Welcome to Moving the Needle on Wicked Problems, Senator Ratna Omidvar’s podcast co-hosted with Paul Faucette, her Director of Parliamentary Affairs. The podcast explores some of the most pressing socio-economic questions facing Canada and the world and it features a variety of renowned experts’ providing analysis and insights on how to tackle society’s most wicked problems.
Season 4, Episode 4: Standing Up to Putin with Evgenia Kara-Murza
Episode 4 features Evgenia Kara-Murza, a Russian human rights activist. Evgenia advocates for human rights accountability and democratic change in Russia. She is also the wife of political prisoner Vladimir Kara-Murza, the twice-poisoned Russian opposition leader who has been imprisoned since 2022 for protesting the war on Ukraine.
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Season 4, Episode 3: Finding Creative Ways to Support Ukraine with Allan Rock
Episode 3 features Allan Rock, a lawyer, former politician, diplomat, and university administrator. He was Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations and served in the Cabinet of Jean Chrétien, most notably as Justice Minister and Health Minister. Amongst other roles, Allan is currently the chief legal advisor to the World Refugee and Migration Council. We discussed his career in the public service, the role of the United Nations, and using frozen Russian state assets to support Ukraine.
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Season 4, Episode 2: Reexamining Canada’s Relationship with India with David McKinnon
Episode 2 features David McKinnon, a former Canadian diplomat who was posted to New Delhi, Canberra, Bangkok and, most recently, Colombo, where he served as Canada’s high commissioner to Sri Lanka. We discussed his career in the foreign service, the current state of politics in India, and the allegations that the Indian government is linked to the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.
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Season 4 Episode 1: Connecting with the Past with Senator Tony Loffreda
Episode 1 features Senator Tony Loffreda, an independent senator from Montreal, Quebec. We asked him about his family’s immigration story, his trip to Sicily to do the Walk for Remembrance & Peace, and what it felt like to follow the footsteps of Canadian soldiers of the past.
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Season 3, Episode 5: Innovating Ways to Support Ukrainians with Kira Rudik
Episode 5 features Kira Rudik, a Member of Ukrainian Parliament, the Leader of the Golos political party, and the Vice President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. We talked about what Ukrainians have endured since the Russian invasion, the situation on the front lines, and what Ukraine needs to push back the invasion. We also discussed the innovative law Canada passed to allow the confiscation and repurposing of assets belonging to sanctioned foreign individuals, including many Russians, and what the money should be used for.
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Season 3, Episode 4: Celebrating the Contributions of Immigrants with Toronto Mayor John Tory
Episode 4 features Toronto Mayor John Tory. We talked about how immigrants have made Toronto great, why the proportion of immigrants coming to the city is declining, and issues with housing availability. We also discussed what needs to be done at the municipal level to support refugees, and how Toronto is using the municipal nominee program.
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Season 3, Episode 3: Delving into the Future of Journalism & Western Canada with Senator Paula Simons
Episode 3 features Senator Paula Simons, an independent senator from Alberta. During her distinguished career, Senator Simons has been a radio documentary-maker, a playwright, and a reporter with the Edmonton Journal. We talked about why she became a journalist, the state of journalism around the world, and the future of Twitter. We also discussed criticisms of Bill C-11, the use of the notwithstanding clause by premiers, and the phenomenon of western alienation.
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Season 3, Episode 2: Supporting the Iranian Protests with Nazanin Afshin-Jam MacKay
Episode 2 features Nazanin Afshin-Jam, an award-winning international human rights activist, and the co-founder of the organization Stop Child Executions. We discussed why her family immigrated to Canada from Iran, what it is like to be a woman in Iran right now, and how she feels when she hears the protest song “Baraye”. We also talked about what the Canadian government can do to support change in Iran, including the possibility of seizing and repurposing the frozen assets of sanctioned Iranians.
