Call the Question

For the Call the Question finale, we welcome Indigenous leader, best-selling author and former Attorney General and Justice Minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould, back to the podcast to share her thoughts on democracy, leadership and the interconnectedness we all share. We talk about her bestselling book, Indian in the Cabinet, and about her conviction that the great challenges of our time - social and racial justice, the climate emergency, the pandemic and more - require us all to work together in new ways. And, Lesli and Maria sign off our final episode with a call to action on vaccine equity, and discuss how we're preparing ourselves for challenges of a world that is changing rapidly before our eyes.This podcast was recorded in the unceded territories for the Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam and Squamish peoples. This episode was produced by Collins Maina. A warm thanks to all of the generous guests, patrons, friends, supporters and sponsors for making this podcast possible. Special thanks to our past producers Simone Hill, Ronnie Jones (also an amazing photographer for our pod), and Emma Renaerts for helping to make our vision a reality. Jusqu'à la prochaine fois.

Maria and Lesli take a look at the 2021 Federal Election, which produced a new parliament...a lot like the old one. We take a look at the campaigns, the issues that did (or didn't) resonate with the public in this election, and how little the composition of parliament changed in this pandemic election. We also talk about what's next for the podcast.

Award-winning labour, employment and human rights lawyer Susanna Quail of Allevato Quail and Roy joins the podcast for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of workers' rights in BC and Canada. We take a deep dive into migrant workers' rights, exploitive working conditions, and the added complexity the pandemic presented in protecting the health and safety of seasonal migrant workers. We also talk about the legal rights of workers (including sick leave and vaccination leave) in the COVID-19 pandemic. And, we talk about some of the precedent-setting cases Susanna has led in the fight for workers' rights. Lesli and Maria open the podcast with look ahead to a potential summertime federal election, and riff on the latest fractures in the Green Party of Canada (as one of their MPs crosses the floor to the Liberals), and the challenges Annamie Paul is facing as she attempts to unite and modernize her party.

We welcome the world's most famous OBGYN, Dr. Jen Gunter, back to the pod to talk about her new book, The Menopause Manifesto. Jen helps us solve one of the great mysteries of human health - that is, understanding menopause. She reveals how what we know (or don't know) about menopause is inextricably connected to the patriarchy, and its assumption that the value of a woman is somehow diminished when she no longer menstruates. Jen coaches women on owning our health "with facts and feminism," by learning more about menopause, our bodies, and how to address the complex array of symptoms experienced during menopause. The good doctor also explains hot flushes and menopause hormonal therapy (MHT), and also debunks the "use it or lose it" myth around the connection between sexual activity and sexual function during and after menopause. And, we talk with Jen about some of the some of the increased health risks people face during and after menopause, and the steps we can all take to take to manage - and maintain - our health for the rest of our lives.Check out Dr. Jen Gunter's podcast, Body Stuff with Dr. Jen Gunter, today: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/body-stuff-with-dr-jen-gunter/id1566425638

We're proud to welcome Kasari Govender, BC's first independent Human Rights Commissioner, to the podcast. In our fascinating discussion, Kasari walks us through the BC Human Rights Commission and its role as an indepenent office of the Legislature. We discuss our rights and obligations as both people and as citizens, and the need to recognize our political and economic rights, as well. Kasari tells us about "The grandmother perspective," her office's 2020 report calling for data that reflects the lived experiences of many, allowing their stories to be heard clearly by those in power to inform development of policy that effectively addresses systemic inequalities in our society. And, we talk with Kasari about UNDRIP and DRIPA, and the role her office plays in decolonization, and Indigenous rights and recognition, in BC. Read "The grandmother perspective," the BC Human Rights Commission's report on the need for disaggregated data to addressed systemic inequalities: https://bchumanrights.ca/publications/datacollection/ Follow Kasari on Twitter @KasariGovender

Rachna Singh, MLA for Surrey-Green Timbers and BC's Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives, joins the podcast for a frank and open conversation about the need to change the laws, institutions and systems that help to perpetuate systemic racism in BC. Rachna tells us about how BC has moved away from the language of "multiculturalism" and towards "anti-racism," and in doing so, is acknowleding the lived experiences of Indigenous and racialized communities in BC. Rachna shares the work her government is doing to improve race-based data collection, while explaining the complexities of gathering and sharing data in a way that doesn't harm or stigmatize racialized people further. We also discuss on the rapid rise in anti-Asian racism during the pandemic, plans for the BC's first-ever Anti-Racism Act, what's happening with BC's all-party committee reviewing the BC Police Act, and more.

