TLL Spring 2023 Webinar Series
April 20 - May 25
Oh Canada: Snapshots in Time
Context
Our country was founded 156 years ago. But the land is millions of years old - we are but the most recent individuals to call it home. It covers a vast territory, from coast to coast to coast, many peoples, languages, cultures, points of view. It is impossible to fully describe or understand Canada. But we can look at different questions and concerns that helped shape our lives or affect our future here.
This series grapples with the complexities of Canada from politics to health care, the economy, changes in cultural institutions, the corrosiveness of hate and the challenges to geographical integrity.
Join us as our presenters offer six snapshots in time – a way to better tackle the issues facing our nation.
All lectures take place via zoom webinar on Thursdays from 2:00-3:30 PM
Note: May 18 Panel Discussion will run to 3:45 PM
Canada Across Time: Ten Events that Shaped Our National Character
by Dr. Adam Chapnick
April 20, 2023 2:00-3:30 p.m.
Modern Canada is nothing like the land first inhabited by indigenous peoples. Our first snapshot of Canada explores how significant events in our national past have shaped this country - including the arrival of European settlers, Confederation, the World Wars and the patriation of the Constitution.
Our speaker focuses on ten events that helped create and develop a country of which we can be proud, in spite of its missteps and imperfections.
Dr. Adam Chapnick is a professor and head of the Department of Defence Studies at the Royal Military College of Canada. He also serves as the deputy director of academics at the Toronto-based Canadian Forces College.
Our speaker holds a BA (Honours) from Trent University, an MA in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, and a PhD in History from the University of Toronto.
Dr. Chapnick is the award-winning author or editor of eight books and over 50 academic essays and book chapters on historical and contemporary issues in Canadian foreign relations, Canadian-American relations, and teaching and learning.
Healing Canada’s Health System: From band-aid solutions to resilience and innovation
by Dr. Sara Allin
April 27, 2023 2:00-3:30 p.m
Health care is often cited as a source of pride for Canadians, in stark contrast to the costly and inequitable health structure in the United States. Still, there are many problems in our system that have persisted or worsened over time including long wait times to see specialists and for surgeries, difficulties accessing primary care, major gaps in coverage and poor coordination and patient experience.
The COVID-19 pandemic has proven to be a massive shock to our health system. It has revealed many vulnerabilities within the system and exacerbated existing challenges. This presentation considers why these problems are so hard to fix and identifies some promising avenues for strengthening the resilience and performance of Canadian health care.
Dr. Sara Allin is an Associate Professor of Health Policy at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto. She is also Director of the North American Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (NAO), a collaborative partnership and research centre looking at sub-national and international health systems research to support evidence-informed policy making.
Dr. Allin completed her PhD at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and worked for 10 years at the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Her research and teaching spotlight comparative health systems and policies, health system performance and health equity.
Navigating Canada’s Economic Landscape: How an Aging Population, Higher Interest Rates and Rising Costs Will Shape the Economy of 2023
by Dawn Desjardins
May 4, 2023
Big forces are at work that will shape Canada’s economy in the years ahead. The global backdrop is shifting as geopolitical developments alter trade flows and countries struggle to find solutions to combat climate change. Domestically, an aging population, unaffordable housing markets and low productivity will challenge our country’s economic ability to grow.
Inflation pressures are likely to ease but a return to extraordinarily low interest rates is unlikely.
But all is not lost. Canada is well-positioned to benefit from strategic investments, rising immigration and a highly educated and innovative workforce. Ensuring the right mix of policies to deliver on these advantages will be key to success.
Dawn Desjardins is the former Deputy Chief Economist at RBC. During her 16-year tenure, Ms. Desjardins’ macro team was responsible for forecasting economic conditions and trends in Canada and the US and was part of a team responsible for interest rate forecasts for both countries. Our speaker delivered economic analysis to RBC’s clients through a variety of publications and presentations. She was often interviewed by media across North America to discuss developments in the economy and financial markets.
Prior to joining RBC, Ms. Desjardins worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Financial News in Toronto covering the Canadian bond and currency markets and was the Canadian bond market strategist for JP Morgan Canada. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto.
Re-Imagining: the McMichael Canadian Collection in the 21st Century
by Sarah Milroy
May 11, 2023 2:00-3:30 p.m.
We all know the traditional idea of Canadian art: Cornelius Krieghoff, Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, Emily Carr.
The McMichael Canadian Art Collection is redrawing that narrative to include historical and contemporary art made by women, art by Indigenous peoples of past and present, and by artists from the diverse immigrant communities that make Canada what it is today.
Join Chief Curator Sarah Milroy as she describes the changes afoot at the McMichael, and her dynamic vision of art in Canada.