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Season 3, Episode 1: Strengthening Germany & Canada’s Relationship with Ambassador Sabine Sparwasser
This episode features the German Ambassador to Canada, Sabine Sparwasser. We talk about Canada and Germany’s relationship, the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on geopolitics, and Germany’s energy needs. We also discuss the new law in Canada that allows the government to freeze, seize and redistribute the assets of corrupt Russian leaders, and if she sees Germany following Canada’s lead. Finally, we discuss how Canada and Germany can work together on migration approaches and programs.
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Season 2, Episode 6: Encountering Racism in Politics with Senator Ataullahjan, Senator Boyer and Senator Moodie
This episode features Senator Salma Ataullahjan, Senator Yvonne Boyer, and Senator Rosemary Moodie. We talked about their first experiences of discrimination and their reactions to the hateful flags being waved during the convoy occupation in Ottawa. We also discussed how racism affected their lives before and after they became Senators, the barriers that people of colour face when trying to get into politics, and how to combat systemic racism and Islamophobia.
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Season 2, Episode 5: Addressing Racism in Sports with Rosey Edeh & Dr. Sheema Khan
This episode features Rosey Edeh and Dr. Sheema Khan. Rosey is a three-time Olympian, Commonwealth Games medallist, and a member of the Quebec Sport Hall of Fame. She has spent the last decade as TV personality. We were also joined by Dr. Sheema Khan, who is a columnist for The Globe and Mail and the author of the book Of Hockey and Hijab: Reflections of a Canadian Muslim Woman.
We talked about how racism in sports manifests itself, the racism they experienced as athletes of colour, and recent racist incidents targeting Black hockey players. We also discussed how sporting leagues can deal with racism and the importance of offering diversity and inclusion training in youth leagues for both parents and players.
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Season 2, Episode 4: Reevaluating Immigration Policy with Iain Reeve & Yilmaz Dinc
Episode 4 features Iain Reeve and Yilmaz Dinc. Iain Reeve is the Associate Director for the Immigration Knowledge Area at the Conference Board of Canada. He runs the Board’s immigration research agenda and manages the National Immigration Centre. Yilmaz E. Dinc is a Senior Research Associate for the Immigration Knowledge Area at the Conference Board of Canada. We talked about immigration in the wake of the pandemic, the difficulties immigrants face in having their skills and education recognized, and public opinion on immigration. We also discussed providing pathways to permanency for migrant workers, the challenge of attracting immigrants to settle in small and rural communities across Canada, and the need to prioritize immigrants with essential skills.
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Season 2, Episode 3: Redefining the Arts in Society with Ravi Jain
Episode 3 of the special miniseries on racism and diversity features Ravi Jain, the founding artistic director of Why Not Theatre in Toronto. Ravi was twice shortlisted for the 2016 and 2019 Siminovitch Prize and won the 2012 Pauline McGibbon Award for Emerging Director and the 2016 Canada Council John Hirsch Prize for direction. He co-directed Sea Sick, which is currently on at the National Theatre in London, his adaptation of the Indian epic Mahabarata will premiere at the Shaw Festival, and What You Won’t Do For Love, starring David Suzuki, will premiere in Vancouver.
We talked about fighting stereotypes in the theatre industry, systemic racism in the arts, and why meaningful change has not yet happened in the sector. We also discussed the importance of redefining what the arts can be in society, why cancel culture is complicated, the impact of artist brain drain, and why some Torontonians never set foot in a theatre.
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Season 2, Episode 2: Fostering Diversity in Journalism with Supriya Dwivedi and Nicholas Keung
This episode features Supriya Dwivedi and Nicholas Keung. Supriya is senior counsel at Enterprise Canada, a visiting researcher at the Ryerson Journalism Research Centre, a political commentator, and a former radio host. Nicholas writes about immigration, refugee, and diversity issues for the Toronto Star. We talked about why it’s important to have journalists of colour, how to encourage more diversity in the sector, and what organizations can do to protect journalists who receive threats of violence. We also discussed why issues of immigration, diversity, and racism rarely came up during the last election, and the importance of making mentorship opportunities available to BIPOC journalists.
