Shows
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreAdvancing Basic Income: A Conversation with Iain RankinOn this episode of Appointed, Kim is joined by the Honourable Iain Rankin, Member of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia and former Premier of Nova Scotia, for a timely conversation on poverty, dignity, and the push for a guaranteed livable basic income (GLBI) in Canada.Drawing on over a decade of experience in provincial politics, MLA Rankin shares insights into the unique economic challenges facing Nova Scotians, the growing need for bold and inclusive social policy, and his recent introduction of Bill 41 – a proposal to launch a basic income pilot in Nova Scotia. The conversation als...
2025-07-1815 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Senator Pat DuncanOn this episode of Appointed, Kim speaks with Senator Pat Duncan, Canadian Senator and former premier of Yukon. Kim and Senator Duncan are longtime friends and have an amazing conversation about the work being done to ensure Canadians can “rebound” out of poverty. Senator Duncan draws on her more than 10 years of experience serving in the Yukon Legislative Assembly and working in the Yukon community to discuss how food security in the North differs from other parts of Canada. Senator Duncan shines a light on the work being done to grow Yukon’s agricultural sector. Kim and Senator...
2025-05-2038 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Dr. Jiaying Zhao, Associate Professor at UBCOn this episode of Appointed, Kim speaks with Dr. Jiaying Zhao, Associate Professor, Canada Research Chair in Behavioral Sustainability and Sauder Distinguished Scholar at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Zhao speaks about her incredible research into how resource scarcity impacts human cognition and behaviour. Kim and Dr. Zhao discuss Dr. Zhao’s 2023 study which found that one-time, unconditional cash transfers of $7,500 to people living in poverty reduced homelessness in Vancouver. Dr. Zhao explains her work modelling the cost of a guaranteed livable basic income (GLBI), and her findings that a GLBI would go a long way to...
2025-05-0133 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreDan Huang-Taylor (Executive Director of Food Banks BC) on the Intersection of Poverty and Food SecurityOn this episode of Appointed, Kim speaks with Dan Huang-Taylor, executive director of Food Banks BC, a provincial association working to end hunger in British Colombia. Kim and Dan discuss the intersection of poverty and food security, and Dan’s extensive experience working in the non-profit sector. Dan speaks about his involvement with the Put Food Banks Out of Business initiative, which advocates for the implementation of a guaranteed livable basic income to ensure no Canadians fall below the poverty line, and shares his reflections on the true cost of poverty.To learn more about Dan’s work...
2025-04-1022 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreCreating Art as an Act of Courage: A Conversation with Jessie GolemOn this episode of Appointed, Kim speaks with activist and artist Jessie Golem about her portrait series, Humans of Basic Income, and her work on guaranteed livable basic income. Humans of Basic Income tells the stories of people who took part in Ontario’s basic income pilot project, and what happened when the pilot was cancelled prematurely. Ms Golem speaks about the impact that the Humans of Basic Income series, and the pilot project itself, has had on her own life, and her perspective on the importance of creating art as an act of courage, especially during uncertain times....
2025-04-0236 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Economist Benoit Robidoux about PEI's Guaranteed Basic Income Benefit ProposalOn this episode of Appointed, Kim speaks with economist Benoit Robidoux about the 2023 guaranteed basic income (GBI) proposal for residents in Prince Edward Island. Mr. Robidoux was a key member of the team behind the proposal; a team made up of economists, public servants, politicians and advocates from across Canada. Mr. Robidoux discusses how the GBI program would provide a benefit of $19,000 for single adults and $27,000 for families in Prince Edward Island, and reduce poverty rates among working-age adults and their families.Read the PEI Basic Income Report, titled "A Proposal For A Guaranteed Basic Income Benefit...
2025-03-0334 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreResisting Poverty, Resisting Racism: Senator Bernard Discusses a GLBIOn this episode of Appointed, Kim speaks with the Honourable Dr. Wanda Thomas Bernard. Senator Bernard has decades of leadership and innovation as a social worker, educator, researcher, community activist and advocate for social change. Senator Bernard and Kim discuss how a GLBI might support Black Canadians and African Nova Scotians, the intersection of poverty, stigma, and racism, and the vital need to end anti-Black racism in Canada. Senator Bernard shares her incredible insights from her life, time in the Senate, and extensive experience as a social worker, professor, mentor and community leader. Notes:Listen to th...