Sarah Milroy joined the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in September 2018 as Chief Curator. Previously she was Chief Art Critic for the Globe and Mail from 2001 to 2011 and, from 1991 to 1996, editor and publisher of Canadian Art. In recent years, she has worked with Ian Dejardin on ground-breaking exhibitions of Emily Carr (From the Forest to the Sea: Emily Carr in British Columbia, 2014), David Milne (David Milne: Modern Painting, 2018) and L.L. FitzGerald (Into the Light: Lionel LeMoine FitzGerald, 2019). Her most recent work at the McMichael Collection included a survey exhibition, Early Days: Indigenous Art at the McMichael and the acclaimed exhibition and publication, Uninvited: Canadian Women Artists in the Modern Moment.
Ms. Milroy is a member of the Canada Committee of Human Rights Watch and a board member of the Art Canada Institute. In 2020 she was made a Member of the Order of Canada for “promoting Canadian art and artists through her roles as editor, publisher, critic and curator.”
Standing Up to Hate in Canada
Panel Discussion,
Moderator: Bernie Farber
May 18, 2023 2:00-3:45p.m.
Social media has changed today’s world. It has brought communities together, allowed us access to information world-wide never before obtainable; but sadly, it also has its very dark side. This panel will explore the impact of being personally victimized online by hate-mongers, racists and bullies.
This group discussion will take you on a journey touching on elements of fear, courage and resolve. It may be triggering and difficult to hear but it’s important to know that there are “upstanders” in our communities who stand for truth and a fair world.
Our Moderator: Bernie Farber
Mr. Farber’s career spans more than three decades focusing on human rights, diversity, countering antisemitism and extremism. He has been recognized and called upon by the courts, media and law enforcement as an expert in human and civil rights. His efforts have been documented in numerous Canadian human rights publications, books, films, newspapers and magazines. Our moderator is widely respected as a CEO in the not-for-profit world, a published author and as a columnist. He is a sought-after speaker, a recipient of numerous medals and awards for his human rights work and chairs the Canadian Anti-Hate Network and Community Living Toronto’s Rights and Ethics Committee.
Our Speakers:
Healthcare, Advocacy, and the Toll of Covid-19, is Dr Nili Kaplan-Myrth, MD, CCFP, FCFP, PhD
Dr. Kaplan-Myrth is a family physician in Ottawa. She studied anthropology (McGill, UCL, Yale), was awarded Fulbright and Commonwealth scholarships, and is a mother of three who has spent her life advocating for equitable access to health care, for Indigenous self-determination in health, for disability rights, 2SLGBTQ health, and mental health care.
Her fourth book, Breaking Canadians: being published this year by University of Toronto.
Rachel Gilmore
Born and raised in Ottawa, Rachel Gilmore is an award-winning journalist covering Parliament Hill since 2016. She started her journalistic career at APTN’s Ottawa office before diving into political coverage at CPAC, and then at iPolitics where she reported on Indigenous, energy and environmental issues before working for CTV. In 2020, our speaker. joined Global News, covering federal politics, misinformation and extremism. Ms. Gilmore graduated with high distinction from Carleton University in 2016, after completing her joint degree in journalism and human rights. She speaks English, French and some Spanish.
Nigel Barriffe
Nigel Barriffe is an elementary teacher with the Toronto District School and Vice-President with Elementary Teachers of Toronto. His volunteer work includes Board Chair of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, Board member of the Toronto Community Benefits Network, Board member of Canadian Anti-Hate Network and Board member of A Different Booklist Cultural Center. Mr. Barriffe’s activist work focuses on quality public education, good green jobs and a more just society.
His efforts have been recognized with the 2011 Urban Heroes Award, the 2012 J.S. Woodsworth Award, the 2014 Jack White Service Award from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists and the 2018 Bromley Armstrong Labour Justice Award. He holds a Masters’ degree from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
Hot Issues in the Arctics: Future Implications
by Dr. Andrea Charron
May 25, 2023 2:00-3:30 p.m.
The Arctic is receiving unprecedented attention of late and the connections are two-fold: implications given climate change and implications given the war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine. Suddenly the world is oriented to the north bringing with it assumptions and falling into two camps – hawks and the doves.
Quickly forgotten are the people who live in the Arctic (which is more than 4 million including many different Indigenous peoples), that there are several Arctics (North American, European and Russian), six domains of concern (land, sea, air, space, cyber and cognitive) and that the Arctic states have been the key decision makers for activity in the Arctic for decades. This presentation will cover two time periods – before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and now and asks: what future Arctic Canada may expect?
Dr. Andrea Charron is Director of the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, and Associate Professor, Political Studies, at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. She holds a PhD from the Royal Military College of Canada (Department of War Studies).
Dr. Charron worked for various federal departments including the Canadian Privy Council Office in the Security and Intelligence Secretariat before beginning her academic career. She writes extensively on Arctic security, NATO, NORAD and Canadian defence policy. She is coauthor of NORAD: In Perpetuity and Beyond (MQUP, 2022) and several others on sanctions.