Generation Squeeze's Hard Truths

Environmental economist Dave Sawyer and Gen Squeeze's Umair Muhammad and Megan Wilde discuss how Canada is cutting carbon emissions to fight climate change, one of the greatest intergenerational injustices of our time. Dave gives us the low down on the federal government's recent proposal to cap and cut carbon emissions from the oil and gas sector, Canada's largest and fastest-growing source of carbon emissions. He also explains the differences between cap-and-trade and carbon-pricing systems and how these strategies have worked across Canada. We then delve into Gen Squeeze's climate solutions framework and voter's guide platform analyses. And we learn what an environmental economist would do with a magic wand.

Dave Sawyer is a leading environmental economist with EnviroEconomics and contributor to Gen Squeeze's climate change work. He has held positions with Environment Canada, Canada's Commissioner of Environment and Sustainable Development, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and Carleton's School of Public Policy.

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Gen Squeeze's podcast is called Hard Truths, because we know our research and ideas aren't always popular. Sometimes we even make people mad. In this episode Umair Muhammad talks with Dr. Paul Kershaw and Andrea Long about recent messages Gen Squeeze has received -- some angry, some not. We hope this discussion offers insights into the problems we tackle and our approach to solving them. We also want to learn from our mistakes and believe we can do our work better when we listen and respond to criticism. 

Full transcript

Fixing big systemic problems like generational unfairness requires a well-functioning democracy. This episode finds Angie Chan and Paul Kershaw having a bad day, as they grapple with democracy's seemingly grim prognosis after record-low voter turnout in Ontario. They also discuss how and why Generation Squeeze tackles systems change, the heroism of flexing even small democratic muscles, and what citizenship and solidarity really mean.

"Is it a sacrifice to ask people to leave at least as much as they inherited? Is it a sacrifice to ask people to steward what they thought was important, like a good childhood or good home or safe planet, and make sure that those things get left for those who follow? Is it a sacrifice to say, 'Hey, pay for what you want to use? And if you're actually doing relatively well, how about making an investment in the future?' ...I think people are hardwired to think that way in our families. So why can't we bring that to the world of politics? The answer is we can. But we do need to make democracy work better for all generations." -- Dr. Paul Kershaw

Full episode transcript

The new federal Affordability Plan promises to ease the painful effects of inflation. How fairly will these affordability measures work for younger and future generations? Umair Muhammad chats with Dr. Paul Kershaw and Andrea Long about what inflation and the Affordability Plan mean for wellbeing, housing prices, and family affordability.

Are you wondering what the heck just happened in Ontario's election? Co-host Umair Muhammad chats with Dr. Paul Kershaw and Andrea Long about why less than half of ON voters turned out and what voter apathy means for generational fairness in Canada. 

Umair is Gen Squeeze's new Knowledge to Action Lead; Dr. Kershaw is our founder and regular podcast co-host; and Andrea is our Senior Director of Research and Knowledge Mobilization. 

We're experimenting with podcast formats and adding co-hosts to bring you more episodes each month. We'd love your feedback! Reach out to us at [email protected]. And as always, please share this episode and join our network at gensqueeze.ca. 

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A generational bias in Canadian politics prioritizes seniors in government budgets, leaving younger generations fighting for table scraps. Generation Squeeze founder Dr. Paul Kershaw and host Angie Chan interview Sean Speer about the generational unfairness baked into Canada's budget pie and how it's harming younger and future generations: from unaffordable housing and a diminishing middle class, to not having as many children as parents want. Sean is editor-at-large at The Hub, the PPF Scotiabank Fellow at the Public Policy Forum, and an assistant professor at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He was previously a senior economic adviser to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper. 

Ready to learn more and take action?

It's springtime, when birds sing, flowers bloom and governments strut their stuff in budgets! Budgets shape all of the actions governments take, so if we want progress on housing, child care, climate change and generational fairness, it needs to be baked into our governments' budgets. In this recording of a recent live virtual event, Gen Squeeze founder Dr. Paul Kershaw goes beyond the flashy headlines to explain what the new federal budget really means for younger Canadians.

Check out our in-depth budget analysis of the federal, B.C. and Ontario budgets: https://www.gensqueeze.ca/_budget_season_2022

The myths that young Canadians are lazy and seniors are poor have real power in our lives and the world of politics. These myths fuel our broken generational system and distract us from solving today's most pressing problems. Join Dr. Paul Kershaw and Angie Chan on a myth-busting mission in Gen Squeeze's second Hard Truth. Challenging these assumptions will help make Canada work more fairly for all generations.

Ready to take action or learn more?

Unaffordable housing is a symptom of generational unfairness that most young Canadians know all too well. Across Canada, it’s a hard and obvious truth that our housing system is completely broken for those of us wanting to buy a home, settle in our communities, and achieve some financial security and autonomy. But for people who own homes, the housing system is actually working fabulously well, making them wealthier while they sleep. Gen Squeeze thinks Canada is culturally and politically addicted to high and rising home values. How can we break this dangerous housing addiction? This special bonus episode is a recording of a live virtual event on March 29 hosted by Gen Squeeze founder Dr. Paul Kershaw. 

Ready to take action?

* Sign our petition to stop rising home prices

Paul Kershaw and Angie Chan confront Gen Squeeze's first Hard Truth: Canada has a generational fairness problem. If you've never heard the term, you probably know the symptoms of this systemic disease: unaffordable housing, low wages, unaffordable child care, climate change. Listen and learn what generational fairness means and why it matters so much to the lives of younger and future Canadians.

Ready to take action or learn more?

And please join the conversation! Send your questions, thoughts, and ideas for future episodes to info [at] gensqueeze [dot] ca