2024-12-0426 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Senator Bernadette Clement: Moving Forward Together to Redress InequalityOn this episode of Appointed, Kim speaks with her friend and colleague, Senator Bernadette Clement, about the intersection of poverty and racism in Canada. Senator Clement speaks from her experience in the Senate, municipal politics, and her career as a legal aid lawyer. Senator Clement still works as a practicing lawyer as well as being a Senator! Listen to their conversation, and how a guaranteed basic livable income could support Black Canadians.Notes:Information Materials re: Facts about Guaranteed Liveable Basic Income can be read hereAbout Colour of Poverty Fact Sheet can...
2024-10-2527 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Criminal Defence Lawyer Theresa Donkor about GLBI, Poverty, and the Mass Incarceration of Black CanadiansOn this episode of Appointed, Kim speaks with criminal defence lawyer Theresa Donkor about guaranteed livable basic income, the mass incarceration of Black, Indigenous and BIPOC Canadians, and Ms Donkor's analysis of how poverty and systemic racism contribute to the over-criminalization and imprisonment of her clients. Theresa Donkor is a criminal defence lawyer and the Advocacy Director for the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers (CABL). She advocates with a focus on racial justice, and in this episode discusses the intersectional benefits of guaranteed livable basic income. The conversation also includes her expert testimony before Standing Senate Committees, mo...
2024-10-0325 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA conversation with the Honourable Harry Laforme about Bill C-40 and the need for an effective Miscarriage of Justice Commission On this episode of Appointed, Kim speaks with the Honourable Harry Laforme about the importance of ensuring independence, authority and resources in order to ensure the new commission can effectively consider wrongful convictions. Informed by the report he and the Honourable Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré authored, as well as the one they inspired about 12 Indigenous women, they discuss the findings and significance of the government's decision to exclude key recommendations in Bill C-40, the Miscarriage of Justice Review Commission Act (David and Joyce Milgaard's Law).As Bill C-40 is being considered by the Senate, Kim and Justice Laforme discuss th...
2024-09-2536 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreIn Conversation with The Honourable Marion Buller re: MMIWG, Additional Miscarriages of Justice, and the Potential of a Guaranteed Livable Basic IncomeOn this episode of Appointed, Senator Pate speaks with The Honourable Marion Buller, Chancellor of the University of Victoria and former Chief Commissioner of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and the first Indigenous woman appointed as a judge in British Columbia.The two discuss the connections between poverty, violence against Indigenous women and girls, the mass incarceration and institutionalization of Indigenous women, and the overarching violence of colonialism. Chancellor Buller’s years of experience on the bench and as chief commissioner provide invaluable perspective vis-a-vis how to address miscarriages of justice ex...
2024-08-3030 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Ottawa City Councillors Theresa Kavanagh and Marty Carr re: Ottawa's Support for a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income & Its Importance as a Means of Addressing Income Insecurity and HealthOn this episode of Appointed, Senator Kim Pate speaks with Ottawa City Councillors, Theresa Kavanagh and Marty Carr. This fabulous duo successfully presented a motion on July 10, 2024, supporting a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income. They were inspired by the Ottawa Board of Health June 17, 2024 resolution supporting a Basic Income Guarantee for all people over the age of 17 as a means of addressing poverty, the number one social determinant of ill health.Kim and the Councillors discuss the importance of a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income, the potential it has to support safety, autonomy, the social determinants of health, and...
2024-07-3127 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Ottawa City Councillors Theresa Kavanagh and Marty Carr re: Ottawa's Support for a Basic Income & its Relationship to Social Determinants of HealthSenator Pate’s Guaranteed Livable Basic Income Fact Sheets can be read hereCity Council Motion to Support a Guaranteed Basic Income for Canadians available here & hereBill S-233, An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income can be read hereOttawa City Council Backs Basic Income can be watched hereOp-Ed by Councilor Carr can be found here
2024-07-2927 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Kendal David: Basic income, Canada Disability Benefit & Youth engagementBICYN’s most recent op-ed in The Hill Times (not mentioned in the podcast - but super relevant to the podcast!) is about the Canada Disability Benefit and why we still need a guaranteed basic income. It was written by BICYN directors Alexandra Zannis and Ellen Spannagel. (https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2023/...) Kendal's academic work: https://carleton.ca/socialwork/people... https://invisibleinstitutions.com/ https://invisibleinstitutions.com/pol... https://invisibleinstitutions.com/pol... https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2022... https://doi.org/10.22215/etd/2021-14559 https://ojs.uwindsor.ca/index.php/csw...
