Uncommons with Nate Erskine-Smith

Nate is joined by Conservative MP for Durham and former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada Erin O'Toole for a wide-ranging conversation that covers his time as leader, his concerns about populism, and what comes next for him.  The conversation also touches on stories of First and Second World War veterans that have been shared with Nate and Erin, and candid reflections on what ultimat...

Nate talks with NDP MP Gord Johns about drug decriminalization and his private member's bill C-216 . After this, Nate discusses decriminalization with Health Canada's Substance Use Task Force , each of whom brings a unique perspective to the issue.  Following this are clips from past episodes that discussed drug decriminalization, including episodes with Louise Arbour, Akwasi Owusu-Bempa...

Nate speaks with friend and mentor Angela Swan about her lived experience as a trans-woman.  Angela is a legal scholar having written a number of papers, reviews, books, case comments and annotations on topics such as contract law, civil litigation and conflict of laws. Her work has been cited with approval by a number of courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada. She is frequently retained by...

A conversation from the vault with climate scientist, former BC MLA, and former leader of the BC Green Party Dr. Andrew Weaver.  Their conversation ranges from a reflection on the outcomes of COP26, to his view on the goal of keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees, to reflections on his time in politics. Since this discussion, our government has tabled Canada's Climate Plan , which commits...

Nate is joined by Sahir Khan and Brett House to discuss Budget 2022 , tabled on April 7th 2022. Sahir is a public finance executive, teacher, advisor and speaker.  The focus of his work has been on budgetary and financial analysis, reporting and organizational performance.  He is a co-founder of the University of Ottawa-affiliated IFSD.  Brett House is a macro-economist, the former deputy chief ec...

David Herle joins Nate to discuss the Liberal-NDP deal and his concerns. David leads a public research firm, and he's a long-time political consultant, Liberal strategist, campaign manager, and more. But he is best known these days as the host of the most popular political podcasts in Canada, with both The Herle Burly and The Curse of Politics . This is a public episode. If you would like to...

Andrew Leslie joins Nate to discuss Russia’s unconscionable war of aggression and attack on Ukraine, what more Canada can do to help, and the critical need to improve our country’s military capacity. Andy is a retired Canadian Forces lieutenant-general and a former Liberal MP.  In his 35 year military career, he served for four years as the chief of the Land Staff, and as an MP he held the role of...

Michelle Rempel joins Nate to discuss the bizarre World Economic Forum conspiracy theory, its negative impact on her own life , and some of the criticism she’s directed at her own caucus colleagues for trafficking in such conspiracies.  Michelle and Nate also discuss the Conservative leadership race, her recent crypto legislation, and the common ground they share in support of electoral reform , d...

Joe Cressy joins Nate to discuss his role helping to lead the city's pandemic response, a public health approach to the opioid crisis, Toronto's housing affordability challenge, and why he's leaving politics at the end of his current term. Joe Cressy is the City Councillor for Toronto's Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York. As the Chair of Toronto's Board of Health, he's played...

 With the federal government invoking the Emergencies Act for the first time since its adoption in 1988, Nate is joined by national security experts Leah West and Wesley Wark on the question of whether the Act is a justified response to the illegal blockades across our country. Dr. Leah West is a professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University , the co-autho...

Minister Marci Ien joins Nate to discuss why she left as co-host of the popular show The Social to run for office, how she plans to use her new role to make a difference, and her work to strengthen diversity and equality. Before politics, Marci was an award-winning broadcaster and journalist with The Social, Canada AM, CTV News, and CHCH. She’s been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award, received...

Powerful advocate Cindy Blackstock joins Nate to discuss Indigenous child welfare, including the Human Rights Tribunal decision and judicial review application related the equality of treatment for First Nations children, and compensation to kids for discrimination.  Blackstock is the executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada, co-applicant with the Assembly...

While international development doesn't always steal national headlines, there are few more important ministries when one considers the global challenges of mass vaccination against COVID-19 and action to prevent catastrophic and runaway climate change. On this episode, Minister Karina Gould joins Nate to discuss global vaccine equity and international climate finance,  as well as development...

Vancouver's Mayor Kennedy Stewart joins Nate to discuss the city's proposal to decriminalize all drugs for personal use, and solutions to deliver affordable housing.  Canada faces an opioid crisis that continues to kill thousands, and a housing affordability crisis that is leaving a younger generation of Canadians worse off than their parents. Both of these issues are particularly acute...

Hassan Yussuff joins Nate to discuss a just and fair transition for workers as we set Canada on a credible path towards net zero, with reference to his work as co-chair of the Task Force on Just Transition for Canadian Coal Power Workers and Communities . Yussuff was recently appointed to the Senate , after serving two terms as the president of the Canadian Labour Congress. In addition to his invo...

Leonid Volkov is Alexei Navalny's top aide, and he joins Nate to discuss the fight against corruption and for democracy in Russia. Upon his return to Russia after being poisoned, Navalny has been imprisoned by Russian authorities in order to silence opposition. Volkov himself has been forced out of the country, subject to false and politically motivated charges.   Volkov and others have made...

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...

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 histor...

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 internis...

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 A...

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 TRIP...

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 pr...

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 In...

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 fo...

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 budge...