Call the Question welcomes the remarkable Mebrat Beyene - executive director of WISH Drop-in Centre and Society - to the podcast. Mebrat shares insight into her organization's support for women and gender-diverse people working in street-based sex work in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. She explains what sex work is, guides us through the differences between sex work and human trafficking, and shares her thoughts on the often-challenging relationship between street-based sex workers (and their advocates) and the police. And, Mebrat tells us about the steps WISH has taken during the pandemic to provide more access to services to sex workers (including basic sanitation and much more) that she doesn't want to see go anywhere after the current pandemic crisis passes.Learn more about WISH and make a donation to suppor their work at https://wish-vancouver.net.

We're delighted to have Spring Hawes - entrepreneur, past municipal councillor, board director for a BC health authority, and a candidate in the BC election last October - join us on the pod. A tetraplegic, Spring talks to us about the experiences of disabled people in the pandemic, the implications of Canada's new medical assistance in dying (MAD) legislation, and about BC's highly anticipated new accessibility legislation. We also talk about disability justice, the ableism that's embedded in every part of our culture and built environment, and and the kinds of stories about disabled people she'd like to see and hear more in media and popular culture.Check out the "10 Principles of Disability Justice" Spring and Maria mentioned in our interview here: https://www.sinsinvalid.org/blog/10-principles-of-disability-justiceLearn more about disability justice from this 2013 interview with disability justice activist, Mia Mingus: https://equitableeducation.ca/2013/mia-mingus-disability-justice

"We don't care about the votes - we care about the voters." The extraordinary LaTosha Brown - musician, artist and co-founder of Black Voters Matter, an US voters' rights advocacy organization - joins us on Call the Q. LaTosha takes us behind the headlines for a closer look at voter suppression tactics in US states like Georgia, Alabama and more, and how BVM and many other community organizations are working with legislators to protect vote access for Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities. We also talk about intersectional feminism, the ascendant leadership of Black women and women of colour, and about BVM's organizing model - one that both puts people before politics, and delivers the vote. Oh - and she sings for us ;)

Mel Woods, Vancouver-based writer, audio producer, and a former viral/trending editor with HuffPost Canada, joins the pod to give us the scoop on what the f*** happened in early March when Buzzfeed suddenly shut down HuffPost Canada. Mel tells us how she and her colleagues heard about the closure, which took place just two weeks after HuffPost Canada employees voted to unionize. We also talk about "benevolent billionaires," the role of organized labour in digital media (and how CWA is supporting HuffPost workers now), emerging media models, and notions of journalistic "objectivity" in today's world.

CTQ welcomes our first episode on US politics - and our first US-based guest - with Sophia Jordán Wallace, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington, and the Director of the Washington Institute for the Study of Inequality and Race. Sophia walks us through the wild world of US politics, with a focus on how race and immigration politics have influenced organizing and voting behaviour over the past few years. Sophia talks about how changing demographics in the US are both creating new opportunities for women and people of colour in politics, and presenting a "demographic threat" to some Americans that, in part, helped to fuel the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. And, we reflect on the leading role of women of colour are playing in transforming US politics today.To learn more about her research on the role of race and immigration policy in Trump's America, pick up or order a copy of Sophia's book with Chris Zepeda-Millán, "Walls, Cages, and Family Separation: Race and Immigration Policy in the Trump Era," wherever you buy your books.

CTQ is thrilled to welcome the indominatable Karen Ward - drug policy, overdose response and poverty reduction consultant for the City of Vancouver - to the podcast. The consultant, advocate, poet and artist is 100% badass in this wide-ranging conversation on COVID-19, drug policy, toxic drugs and increasing access to safe drug supply, NIMBYism, "organized fascists," and "fighting for space" - space for art, space to live, space to thrive - in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Try to keep up. "It's not the drugs, it's the drug policy." ~ Karen Ward.

