Beyond the Headlines

On Thursday, the United Kingdom is heading to the polls for the 3rd time in the last 4 years. As the Brexit saga drags on, the stakes for the future of the country and its place in the European Union are at all-time high. 

Robert Ford is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester. He works in the areas of public opinion, electoral choice and party politics. He has co-authored a book titled the “Revolt on the Right” which examines the rise of the UK Independence Party. 

His work regularly appears in the Guardian and you can follow him on twitter @robfordmancs 

He joined Executive Director Alex Gold-Apel in studio on November 7th. 

This episode was produced with the assistance of Thea Koper.

Around the world, armed war, conflict and violence have had a significant impact on the way healthcare is delivered. This can be seen in the Syrian Civil War, the Iraq War, and in humanitarian crises such as the Rohingya Refugee Crisis. On this week’s episode of Beyond the Headlines, we discuss the intersection of health and conflict. We investigate the impact of conflict in terms of policy-making and its implementation, the strain and toll that is taken on the State, decision-making, the role of private and on-the ground non-profit actors, and the responsibility of large multinational organizations such as the World Health Organization. We dive into these issues through the unique perspectives of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, Ahmad Firas Khalid, and Ruby Gill.

Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish is a medical doctor, author and public health professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto.

Ahmad Firas Khalid is a medical doctor, a health policy advisor, and a lecturer on health systems and policy.

Ruby Gill is a Registered Nurse with an International Masters’ in Health Leadership from McGill University.

This episode was produced by Senior Producer Erin Anderson-Birmingham, Junior Producer Geneviève Tallemeister and Junior Producer Wahaj Alam, with the support of Executive Director Alex Gold-Apel.

Over the past 20 years, 1.2 billion people worldwide have left extreme poverty. While we celebrate this achievement, it is expected that over 500 million people will still be living in extreme poverty in 2030, with wealth inequality remaining a significant factor in this issue across the globe. Our guests today will be speaking with us on policy gaps in the anti-poverty sector both in Canada and abroad calling for more evidence-based policy development.

 Amy Dodd is the Head of Engagement at Development Initiatives, which is based in London, UK. Before joining Development Initiatives, she ran the UK Aid Network for 5 years, a coalition of NGOs working on joint policy, analysis and advocacy for better and more effective aid and development cooperation.

 Arjan de Haan is the Director of IDRC’s Inclusive Economies program. He leads a multidisciplinary team that strengthens policy research capacity in developing countries on issues of economic policy, governance, and health systems.

 Amanda Glassman is executive vice president and senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and also serves as chief executive officer of CGD Europe. Her research focuses on priority-setting, resource allocation and value for money in global health, as well as data for development. She previously served as director for global health policy at the Center from 2010 to 2016, and has more than 25 years of experience working on health and social protection policy and programs in Latin America and elsewhere in the developing world.

 Lorenzo Gonzales and Weseem Ahmed are independent researchers at Ontario 360, a think-tank based in the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. They have recently written a paper on the possible use of Opportunity Zones in Ontario to address the urban-rural divide.

 Special thanks to Senior Producer Nimmi Augustine, Junior Producer Hongyu Xiao, and Executive Director Vienna Vendittelli for producing this episode.

In recent years, social media has provided a platform to share and discuss things big and small, and has given a voice to the unheard that was unimaginable mere decades ago. It’s given rise to movements such as #metoo, the Hong Kong protests, and Bell’s Let’s Talk campaign. However - this democratic expansion has not been without growing pains - as it’s also facilitated the growth of extremist actors, populist political campaigns, and disinformation. Canada is not insulated from the risks arising from social media and the digital era. Today we will discuss the threats posed to democracy and the potential policy responses with thought leaders Keiller Zed and Stephanie MacLennan.

Keiller Zed is a communications and public policy professional and e-democracy advocate. As an Account Director with Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a leading international public relations firm, Keiller advises corporate clients on an array of communications strategies, many of which include digital. Before joining H+K, Keiller served as a senior advisor to the former Premier of New Brunswick and at 26, became the youngest Executive Director in the history of the Liberal Party of New Brunswick. Keiller has worked as a campaign strategist on over a dozen provincial and federal elections in Canada, including the recent 2019 federal campaign, as well as in the United Kingdom on the 2016 Brexit Referendum and the 2017 general election campaigns. Inspired by the results of Brexit, he has developed a passion for e-democracy and has undertaken academic research focusing on the impact of digital disinformation on the integrity of democratic systems. 

