Uncommons with Nate Erskine-Smith

Experts are warning that Canada's housing market is overheated and unsustainable. On this episode, Nate is joined by John Pasalis and Mike Moffatt to discuss what's driven the surge in prices and what the federal government should do in response.John Pasalis is a specialist in real estate data analysis and president of Realosophy Realty, a Toronto real estate brokerage.Mike Moffatt is an economist and professor whose series, Ontarians on the move, is focused on population growth, migration, and what's going on with Ontario's housing market. By way of background, Canada's big banks have all recently raised concerns about Canada's housing market. Scotiabank says the housing market is off the charts, TD calls it white-hot, CIBC says it's unsustainable, RBC notes that property values have soared to levels far outside historical norms, and BMO has said that Canada is playing with fire. While the Bank of Canada has been slow in voicing its concerns,  after this episode was recorded Governor Tiff Macklem finally came out and acknowledged that "Canadians are stretching and that is worrying" and questioned the sustainability of the market.  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

Baroness Beeban Kidron joins Nate to discuss children's rights in our digital world, and why we need new rules to protect them. Kidron has been a member of the British House of Lords since 2012. Previously an award-winning filmmaker, her last documentary film InRealLife ultimately led her to become an advocate for children's rights online, which she continues both as a parliamentarian and in her role as Chair of the 5Rights Foundation.Here in Canada, Bill C-11 will strengthen our federal privacy framework, and we expect a new bill to be tabled in the coming months to strengthen online safety and better address online harms.  At the same time, our proposed privacy reform does not include any specific reference to children's rights, so changes will likely be needed and this conversation is a timely one. 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

Our federal government has committed to end chronic homelessness, and Nate is joined by Adam Vaughan and Anne Babcock to discuss how we can best deliver on that commitment. Adam is the Liberal MP for Spadina-Fort York, and a former Toronto city councillor. His political career at both levels has been motivated by a passionate concern for housing policy, and he’s the parliamentary secretary with carriage of the housing file. Anne is the president and CEO at Woodgreen Community Services, an established and experienced service provider of supportive housing. She has a wealth of experience locally and internationally on housing policy, including most recently as a member of Toronto’s housing task force. Our federal government has increased funding towards ending chronic homelessness over the last five years, including most recently a $1 billion rapid housing initiative. The RHI exceeded its initial target of 3,000 new affordable homes, and will support the construction of more than 4,700 permanent affordable units for Canadian families. We’ve also helped to fund city plans here in Toronto, including for modular housing, and there’s a site in Beaches-East York on Trenton Ave that is currently the subject of some local debate, which is also a focus of conversation in this episode. If you have feedback on that particular project: communityliaison@lura.ca 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. Paul Farmer joins Nate to talk about global health equity, both with reference to past health crises, and today's. In his recent book, Fevers Feuds & Diamonds, Dr. Farmer writes about his first-hand experience responding to the Ebola crisis in West Africa, and what we can learn from it.  Dr. Farmer is professor and chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, chief of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and co-founder and chief strategist of Partners in Health and a board member of Partners In Health Canada.Partners in Health is dedicated to bringing a high standard of public health care to the most vulnerable communities around the world, and PIH Canada is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The story of Dr. Farmer and colleagues Jim Yong Kim and Ophelia Dahl in founding PIH is the subject of the documentary Bending the Arc. 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

Kevin Page joins Nate to discuss fiscal responsibility, stimulus and recovery spending, and fiscal anchors or what the Fall Economic Statement described as “fiscal guardrails.”Kevin is currently president and CEO of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa, but no doubt better known as Canada’s first Parliamentary Budget Officer, from 2008 to 2013.For his work in that role, he’s been described as an “unlikely hero.” And while it’s a job he’s said nobody wanted, himself included, he’s also described it as “the best five years of my public service career,” - a career that included 27 years of experience in the public service including the Department of Finance, the Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Privy Council Office.Over the last five years, Nate has relied upon Kevin's advice and guidance in reviewing federal budgets and scrutinizing spending, and that continues in this conversation.  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

Armine Yalnizyan joins Nate to discuss the need for a stronger federal role in creating a cross-Canada quality early learning and child care system.   Armine is a labour economist and Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Work. She recently served as senior economic policy advisor to the deputy minister of employment and social development Canada, has worked with the Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives in the past.For background, here's the government's recent throne speech:“It has been nearly 50 years since the Royal Commission on the Status of Women outlined the necessity of child care services for women’s social and economic equality. We have long understood that Canada cannot succeed if half of the population is held back. Canadians need more accessible, affordable, inclusive, and high quality childcare.”Then, in the Fall Economic Statement, “as a first step” our government announced early investments “to lay the groundwork for a Canada-wide child care system in partnership with provinces, territories and Indigneous people” and noted that “Budget 2021 will outline a plan to provide affordable, accessible and high-quality child care.” 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 the last parliament, our government passed C-83 to address solitary confinement with new and supposedly improved “structured intervention units”, but a recent report found that 10% of inmates in these units continue to actually be in what we know to be solitary confinement and worse, for long enough to meet the UN’s definition of torture. That report was authored by two professors and criminologists, Ryerson’s Jane Sprott and the University of Toronto’s Anthony Doob, and on this episode, Nate is joined by Professor Doob to discuss solitary confinement in Canada.Professor Doob is recognized as a long-time leading scholar in criminology, and he was also appointed in 2019 by then Minister Ralph Goodale to serve as the chairperson of the Structured Intervention Unit Implementation Advisory Panel.  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. Tara Moriarty is an infectious disease research scientist, director of the Moriarty research lab, and professor at the University of Toronto. She joins Nate on this episode to answer common questions about vaccine safety. Dr. Moriarty also hosts  a regular Zoom Q&A that anyone can join to answer any questions related to vaccines and vaccine safety.  You can sign up for those sessions 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

Arun Advani is professor of economics and a commissioner of the UK’s Wealth Tax Commission, and he joins Nate on this episode to discuss the Commission’s call for a one-off wealth tax, and what he thinks of the wealth tax motion Nate has proposed in Parliament.The Commission found that a one-off wealth tax could generate significant revenue, but also that it “would be economically efficient. Since it is based on wealth at a (past) point in time, a one-off wealth tax does not distort behaviour.”Nate’s motion calls for, among other tax measures, a one-time tax on extreme wealth - 3% on net wealth over $10 million, and 5% on net wealth over $20 million. The Library of Parliament estimates that such a tax would generate almost $70 billion direct revenue. Interestingly, this figure is similar to our inclusive recovery fund, which the Fall Economic Statement sets at $70 to $100 billion over three years. So perhaps we should ask those with extreme wealth to pay for our national recovery, an idea that is both fair and efficient. 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

Jann Arden is a Canadian music icon and a fierce defender of animal rights. Jann joins Nate to discuss the cruelty involved in the live export of horses for slaughter and her work to end that cruelty through the HORSESHIT campaign and with the Canadian Horse Defence Coalition.Find out more and support the campaign at horseshit.ca  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