Uncommons with Nate Erskine-Smith

Nate is joined on this episode by Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault for a wide-ranging discussion on Canada’s environmental policy, the work being done to combat attempts by the Conservatives to undermine that policy, and the importance of communicating what is being done to ensure that any progress is lasting. Steven Guilbeault was first elected as the Member of Parliam...

On this episode, Nate is joined by MP for Victoria and NDP environment critic Laurel Collins. The discussion covers a range of issues including Nate and Laurel's shared desire for a youth climate corps , Canada’s climate progress more broadly, and Laurel’s work to address domestic abuse . At the end of the episode, Laurel highlights a virtual event taking place on Monday Monday, March 18th where y...

Nate is joined on this episode by Housing, Infrastructure, & Communities Minister Sean Fraser to talk about the single most important issue in this country at the moment: housing affordability. The lack of housing affordability is a generational challenge. Young people are worse off than their parents. It is as simple as that. And it's also an economic productivity challenge. Young people are leav...

Nate is joined on this episode by Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow for a discussion on federal-municipal cooperation, navigating the city's difficult financial situation, and what she hopes to accomplish with her first budget as mayor. You can listen to the #UncommonsPod wherever you get your podcast, or at Uncommons.ca where you can also find Nate’s recent substack posts including one on federal-municip...

Nate is joined on this episode by Yasir Naqvi, a friend, a former opponent in the Ontario Liberal leadership race, and a continued federal colleague. Yasir is a lawyer, and an experienced politician who served in several provincial ministerial positions, including as attorney general. It's a wide-ranging conversation, reflecting on shared and sometimes different experiences in a leadership race, a...

On our first episode back, Nate is joined by the founder of Bellingcat Eliot Higgins. Bellingcat is an investigative journalism website that specializes in fact-checking and open-source intelligence. Elliott himself began blogging about the Syrian civil war over 10 years ago. His work individually and as part of Bellingcat has ultimately created an incredible citizen-led community of journalists a...

Nate is joined on this episode by David Crombie for a discussion on the Greenbelt, the protection of the Greenbelt, and the Ford government corruption surrounding the Greenbelt. David Crombie is the former mayor of Toronto from 72 to 78. He's a former cabinet minister, and Clark and Mulroney governments, and most importantly for this conversation. He was the chair of the Greenbelt Council, an...

Nate is joined on this episode by former Mayor of Toronto, David Miller.  Before running for public office, he was a partner at the Toronto law firm Aird & Berlis, where he specialized in employment and immigration law and shareholder rights. He became a Metro councillor in 1994, and in 1997 he was elected to the new City of Toronto council where he served two terms prior to becoming mayor. Fo...

Nate is joined on this episode by Kimberly Murray for a discussion on her ongoing work to address trauma, realize justice, and advance reconciliation. Kimberly is the Independent Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools .  Prior to this new role, Ms. Murray was the Province of Ontario’s first ever Assistant Deputy Att...

Nate is joined on this episode by Dr. Isaac Bogoch for a discussion on Neglected Tropical Diseases , global health equity, pandemic prevention and preparedness and his advocacy during the pandemic. He’s a professor of medicine at U of T, an infectious diseases specialist with a focus on tropical diseases and HIV, and he became very public facing in his work and regular commentary through the COVID...

On this episode, Nate is joined by Jennifer Keesmaat for a discussion around housing, transit, and the roles that each level of government can and should play.  Jennifer is the former Chief Planner for the City of Toronto, she’s worked around the world in urban design, and she’s currently a partner at and co-founder of Markee Developments, doing the work of building affordable housing.  It is past...

On this episode, a conversation with former principal secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and current Eurasia group Vice Chair Gerry Butts.  During his time in the Prime Minister's office, his work included overseeing economic policy, the negotiation of the Paris climate accord, and the creation of Canada’s first national climate change plan, which included an economy-wide price on car...