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Season 2, Episode 1: Confronting the Virus of Racism in Society with Dr. Kwame McKenzie
This episode features Dr. Kwame McKenzie. Dr. McKenzie is CEO of the Wellesley Institute, Director of Health Equity at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and a full Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. We talked about the definition of systemic racism, and why diversity and inclusion did not come up as major election issues. We also discussed racism in healthcare, including the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on racialized people, the importance of racially disaggregated data, and how the pandemic has changed our perspective on essential workers.
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Episode 17: Mapping the Road to 100 Million Canadians with Goldy Hyder and Lisa Lalande
This episode features Goldy Hyder, President and CEO of the Business Council of Canada, and Lisa Lalande, CEO of Century Initiative. Prior to joining the Business Council, Goldy Hyder served as the President and CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies and as Director of Policy and Chief of Staff to The Right Honourable Joe Clark. Lisa Lalande previously held the position of Executive Director of the Mowat Centre’s Not-for-Profit Research Hub and served on the executive management team at Lift Philanthropy Partners. We discussed Canada’s aging population, barriers to employment faced by new immigrants, and how our country can grow its population to 100 million people by the year 2100. We talked about the need to plan now to ensure that we have the infrastructure in place to accommodate this growing population, as well as the need to spread immigrants more evenly across the country.
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Episode 16: Bridging the Divide – Tackling Big Issues with Mayor Naheed Nenshi
This episode features the Mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi. In 2010, Mayor Nenshi become the first Muslim mayor of a Canadian city and of a large North American city. Mayor Nenshi was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and received the President’s Award from the Canadian Institute of Planners, the Humanitarian Award from the Canadian Psychological Association, and the 2014 World Mayor Prize from the City Mayor’s Foundation.
We discussed why he got into politics, the importance of civic engagement, the barriers that prevent women from running for office, and why hyper partisanship is detrimental to us all. We also talked about climate change, the oil and gas industry, the Black Lives Matter movement, the lack of diversity on boards, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Episode 15: Discussing Digital Disruption with Nathaniel Erskine-Smith
This episode features Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Member of Parliament for Beaches-East York. We explored the issue of digital disruption and how it is affecting Canada and other countries. We discussed why he got into politics, the role of social media in propagating misinformation, foreign election interference, and the need to treat drug use as a health issue.
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Episode 14: Battling Extreme Income Inequality with Dr. Miles Corak & Armine Yalnizyan
This episode features Dr. Miles Corak and Armine Yalnizyan. Dr. Corak is a full professor of economics with the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and senior scholar at the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality. Armine Yalnizyan has served as a senior economic policy advisor to the Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development and was a senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ Inequality Project. We discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on income inequality, the upcoming release of the federal budget, and their opinions on UBI.
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Episode 13: Tackling Mass Forced Displacement and Corruption with Lloyd Axworthy
This episode features the Honourable Lloyd Axworthy, who is the chair of the World Refugee and Migration Council and one of Canada’s leading voices on global migration and human security. After a 27-year political career, where he served as Canada’s minister of Foreign Affairs and minister of Employment and Immigration, Dr. Axworthy has continued to work extensively on refugee protection and human rights. We discussed what drove him to get into public service, the value of allowing Canadians to privately sponsor refugees, the need for an International Anti-Corruption Court, and his work on banning the use of anti-personnel landmines around the world.
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Episode 12: Leading in the Face of Adversity with Senator Chantal Petitclerc
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Episode 11: Examining the Impacts of Climate Change with Rosemary McCarney and David Miller
This episode features Rosemary McCarney, formerly the Canadian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva and currently Senior Fellow in Foreign and Defence Policy, Massey College, University of Toronto, and David Miller, formerly the Mayor of Toronto and currently the Director of International Diplomacy for C40 Cities. We discussed the impacts of climate change on refugees, extreme weather events and the spread of disease, and the responses of municipal and federal governments to this crisis at the local, national and international level.
