Appointed: A Canadian Senator Bringing Margins to the Centre

Advancing Basic Income: A Conversation with Iain Rankin

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Akhila Sandhu) — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 18:00:00 +0000

On 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 also touches on Senator Pate’s Bill S-206, which seeks to establish a national GLBI framework, and explores how provincial and federal efforts can work hand-in-hand to create lasting change.

Tune in for a thoughtful exchange on income security, human dignity, and the future of basic income in Canada.

For more information on Bill 41, click here.

For more information on GLBI and Bill S-206, check out our website here.

A Conversation with Senator Pat Duncan

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Marina Bredin, Deborah Ring) — Tue, 20 May 2025 11:40:00 +0000

On 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 Duncan advocate for placing guaranteed livable basic income (GLBI) at the top of the national agenda.

To learn more about Senator Duncan’s work, please visit the Senate of Canada website.

For details on the Putting People First report which reviewed Yukon’s health and social systems and programs, including the 76 recommendations to serve the needs of Yukoners better, please click here.

Please also see the Circumpolar Agricultural Association website. You can read the Thumbs Up reports at their website.

More information about work being done to address poverty in Yukon can be found at Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition. For information on the Yukon Agricultural Association, including a Farm Guide, please see here.

A Conversation with Dr. Jiaying Zhao, Associate Professor at UBC

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Marina Bredin, Deborah Ring) — Thu, 1 May 2025 15:35:37 +0000

On 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 allowing people to rebound in tough economic times and help to eliminate poverty and homelessness, in addition to costing less than half of the $92B currently spent every year on measures that keep people in poverty.

To learn more about Dr. Zhao’s research, please visit her Behavioral Sustainability Lab or her website at the University of British Columbia. You can read more about the unconditional cash transfer study here.

More information about the work being done in British Colombia to address poverty and other social challenges can be found at Foundations for Social Change.

More information about our initiatives to assist governments to Spend Less on Poverty & More in People can be found at https://senpate.sencanada.ca/en/current-work/s-233/.

Dan Huang-Taylor (Executive Director of Food Banks BC) on the Intersection of Poverty and Food Security

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Deborah Ring, Marina Bredin) — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 14:22:03 +0000

On 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 at Food Banks BC, please go here. To read about the Put Food Banks Out of Business initiative, please click here.

More information about work being done by food banks in Ontario to end hunger can be found at Feed Ontario.

For more information about our work on these issue, please visit our web site at https://senpate.sencanada.ca/en/current-work/s-233/.

Creating Art as an Act of Courage: A Conversation with Jessie Golem

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Deborah Ring, Marina Bredin) — Wed, 2 Apr 2025 19:32:57 +0000

On 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.

See the Humans of Basic Income portrait series here, and associated film “A Human Picture” here.

To get involved with work being done on basic income in your community, please see UBI Works and Basic Income Canada Network. You can read about the cancelled Ontario basic income pilot project here.

More information about the basic income class action case can be found here.

A Conversation with Economist Benoit Robidoux about PEI's Guaranteed Basic Income Benefit Proposal

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Marina Bredin, Deborah Ring) — Mon, 3 Mar 2025 21:34:22 +0000

On 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 For Prince Edward Island", here.

Resisting Poverty, Resisting Racism: Senator Bernard Discusses a GLBI

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Wanda Thomas Bernard, Nicola Protetch, Kim Pate) — Wed, 4 Dec 2024 13:00:00 +0000

On 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 the Appointed Episode with Senator Bernard, Abolish Racism here

Bill S-233, An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income can be found here

Senator Pate’s Guaranteed Livable Basic Income Factsheet can be read here

Senator Rodger Cuzner's Report Poverty in Nova Scotia at a Glance (2024) can be found here (EN), and here (FR)

The Nova Scotia Advisory Council on The Status of Women information here

Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) Women’s Economic and Leadership Opportunities Fund can be read here

A Nova Scotia Initiative to End Gender-Based Violence funded by WAGE’s National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence here

Sanding Together: A Provincial Action Plan to Prevent Domestic Violence, Learning about what it will take to Prevent Domestic Violence in Nova Scotia through the Advisory Council here

Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights report: Anti-Black Racism, Sexism and Systemic Discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Commission can be found here

A Conversation with Senator Bernadette Clement: Moving Forward Together to Redress Inequality

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Bernadette Clement, Kim Pate, Nicola Protetch) — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 20:27:16 +0000

On 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 here

About Colour of Poverty Fact Sheet can be read here; more about Colour of Poverty here