2023-10-1037 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreConversation with President Cassidy Caron: Métis Self-Governance, Bill C-53 & Bill S-233For more information: President Cassidy Caron: https://www.metisnation.ca/presidents... Métis National Council: https://www.metisnation.ca/ The various Accords and Sub-Accords between the MNC & Canada: https://www.metisnation.ca/about/reso... The Métis Nation of Ontario Housing Census: https://www.metisnation.org/news/the-... Bill C-53: Recognition of Certain Métis Governments in Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan and Métis Self-Government Act : https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill..Bill S-233 & Bill C-223: National Framework for a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income Act https...
2023-10-0931 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Neil Belanger: Disability Benefits, Indigenous Equality, and Guaranteed Livable IncomePodcast Links:Click here to access Income Supports and Indigenous Peoples In B.C. - An Analysis of Gaps and Barriers Click here to check outCovering All the Basics: Reforms for a More Just Society Click here to read Together BC - British Columbia’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Click here to access resources available via Basic Income Coalition Canada and UBI Works here Click here to read Bill S-233 and here to check out MP Leah Gazan’s Bill C-233
2022-08-3025 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentrePart Two of A Conversation with Professor Debra Parkes: Mandatory Life Sentences for Youth and ConstitutionalityResourcesClick here to check out Kim’s Senate WebpageClick here to access publications of Professor Debra ParkesClick here to access research by Dr. Jane SprottClick here to read research by Professor Isabel GrantClick here to learn more about Bryan Stevenson’s work.Click here to get the reports, Injustices and Miscarriages of Justice Experienced by 12 Indigenous Women and Senators go to Jail.
2022-08-0818 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Professor Debra Parkes: Mandatory Life Sentences, Constitutionality, and Bill C-5.Reports and PapersClick here to access Injustices and Miscarriages of Justice Experienced by 12 Indigenous Women. Click here to read Carly Peddle, Emma Ronsley & Debra Parkes, Toward Abolishing the Mandatory Life Sentence and Parole Ineligibility Periods for Murder: Discussion Document.Click here to check out Sarah Chaster’s paper, Cruel, Unusual, and Constitutionally Infirm: Mandatory Minimum Sentences in Canada.Click here to access Marie-Eve Sylvestre’s research, Moving towards a minimalist and transformative criminal justice system: Essay on the reform of the principles and objectives of sentencing, prepared for the Department of Justice Canada.Click here to access researc...
2022-07-2047 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Professor Vass Bednar: Competition Reform, Inequality, and the Path Towards FairnessClick here for more information about Professor Bednar and her public policy research.Click here to access the Perspectives document on Guaranteed Livable Income by Team Pate.Click here to check out Professor Bednar on the Cross Country Checkup PodcastOther resources referred to in the episode:Click here to access Professor Bednar’s paper on competition policy in Canada, mentioned at 2:45.Click here to access a copy of the Competition Act, referred to at 2:45Click here for resources about recent changes to Canada's child care system, as...
2022-07-1122 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conservation with Dr. Elizabeth Sheehy: Bill C-5, Judicial Discretion, and Mandatory Minimum PenaltiesClick here to access to Bill C-5.Click here to read more on Bill C-22Click here to check out Dr. Sheehy’s book Defending Battered Women on Trial.Click here to read Justice Arbour’s Inquiry into certain events at the Prison for Women in Kingston also known as the Arbour ReportClick here to read R v LuxtonClick here to read more about R v NaslundClick here to access the Injustices and Miscarriages of Justice Experienced by 12 Indigenous Women reportClick here to read...