Stephanie MacLellan is a fellow with the Public Policy Forum and a member of the Digital Democracy Project, a study of the digital media ecosystem during the 2019 Canadian federal election campaign. Before joining PPF she was a senior research associate with the Centre for International Governance Innovation in the Global Security & Politics Program, specializing in cyber security, online disinformation, digital rights, and related policy issues. Previously, she spent more than a decade working as a journalist for newspapers such as the Toronto Star, the Hamilton Spectator. Her work has been nominated for three National Newspaper Awards. 

This episode was produced by Anna Millar (Senior Producer), Duncan Cooper (Junior Producer and Social Media Director), Diana Lu (Junior Producer) with the support of Alex Gold-Apel (Executive Director). 

Music Credits

1. Ten Years by Classified 

2. Joan of Arc by Arcade Fire

In this episode, we will focus on how the regional differences and increasing polarization in Canada may complicate the implementation of strong climate action at the federal level. We discuss the future of climate policy given the new Liberal minority government and potential innovative environmental policy pathways relevant to the Canadian context. Our first interview is with Dr. Douglas Macdonald, who discusses the tension between Canadian federalism and climate policy. He then suggests a way forward to achieve federal and provincial consensus on national climate policy that reflects regional divides. For our next guest, Dr. Kathryn Harrison joins us to talk about what’s next for climate policy after the election and address mounting friction between western Canada and Ottawa. Finally, Dr. Andrew Leach weighs in on Alberta’s newly-announced provincial carbon tax and advises how Canada can position itself for success in a low-carbon, resource-efficient global economy.

Dr. Douglas Macdonald is Senior Lecturer Emeritus with the School of the Environment, University of Toronto. His forthcoming book, Carbon Province, Hydro Province: The Challenge of Canadian Energy and Climate Federalism provides analysis and recommendations for how Canada can address its basic climate-change problem – the fact that continually rising emissions in the oil-producing provinces are overwhelming reductions made in other parts of the country.

Dr. Kathryn Harrison is a Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia and expert on the topics of environmental, climate, and energy policy, as well as federalism, and comparative public policy.

Dr. Andrew Leach is an energy and environmental economist and is Associate Professor at the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta. His research spans energy and environmental economics with a particular interest in climate change policies. In 2015, Dr. Leach was Chair of Alberta’s Climate Change Leadership Panel.

Special thanks to Junior Producers Erin Christensen and Thea Koper and Executive Director Vienna Vendittelli for producing this episode.

For this week's episode, we went live on the air as part of CIUT’s The Sound of the City Membership Drive. The station’s overall goal for fundraiser is $100,000. This helps pay for day to day costs, the website and social media, studio upgrades and new broadcast equipment. If you support our work and campus radio, please consider donating to help CIUT meet this goal. 

We were joined on the air this week by various professors from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy about what research they have been working on. First, Drew Fagan discusses transit planning in the GTA. Then, Matthias Oshinski discusses automation and the future of work. He was followed by Mel Cappe who discusses the UK election and Brexit. Finally, Andrew Parkin discusses Canadian's opinions on immigration and refugees. 

Drew Fagan is Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy and Senior Advisor with McMillan Vantage Policy Group. 

Matthias Oschinski is the Director of Innovation Economics at MaRs and a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

Mel Cappe is the former Clerk of the Privy Council, is an officer of the Order of Canada, a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and the former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. 

Andrew Parkin is the Executive Director of Environics Institute for Survey Research and an adjunct professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

Special thanks to Alex Gold-Apel, Vienna Vendittelli, Daniella Marciano, Geneviève Tallmeister, Robert Giannetta, Erin Anderson-Birmingham for making this show possible.

Today is election day. As Canadians head to the polls, we take a look at issues that don’t usually garner a lot of attention during the campaign. The first interview is with Yves Giroux, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, to discuss the work his office is doing costing the party’s platforms during the campaign. Then Mel Cappe, the former Clerk of the Privy Council in Canada, discusses how the bureaucracy plans for a transition in government. Finally, Adam Laughton, a Munk school student and NDP candidate for Mississauga Lakeshore, is interviewed about youth involvement in politics. 

Special thanks to executive producer Alex Gold-Apel and senior producer Aryeh Ansel for their efforts on this episode.