The Equalizer: Recent Episodes
Nayantara Sudhakar and Yvette Yakibonge
Public policies are created to ensure that all members of society are feeling supported in their everyday lives. But what do they amount to by marginalizing the voices of those the policies affect the most? Join Yvette and Nayantara, two Master’s in Public Policy candidates, as they have candid conversations with policy experts, civil society leaders, and other professionals on creating policies that humanize, empower, and better bridge the gap between the expectations and the realities of the people. Information and education are essential in ensuring informed participation in public policy, Yvette and Nayantara aim to make complex content easily understandable so that all who wish to do so can approach and engage with policymaking.
In this episode, Alex Neve discusses his lifelong work advocating for human rights as a litigator, activist, and as the Secretary-General of Amnesty International Canada.
From the various international instruments used to inform his work, to refugee protection and data collection, Alex unpacks it all.
What’s next in the fight for human rights? After decades-long work of drafting international covenants and declarations, pushing for their adoption at the UN and other bodies, civil society is key, says Alex. In fact, it may very well be THE key to making strides forward.
In this episode, Elli Dehnavi shares her work and experience tackling racism through education and community engagement with the Centre of Race and Culture in Edmonton, AB.
Taking a more holistic approach to equity and inclusion and moving away from “checkbox” mentalities will be essential to bringing about meaningful change, according to Elli who emphasizes the importance of embracing a culture of learning and unlearning.
“The work of policymakers should be rooted in the knowledge and experiences of the communities they serve”.
The Equalizer is here! In this first episode we find out about what led Balarama Holness to jump into the game of politics, his fight against systemic discrimination, and his recent run to become Mayor of Montreal.
Balarama delves into what makes his new political party, Movement Montreal, different from all others and how they intend on putting “people before politics”, truly giving voice to all Quebecers.
His advice to young policymakers: “get out of your ivory tower, get off your computer, stop doing reviews of literature, and go meet people!”