Information on Dr. Jane Phillpot’s “Fixing Family Medicine” can be read here

Bill S-233, An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income can be found here

A Conversation with Criminal Defence Lawyer Theresa Donkor about GLBI, Poverty, and the Mass Incarceration of Black Canadians

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Nicola Protetch, Kim Pate) — Thu, 3 Oct 2024 12:21:44 +0000

On 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, most recently before the Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs regarding a new car theft provision introduced in the Criminal Code via 2024 budget implementation legislation
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Information Materials re: Facts about Guaranteed Liveable Basic Income can be read here

About Theresa Donkor here
About the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers here

A conversation with the Honourable Harry Laforme about Bill C-40 and the need for an effective Miscarriage of Justice Commission

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate, Nicola Protetch) — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 16:53:34 +0000

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 the imperatives of redressing systemic discrimination, especially for Indigenous women, and the challenges of achieving this important objective via the current version of Bill C-40. They underscore the importance of creating proactive, independent, and systemic approaches to addressing miscarriages of justice, consistent with the report and model proposed by Justices Laforme and Westmoreland-Traoré.
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A Miscarriage of Justice Commission Report can be read here

Injustices and Miscarriages of Justice Experienced by 12 Indigenous Women report can be read online here

Conviction Integrity: The Canadian Miscarriages of Justice Commission by Carrie Leonetti, University of Auckland can be found here

The brief submitted by the Hon. Harry Laforme, Hon. Juanita Westmoreland-Traoré, and Kent Roach to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights can be found here

Native Women's Association of Canada's submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights can be found here

Submission of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies can be read here

University of British Columbia’s Innocence Project brief can be read here

BILL C-40, An Act to amend the Criminal Code, to make consequential amendments to other Acts and to repeal a regulation (miscarriage of justice reviews) is accessible here

In Conversation with The Honourable Marion Buller re: MMIWG, Additional Miscarriages of Justice, and the Potential of a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Nicola Protetch, Kim Pate) — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 17:54:07 +0000

On 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 experienced by Indigenous women, including via the Calls for Justice of the MMIWG, the proposed Miscarriage of Justice Reviews Act (Bill C-40), the Senator's report on the Miscarriages of Justices Experienced by 12 Indigenous Women, and Bills C-223 & S-233, both aimed at introducing a framework for a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income in Canada.

MMIWG Call for Justice 4.5 directs the government to implement a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income, and 5.14 requires the federal and provincial governments to collaborate on a thorough evaluation of the impact that mandatory minimum sentences have on the over-incarceration of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People. Given the manner in which MMPs have contributed to the mass incarceration of racialized people, especially Indigenous women, like the TRC, the MMIWG expected the government to follow through on its commitment to repeal mandatory minimum penalties. Chancellor Buller and Senator Pate speak to the intersections of their work and respective struggles to achieve equality and justice.

Content Warning: this episode mentions violence against women, rape, and murder.

Episode Citations:

Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls can be read online here

Injustices and Miscarriages of Justice Experienced by 12 Indigenous Women report can be read online here

Bill C-40: An Act to amend the Criminal Code, to make consequential amendments to other Acts and to repeal a regulation (miscarriage of justice reviews) can be found here

Bill S-233, An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income can be found here

Bill C-223, An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income can be found here

A 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 Health

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Nicola Protetch, Kim Pate) — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 12:00:00 +0000

On 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 other inequities faced by Ottawa citizens and Canadians more broadly.

Councillor Carr represents the area of Alta Vista, and Councillor Kavanagh is the councillor for the By Ward region of Ottawa.

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Senator Pate’s Guaranteed Livable Basic Income Fact Sheets can be read here

City Council Motion to Support a Guaranteed Basic Income for Canadians available here & here

Ottawa City Council Backs Basic Income can be watched here

Bill S-233, An Act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income can be read here

An Op-Ed by Councillor Marty Carr can be found here

A Conversation with Kendal David: Basic income, Canada Disability Benefit & Youth engagement

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kendal David) — Tue, 10 Oct 2023 04:00:00 +0000

BICYN’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://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2022...

https://doi.org/10.22215/etd/2021-14559

https://ojs.uwindsor.ca/index.php/csw...

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/...

To learn more about the Basic Income Canada Youth Network Website:

https://www.basicincomeyouth.ca/

Youtube:

/ @basicincomecanadayouthnetw8430

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/BICYN_

Tiktok:

https://www.tiktok.com/@basicincomeyo...

Instagram:

https://www.tiktok.com/@basicincomeyo...

For more on the bills discussed in the episode: Bill C-22: Canada Disability Benefit Act

https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill...