2022-06-1732 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with MPP Kathleen Wynne: Guaranteed Livable Income and Lessons from the PandemicClick here to access more information about MPP Wynne's political career.For more information on Guaranteed Livable Income:Click here to access the Perspectives document on Guaranteed Livable Income by Team Pate. Click here for Bill C-223 and here for Bill S-233 on guaranteed livable basic income.Click here for a new year's statement and update from national guaranteed livable basic income groups Basic Income Canada Network, Basic Income Canada Youth Network, and Coalition Canada, basic income – revenue du base (Coalition Canada).Other resources mentioned in the episode: Click her...
2022-01-0926 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Senator Colin Deacon: Open Banking & Guaranteed Livable IncomeResources and cases mentioned during the episode:Click here to access the US Federal Study Senator Deacon discussed at the 8:44 minute mark. Click here to access the report from the Advisory Committee on Open Banking discussed at the 15:10 minute mark.Click here to access more information on the Dauphin Manitoba Experience discussed at the 17:53 minute mark.Click here to access Senator Deacon's Senate speech discussed at the 18:29 minute mark.
2021-12-1232 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Sheila Regehr: The Economic and Moral Case for a Guaranteed Livable IncomeMore information about this episode's guest, Sheila Regehr (as seen here, on Basic Income Canada Network): Sheila is a founding member of the Basic Income Canada Network and former Executive Director of the National Council of Welfare. Her 29 years of federal public service spanned front-line work, policy analysis and development, international relations and senior management, with a focus on improving fairness and equality, and on gender and race in particular. She has policy expertise in areas of income security and taxation, such as child tax benefits, child support, maternity/parental benefits, pensions and social assistance. Her insight also comes...
2021-10-2217 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Professor Martha Jackman: "Poverty is a Human Rights Violation"Click here to access Professor Martha Jackman's biography on the University of Ottawa website.Click here to access Professor Martha Jackman's CV as of 2020.For more information on the social and economic rights, visit the following selected works by Professor Martha Jackman:Martha Jackman, "What's Wrong With Social and Economic Rights?" (2000) 11 National Journal of Constitutional Law 235-246.Martha Jackman, “One Step Forward and Two Steps Back: Poverty, the Charter and the Legacy of Gosselin” (2019) 39 National Journal of Constitutional Law 85-121.For more information on Guaranteed Livable Income:Clic...
2021-10-1722 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Professor Sylvia Rich: Corporate Crime and Deferred Prosecution AgreementsLearn more about Professor Sylvia Rich here.Additional readings & ressourcesClick here to access the private bill Senator Pate introduced relating to Mandatory Minimum Penalties (S-207).Click here to access the fact sheet on Mandatory Minimums introduced by Senator Pate.Sylvia Rich (2016). Corporate Criminals and Punishment Theory. Canadian Journal of Law &Jurisprudence, 29, pp 97-118 doi:10.1017/cjlj.2016.4
2021-10-0624 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreA Conversation with Dr. Peter Graefe: What we can learn from the McMaster University study "Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Ontario Workers, Workplaces and Families" Additional reading & resources: Dr. Forget’s book: “Basic Income for Canadians: The key to a healthier, happier, more secure life for allClick here to access the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s “Costing a Guaranteed Basic Income During the COVID Pandemic” report.Click here to access the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s “Costing a National Guaranteed Basic Income Using the Ontario Basic Income Model” report.Read Senator Pate's Guaranteed Livable Income perspective document hereThe Town with No Poverty: The Health Effects of a Canadian Guaranteed Annual Income Field Exper...
2021-07-2324 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreThe Wish List Series: A Conversation with Professor Justin PichéSelected Publications by Professor PichéMussell, Linda, Kevin Walby and Justin Piché, ‘Can you make it out alive?’ Penal Imaginaries at Forts, Sanitaria, Asylums, and Segregated Schools, Qualitative Criminology, Volume Online First (April 2021) https://www.qualitativecriminology.com/pub/1bk9q4t1/release/1 Open AccessBenslimane, Souheil, Sarah Speight, Justin Piché and Aaron Doyle, The Jail Accountability & Information Line: Early Reflections on Praxis, Journal of Law and Social Policy, Volume 33, 111-133 (September 2020) https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1400&context=jlsp Open AccessCarrier, Nicolas and Justin Piché, On (In)justice: Undisciplined Abolitionism in Canada, Social Justice, Volume 45, Issue 4, 35-56 (Nov...
