The inaugural episode of the podcast series Human Coined features an interview with Manju Varma, who was New Brunswick‘s first commissioner of systemic racism. Host Geoff Dubrow talks to Manju about the recommendations arising from her report and the importance of applying gender-based analysis plus to government policies.

While most of us spent the last six months gravely concerned about Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, Don Bowser left the comfort of his home in New Brunswick, Canada, to support Ukraine’s resistance. An international anti-corruption consultant, Don shares his experience in Ukraine and his perspective on what Russia might look like after Putin.

Can ESG Save the World or at Least Make it More Gender Equitable?

As the quality and quantity of democracies around the world continue to decline, Politics and Public Finance examines whether Canada is doing enough to stem the tide. My guest is Tom Cormier, President and CEO of the Parliamentary Centre. The Centre has over 50 years of experience strengthening democracy at home and abroad. How has the institution changed over the decades? We then talk about whether Canada is doing enough to stem the tide of democratic backsliding around the world.

An interview with Mae Buenaventura from the Asian People's Movement on Debt and Development on the quest for a debt audit in the Philippines, the crisis in Sri Lanka and the of civil society in achieving debt justice in Asia.

“The overturning of Roe V. Wade. Are the decline in Gender and Sexual Minority Rights Connected to  Democratic Backsliding?.  ” 

According to the UK organization Debt Justice, 54 countries across the world are suffering from a debt crisis. In addition, another 57 are at risk of a debt crisis. What is the role of civil society organizations in debt transparency, debt forgiveness and promoting responsible lending and borrowing? Why not just leave it to ministries of finance to solve the world’s debt crisis?

Justice Louise Arbour’s report into Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment inthe Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) found that previous external reports on this matter have “led to a flurry of activity by the CAF in an attempt to fix the problem. Unfortunately, those efforts have so far failed”. It was clear from Justice Arbour’s report that Parliament was not on her mind when it came to monitoring the implementation of her recommendations. Can parliamentary oversight make a difference?

The biennial Open Budget Survey was released last week. The OBS, which surveyed 120 countries, including Canada, is the gold standard assessment of public participation, oversight and transparency in the budget process. Canada scored an abysmal 52/100 with respect to budget oversight and 31/100 on budget transparency. Should Canadians be concerned? Was this a fluke due to COVID-19 or does Canada need to ‘up its game’? We’ll talk to one of the experts who played a role in the survey.

Section One: The unprecedented invocation of the Emergencies Act in Canada in response to the illegal occupation of Ottawa and blockades at border crossings has been a flashpoint in Canadian politics. It serves as a reminder that Canada is not immune to global trends in democratic backsliding. Will a parliamentary and judicial inquiry be successful in addressing the political failures and social divisions that led to the crisis in the first place? As part of an ongoing series, special guest Elizabeth May, parliamentary leader of the federal Green Party of Canada will assess the damage, the prospects and how to ‘do better next time!’ 

Section Two: Lawrence Ayagiba, Deputy Auditor General, Ghana. In order to effectively oversee public spending, parliament relies on the Auditor General to investigate and report on malfeasance. Yet audit reports alone do not necessarily guarantee value for money or prudent spending in the future. Lawrence Ayagiba, Deputy Auditor General of Ghana, joins podcast host Geoff Dubrow to discuss how the Ghana Audit Service engages Parliament.