uncommons with Nate Erskine-Smith

Amira Elghawaby joins Nate to discuss hate and Islamophobia in Canada, and how the federal government should act. Amira is a journalist, columnist, human rights advocate, board member of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, and she recently served on the Canadian Commission for Democratic Expression, which made recommendations to the government to address hate online.This conversation was recorded in the wake of the horrific and hate-motivated murder of the Afzaal family in London, Ontario. Since then, our federal government has tabled Bill C-36, an act to address online hate through  through a return to a civil remedy in the Canadian Human Rights Act.The legislation builds on some other significant steps to date, from restoring the anti-racism directorate, to new funding through Heritage Canada to address racism, to adding white nationalist groups to the terror list, 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

Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller joins Nate to discuss the promise of clean water on reserves, support for Indigenous communities throughout the pandemic, and the government's judicial review application of a Human Rights Tribunal ruling to compensate First Nations kids.  Minister Miller has served in the role since November 2019, he was a lawyer prior to politics, and he made history in 2017 when he delivered a statement in the House of Commons entirely in Mohawk.  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

Irfan Dhalla is a public health expert, he's been a voice of reason throughout the pandemic, and he joins Nate to discuss vaccine roll-out strategy, whether and how we should begin to allow cross-border travel, and lessons learned to prevent and prepare for a future pandemic.If you don't already follow Dr. Dhalla on Twitter, you should. He’s also the vice-president and general internist at Unity Health Toronto, associate professor at U of T’s medical school, and currently the co-chair of Canada’s Expert Advisory Panel on Testing and Screening.That panel has issued four reports to date, and its most recent report makes recommendations for changes to our border management practices, including allowing quarantine-free travel for those with proof of immunity. Just as we followed public health guidance to impose restrictions, we must now follow public health guidance to lift them. Dr. Dhalla is a regular commentator in the media, writing recently to call for a faster second dose strategy, and having previously written in support of an elimination strategy which has proven to be the successful approach when we compare outcomes across national and subnational jurisdictions. 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

Jon Allen, former Canadian Ambassador to Israel, joins Nates to discuss the recent violence in Israel and Gaza, the evictions in Sheikh Jerrah and the occupation and expansion of settlements more broadly, the need for elections in the Palestinian Authority and to limit the violent role of Hamas, and how Canada can constructively play a role towards peace going forward.In addition to his role as Ambassador to Israel from 2006 to 2010, Jon has spent a lifetime in the foreign service, he's now a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs, he serves on the advisory council of the New Israel Fund, and he’s recently been public with his views on the path to peace for Israel and Palestine through an interview with the CBC and an op-ed in The Globe and Mail.Our federal government has now committed $25 million in new humanitarian support for Palestinan civilians and peacebuilding initiatives in the region. You can read Canada's statement on the violence in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank here.Jon's knowledge and advocacy helped to inform Nate's own comments to the CBC 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

MP Don Davies plays an important parliamentary role as the NDP Health Critic in the course of the pandemic. On this episode, Don and Nate discuss the importance of working across party lines, recent work together on the TRIPS waiver, and the need to put partisanship aside and deliver evidence-based drug policy reform to save lives.You can read the letter calling our government to support the TRIPS waiver here, signed by over 80 parliamentarians from all parties.Don and Nate are also co-chairs of the cannabis caucus together, alongside Conservative MP Scott Reid.  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

Border management has become deeply politicized in recent months, and it's worth moving beyond the partisan debate, to reflect on best practices around the world, and to assess what more Canada should do both to enhance travel restrictions and address essential travel needs. On this episode, Nate is joined by Professor Kelley Lee to discuss pandemic border management, including global best practices, how Canada compares, and vaccine certification and other measures that Canada should work towards. She is a professor at Simon Fraser University, Canada Research Chair in global health governance, and leads the Pandemics and Borders Project focusing on cross-border measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past, Professor Lee contributed to major studies of WHO reform, including assessments of the global response to SARS and Ebola virus. 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

What is the intent of Bill C-10 and can we deliver on that intent without limiting free speech? On this episode, Nate is joined by Michael Geist to discuss free speech issues around Bill C-10, why he has been opposed to the bill on other grounds as well, and how we should think about addressing illegal speech online in future legislation. Michael is a law professor and Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, and is a member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society. He has written extensively about his objections to Bill C-10 on his blog here.On the issue of free speech, the government has repeatedly, albeit clumsily, said from the outset that it does not intend to regulate user generated content, and that the focus of the bill is to require Netflix, Spotify and other online undertakings to pay into the system of Canadian content creation as traditional broadcasters are required to do. What needs to happen is for the government to correct its misstep in communication and clarify the law through an amendment to properly exclude user generated content. Thankfully, the Minister has said recently that this is exactly his intention: we “want to make sure that the content that people upload on social media won’t be considered as programming under the Act and that it won’t be regulated by the CRTC. And that’s why we will be bringing forward another amendment that will make this crystal clear.” 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

The Global Commission on Drug Policy was created in January 2011 to highlight the failure of the war on drugs and to call for a paradigm shift towards drug policies grounded in evidence, human rights, and public health. On this episode, Nate is joined by commissioner Louise Arbour to talk about domestic and global drug policy, the harms of prohibition, and why we need to decriminalize all drugs for personal use and then regulate all drugs according to their respective harms.Arbour has taken on an incredible number of impactful and interesting roles over her career. She served as the chief prosecutor of war crimes before the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, as a justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and as a Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for International Migration. As an SCC justice, Arbour dissented in Malmo-Levine, highlighting the harms of prohibition, and she has served as a commissioner of the Global Commission since its inception.You can watch Nate's speech in the House on Bill C-22 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

Should governments be concerned about generational fairness? On this episode, Nate is joined by Paul Kershaw, professor at the UBC School of Population and Public Health, and founder of Generation Squeeze, a national research, education, and advocacy organization focused on fairness for younger Canadians. With the federal budget set to be released on April 19, Nate and Paul discuss how the budget process can and should better serve younger Canadians, including by addressing the high cost of housing and childcare, delivering climate action, and increasing revenue to meet our growing public debt. You can learn more about Gen Squeeze 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

Public health measures remain critical, but mass vaccination is how we end this crisis. On this episode, Nate is joined by Minister Anita Anand to discuss Canada's vaccine procurement efforts, where we are today, and what we can expect going forward. Anand and her team have worked around the clock for over a year now, towards procuring PPE, rapid tests, and most recently vaccines. After frustrating supply chain issues, the vaccine delivery schedule has been expedited and every adult Canadian should be able to receive a dose by Canada Day. You can learn more about the vaccine delivery schedule here.You can learn more about investments in domestic manufacturing here and here.All vaccines approved by Health Canada are safe and effective. 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