2021-06-1521 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreJustice LaForme discusses systemic discrimination and the consequent shortcomings of Bill C-22Resources mentioned during the show and further reading:Learn more about Justice Harry S. LaForme here and here. https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/1695/index.dohttps://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/8000/index.dohttps://www.criaw-icref.ca/images/userfiles/files/P4W_BN_IncarcerationRacializedWomen_Accessible.pdfhttps://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/http://www.trc.ca/about-us/trc-findings.htmlhttp://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdfhttps://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/mrgnlzd/index-en.a...
2021-05-0440 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreExploring New Vistas and Indigenous Legal Orders: A Conversation with Val NapoleonLearn more about Dr. Napoleon hereJoseph Arvay Legacy Fund Information:https://www.uvic.ca/law/home/news/current/joseph-arvay-legacy-fund.phpOther resources mentioned during the show and further reading:https://adric.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Napoleon-Legal-Pluralism-published-version-2019-11.pdfhttps://www.uvic.ca/law/admissions/jidadmissions/index.phphttps://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-bill-c-22-is-inadequate-for-the-task-of-addressing-injustice-in/https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/senator-says-new-liberal-sentencing-bill-needs-to-do-more-to-help-indigenous-women-offenders/https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/pate-kim/interventions/545733/33https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/10/27/senator-tries-again-to-get-ottawa-to-tackle-mandatory-minimum-sentences-and-better-serve-indigenous-and-black-people.html
2021-04-0848 minAppointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreThe Wish List Series: A Conversation with MP Greg FergusResources mentioned during the show and further reading:Read about MP Greg Fergus here. https://www.hilltimes.com/2020/06/17/the-black-caucus-has-laid-out-yet-another-road-map-and-its-time-for-the-feds-to-drive/253093https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/gatineau-aylmer-ottawa-light-rail-1.4713843https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/black-caucus-systemic-racism-1.5614203
2021-03-2613 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreThe Wish List Series: A Conversation with Joshua Sealy-HarringtonOn this episode of our wish list series, Kim asks Joshua Sealy-Harrington what he would like to see happen in 2021. Here is his wish list: (1) full decriminalization of personal drug possession, (2) defunding police and (3) taking systemic sentencing disparities seriously.
Read Joshua Sealy-Harrington’s bio here.
This episode was recorded on February 22nd, 2021.
On our wish list series, we will hear from different change makers in Canada about what they would like to see for 2021.
Stay tuned for the next episode of our wish list series!
Resources mentioned during the sh...
2021-03-1535 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreThe Wish List Series: A Conversation with The Honourable Louise ArbourOn this episode of Appointed, Kim kicks off the first episode of our wish list series with a conversation with The Honourable Louise Arbour.
On our wish list series, we will hear from different change makers in Canada about what they would like to see for 2021.
This episode was recorded on February 5th, 2021.
Stay tuned for the next episode of our wish list series!
2021-03-0909 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreIntersecting Discrimination of Racism, Ableism and Bill C-7: A Conversation with Sarah JamaOn this episode of Appointed, Kim and Sarah Jama discuss the impact Bill C-7 (“An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying)”) could have on racialized people with disabilities. They talk about Sarah’s work with the Disability Justice Network of Ontario; the connections between racism, ableism, poverty and capitalism; racism in the medical field and the ways in which this intersects and impacts racialized people with disabilities; and the lack of services and supports available to people with disabilities. Kim and Sarah also talk about the meaning of “choice”, “autonomy” and “control” for people who are exponentially...
2021-02-1718 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreAbolish Racism: A Conversation with Senator Wanda Thomas BernardOn this episode of Appointed, Kim speaks with Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard about the need for action to tackle anti-Black racism in Canada. They talk about the need to create equitable social, education and economic practices, policies and approaches that acknowledge Canada’s racist history and present, and that begin to remedy the harm and discrimination that has been caused to Black Canadians. Kim and Senator Bernard also talk about the need for policymakers to not merely acknowledge but disrupt their privilege and biases in order to create equitable policies.
Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard is a Canadian Se...