Bill S-233: National Framework for a Guaranteed Livable Basic Income Act

https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill...

Conversation with President Cassidy Caron: Métis Self-Governance, Bill C-53 & Bill S-233

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Cassidy Caron) — Mon, 9 Oct 2023 04:00:00 +0000

For 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://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill...

A Conversation with Neil Belanger: Disability Benefits, Indigenous Equality, and Guaranteed Livable Income

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 13:11:07 +0000

Podcast 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

Click here to check out the Parliamentary Budget Officer Report - Costing a Guaranteed Basic Income During the COVID Pandemic

Click here to access Perspectives, document outlining the need and benefits of implementing a Guaranteed Livable Income in 🇨🇦.

Part Two of A Conversation with Professor Debra Parkes: Mandatory Life Sentences for Youth and Constitutionality

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Mon, 8 Aug 2022 14:14:58 +0000

Resources

Click here to check out Kim’s Senate Webpage
Click here to access publications of Professor Debra Parkes
Click here to access research by Dr. Jane Sprott
Click here to read research by Professor Isabel Grant
Click 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.

A Conversation with Professor Debra Parkes: Mandatory Life Sentences, Constitutionality, and Bill C-5.

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 13:33:43 +0000

Reports and Papers

Click 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 research by the Department of Justice on MMPs
Click here to read the Senators Go to Jail report.

Legislation

Click here to access Bill S-233
Click here to read Bill C-223
Click here to check out Bill S-230

PBO Reports

Click here to read the PBO report titled The Federal Cost of Minimum Sentences.
Click here to check out Demonstrative Examples of Costing Sentenced Inmates
- Click here to access the PBO report, The Fiscal Impact of Changes to Eligibility for Conditional Sentences Imprisonment in Canada.
Click here to check out the PBO report on the Funding Requirement and Impact of the “Truth in Sentencing Act” on the Correctional System in Canada.

Jurisprudence

Click here to read R. v. Bissonnette, 2022 SCC 23
Click here to access Twins v. Canada (Attorney General), 2016 FC 537
Click here to read R. v. Luxton, [1990] 2 S.C.R. 711
Click here to access R. v. D.B., [2008] 2 S.C.R. 3, 2008 SCC 25
Click here to read R. v. Ipeelee, 2012 SCC 13, [2012] 1 S.C.R. 433

Other Resources

Click here to check out Kim’s Senate Bio page
Click here to access publications by Professor Parkes

A Conversation with Professor Vass Bednar: Competition Reform, Inequality, and the Path Towards Fairness

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate, Vass Bednar) — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 13:58:37 +0000

Click 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 Podcast

Other 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 2:45

Click here for resources about recent changes to Canada's child care system, as discussed at 20:20.

General topics discussed in the episode:

See the 4:00 minute mark for a discussion about the connection between competition policy issues, income inequality, and strategies to promote social and economic fairness.

See the 6:05 minute mark for Professor Bednar’s commentary on consumer protection, competition, and opportunities to empower individuals in a digital economy.

See the 7:05 minute mark for Professor’ Bednar’s commentary on rising food princes and expanding inequality.

See the 8:30 minute mark for a discussion about effective policies for eliminating income inequality, as exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

See the 11:00 minute mark for a discussion about the benefits, complications, and specific qualities of an effective guaranteed livable income policy.

See the 17:00 minute mark about the frustrating process of transforming good ideas into good policy, and the next steps for implementing competition reform.

A Conservation with Dr. Elizabeth Sheehy: Bill C-5, Judicial Discretion, and Mandatory Minimum Penalties

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 16:18:39 +0000

Click here to access to Bill C-5.

Click here to read more on Bill C-22

Click 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 Report

Click here to read R v Luxton

Click here to read more about R v Naslund

Click here to access the Injustices and Miscarriages of Justice Experienced by 12 Indigenous Women report

Click here to read more about the inquest in Renfrew County

Click here to access more information on the Portapique Inquiry

Click here to read Bonnie Moonie’s story

A Conversation with MPP Kathleen Wynne: Guaranteed Livable Income and Lessons from the Pandemic

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Sun, 9 Jan 2022 17:00:00 +0000

Click 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 here to access the Wynne Government's Basic Income Pilot Project discussed at 1:48 and 14:10. Click here to access Basic Income Canada Network's Signposts to Success: Report of a BICN Survey of Ontario Basic Income Recipients.

Click here to access Ontario's 2021 "Right to Disconnect" legislative initiative (Bill 27, the Working for Workers Act) discussed at 9:59.

