Cross Border Interviews

Svend Robinson graduated from Burnaby North Secondary School in 1969. He studied science and law at UBC and received the highest honor, the Sherwood Lett Memorial Scholarship, in 1972. He went on to study at the London School of Economics, and was called to the BC Bar as a lawyer.

Svend was elected in 1979 as an NDP Member of Parliament, serving for over 25 years. He had a legendary reputation of service to his constituents, as well as being one of the most outstanding and effective backbench MPs. Svend was particularly active on justice, human rights, environment and international issues, and was the first openly gay MP in Canada.

Svend was often far ahead on important issues:

He worked in 1982 to amend the Charter of Rights to include the right to a healthy environment.

In 2004 Svend successfully added “sexual orientation” to federal hate crimes legislation. This fight for dignity and equality for the LGBTQ+ community continues with his opposition to the discriminatory blood donation ban, and “conversion” therapy.

An outspoken advocate of indigenous people, Svend stood with the Haida first nation in 1985, and with the Nuu Chalnuth in 1993 in Clayoquot Sound, to defend old growth forest ecosystems, and was adopted into the Haida nation with David Suzuki and given the name “White Swan.” Svend continues this work in solidarity with the Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish nations’ opposition to the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion.

In the 1990s, Svend was a leader in the movement for the right to physician-assisted dying, supporting his close friend ALS patient Sue Rodriguez in her advocacy for the right to die with dignity. He continues to fight for strengthening the current MAID law to allow for advance decision-making for example in cases of dementia, and full respect for the Supreme Court Carter decision.

After all these years, he’s still Svend. You know that he will work courageously for what is right.

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Dan Harris was elected as the Member of Parliament representing the riding of Scarborough Southwest on May 2nd, 2011.

Dan has been a community and political activist for sixteen years. He has been a strong advocate and voice for affordable housing, social justice, and economic reform. Dan has also worked in voicing the need for a National Daycare Program in Canada, after experiencing that need first-hand when he worked at Not Your Average Daycare in Scarborough. Dan has been a longstanding member of the New Democratic Party of Canada; helping with over twenty campaigns, working on the Ontario NDP Executive from 2002 to 2004, and helping to craft dozens of resolutions to provincial and federal policy conventions.

Dan grew up in the East end of Toronto – where his family has resided for over eighty years. Dan’s family has been active in their support behind noted local New Democrats Stephen Lewis, John Harney, Richard Johnston, and Anne Swarbrick.

Dan has been a vibrant face in Scarborough Southwest – as a player, coach, sponsor and member of the executive of the Birchmount Baseball league since 1994.

Dan was honoured when he was named the Deputy Critic for Science and Technology in the Official Opposition Party’s Shadow Cabinet.

Under the new leadership of Thomas Mulcair, Dan was named the Deputy Critic for Industry in April, 2012.

In August 2013, Dan was named Critic for Post-Secondary Education.

Dan has worked in the Information and Technology industry for over ten years, for prominent companies such as Web Networks, the Make a Wish Foundation, the Ontario NDP, and most recently for Unified Systems Group.

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Libby Davies has been a social activist for 45 plus years and began as a community organizer in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside in 1972. She was elected to Vancouver City Council for 5 consecutive terms, 1982-1993. As the Member of Parliament for Vancouver East for six consecutive terms, 1997-2015, she became NDP House Leader, (2003-2011) and Deputy Leader (2007-2015). Libby has been an outspoken advocate for human rights, housing, peace, and social justice throughout her political life.

She was named to the Order of Canada in 2016, and invested to the Order in May 2018, and received the City of Vancouver Civic Merit Award in November 2018. Libby was appointed to the board of governors of Vancouver Community College and serves as Vice Chair. She is also a board member and Vice Chair of the Portland Hotel Community Services Society (PHS).

Libby was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Vancouver East in 1997. She was re-elected in November 2000, June 2004, January 2006, October 2008, and most recently in May 2011. Libby was also the Official Opposition Spokesperson for Health and the Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Health from May 2011 until January 2015. She was Deputy Leader of the federal NDP from 2007-2015. Libby also served as the NDP House Leader from 2003 to March 2011. After serving 6 terms, and 18 years, as the Member of Parliament for Vancouver East, Libby did not run in the 2015 general federal election.

As a Parliamentarian, Libby was Co-Chair of the HIV/AIDS Tuberculosis Caucus, an all-party parliamentary caucus which involved parliamentarians in national and international efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis and improve the lives of those living with these diseases. She was a key player in global parliamentary efforts around health and HIV/AIDS, serving as the Chair of Inter-Parliamentary Union’s (IPU), Advisory Group on HIV/AIDS and Maternal and Child Health.