2021-02-1628 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreMore effective ways to respond to mental health crises: A Conversation with Asante Haughton and Rachel BrombergOn this episode of Appointed, in the wake of calls to Defund the Police, Kim speaks with Asante Haughton and Rachel Bromberg, two mental health advocates and the founders of “Reach Out Response Network,” about shifting mental health responses to an anti-oppressive, trauma-informed model. Kim, Asante and Rachel discuss how current approaches to mental health crises may discourage people from getting help; the ways in which different countries have chosen to respond to mental health crises; and the roles that discrimination, poverty and racism play in how we respond to mental health in Canada.
This episode was reco...
2021-01-2643 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreThe fiction of food security in Canada: A conversation with Josephine GreyOn this episode of Appointed, Kim speaks with Josephine Grey, an activist, human rights advocate, and community organizer who is well known for her work on healthy food security, human rights, climate action and basic income. Kim and Josephine discuss the illusion of food security in Canada; the social and economic barriers facing numerous communities in urban areas; Canada’s legal and societal commitments to food security; the ways in which food intersects with climate change; and the impact a guaranteed livable income could have for food security and healthy eating in Canada.
Josephine Grey is a lo...
2020-12-2331 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreWhat is the meaning of “choices” when there are too few opportunities or supports? A discussion with Bonnie BraytonOn this episode of Appointed, Bonnie Brayton, the National Director of Disabled Women’s Network (DAWN) Canada, and Kim discuss the intersection of disability and inequality, with particular focus on poverty, housing, sexism, racism, unpaid caregiving in Canada, and guaranteed livable income. They identify the need for changes to C-7 (MAiD) medical assistance in dying for disabled folks and the meaning of “choice” in this context; and the actions the government must take to adequately address issues facing disabled communities. Kim and Ms Brayton also discuss the role a guaranteed livable income, coupled with comprehensive social services and assistance progra...
2020-11-1233 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreGuaranteed Livable Income, First Nations Sovereignty, Indigenous Self-Governance, and Economic Decolonization: A Conversation with Senator Sinclair and Dr. SinclairOn this episode of Appointed, we continue our guaranteed livable income discussion with Senator Murray Sinclair and Dr. Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair. Senator Sinclair, Dr. Sinclair, and Kim discuss the social, health and economic impacts of poverty and racism on our society; the ongoing economic marginalization of Indigenous Peoples; how division of powers and party politics concerns may outweigh obligations of governments to assist the people they represent; and the role a guaranteed livable income could play vis-à-vis sovereignty for First Nations.
Senator Murray Sinclair is a veritable veteran of the Manitoba legal system, where he served a...
2020-09-1732 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreThe Intersection of Food Insecurity, Anti-Black Racism, and a Guaranteed Livable Income: A Conversation with Paul Taylor from FoodShare TorontoOn this episode of Appointed, we continue our guaranteed livable income discussion with Paul Taylor, the Executive Director of FoodShare Toronto. Mr. Taylor discusses the origins of food banks in Canada and their ineffectiveness in addressing food insecurity, and the ways in which racism, social services, and income and housing inequality intersect to create the racialization of hunger. We also discuss the role a guaranteed livable income, coupled with comprehensive social services, including a race-based data collection of who is food insecure, could play in addressing food insecurity in Canada.
Paul Taylor is the Executive Director of...
2020-09-1527 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreAll Canadian Youth Deserve a Future: A Conversation with Chloe Halpenny about Guaranteed Livable IncomeOn this episode of Appointed, we continue our discussion on guaranteed livable income with the co-chair of the Basic Income Canada Youth Network, Chloe Halpenny. Chloe and Fregine explore the impact a guaranteed livable income could have on young people in Canada; decimate myths and stereotypes surrounding youth and work-ethic; and discuss the work being done by the Basic Income Canada Youth Network.
Chloe Halpenny helped establish the Basic Income Canada Youth Network in 2019 and currently serves as the organization’s co-chair. Previously, Chloe had studied basic income during her master’s program at the University of Camb...
2020-09-0427 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreHow Would a Guaranteed Livable Income Support Workers, Unions, and Labour? A Conversation with President Hassan Yussuff of the Canadian Labour CongressOn this mini episode of Appointed, we continue our discussion on guaranteed livable income with the Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress. Mr. Yussuff speaks about the importance of social programs for workers; his role as President of the Canadian Labour Congress; the intersection of workers’ issues and social assistance programs; and the role he believes a guaranteed livable income could play in the lives of workers, the Canadian labour movement, and improving overall quality of life for Canadians.