Click here to access the Ontario Liberal Party's news release related to including a four day work week in their 2022 electoral platform, as discussed at 10:40. Click here to access an article which discusses the Zorra township's four-day work week pilot program, which was afterward permanently implemented.

Click here to access Hugh Segal's Bootstraps Need Boots, discussed at 22:12.

General topics discussed in the episode:

See the 1:40 minute mark for a discussion about the new and evolving labour laws and economic support measures being brought in, including in the context of the pandemic.

See the 10:40 minute mark for MPP Wynne's commentary about the possibility of a four-day work week, and about the evolution of workplace expectations.

See the 14:10 minute mark for a discussion about the social and economic benefits of a Guaranteed Livable Income, and the idea of such income as an "investment".

See the 21:17 minute mark for a discussion about guaranteed livable income in PEI and relevant lessons from the pandemic.

A Conversation with Senator Colin Deacon: Open Banking & Guaranteed Livable Income

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Sun, 12 Dec 2021 17:00:00 +0000

Resources 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.

A Conversation with Sheila Regehr: The Economic and Moral Case for a Guaranteed Livable Income

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 18:00:00 +0000

More 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 from experiencing poverty as a young parent. Sheila is grateful, in her retirement, to have resources, time and health to do volunteer work and help care for twin grandsons.

Click here to access the website of Basic Income Now, a campaign coordinated by Canada's leading Basic Income organizations and allies (including Basic Income Canada Network).

For more information on Guaranteed Livable Income:

Click here to access the Perspectives document on Guaranteed Livable Income by Senator Pate.

Resources and cases mentioned during the episode:

Click here to access a CBC news article entitled "Nearly $2 million spent on clearing encampments should have gone to housing, advocates say" by Muriel Draaisma, related to the cost of the expulsion of "tent cities" in Toronto, discussed at the 3:00 minute mark.

Click here to access the brief document summarizing policy options suggested by Basic Income Canada Network, discussed at the 11:54 minute mark.

A Conversation with Professor Martha Jackman: "Poverty is a Human Rights Violation"

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Sun, 17 Oct 2021 04:00:00 +0000

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:

Click here to access the Perspectives document on Guaranteed Livable Income by Senator Pate.

Resources and cases mentioned during the episode:

Click here to access the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal's October 2021 decision, Disability Rights Coalition v. Nova Scotia (Attorney General), 2021 NSCA 70. This case is discussed as the "Emerald Hall litigation" at the 6:53 and 12:04 minute marks. Click here to access the March 2019 decision of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission, the precursor to the aforementioned Court of Appeal 2021 decision.

Click here to access the Court of Appeal for Ontario's 2014 decision in Tanudjaja v. Canada, 2014 ONCA 852, discussed at the 8:01 and 9:52 minute marks.

Click here to access Nell Toussaint's amended (as of May 25 2021) statement of claim in the Ontario Superior Court and click here to access the Attorney General's Motion to Strike Nell Toussaint's statement of claim. These are discussed at the 8:08 minute mark.

Click here to access a transcript of former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Louise Arbour's 2005 Lafontaine-Baldwin lecture "Freedom from want", referred to at the 9:24 minute mark.

Click here to access a CBC News article by Antoni Nerestant, published October 5 2021, entitled "If Joyce Echaquan were white, she would still be alive, Quebec coroner says". This articles relates to the Coroner's Report in the Joyce Echaquan case, referred to at the 14:24 minute mark. Click here to access the Coroner's Report (only available in French).

Click here to access the Association of First Nations' webpage which gives more information on Jordan's Principle, referred to at the 15:04 minute mark. Click here and here to access the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decisions (2020 CHRT 20 and 2020 CHRT 36, respectively) being challenged before the Federal Court referred to at the 16:02 minute mark.

A Conversation with Professor Sylvia Rich: Corporate Crime and Deferred Prosecution Agreements

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Wed, 6 Oct 2021 21:13:22 +0000

Learn more about Professor Sylvia Rich here.

