Beyond the Headlines

With the spread of the Omicron variant into Canada, vaccination has been the most effective tool in slowing the spread of the virus and reducing hospitalization rates. However, mixed messaging has prompted some Canadians to question whether vaccinations and social distancing measures are effective or even necessary, which has been exemplified by the Freedom Convoy 2022. This episode will focus on discussing this issue and potential best steps moving forward. 

Guests:

Dr. Peter Loewen (Director, Munk School of Global Affairs) 

John Capobianco (Public Affairs National Practice Lead in FleishmanHillard HighRoad's Toronto Office)

Produced by:

Michael Kalaparambath - Junior Producer

Connor Fraser - Senior Producer

Mycala Gill - Executive Producer

The COVID-19 pandemic is approaching the two-year milestone and many people are increasingly alarmed by the drawn-out nature of our battle with the virus, wondering if, when and how our lives can return to their normal cadence. In today’s episode, we sit down to discuss two aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic which at the core reflect different perspectives about how to best move forward with the health response and get society back on track. Professor Drew Fagan of the Munk School and Elizabeth Simmons from Anti-hate Canada discuss how an anti-vaccination mandate protest became a movement dubbed the Freedom Convoy, and Dr. Courtney Howard delves into global vaccine equity and the contributions Canada has both made - and hasn’t made - towards protecting the world's most vulnerable populations.

Guests:

Professor Drew Fagan - Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, McMillan Vantage Policy Group

Elizabeth Simmons - Anti-hate Canada

Dr. Courtney Howard - Canadian Public Health Association

Producers:

Connor Fraser - Senior Producer

Anna Lazaris - Junior Producer

Jessica Pan - Senior Producer

Faria Amin - Executive Producer

The advancement of global education efforts requires the collaboration of different actors and institutions, especially in light of COVID-19.

According to World Bank data, before the pandemic 258 million children of primary and secondary school age were out of school, and the learning poverty rate in low-and-middle income countries was 53% - meaning more than half of all 10 year old children were unable to read. The pandemic has only exacerbated this learning crisis, with high likelihood of long-term impacts on the human capital of this generation. Educating girls and boys can boost economic growth, reduce poverty and inequality, and contributes to restoring peace and stability within a state. As well, traditional methods of education are “lecture-style,” memorization based and rely on recall examinations to act as absolute measurement of student learning. These traditional methods, though generally supported by parents or teachers, are often met with low retention and high dropout rates, especially in developing countries.

Our discussion covers topics ranging from unconventional methods of education delivery, the impacts of COVID-19 on global education projects and organizations, education provision targeting girls and young women, and impact measurement for education projects and programming.

Guests:

Tracy Evans - Director of Global Partnerships, Right to Play

Mary Ellen Matsui - Development Consultant, Goodwill Industries Ontario Great Lakes

Produced by:

Mycala Gill - Executive Producer

Characterised by trade disputes, the detention of its citizens, human rights violations, and growing diplomatic quarrels, tensions between Canada and China have reached an historic high. As both countries begin to emerge from the diplomatic conflict involving the arrest of Huawei’s CFO Meng Wanzhou by Canada, at the request of the United States, and the subsequent detainment of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor by China for over a thousand days, in what the Canadian government deemed “hostage diplomacy,” many are wondering where this bilateral relationship will go next. An October 2021 Nanos poll conducted after the release of the two Michaels found that “Canadians were over three times more likely to say that relations between the Canadian government and the Chinese government should be unfriendly rather than friendly.” Despite this, trade between Canada and China continues to grow.

Amidst this backdrop, we sit down with two renowned experts on the matter - Professor Paul Evans at the University of British Columbia, and Professor Gordon Holden of the China Institute at the University of Alberta - to discuss the past, present and future of Canada-China relations. How have generations of political leaders and bureaucrats shaped Canada’s relationship with China? What strategies were used? And importantly, how have recent events altered Canada’s approach to China, and is a new strategy necessary?

Guests:

Professor Paul Evans - University of British Columbia, HSBC Chair in Asian Research

Professor Gordon Houlden - University of Alberta, Director Emeritus of the China Institute

Producers:

Connor Fraser - Senior Producer

Tom Chan - Junior Producer

Faria Amin - Executive Producer

The United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (UN HLPF) Delegation of the Young Diplomats of Canada (YDC) listen back to some stakeholder meetings they held in the summer of 2021, before the UN HLPF. Following these stakeholder statements, the Delegates and young Canadian leaders will discuss relevant themes and topics, touching on youth engagement, sustainable development, the Agenda 2030 and more.

Guests:

Dr. Lynn Wagner - Senior Director (Tracking Progress), International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

Dr. Stephan Jungcurt - Lead (SDG Indicators and Data, Tracking Progress), International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

Heather McPherson - Member of Parliament for Edmonton Strathcona

Jon Beale - Manager, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) of Canada

Andrea Dicks - President, Community Foundations Canada

Bob Rae - Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations

Producers:

Réanne Cooper - Host, Young Diplomats of Canada

Winter Lipscombe - Delegate and Youth Panelist, Young Diplomats of Canada

Alicia Richins - Delegate and Youth Panelist, Young Diplomats of Canada

Faria Amin - Executive Producer, Beyond the Headlines

The World Trade Organization is an intergovernmental organization with 164 member states, dealing with the rules of trade between nations. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the WTO’s primary objective is to facilitate rules-based and predictable trade flows. It accomplishes this by settling trade disputes, acting as a forum for trade negotiations, and by building the trade capacity of developing economies. The annual Public Forum is the WTO’s largest annual outreach event, giving a platform to thousands of NGOs, businesses, academia, the media, intergovernmental organizations, and civil society to discuss issues facing the multilateral trading system.