Hassan Yussuff is the President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), the largest labour organization in Ca...
2020-09-0313 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreHow a Guaranteed Livable Income could Advance Indigenous Self-Determination and Self-Governance & Move us Closer to Substantive Equality for all: A Conversation with ITK President Natan ObedOn this next episode of our Guaranteed Livable Income series, Senator Pate speaks with Natan Obed, the President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), about how a Guaranteed Livable Income could advance Indigenous self-determination and self-governance. ITK is a national representative organization that advocates for the rights of Inuit in Canada. Senator Pate and President Obed talk about how Indigenous self-determination is a vital and sustainable solution in achieving socio-economic equality for Inuit in Canada.
Natan Obed is the President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the national representational organization for Inuit in Canada. Originally from Nain Nunatsiavut, he has...
2020-09-0148 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentrePrisoners' Justice DayOn this episode of Appointed, we are taking a quick break from our Guaranteed Livable Income series to talk about Canada’s prison system. In recognition of Prisoners’ Justice Day, here’s an episode that focuses on debunking myths and sharing knowledge about prisons in Canada. I, Fregine, ask Kim the questions you sent us about prison.
Thank you to all those who sent in questions. Unfortunately, we were not able to answer all of your questions in this episode, but please keep an eye out for future episodes that might be inspired by some of your questi...
2020-08-1044 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreEvidence points to Guaranteed Livable Income as a way to address the inequality of poverty: What are we waiting for?On this episode of Appointed, we are talking about guaranteed livable income (GLI). We talk about what this program might look like in Canada; about how the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) could evolve into a GLI; and about how such a program might play a role in creating a more equitable Canada. We speak with Dr. Evelyn Forget, an economist and professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Forget is a recognized expert and authority on guaranteed livable and basic income.
Resources mentioned during the show:
Dr...
2020-07-2939 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreEconomic Marginalization of Indigenous Peoples in Canada: The Case for a Guaranteed Livable IncomeOn this first episode of our Guaranteed Livable Income series, we speak with Chief Commissioner Marion Buller and Commissioner Qajaq Robinson from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. This episode discusses the impacts of economic marginalization on Indigenous women and girls and the need for a National Guaranteed Livable Income, which was one of their Calls for Justice in the Final Report. Stay tuned for the next episode in the Guaranteed Livable Income series!
Check out Inuit Tapirit Kanatami (ITK)’s report “Social Determinants of Inuit Health in Canada”, as mentioned in the in...
2020-07-0242 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreWelcome to Season IIWelcome to Season II of Appointed!
2020-07-0200 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreBest Interest of Who? The State or the Child?On this episode of Appointed we’re talking about the child welfare system and how systemic discrimination plays a key role in determining who ends up in care. We speak with Natasha Reimer, the founder of the peer support group Foster Up and host of her own podcast, titled "The Disappearance of Natasha Lynn Starr" and Dunia Nur from the African Canadian Civic Engagement Council about the experiences of those who have lived in care and how the state falls short of advocating for youth's best interests.
2020-05-1251 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreTransformative Justice: Healing in PlaceOn this episode of Appointed we're talking about challenging systemic marginalization by healing interpersonal harm. We ask what the role of transformative justice is in the work of decarceration and unpack the difference between restorative justice and transformative justice. We speak with James Favel, the co-founder and executive director of Bear Clan Patrol, and Rachel Herzing, the Executive Director of the Center for Political Education and an activist who has practiced transformative justice for decades.
2020-04-2957 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreCoronavirus: Equalizer or Magnifier?On this episode of Appointed we're discussing the novel Coronavirus pandemic and its varied effects on each of us. Far from The Great Equalizer, COVID-19 is instead magnifying existing societal inequities. We speak with former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Louise Arbour, author and activist Robyn Maynard and epidemiologist Dr. Aaron Orkin about crucial measures we must take now and after this crisis to advocate for and fortify long term equity.