Additional readings & ressources

Click 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

A 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"

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Fri, 23 Jul 2021 14:31:22 +0000

Additional reading & resources:

Dr. Forget’s book: “Basic Income for Canadians: The key to a healthier, happier, more secure life for all

Click 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 here

The Town with No Poverty: The Health Effects of a Canadian Guaranteed Annual Income Field Experiment, Canadian Public Policy, Vol 37, No 3, 1 October 2011 by Evelyn Forget,

Basic Income in a Small Town: Understanding the Elusive Effects on Work by David Calnitsky, Jonathan P. Latner

The Wish List Series: A Conversation with Professor Justin Piché

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Tue, 15 Jun 2021 17:07:53 +0000

Selected Publications by Professor Piché

Mussell, 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 Access
Benslimane, 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 Access
Carrier, Nicolas and Justin Piché, On (In)justice: Undisciplined Abolitionism in Canada, Social Justice, Volume 45, Issue 4, 35-56 (November 2019)

Recent Publications by Senator Pate

News Release: Bill C-31 on Criminal Record Relief Offers Too Little, Too Late
News Release: Senators Move Another Step Forward on Anti-Racist Criminal Justice Bills
Policy Opinions Op-Ed: Time running out to protect prisoners and prison staff from calamity

Justice LaForme discusses systemic discrimination and the consequent shortcomings of Bill C-22

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Tue, 4 May 2021 16:30:00 +0000

Resources 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.do

https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/8000/index.do

https://www.criaw-icref.ca/images/userfiles/files/P4W_BN_IncarcerationRacializedWomen_Accessible.pdf

https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/

http://www.trc.ca/about-us/trc-findings.html

http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/mrgnlzd/index-en.aspx

https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/jr/oip-cjs/p3.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/22/one-third-canada-prisoners-indigenous-report

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/indigenous-overrepresentation-prison-oci-statement-1.5434712

http://www.firstnationsdrum.com/2020/01/number-of-incarcerated-indigenous-women-at-new-high/

https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/indigenous-incarceration-rate-a-travesty-canadas-prison-watchdog-says/

https://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/545733/33

https://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

https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/january-2020/despite-soaring-indigenous-incarceration-minimum-sentencing-persists/

http://www.ajic.mb.ca/volumel/chapter4.html#5

https://www.mcgill.ca/humanrights/files/humanrights/ihri_wps_v5_n13_philpott.pdf

Exploring New Vistas and Indigenous Legal Orders: A Conversation with Val Napoleon

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Thu, 8 Apr 2021 21:05:00 +0000

Learn more about Dr. Napoleon here

Joseph Arvay Legacy Fund Information:

https://www.uvic.ca/law/home/news/current/joseph-arvay-legacy-fund.php

Other resources mentioned during the show and further reading:

https://adric.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Napoleon-Legal-Pluralism-published-version-2019-11.pdf

https://www.uvic.ca/law/admissions/jidadmissions/index.php

https://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/545733/33

https://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

The Wish List Series: A Conversation with MP Greg Fergus

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 19:05:00 +0000

Resources 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/253093

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/gatineau-aylmer-ottawa-light-rail-1.4713843

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/black-caucus-systemic-racism-1.5614203

The Wish List Series: A Conversation with Joshua Sealy-Harrington

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 18:15:00 +0000

On 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 show and further reading:

https://www.choosingrealsafety.com/

https://thewalrus.ca/untelling-the-story-of-race/

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-bill-c-22-is-inadequate-for-the-task-of-addressing-injustice-in/

https://sencanada.ca/media/367363/senpate_news-release_bill-c-22_february-18-2021.pdf

https://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?rf

https://ipolitics.ca/2020/02/07/sen-pate-tables-public-bill-that-would-allow-judges-to-disregard-minimum-mandatory-sentences/

The Wish List Series: A Conversation with The Honourable Louise Arbour

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Tue, 9 Mar 2021 14:00:00 +0000

On 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!

Intersecting Discrimination of Racism, Ableism and Bill C-7: A Conversation with Sarah Jama

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Wed, 17 Feb 2021 16:16:00 +0000

On 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 marginalized in Canada.

Sarah Jama is the co-founder of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario (DJNO), a speaker, a consultant and an activist advocating for disability justice.

Learn more about Sarah Jama here: https://www.sarahjama.com/about

Stay tuned for the next episode of Appointed!

Resources mentioned during the show and further reading:

Hill Times Article: https://www.hilltimes.com/2021/02/03/legislators-who-want-to-make-medically-assisted-dying-easier-for-persons-with-disabilities-dont-know-the-lived-realities-of-disability/281394

Disability Justice Network of Ontario: https://www.djno.ca/

Read Senator Pate’s Bill C-7 interventions and perspective on guaranteed livable income here (https://sencanada.ca/media/366455/senpate_glibi-perspective-document_08-15-2020_e.pdf)

https://www.djno.ca/post/djno-co-founder-speaks-against-bill-c7-changes-to-maid-on-canada-today

Abolish Racism: A Conversation with Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 02:44:00 +0000

On 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 Senator, social worker, educator, researcher, community activists and advocate.