Her history as a strong community activist for Vancouver began over 45 years ago. She and her late partner, Bruce Eriksen, were key figures in the formation of the Downtown Eastside Residents’ Association (DERA) in 1973. In 10 years of community organizing, Libby developed her strong grassroots approach to working with people and diverse communities. In 1982, Libby was elected to Vancouver City Council and served 5 consecutive terms. She became involved in every community issue; from protecting community services to developing affordable housing, fighting for parks and working for the elimination of poverty. In her capacity as a Vancouver City Councillor, Libby also served on the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD); now know as Metro Vancouver, and the Vancouver Public Library Board. From 1994 to 1997, Libby worked with the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) serving in the role of Ombudsperson for Human Rights, Complaints Investigator, and Coordinator of Human Resources.

As the Member of Parliament for Vancouver East, Libby provided a strong voice for Vancouver East. She consistently raised issues of concern to her constituents in Parliament, including: community safety; the need for a national childcare program; and affordable and accessible post-secondary education. Libby was a tireless advocate in Parliament for a national housing program, and successfully forced federal governments to address this basic human right. Libby’s community office helped hundreds of residents with federal government matters such as immigration, student loans, employment insurance, taxation, pensions, and Aboriginal affairs.

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Paul Hellyer is one of Canada’s best known and most controversial politicians. First elected in 1949, he was the youngest cabinet minister appointed to Louis S. St. Laurent’s government eight years later. He subsequently held senior posts in the governments of Lester B. Pearson and Pierre E. Trudeau, who defeated him for the Liberal Party leadership in 1968. The following year, after achieving the rank of senior minister, which was later designated Deputy Prime Minister, Hellyer resigned from the Trudeau cabinet on a question of principle related to housing.

Although Hellyer is best known for the unification of the Canadian Armed Forces and for his 1968 chairmanship of the Task Force on Housing and Urban Development, he has maintained a life-long interest in macroeconomics. Through the years, as a journalist and political commentator, he has continued to fight for economic reforms and has written several books on the subject.

A man of many interests, Hellyer’s ideas are not classroom abstractions. He was born and raised on a farm and his business experience includes manufacturing, retailing, construction, land development, tourism and publishing. He has also been active in community affairs including the arts and studied voice at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. His multi-faceted career, in addition to a near-lifetime in politics, gives Hellyer a rare perspective on what has gone wrong with world economies.

In recent years he has become interested in the extraterrestrial presence and their superior technology that we have been emulating. In September 2005 he became the first person of cabinet rank in the G8 group of countries to state unequivocally “UFO’s are as real as the airplanes flying overhead.”

To purchase one of Mr. Hellyers Books visit: http://www.paulhellyerweb.com/

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Welcome to a special edition of the Cross Border Interview Podcast.

From time to time, the show will be diverting from its shows structure to discuss the most important issue of the day.

Whether it is an election, an award show, breaking news across the world, or an issue of a local scale.

We will bring guests onto the show to discuss the issue that is on everyone’s mind.

So here is the Cross Border Interview Podcast discussing the 2021 Golden Globes with Mike Nichols-Pate

Be sure to follow Mike Nichols-Pate on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/mikeynicholspate

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Cross Border Interviews is owned by Miranda, Brown & Associates Inc.

Mumilaaq Qaqqaq (ᒧᒥᓛᖅ ᖃᖅᑲᖅ), is an Inuk woman, Member of Parliament, and human rights defender. Elected in 2019, she is one of the few people to have given a speech in the House of Commons before being elected!

Originally from Baker Lake, she now lives in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut. Mumilaaq has worked with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., The Quality of Life Secretariat in the Government of Nunavut, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, and Qulliq Energy Corporation among other organizations.

Mumilaaq is fighting for adequate housing, clean water and food security in the North. ᐃᓕᓐᓄᑦ ᐱᓕᕆᐊᕗᑦ, in it for you. 

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As a young child, Theo Fleury turned to hockey to escape from the pain that he was experiencing at home. It was on the ice rink where he received the love, admiration, and celebration from hockey fans that he hadn’t felt before.

However, that pain manifested into anxiety, panic disorders, and depression. Dealing with childhood trauma and adolescent sexual abuse led him to alcohol and drug addiction that would eventually end his NHL career.

In his words, Theo describes the lowest point in his life where he was spiritually, emotionally, and physically dead. Theo details his life experiences in interviews, speeches, and speaking engagements below in a raw and honest perspective that leaves the audience heartbroken, yet inspired and full of hope.

