By Michael Smolinski and Harrish Thirukumaran “We increase every year. Last year, we [gave out] over 1.6 million pounds of food, so it shows you there’s a lot of need in the community and surrounding areas.” This striking statistic, provided by Pauline Cripps of the Guelph Food Bank when commenting on the organization’s food needs doubling…
Category: Seen and Heard
Seen and Heard features coverage and analysis of the speakers and events in and around SPPG.
Ford+SPPG Conference: Immigration in a Populist Era
Kelly Rahardja The United States is undergoing a transformation of its immigration policy that could prevent thousands of incoming refugees from gaining entry into the country. As legislative action continues to target refugees at the federal level, the need for state refugee integration and resettlement programs becomes increasingly salient. It was relevant then that this…
Fintech: Offering Financial Inclusion in an Increasingly Decentralized World?
Shelby Challis Last month, I had the opportunity to attend MoneyConf 2016, a two-day global conference that focused on technological innovations within the financial sector, otherwise known as the Fintech industry. This year’s conference was hosted in Madrid, and brought together disruptive startups, entrepreneurs, investors, and some of the world’s leading financial institutions. The event drew…
Seen and Heard: Politics & Policy in the PMO
Alexa Greig “I’m here because we were fired by the voters,” noted Sean Speer, in his opening remarks. Beside him, Chaviva Hosek nodded knowingly. Later in the discussion, she matter-of-factly added: “All democratic governments lose elections, thank god. They have to.” These quotes reflect the candid nature of a recent conservation with two people who…
Seen and Heard: An International Women’s Day Discussion on Gender Equality
James Nelson On March 8th, I attended an International Women’s Day event hosted by The Hill Times in Ottawa to discuss gender equality and the role women play in policy making. The International Women’s Day 2016 campaign theme, Pledge for Parity, follows the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2015, which estimates that the…
Seen and Heard at the Gender and Public Policy Roundtable: Sexual Violence, Consent, and Another Nickelback Misstep
Fiona Downey “Sex is always the answer, its never a question.” – Nickelback. Ah dear, sometimes, it’s just too easy. Absolutely incorrect, Nickelback. Once again, this infamous Canadian band proves just how wrong they can be. Sex, for those of you in the dark (literally and figuratively), is always a question! On Tuesday, March 1,…