Learn more about Senator Bernard here: https://sencanada.ca/en/senators/bernard-wanda-thomas/
And here: https://www.dal.ca/about-dal/dalhousie-originals/wanda-thomas-bernard.html

Stay tuned for the next episode of Appointed!

Resources mentioned during the show and further reading:

Parliamentary Black Caucus Recommendations: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/black-caucus-systemic-racism-1.5614203

Read Senator Pate’s perspective on guaranteed livable income here (https://sencanada.ca/media/366455/senpate_glibi-perspective-document_08-15-2020_e.pdf)

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23896&LangID=E

https://colourofpoverty.ca/fact-sheets/

https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20732&LangID=E

https://humanrights.ca/story/the-story-of-africville

https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/cjwl.32.2.06

More effective ways to respond to mental health crises: A Conversation with Asante Haughton and Rachel Bromberg

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 18:13:00 +0000

On 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 recorded on January 8th, 2021. Stay tuned for the next episode of Appointed!

Reach out Response Network is dedicated to shifting mental health crisis response away from coercive, forceful, police led interventions and instead looks at a more anti-oppressive, trauma-informed model that allows people to be treated in a more caring and compassionate way.

Asante Haughton is an award-winning mental health advocate, a peer worker, poet and speaker.

Rachel Bromberg is a law student. Trained in social work, she is also a peer supporter and educator.

You can read more about our guests here: https://reachouttoronto.ca/about

Resources mentioned during the show and further reading:

Learn more about the Reach out Response Network here: https://reachouttoronto.ca/

Asante’s Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/asante_houghton_an_uncommon_story_of_hope_and_redemption_jan_2018

Read Senator Pate’s perspective on guaranteed livable income: https://sencanada.ca/media/366455/senpate_glibi-perspective-document_08-15-2020_e.pdf

https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7j7aa/officers-targeted-racialized-canadians-when-enforcing-covid-19-rules-report

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2020/07/09/calls-for-police-reform-shine-spotlight-on-oregon-model-for-crisis-intervention/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/defund-police-mental-health-crisis-intervention-1.5608627#:~:text=Through%20CAHOOTS%2C%20medical%20professional%20and,they%20can%20get%20additional%20support

The fiction of food security in Canada: A conversation with Josephine Grey

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Wed, 23 Dec 2020 15:15:00 +0000

On 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 long-time advocate and community organizer for healthy food security, human rights, climate action and basic income. In 1986, Josephine co-founded LIFT (Low Income Families of Toronto) and she was appointed as Canada’s Observer on Domestic Issues to the UN World Summit on Social Development by the Canadian federal government in 1995. Josephine works diligently to call attention to food insecurity, human rights, and climate action. She is currently involved in working towards the creation of sustainable communities by and for at risk youth and new Canadians, and the work being done to support a Guaranteed Basic Income in Canada.

This episode was recorded on October 26th, 2020. Stay tuned for the next episode of Appointed!

Resources mentioned during the show and further reading:

Learn more about the OASIS Food Hub here (http://www.oasisfoodhub.ca/)

Read the Eco-Just Food Network’s Open Letter here (https://ecojustfoodnetwork.org/)

Read Senator Pate’s perspective on guaranteed livable income here (https://sencanada.ca/media/366455/senpate_glibi-perspective-document_08-15-2020_e.pdf )

Learn more about the St. James Town Community Co-op here (http://stjamestowncoop.org/)

Learn more about the Conscious Minds Co-op here (https://www.consciousmindscoop.ca/)

Learn more about Local Food and Farm Co-ops Network (LFFC) here (https://www.localfoodandfarm.coop/)

Read Canada’s Codex Alimentarius here (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/international-activities/codex-alimentarius.html) and its interdepartmental Committee on the Codex here (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/international-activities/codex-alimentarius/delegations/terms-reference-interdepartmental-committee-codex.html).

Read an opinion piece on the Codex here (https://www.reality-choice.org/63/codex-alimentarius-more-evil-than-evil)

Read Canada’s Strategic Framework for Participation in the Joint FAO?WHO Food Standards Program here (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/international-activities/codex-alimentarius/activities/canada-strategic-framework-participation-joint-who-food-standards-program.html)

What do we know exactly about urban agriculture’s environmental impacts? (https://urbanfoodfutures.com/2018/03/29/urban-agri-env-impacts/)

https://www.localfoodandfarm.coop/

https://www.nfu.ca/publications/tackling-the-farm-crisis-and-the-climate-crisis/

What is the meaning of “choices” when there are too few opportunities or supports? A discussion with Bonnie Brayton

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 17:30:00 +0000

On 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 programs, could play in addressing systemic ableism in Canada.