To reach out to Theo visit his website here: https://theofleury.life/

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Singer/ songwriter Ashley Taylor grew up in Bakersfield, California. Thanks to her grandmother's cd collection mixed with the rich musical history of her hometown & the “Bakersfield sound”, Ashley’s love of country music became her life’s passion . She received her first guitar at the age of seventeen & has been making music ever since.

However, it wasn't until a friendship with hit songwriter clay mills (“don’t think i don’t think about it” by Darius Rucker) that Ashley made the life changing decision to sell everything she owned, jump on a plane, and move to Nashville, Tennessee.

Since then Ashley has been working consistently in the writing rooms on music row. She has written songs by multiple artists including a&e tv star & average joe’s recording artist big smo, warner chapel recording artist Ryan Larkins, Noah Smith & more!

Ashley was also named “one to watch” by the Nashville songwriters association international. Her songs have placed in numerous songwriting competitions including write about jesus , nsai pitch to publisher, and man verses row. You can also see Ashley appear in several episodes of the hit television series Nashville on CMT network.

In November of 2017, Ashley was honored by the Bakersfield country music awards for her achievements & contributions to her hometown & the famous Bakersfield sound. Ashley was also nominated for rising female artist and song of the year for her song “cake” at the 2018 josie music awards. She was also nominated that year for an outstanding 7 kicma awards including: entertainer of the year, song of the year, and top female vocalist.

Ashley released her debut ep “Bakersfield” on January 18th, 2019. This project was met with great success, charting at number 60 on the iTunes top 100 country album charts and being met with positive reviews by fans and industry professionals alike.

When Ashley is not writing songs she is on the road performing and making new fans and friends all over the country and playing in Nashville’s most famous venues such as the bluebird cafe, Douglas corner & the listening room as well as appearing on tv news segments and in radio interviews regionally and nationally. With a down-to-earth and relatable lyrical style, Ashley connects with her fans everywhere by bringing together the sounds and subjects of real life and good people wherever she goes.

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One-of-its-kind Canadian musical duo Q&A — as in JUNO Award-winning Tony Quarrington and his esteemed counterpart Zoey Adams — deliver the second release in their multi-genre triple EP offering, One More FOLK Thing, including lead single “How Do I Love You?” — available now!

Following this summer’s big band-to-ballad exploration that is One More JAZZ Thing, One More FOLK Thing falls in line with another five tracks that span from old-timey upbeats to slow-folk styles, and everything in between.

“Clap along with this happy, little bluegrass love song,” Adams says of the album’s first preview, “How Do I Love You?” — a lively duet spotlighting sounds of the fiddle, banjo, and guitar.

“Redbird” lands as another bluegrass-based tune, while “Hold On” and “Last One In Love” slow the pace as an intimate, personal anthem and a whimsical yet poignant look at love, respectively.

“This is a cautionary tale about paying it forward,” Quarrington reveals about the album's closer, “Big Bump (At The End Of The Road).” “The track has a gospel feel to it, including a killer Hammond organ solo.”

One More FOLK Thing is the second in this year’s three-part EP project released via Sonic Peach Music that focuses on specific genres of music through the lens of this spectacularly diverse and uniquely talented pair.

The journeys within the genres are deftly traversed by the accomplished co-writers and artists; with Quarrington and Adams — the former an acclaimed jazz guitarist, composer, and songwriter with hundreds of multi-genre credits to his name, and the latter an artist long-lauded for her work in theatre, movies, radio, and corporate entertainment.

The duo have been making music together in some form or another for the better part of two decades; Q&A quite literally holds 100 years of professional experience between them; the results have included but are not limited to a long-held run as Paper Moon, a nostalgic jazz duo, and their first extended work together took place in 2005 when Stuart McLean commissioned Quarrington to compose what would become Vinyl Cafe: The Musical — Quarrington sang the role of ‘Dave’ and Adams ‘Morley,’ ‘Stephanie,’ and ‘Sam.’

“The pleasure we took in that project convinced us to work together even more,” they recall.

That pleasure is now ours with the release of One More JAZZ Thing, One More FOLK Thing, and One More POP Thing.

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The Boy from the South, or Pedro as he’s known to his friends and friends is a Spaniard born in sunny Barcelona.

Despite English not being his first language he drowned himself in English-speaking music to learn the language and release music to the world. Pedro’s first entry into music was his band in Barcelona which won a contest that sprung him to play venues across Spain.

The Boy From The South tries to be as sponge-driven as he can, listening to all music and genres’ of music to help craft his music for people. His music is driven by the melody above all else.

The newest song from The Boy from the South, “Morning” was released via Pedro’s Spotify account and has been streaming strong since it’s release earlier this year.

While 2020 is coming to a close, that doesn’t mean Pedro is slowing down he will be releasing his first EP, and more singles throughout the fall and winter.

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