Read Senator Pate's statement on COVID 19 Measures in Federal Prisons here
Read an Op-Ed Senator Pate and Jane Philpott wrote about COVID-19 in prisons here
2020-04-151h 15
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreDon't Label Me!On this episode, we're unpacking labels like "victim" and "criminal". We speak with Canada's Ombudsman for Victims of Crime, Margot Van Sluytman, a poet and writer whose father was murdered at his workplace when she was a child, and Shannon Moroney, a bestselling author whose husband forcibly confined and raped other women.
Click here to access Shannon's books and learn more about her story and here to find Margot's Master's Thesis: Sawbonna: Justice as Lived Experience
2019-11-051h 01
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreDear Canada: Stop Detaining MigrantsOn this episode of Appointed, we dig into the issue of immigration detention. We speak with a man named Olu and his wife Kimora. Olu was detained for 11 months, despite having no criminal charges laid against him. He organized with his fellow detainees and even went on a hunger strike to try to secure his freedom. We also speak with Jared Will, the lawyer who ultimately helped Olu out of detention, and Professor Jamie Liew, a legal expert in immigration and refugee law who represented Amnesty International in a landmark case on migrant rights at the Supreme Court of...
2019-08-2146 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreTurning the Tides Against SolitaryOn this shorter episode Kim and Reakash discuss the recent push in the Senate to overhaul the government's Bill to "end" solitary confinement, Bill C-83. (Spoiler: Bill C-83 doesn't end solitary confinement at all) Kim provides an update on which Senate amendments the government accepted and the many more that were ignored. This sad story has a silver lining, and we share clips from a recent Senate debate where Senators like Murray Sinclair and André Pratte speak out against Bill C-83.
2019-07-2426 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreLivable Incomes for AllAll paths to income equality seem to point towards a National Guaranteed Livable Income -- find out why on the newest episode of Appointed. We speak with Sheila Regehr, the Executive Director of Basic Income Canada to learn about Ontario's Basic Income Pilot Program and why it got scrapped. We also speak with Avvy Go, a co-founder of the Colour of Poverty Campaign and and Clinic Director of Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian Legal Clinic. She helped us understand the intersections of poverty and racialization in Canada.
This report from Basic Income Canada (Signposts to Success) shows...
2019-04-2738 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreBeyond IncarcerationOn this episode of Appointed we're talking about decarceration and why Canada needs WAY more of it. We interview Yusuf Faqiri, the brother of Soleiman Faqiri, a man with mental illness who was killed in an Ontario jail. We also speak with Debbie Kilroy an advocate, legal practicioner, former prisoner and founder of an Australian organization called Sisters Inside about international decarceration strategies.
Watch the full Fifth Estate episode on Soleiman Faqiri here.
Learn more about Sisters Inside here.
2019-03-2640 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreMandatory Minimums Aren't About JusticeKim and Reakash discuss Bill S-251, legislation that, if passed, would give judges discretion to decide whether or not to apply mandatory minimum sentences. We speak with Pam Palmater, a Mi'kmaq lawyer and activist about why mandatory minimums disproportionately affect Indigenous people and Neal Nshannacappo, a Saulteaux social worker and graphic novelist who designed a graphic novel on the real life effects of mandatory minimums called Mashkawide'e Has a Strong Heart.
Before you listen you'll want to take a read through Mashkawide'e Has a Strong Heart: https://bit.ly/2Vuausv
You can read Kim's speech...
2019-03-0158 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreSegregation and Solitary Confinement in Canadian PrisonsOn this episode of Appointed, we're talking about segregation and solitary confinement. What's the difference? Didn't the federal government's Bill C-83 end the use of segregation? What can average people do about it? Press play and find out.
We speak with Renee Acoby, a woman who survived segregation and for a time was labelled the most dangerous woman in Canada and El Jones, a prisoner justice advocate.
For more information on the use of segregation in Canada, check out this op-ed from Kim: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-solitary-by-another-name-is-just-as-cruel/
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2019-02-1354 min
Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the CentreIntroducing... Appointed!Welcome to Appointed, allow us to introduce ourselves. Kim Pate is an Independent Canadian Senator and Reakash Walters is a law student and community advocate. We do our best to bring issues affecting folks on the margins, to the centre. Please follow us on Twitter @AppointedPod and subscribe to our podcast today!
A big thank you to Creeasian, an artist based in Amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton), for providing the music for this episode. Follow him on Instagram @anotherbadcreeasian
2019-01-3102 min