Bonnie Brayton is the National Executive Director of DAWN Canada and is a recognized leader in both the disability and feminist movements. Ms Brayton has been with DAWN since May 2007 and is a vocal and recognizable advocate for women with disabilities in Canada and internationally. Ms Brayton works diligently to call attention to issues impacting the lives of women with disabilities in Canada, such as housing, employment, health equity, and violence.

Stay tuned for the next episode of Appointed!

Resources mentioned during the show and further reading:

Learn more about DAWN Canada here

Read Senator Pate’s perspective on guaranteed livable income here

The Supreme Court Case of Her Majesty the Queen v. Thomas Slatter (November 6th, 2020)

"Extending the scope of assisted dying is wrong" by Isabel Grant in Policy Options

Guaranteed Livable Income, First Nations Sovereignty, Indigenous Self-Governance, and Economic Decolonization: A Conversation with Senator Sinclair and Dr. Sinclair

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 18:05:00 +0000

On 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 as a member of the bar and bench for over 25 years. He was the first Indigenous Judge in Manitoba, and Canada’s second. He was Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry in Manitoba and Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Appointed to the Senate in 2016, Senator Sinclair helped form the Independent Senators group and has sat on the Senate Standing Committees on Aboriginal/Indigenous Peoples, Fisheries and Oceans, Legal and Constitutional issues, Rules, and Ethics and Conflicts of Interest.

Dr. Niigaanwewidam James Sinclair is an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba in the department of Native Studies, as well as an activist and writer. In addition to writing a regular column for the Winnipeg Free Press, Dr. Sinclair is a frequently asked to comment on Indigenous issues on CBC, CTV, and APTV, and contribute to various newspapers and online journals. Additionally, as an active community member, Dr. Sinclair regularly patrols Winnipeg with the Mama Bear Clan, a group of volunteers predominantly led by Indigenous women, to establish and maintain community connections and ensure that community members are safe and supported.

Stay tuned for the next episode in the Guaranteed Livable Income series!

Resources mentioned during the show and further reading:

Learn more about Senator Sinclair and his work here

Connect with Dr. Niigaanwewidam Sinclair on Twitter here

Learn more about Dr. Sinclair’s work here

Learn more about the Mama Bear Clan here

Learn more about the Bear Clan Patrol here

Read Senator Pate’s perspective on guaranteed livable income here

Report of the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of Manitoba here

National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Final Report

Truth and Reconciliation Commission Findings and Reports

The Historical Context of First Nation Poverty

The Intersection of Food Insecurity, Anti-Black Racism, and a Guaranteed Livable Income: A Conversation with Paul Taylor from FoodShare Toronto

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 19:25:00 +0000

On 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 FoodShare Toronto, a food justice organization focusing on those most affected by poverty and food insecurity – Black, Indigenous, People of Colour, and People with Disabilities. FoodShare Toronto’s goal is to provide long-term solutions for food insecurity by providing affordable, fresh, and nutritious food. Mr. Taylor has been a lifelong anti-poverty activist. He used his life-experiences of growing up materially poor in Toronto to fuel a career focused on helping others and dismantling systems that lead to poverty and food insecurity in Canada – specifically capitalism, white supremacy, colonialism, and patriarchal structures.

Stay tuned for the next episode in the Guaranteed Livable Income series!

Resources mentioned during the show and further reading:

Learn more about FoodShare Toronto here

Read Senator Pate’s perspective on guaranteed livable income here

The Other Way Covid Will Kill: Hunger - New York Times Article

Black Food Insecurity in Canada by Melana Roberts

Anti-Black Racism and Food Insecurity in Canada

All Canadian Youth Deserve a Future: A Conversation with Chloe Halpenny about Guaranteed Livable Income

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Fri, 4 Sep 2020 18:35:00 +0000

On 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 Cambridge. Her dissertation, “Basic Income: A Feminist Proposal? Informing feminist analyses through the lived experience of Ontario Basic Income Pilot participants”, focused on the Ontario Basic Income Pilot project, which ran between 2018 and 2019 in three Ontario municipalities.

Stay tuned for the next episode in the Guaranteed Livable Income series!