Celina Caesar-Chavannes - author, entrepreneur, former Member of Parliament, and force of nature - joins the podcast to talk about her new memoir, "Can You Hear Me Now?" and her experience in federal politics. We talk about the importance of making mistakes in business, embracing our vulnerabilities and loving ourselves. We explore the optimism of her early days as an MP, the tokenism she experienced in the Liberal caucus as a Black MP, how race and gender informed her decision to leave the Liberal Party and sit as an independent, and the status of the anti-racism movement in Canada. And, we share out thoughts on mental health, and supporting and taking care of each other.Celina's new book, "Can You Hear Me Now?" is available now.

Sonia Furstenau, Leader of the BC Green Party, joins the podcast for our first episode of 2021. The MLA for Cowichan Valley shares her experience at the helm of the BC Greens, and reflects on her party's three-year cooperative agreement with the BC NDP in its minority government, and the recent October 2020 provincial election. She also shares her thoughts on climate action, electoral reform, environmental and racial justice, community development, and the dramatic recent events in US politics. And, we touch on the importance of striving for balance - in our lives, for our health, in our communities and in our environment.

Call the Question welcomes Carole James - BC's Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance until her recent retirement from politics in October 2020 - to our final podcast of the year. We ask Carole about the challenges ahead for the BC government as it faces significant budget deficits in the next few years, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. We talk about how, as finance minister, she sought to balance fiscal responsibility with the needs of people and the environment, and about the achievements she's most proud of during her tenure. And, we examine the barriers women encounter when they take on political and economic leadership roles, and talk about the women in her life who inspired her to chart her own path to success. Note: This podcast was recorded on December 7, 2020.

Sharon Gregson, provincial spokesperson for the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC's $10aDay Child Care Campaign, joins the pod to give us an update on their recent breakthroughs to make affordable, accessible child care available to more parents in BC than ever before. We talk about October's provincial election - when every major BC party endorsed some form of affordable child care - and also take a closer look at how the COVID-19 pandemic has intensfied demands for an expansion of affordable child care, as part of a just recovery that doesn't leave parents - and, let's face it, women - behind.To learn more about Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC's campaign for $10aDay Child Care or to make a donation, visit https://www.10aday.ca.

Call the Question welcomes the dynamic duo - BC legislative reporters and BC political news experts Bhinder Sajan of CTV, and Liza Yuzda of News 1130 - to debrief on the takeaways from the 2020 BC Election, while we all wait for the final results in mid-November 2020. We read the entrails of the election, including what the heck happened with the BC Liberals, how the BC Greens and leader Sonia Furstenau fared, and the BC NDP's historic majority. We also discuss the lack of measureable gains for women and BIPOC candidates in this election, and what it all means. For more from our panel, follow them on Twitter: Liza Yuzda @lizayuzda and Bhinder Sajan @bhindersajan.

We welcome BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) President Teri Mooring. When Teri was elected head of the BCTF - the union that represents BC's 45,000 public school teachers - she knew she'd be leading the next round of contract negotiations, but a global pandemic wasn't something she'd bargained for. We talk with Teri about the role she's played in advocating for health and safety protections as hundreds of thousands of BC kids returned to public schools in September. We also talk about the patriarchy and its impact on how women leaders are treated, equity and diversity in unions, and how she's helping rewriting the book on what it means to be a woman leader in labour. Of course, Teri also gives us her two cents on what teachers are looking for in the upcoming BC election on October 24.For more on Teri, follow her on Twitter at @terimooring or visit https://bctf.ca.

By popular demand, we present a special segment of "WTF with Maria Dobrinskaya," where Maria makes mincemeat out of a leaked BC Liberal event video - where BC Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite sexualized her fellow North Vancouver MLA, the BC NDP's Bowinn Ma, at an online "roast" for retiring West Van BC Liberal MLA Ralph Sultan - and the party's tone-deaf, foot-dragging response to the controversy that followed. For the Mo Amir/@vancolour tweet that shared the video for the first time, visit: https://twitter.com/vancolour/status/1315138165888307202?s=20

CTQ welcomes award-winning Canadian author Jen Sookfong Lee to the pod for a lively, wide-ranging discussion on her diverse body of work, the recent reckonings on race, gender and compensation in publishing (and society), and anti-Asian racism in the pandemic. Jen also shares her approach to social media (and how she uses humour and wit to deliver her message), her take on politics in this intensely political moment, and what the pandemic experience has challenged her to reflect on and reconsider.