Uncommons with Nate Erskine-Smith

The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) has provided critical income support to millions of Canadians, but it's set to expire for many at the end of June. Should we extend the CERB? Improve it? Expand it? Nate is joined by Jennifer Robson, Carleton Professor and expert in social policy, to discuss the future of CERB.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other...

Justice David Stratas sits on the Federal Court of Appeal, he's been prolific in writing judgments, and he's been vocal about the role judges should play. He was also a mentor to Nate and as a professor at Queen's University he taught Nate constitutional law. In this episode, the two have a conversation about the separation of powers: the role of courts versus the role of the legisl...

Cities are in dire financial straits and need federal support. Nate is joined by Toronto Mayor John Tory to discuss the city's financial needs in this crisis, how Toronto can better address racism in the wake of the tragic death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, as well as important issues of affordable housing and public health.  This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with oth...

Protests against police violence and discrimination have taken place across the US and in Canada, and we need to do more to recognize and address racism. Nate speaks with Professor Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, a criminologist at U of T, Director of Research at Cannabis Amnesty, and expert in race, crime, and criminal justice. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribe...

Former Senators Art Eggleton (Liberal) and Hugh Segal (Conservative) have been champions of a basic income in Canada.  In part 2, Nate is joined by Hugh to discuss one Tory’s lonely battle to end poverty in Canada. Hugh is a former Senator, and served as Chief of Staff to both Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Premier Bill Davis.  His recent book on the subject: Bootstraps Need Boots: One Tory’s L...

Former Senators Art Eggleton (Liberal) and Hugh Segal (Conservative) have been champions of a basic income in Canada.  In part 1, Nate is joined by Art to discuss his passion for social justice and ending poverty through a basic income. Art has a long history of public service, as a former Senator, Minister, MP, and Mayor of Toronto. As a Senator, he founded the all-party anti-poverty caucus which...

A recent military report has highlighted the deplorable state of private nursing homes in Ontario, a scandal that experts and families have drawn attention to for years. It is hard to understand, impossible to accept, and Pat Armstrong has solutions. She's a distinguished research professor and sociologist at York University, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and has researched and pub...

Maria Ressa is a highly-regarded journalist and author in the Philippines. As an outspoken critic of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte she was arrested on multiple occasions for critical reporting on the government. Maria is one of the journalists included in the Time's Person of the Year 2018, and in 2019, she received a Tribute honour from the Canadian Journalism Foundation for "her...

Dr. Michael Warner is the Director of Critical Care at Michael Garron Hospital, working on the frontline to treat patients with COVID-19. He speaks to Nate about how we are falling short in necessary efforts to test and trace, and the need for more serious action to save lives. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...

Adam van Koeverden won four Olympic medals for Canada as a paddler, including a gold medal in 2004, and he's been Canada's flag bearer in both opening and closing Olympic ceremonies. He's now the Liberal MP for Milton, and speaks to Nate about how and why he made the move from paddling to Parliament, and the important work of Conquer COVID-19 ( www.conquercovid19.ca ).  This is a pu...

Ken Price and Claire Smith’s daughter is a victim and survivor of the Danforth shooting. They talk to Nate about their journey as gun control advocates with the Danforth Families for Safe Communities ( danforthfamilies.com ), their views on recent government action to ban assault rifles, and what more they want to see. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscrib...

There has been an incredible amount of false information about the pandemic, both from the dark corners of the internet and from world leaders. Tim Caulfield is a Canadian professor who has devoted his career to debunking pseudoscience. He speaks with Nate about popular COVID-19 myths, his work to combat this "infodemic", and why Gwyneth Paltrow is still wrong about everything. This is a...

Our federal government has announced the immediate prohibition of 1,500 models and variants of assault rifles. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair is leading these efforts. He speaks with Nate about why this policy has been put into place, how it's just a first step, and why we need a comprehensive approach to address gun violence. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this wit...

Can we become a more equal society post-pandemic? As the former head of the Elizabeth Fry Societies, Senator Kim Pate has worked in prison reform for decades. She speaks with Nathaniel about her current work to fix our prisons, why we should address systemic inequality as part of that reform, and why a basic income should be part of the solution. This is a public episode. If you would like to disc...

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 dis...

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 woul...

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...

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...

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 acc...

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 subsc...

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 Uni...

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...

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 subscribe...

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 agen...

Is now the right time for a basic income? In episode two, Nathaniel is joined by Evelyn Forget, a health economist and professor at the University of Manitoba, and expert in basic income experiments. They discuss the evidence from pilots and existing programs in Canada, the new Emergency Response Benefit, and whether a basic income is the right approach to manage the economic fallout from COVID-19...