Rediscovering Louis St-Laurent
A Zoom panel discussion about the influence of a politician whose astute policies and bold resolve moved Canada into the modern era.
January 28, 2021.
Featuring MISC Director Daniel Béland in conversation with:
The Hon. Jean Charest, former premier of Quebec and former deputy prime minister of Canada on "Louis St-Laurent and 'Township Thinking'"
Patrice Dutil, Ryerson University professor and editor of The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent on "Louis St-Laurent in History"
Mary Janigan, historian and author on "Louis St-Laurent and Equalization"
Xavier Gélinas, curator of political history at the Canadian Museum of History on "Louis St-Laurent et le Québec"
Jean Thérèse Riley, policy consultant and Louis St-Laurent's granddaughter on “Louis St-Laurent’s Style and Personality”
The Resilience of Western Alienation in a Transformative Era
A lecture about western alienation, Canadian federalism, regional conflict, and more.
February 12, 2021.
Why, in the evolution of the Canadian federal state, does there seem to be so much regional conflict and so little unity?
In this talk, Dr. Loleen Berdahl (Universities of Saskatchewan and Regina) considered the persistence of regional conflict in Canada by examining western alienation — that is, discontent emerging from one, some, or all of Canada’s four westernmost provinces: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.
This event was co-organized by the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship.
Race and Reckoning in Canada
A lecture about what defines the boundaries of Blackness and belonging in Canada.
February 18, 2021.
Canadians revel in an image of their country as a multicultural exception in a world that has taken a hard-right turn towards intolerance of racial and ethnic pluralism. Canadians are particularly keen to draw a distinction between Canada and the United States, even as America's foundational ideas, beliefs, narratives, obsessions and psychoses have greatly influenced the formation of Canada’s national identity by negation. The logic is something like this: racism exists in the United States; Canada is not-America. So, there is no racism in Canada.
Dr. Debra Thompson used the analytical insights of black political thought and personal narrative in her lecture to make the case that there’s something truly unique about Blackness and the persistence of anti-Black racism in Canada, in part because of the lingering, ubiquitous spectre of Black America.
Building Back Green
A panel discussion about how to build a post-pandemic economic recovery that will help tackle climate change.
February 25, 2021.
Featuring MISC Director Daniel Béland in conversation with:
Sylvain Coulombe, Associate Vice-Principal, Innovation and Partnerships in the Office of the Vice-Principal (Research and Innovation) and Professor & Gerald Hatch Faculty Fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering
Anja Geitmann, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Canada Research Chair in Biomechanics of Plant Development, and member of the Executive Committee of the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative
Christopher Ragan, Director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics, and former Chair of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission
Resistance in the Time of a Pandemic (2021 Mallory Lecture)
A lecture from human rights activist and artist Ellen Gabriel about the efforts of Indigenous communities to stop the theft and dispossession of their land, both historically and today. This was the 2021 Mallory Lecture.
March 10, 2021.
While much of public life and industry has paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, construction and land dispossession of Indigenous peoples has continued across Canada. As a human rights advocate for the collective and individual rights of Indigenous peoples, Ms. Gabriel has worked diligently to sensitize the public, academics, policing authorities and politicians on the history, culture and identity of Indigenous peoples. Her lecture drew upon her wealth of activism experience and spoke to the issues facing Indigenous communities today.
Women, Social Media and Religious Authority in North America (Winter 2021 Eakin Lecture)
A lecture from anthropologist and ethnomusicologist Dr. Jessica Roda about how ultra-Orthodox women use social media as a transformative counterpublic space. This was the 2021 Eakin Lecture.
March 18, 2021.
Dr. Roda’s research examines the use of social media by ultra-Orthodox women as a tool for the development of empowerment through an online ethnography of social media influencers and artists. The women in Dr. Roda’s research engage in writing, music, and film, and promote their work on their social media platforms. They label themselves as frum (Torah observant) female artists and are considered professionals because they acquire training from professionals in their fields, teach within their communities, and earn an income from their productions. Their followers readily join their Instagram live stories, Zoom calls, and online live shows, as well as keep up with their YouTube channels, highlighting a growing thirst for the representation of ultra-Orthodox women and girls in online spaces. Dr. Roda argues that frum female artists and influencers use social media as a transformative counterpublic space, in which they simultaneously challenge and reinforce religious norms and authority, creating multiple new expressions and understandings of female empowerment and female modesty.
The Canadian Healthcare System: A Model for the US?
A panel exploring how Canada's healthcare system really works, and why its perception in the US is so polarized.
April 6, 2021.
Gregory Marchildon is a professor of comparative healthcare at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. He specializes in Canada's healthcare system and has written extensively on comparative policy.
Amanda Aronczyk is a journalist and co-host of the NPR show "Planet Money." Her recent episode "Frame Canada" explored the US insurance lobby's long-running PR campaign against Canada's healthcare system to block major healthcare reform.
Home Care Fault Lines: Understanding Tensions and Creating Alliances
A conversation with Cynthia Cranford, author of Home Care Fault Lines: Understanding Tensions and Creating Alliances.
May 12, 2021.
A Line of Blood and Dirt: Creating the Canada-United States Border across Indigenous Lands
A conversation with Benjamin Hoy, author of A Line of Blood and Dirt: Creating the Canada-United States Border across Indigenous Lands.
June 3, 2021.
Benjamin Hoy is an assistant professor of history at University of Saskatchewan, where he directs the Historical GIS Lab.
Perspectives on the 2021 Federal Elections
September 16, 2021.
Lisa M. Birch, Université Laval
Claire Durand, Université de Montréal
Allison Harell, Université du Québec à Montréal
Jared Wesley, University of Alberta
Indigenomics: A discussion about the rise of the modern Indigenous economy
A conversation with Carol Anne Hilton about Indigenomics, her new book on the ongoing power shift and rise of the modern Indigenous economy
September 29, 2021.
The Four Lenses of Population Aging: Planning for the Future in Canada's Provinces
A conversation with Patrik Marier about The Four Lenses of Population Aging, his new book on how Canada’s ten provinces are preparing for an aging society.
October 7, 2021.
Laura Funk is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at the University of Manitoba. Her scholarship enhances understandings of how older adults and paid and unpaid carers interpret experiences, preserve identities, and negotiate normative ideals.
Jonathan Craft is an Associate Professor with the Department of Political Science and Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. He is also the founding director of Policy Ready, a research and learning platform focused on revitalizing public sector policymaking. Jonathan specializes in comparative public policy and administration, policy analysis and Canadian politics. He is particularly interested in the study of the policy process, political-administrative relations, policy advice, and the intersection of technology and policymaking.
Bill 96 and Language Policy
A bilingual roundtable addressing some of the constitutional, legal, and political issues raised by Quebec's Bill 96.
October 13, 2021.
Yves Boisvert, La Presse
Pierre Foucher, Université d'Ottawa
Julius Grey, Grey Casgrain
Marion Sandilands, Conway Litigation
Richard Kistabish, Global Task Force for Making a Decade of Action for Indigenous Languages for UNESCO
“One-man war”: Lone-actor terrorism in Canada, 1868–2018 (2021 Fall Eakin Lecture)
The Fall 2021 Eakin Lecture, delivered by Dr. Steve Hewitt.
November 23, 2021.