The trading system faces serious challenges to its ability to provide a stable, functioning framework for trade negotiations, dispute settlement, and rules-based trade. This episode features some insights from the leading minds in international trade about the issues facing the trading system today. The interview clips used in this podcast come from meetings with stakeholders and WTO Public Forum sessions.

Guests:

Ambassador Stephen de Boer - Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO, Global Affairs Canada

Gabrielle Marceau - Economics Research and Statistics Division, World Trade Organization

John Hannaford - Deputy Minister of International Trade, Global Affairs Canada

Sara Wilshaw - Chief Trade Commissioner, Global Affairs Canada

His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa - President of the Republic of South Africa

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala - Director-General, World Trade Organization

Dr. Radhika Desai - Professor of Political Economy, University of Manitoba

Diane Gray - President and CEO of CentrePort Canada

Dr. Olu Fasan - Visiting Fellow & Guest Lecturer, International Relations Department of the London School of Economics

Produced By:

Lindsay Bain - Delegate, WTO Public Forum 2021

Ashton Connor Mathias - Delegate, WTO Public Forum 2021

Faria Amin - Executive Producer, Beyond the Headlines

COVID-19 has highlighted many of the inequalities present in our society today. This includes systemic racism. While systemic racism is not a new problem, and there have been calls for change over the years, there was a large resurgence in movements associated with tackling systemic racism this past summer. These include the Black Lives Matter and "Defund the Police'' movements, which have occurred across North America and garnered international support. There is evidence that systemic racism occurs in numerous institutions, including but not limited to police forces, prisons, healthcare, and more. Today, I am joined by two volunteers with the Toronto-based organization Rittenhouse: A New Vision. Our discussion will cover topics such as the links between COVID-19 and systemic racism and social movements tackling systemic racism, and will explore alternative methods of justice and how they can pave the way for a more just and equitable future.

Guests: 

Naty Tremblay and Michael Nurse - Rittenhouse

Produced by:

Faria Amin - Executive Producer

This episode explores the lobbying environment in Canada. Cristina De Caprio from the Toronto Lobbying Registrar and Wesam AbdElhamid Mohamed from the Canadian Federation of Students share their insights and answer questions on how people outside of government seek to influence the policy process and how our civic institutions ensure that this takes place in an ethical manner.

Cristina De Caprio - Lobbyist Registrar, City of Toronto

Wesam AbdElhamid - Deputy Chairperson, Canadian Federation of Students

Produced By:

Jessica Pan - Senior Producer, Beyond the Headlines

Kieran Kreidié-Akazaki - Junior Producer, Beyond the Headlines

Amber Zhang - Junior Producer, Beyond the Headlines

Faria Amin - Executive Producer, Beyond the Headlines

In a surprise turn of events, the conservative government announced that the minimum wage in Ontario will be rising to $15 an hour come January. This policy would potentially give liquor servers a historic 19.5% wage increase and yet it comes 3 years after  it was first proposed by the liberal party. Is it too little too late?  In this episode, we discuss the new minimum wage with Craig PickThorne of the Living Wage Network of Ontario,  Julie Kwiecinski of the Canadian Federation for Independent Businesses, and Dr. Darius Ornston of the Munk School of Global Affairs, to understand how this increase will impact workers and businesses while evaluating why this raise may look important to some and underwhelming to others. 

Guests: 

Craig Pickthorne is the Communications Coordinator at the Ontario Living Wage Network. He is one of two staff at the OLWN, and is responsible for maintaining the website, database, and social media accounts. Craig also works with dozens of local organizers across Ontario to field media inquiries and government deputations. He has a background in live event production and digital media creation, and enjoys putting those skills to work in his current role within the living wage movement. 

Julie Kweicinski is the  CFIB’s Director of Provincial Affairs for Ontario. She focuses on determining the organization’s Ontario legislative and communications strategies and priorities, including CFIB’s Ontario COVID-19 strategy, based on member feedback. Kweicinski has worked for Ontario’s recycling regulator as Communications Advisor, and for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police as Events Manager and Communications & Government Relations Advisor. She served as Communications Director and Senior Legislative Advisor to the Leader of the Official Opposition. In government, she worked in the Premier’s Office and served two Cabinet Ministers as Communications Advisor. 

Dr. Darius Ornston is an Associate Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto, where he specializes in the politics of cooperation and change. An expert in Nordic innovation policy, Dr. Ornston has also written two books, When Small States Make Big Leaps and Good Governance Gone Bad. Since moving to Canada, his research has focused on Canadian cities, including their resilience to anchor firm collapse and the role of storytelling as a form of collective action. His research on the causes and consequences of cooperation has been published by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the OECD, Economic Geography and Comparative Political Studies. At the Munk School, he teaches comparative politics of the welfare state. 

Produced by:

Anna Lazaris - Junior Producer

Mycala Gill - Executive Producer 

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 health crisis has impacted the global economy and entrepreneurship. However, not all sectors have been impacted equally. Although lack of in-person interaction has benefitted some, it has severely hindered others. This episode features Dr. Shiri Breznitz, who discusses consequences of the pandemic in the technology and knowledge transfer between universities, and Almira Cuizon, who is the general manager of Guess in the Middle East and Chalhoub Group to examine the new and creative ways in which the retail industry has adapted to e-commerce.

Dr. Shiri Breznitz - Director, Master’s in Global Affairs Program at Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy

Almira Cuizon - General Manager of Guess in the Middle East & Chalhoub Group

Produced By:

Marie Ascencio - Junior Producer, Beyond the Headlines

Michael Kalaparambath - Junior Producer, Beyond the Headlines

Faria Amin - Executive Producer, Beyond the Headlines