By: Jenny Zhang Unpacking Equity is a collaboration between the Public Policy and Governance Review and the Equity, Diversity and Public Policy Initiative (EDPP) at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. This series aims to explain equity-related policy issues and break down complicated topics involving equity, diversity and inclusion. Policy professionals can…
Category: Region
Lifting Canadians with Disabilities out of Economic Vulnerability with a Guaranteed Basic Income
By: Anastasia Volkov The Canadian government implemented several income support programs to enable Canadians to meet basic needs while facing temporary or permanent job loss or hours reduction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was in place from March to October 2020. It was a “simple application process that made use…
Perhaps too early to start celebrating: Fairness and Equity in the Distribution of a COVID-19 Vaccine
By: Sonja Perisic The world was roaring with the recent week’s announcement that Moderna, an American pharmaceutical company, has developed a vaccine more than 94% effective in preventing COVID-19. Canada has already secured up to 358 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from a wide range of different manufacturers and has signed six contracts for tens of millions more vaccine doses with pharmaceutical giants, such as AstraZeneca, Moderna and Pfizer….
Nations Divided: How Barriers to Interprovincial Trade Cause Differing Canadian Opinion on the US Election
By: Sean McGowan During the week of November 4th, people around the world patiently waited to hear who would win the 2020 United States Presidential Election. Canadians were overwhelmingly hoping for Biden, especially in Ontario, where 84% of the public would have voted for Biden if given the chance. Across the country, however, Albertans were…
The Pandemic Spoke Loud and Clear – it is Time to Care About our Most Vulnerable
By: Anastasia Volkov There is little doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic impacted all of our lives. However, several snapshots released by Statistics Canada in late August report a disproportionate impact on individuals with disabilities. Unfortunately, the disability community frequently does not receive the attention it deserves. Yet, nearly 25 per cent of Canadians over the…
We are All Treaty People – Racism and Jurisdiction in L’nu* Territory and Beyond
By Keith Cherry *Note: the word L’nu is the autonym of the people otherwise known as Mi’kmaq, an Indigenous group spanning much of what is sometimes called Atlantic Canada. When Indigenous L’nu fishers launched their own lobster fishery in pats of Nova Scotia this fall, they faced brutal, racist violence and chilling police indifference. For…