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Episode 10: Rethinking Migration with Dr. Manjula Luthria and Dr. Irene Bloemraad
This episode features Dr. Manjula Luthria, Senior Economist at the World Bank, and Dr. Irene Bloemraad, Thomas Garden Barnes Chair of Canadian Studies and Director of the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative. We discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global migration, rethinking immigration strategies to include essential “low-skilled” workers, and the situation faced by refugees around the world.
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Episode 9: Studying the Impact of War with Professor Margaret MacMillan
This episode features Dr. Margaret MacMillan, best-selling author and Professor of History at the University of Toronto and emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Oxford. We discussed when war is justified, the impacts of WW1 and WW2 on women’s empowerment, the recent storming of the U.S. Capitol, and why she finds war fascinating.
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Episode 8: Exploring the Future of Work with Pedro Barata
This episode features Pedro Barata, Executive Director of the Future Skills Centre. We discussed the future of work, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s careers, the growth of the gig economy and calls for a basic income.
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Episode 7: Telling Powerful Stories with Deepa Mehta
This episode features Oscar-nominated filmmaker Deepa Mehta. During our conversation we spoke about telling stories of oppression, the challenges of making foreign language films in Canada, diversity in the film industry and her newest film, Funny Boy.
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Episode 6: Reinforcing Canada’s Place in the World with Dr. Bessma Momani
This episode features Dr. Bessma Momani, a political scientist and well-known expert on international affairs. During our discussion, we spoke about how the results of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election will affect Canada’s relationship with the United States, the personalization of politics, and the global scramble for COVID-19 vaccines. and individual consumers, and Bill S-211: The Modern Slavery Act.
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Episode 5: Eliminating the scourge of human trafficking with Matt Friedman
Matt Friedman is a world-renowned expert on human trafficking who has been fighting the modern slave trade for decades. Today, Mr. Friedman is CEO of The Mekong Club, an organization that is mobilizing the private sector in the fight against modern slavery. During our discussion, we spoke about the scale of slavery around the world, the role of global corporations and individual consumers, and Bill S-211: The Modern Slavery Act.
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Episode 4: Promoting the power of pluralism with The Right Honourable Joe Clark
Joe Clark, who was elected eight times to the House of Commons, served as Secretary of State for External Affairs, Minister of Constitutional Affairs, and Prime Minister of Canada. Today he sits on numerous Boards and Foundations and continues to promote democracy and respect for human diversity. We spoke about the importance of pluralism in the current global context, his strong stand against apartheid in South Africa, past recipients of the Global Pluralism Award, and the importance of inclusion.
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Episode 3: Strengthening the charitable sector with Hilary Pearson
Hilary Pearson has had a distinguished career in the charitable sector. She has worked with many of the largest private foundations in the country and serves as co-chair of the Advisory Committee on the Charitable Sector, advising the federal government on policy and regulatory issues. We discussed her career in philanthropy, the impact of the WE scandal on the charitable sector, and what is necessary for the sector to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Episode 2: Combatting Racism with Hamlin Grange and Diya Khanna
Hamlin Grange is a diversity and inclusion strategist who helps companies better navigate cultural differences. Diya Khanna is a diversity, equity and inclusion specialist. Both have great ideas on how to combat systemic racism and how organizations can ensure that they are truly diverse. We discussed systemic racism, white privilege, essential workers, how to go about creating a more diverse workforce, and the importance of immigration post-pandemic.
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Episode 1: Fighting corruption with Bill Browder
Bill Browder is a businessman, bestselling author, and anti-corruption activist who is well known for his efforts to have visa sanctions and asset freezes imposed on those involved in human rights abuses. We had an engaging discussion about his book, Red Notice, as well as the impact of Magnitsky legislation on corrupt officials, the purpose of the Frozen Assets Repurposing Act, and the proposal to create an International Anti-Corruption Court.
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