Resources mentioned during the show:
Learn more about the Basic Income Canada Youth Network here

Join the Basic Income Canada Youth Network and subscribe to their newsletter here

Read Senator Pate’s Guaranteed Livable Income perspective document here

Chloe Halpenny’s Op-ed in the Ottawa Citizen

Read Chloe Halpenny’s Master’s Dissertation here

How Would a Guaranteed Livable Income Support Workers, Unions, and Labour? A Conversation with President Hassan Yussuff of the Canadian Labour Congress

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Thu, 3 Sep 2020 17:47:00 +0000

On 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 Canada. CLC brings together unions , provincial and territorial federations of labour, and community-based labour councils to represent workers across the country. First elected as President of the CLC in May 2014, Mr. Yussuff is the first person of colour to lead Canada’s union movement. Re-elected for a second term in May 2017, Mr. Yussuff is a long-time advocate for worker’s rights, improved working conditions, childcare and family investment, and repairing Canada’s social, health and economic safety net.

Stay tuned for the next episode in the Guaranteed Livable Income series!

Resources mentioned during the show and further reading:

Read Senator Pate’s Guaranteed Livable Income perspective document here

https://www.toronto.com/news-story/10143187-advocates-welcome-ei-changes-but-say-they-should-be-made-permanent/

https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/2020/06/02/there-is-no-economic-recovery-without-adequate-child-care.html

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-covid-19-has-exposed-wide-gaps-in-canadas-social-safety-net/

How 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 Obed

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Tue, 1 Sep 2020 18:02:00 +0000

On 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 devoted his entire professional career to helping improve the wellbeing of Inuit. As a strong advocate and negotiator, he works to protect Inuit rights, culture, knowledge, language, and environment in Canada.

Stay tuned for the next episode in the Guaranteed Livable Income series!

Resources mentioned during the show:

Check out Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s (ITK’s) poverty reduction report entitled “Inuit Perspectives on a Canadian Poverty Reduction Strategy.”

Read Senator Pate’s Guaranteed Livable Income perspective document here

Read the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry recommendations here.

Prisoners' Justice Day

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 18:47:00 +0000

On 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 questions.

*Please forgive some of the audio problems. This interview was conducted over zoom.

Resources mentioned during the show:

Please find Senator Pate’s speech where she calls to decarcerate prisoners, in particular Black, Indigenous and other racialized prisoners, by committing to a release of 5% of those in federal prisons per year, here.

Evidence points to Guaranteed Livable Income as a way to address the inequality of poverty: What are we waiting for?

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 14:13:00 +0000

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. Forget’s book : “Basic Income for Canadians: The key to a healthier, happier, more secure life for all”

Click 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 here

Economic Marginalization of Indigenous Peoples in Canada: The Case for a Guaranteed Livable Income

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca ('Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy') — Thu, 2 Jul 2020 15:06:00 +0000

On 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 interview.

Read Senator Pate's perspective on GLI here

Welcome to Season II

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca ('Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy') — Thu, 2 Jul 2020 13:42:00 +0000

Welcome to Season II of Appointed!

Best Interest of Who? The State or the Child?

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Tue, 12 May 2020 13:01:00 +0000

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.

Transformative Justice: Healing in Place

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Wed, 29 Apr 2020 17:28:00 +0000

On 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.

Coronavirus: Equalizer or Magnifier?

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 22:22:00 +0000

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
Read an Op-Ed Senator Pate and Pam Palmater wrote urging the Public Safety Minister to act here
Read this Tyee article where Senator Pate is quoted urging the Public Safety Minister to release prisoners now to avoid disaster

Buy a copy of Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to Present here

Learn how you can help advocate for the release of immigration detainees here

Don't Label Me!

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Tue, 5 Nov 2019 22:45:00 +0000

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

Dear Canada: Stop Detaining Migrants

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Wed, 21 Aug 2019 18:50:00 +0000

On 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 Canada

Turning the Tides Against Solitary

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 03:22:00 +0000

On 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.

Livable Incomes for All

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 23:03:00 +0000

All 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 Ontario's basic income pilot was on track to success.
Check out the full BBC Program on Finland's Basic Income pilot.

Read Senator Pate's perspective on guaranteed livable income here

Beyond Incarceration

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 22:20:00 +0000

On 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.

Mandatory Minimums Aren't About Justice

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Fri, 1 Mar 2019 15:30:00 +0000

Kim 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 on Bill S-251 here, learn more about Pam's body of work here and listen to Warrior Life here. Don't forget to rate and subscribe to Appointed wherever you get your podcasts!

Segregation and Solitary Confinement in Canadian Prisons

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate and Fregine Sheehy) — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 03:00:00 +0000

On 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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Introducing... Appointed!

kim.pate@sen.parl.gc.ca (Kim Pate) — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 16:58:00 +0000

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