Polarization in Canadian politics has risen rapidl y in recent years. Yet\, over the past few months\, we have seen remarkable examples of politicians from all parties in Canada working together to tac kle the crisis brought on by COVID-19. Can this become the norm going forwa rd? Where have cross-party collaborations succeeded before? Under what circ umstances are politicians able to set-aside partisanship to work together? Can the growing polarization we have seen in Canadian politics be reversed?
Former Members of Parliament\, Nathan Cullen and Lisa Raitt kick off our IFL Virtual Series with a discussion
of their experiences working across party lines\, and what possibilities t
hey see going forward.
This session is moderated by Ian Hanom ansing\, host of The National on CBC.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:
The Honourable Lisa Raitt joined CIBC Capital Markets in January 2020\, having previously worked in both the pub lic and private sectors. Ms. Raitt’s current focus is on senior client cove rage and business development with clients in the energy\, infrastructure a nd industrial sectors\, which align closely with her deep expertise.
Prior to her current role\, Ms. Raitt was the President and CEO of the Toro nto Port Authority. She was elected into the House of Commons in 2008\, whe re she went on to hold three senior portfolios serving as Minister of Natur al Resources\, Minister of Labour\, and Minister of Transport. Most recentl y\, Ms. Raitt was the Deputy Leader of the Official Opposition and the Cons ervative Party of Canada.
Ms. Raitt holds a Bachelor of Science degre e from St. Francis Xavier University and a master’s degree in Chemistry fro m the University of Guelph. She possesses an LL.B from Osgoode Hall Law Sch ool and was called to the Ontario bar in 1998. In 2020 Ms. Raitt was named a Woodrow Wilson Center Global Fellow of the Canada Institute.
Nathan Cullen is
a Senior Advisor\, providing strategic advice and support to StrategyCorp’s
clients. He brings 15 years of experience as an accomplished Member of Par
liament and veteran member of the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) to t
he firm.
First elected in 2004 and re-elected four consecutive times until his retirement from federal politics in 2019\, Nathan represented the riding of Skeena—Bulkley Valley in British Columbia. During his tenure in Parliament\, Nathan served as the NDP Critic for Finance\, Environment\, De mocratic Reform\, Natural Resources\, and Human Resources and Skills Develo pment. Nathan was also House Leader for the Official Opposition. In additio n to his many parliamentary roles\, he was a candidate for the federal NDP leadership in 2012.
Prior to his political life\, Nathan owned a priv ate consulting company that specialized in strategic planning and conflict resolution. He has a deep interest in issues relating to energy\, rural aff airs\, and Indigenous peoples.
Ian Hanomansing hosts THE NATIONAL from Vanco
uver. Born in Trinidad and raised in Sackville\, New Brunswick\, veteran ho
st and reporter Ian Hanomansing began his broadcasting career at CKDH Radio
in Amherst\, Nova Scotia\, working at radio stations in Moncton and Halifa
x before joining CBC in Halifax in 1986. His assignments took him to Toront
o the following year and eventually to Vancouver\, where he was a national
reporter for fourteen years.
Among his major assignments: the Exxon V aldez oil spill and San Francisco earthquake (both in 1989)\, the Los Angel es riot (1992)\, Vancouver's two Stanley Cup riots (1994 and 2011)\, the Ho ng Kong handover (1997) the Slave Lake Alberta wildfire (2011)\, the Humbol dt bus crash (2018) and seven Olympic Games\, the most recent in Sochi in 2 014.
He has hosted a wide range of programs including: Pacific Rim Re port (1995-1999)\, which focused on Canada's connection to Asia\; Times 7 ( 2005)\, a joint venture between CBC News and the New York Times\; Canada No w (2000-2007)\, a national supper-hour newscast\; Still Talking Hockey (200 4)\, a sports-themed late night program on CBC British Columbia\; Feeling t he Heat (2007)\, a summer series about the environment on CBC Radio One and CBC News Network with Ian Hanomansing (2012-2017) which won a Canadian Jou rnalism Award in 2014 and shared a Canadian Screen Award in 2015\, both for breaking news coverage.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
Thi s session is part of the IFL Virtual Series\, co-presented by UBC’s Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and the Faculty of Arts at Ryerson University. The IFL Virt ual Series brings together political practitioners from the Institute for F uture Legislators to share their insights\, experience and expertise. Pleas e see our IFL Virtual Series webpage for more in formation on all upcoming events.
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