Nate is joined on this episode by Timmins Mayor, Michelle Boileau.  First elected as a councillor in 2018, she’s a born and raised northerner, a proud Franco-Ontarian, she has a range of different experiences in the post-secondary sector, and at only 34, she represents thoughtful generational change, with a focus on serious long-term impacts rather than short-term election cycles. And while she al...

Nate is joined on this episode by Norfolk County Mayor Amy Martin .  Mayor Martin is the kind of Mayor we could all use more of. She’s passionate, smart, kind, and she’s driven to make a difference in her home community. She served as a counsellor starting in 2018, and she defeated an incumbent mayor this past fall. She is also a product of Norfolk County herself, and at the age of 34, she represe...

Nate is joined by Dr. Bob Bell to talk about the key challenges facing our healthcare system and what we should make of the proposed expansion of for-profit delivery and surgical procedures proposed by Premier Ford. Dr. Bell is a former surgeon. He served as Ontario's Deputy Minister of Health from 2014 to 2018. And he's held senior leadership positions at a number of healthcare organiza...

Nate is joined by Benjamin Perrin to discuss his criticisms of the Conservative Party's renewed call for a war on drugs but also this Liberal government's slow and incremental action in the face of an overwhelming crisis.  Ben advocates for bringing a compassionate, evidence-based approach to pressing criminal justice issues like the treatment of victims of crime and offenders, the opioi...

Nate is joined on this episode by Catherine Mckenna, former minister of environment and climate and former minister of infrastructure and communities. She is currently the Chair of the United Nations High-Level Expert Group on the Net-Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities. The discussion covers a range of topics at federal and provincial levels but primarily focuses on a report from her...

Nate is joined by Dr. Ladan Boroumand to discuss the courageous and sustained uprisings in Iran following the death of Mahsa Jina Amini. Dr. Ladan Boroumand is the co-founder of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy in Iran, a nongovernmental organization that promotes human rights awareness through education and information dissemination, including by wa...

Nate is joined by Dr. Tara Kiran a physician and medical researcher and professor who, over the last decade, has led a program of research evaluating the impact of primary care reforms on quality in primary care in Ontario.  Dr. Kiran is currently leading the Our Care project, including a 15 min research survey to inform a patient perspective on the future of primary care. As provinces look to imp...

Nate is joined by Taylor Bachrach, who makes a strong case for why we should lower the voting age to 16 and, at a minimum, send Bill C-210 to a parliamentary committee for further study.  Taylor makes the argument that the government is facing some of the most consequential decisions in history with respect to the lives of young people and that we, therefore, ought to give young people a say in th...

Nate is joined on this episode by Dr. Adil Shamji - the new Liberal MPP for Don Valley East, and a former emergency room doctor.  Adil led a fascinating career before politics, as you’ll hear from him directly, including work in remote communities, supporting homeless shelters, and more. He’s now one of only 8 Liberal MPPs, and so he has far too many critic roles, including Health, Northern Develo...

On this Uncommonspod, I’m joined by Liberal MP Anthony Housefather. He shares a similar approach to politics that is less partisan, with a willingness to speak one’s own mind. He’s done just that most recently with his work and comments in relation to Hockey Canada’s actions in response to sexual assault allegations and to the government’s inexplicable anti-racism funding to an organization led by...

Nate is joined by Kathleen Wynne to discuss her time as Premier, the issues facing the provincial government, and rebuilding the Ontario Liberal Party.   Kathleen is the former Premier of Ontario, having been elected in 2013 as the first woman and openly gay person to hold the office. She served as the MPP for Don Valley West from 2003 until this most recent provincial election this year. During h...

In this episode Nate talks with Ronald Deibert about the role Canada should play in ensuring its own transparency with respect to cyber surveillance, and ensuring that our use of technology is consistent in respecting human rights. Ron is Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto. The Citizen Lab...

Nate discusses competition reform in Canada with a panel of guests made up of Vass Bednar, Robin Shaban and Denise Hearn. All three have recently spoken at the House of Commons Industry Committee , and have stressed that competition reform should be a priority for our government.  Denise Hearn is currently a Senior Fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project and co-lead of the Access to Mark...