We know that the pandemic has exacerbated existing race, gender, and class inequities. The road to pandemic recovery will undoubtedly be smoother for some more than others. Is the government doing enough to account for this?
Budget 2021 was the first budget in two years and the first pandemic budget we’ve seen from the federal government. It offered key insights into the Liberal government’s roadmap for a pandemic recovery.
This budget was also unique in that, according to some polls, the majority of Canadians barely even noticed it. Consumed with daily pandemic news, it’s easy to see how it slipped by, but did that let the Liberal government off the hook?
The last year has been enormously more difficult for BIPOC communities, for women bearing the brunt of care work, and for undervalued yet rhetorically “essential” front-line workers. Without radical change to the systems of oppression that enabled the disproportionate illness and death of the working class and those who inhabit its intersections, the road to recovery will be a much smoother ride for some Canadians than others.
We need to talk about why that is, whether the government is doing an adequate job of making our pandemic recovery equitable, and where we go from here.
That’s why we’re pleased to welcome you to May’s edition of Off the Hill: The bumpy road to pandemic recovery. Join us for a live discussion on Wednesday, May 26 at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET on Zoom. To be able to ask questions and engage with our panelists directly, be sure to register here in advance.
Join our expert panelists for a real and honest assessment of budget 2021. Who was the pandemic budget really for? Did it deliver for you?
This month’s Off the Hill panel is pleased to welcome:
Leah Gazan is member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre. She is currently the NDP Critic for Children, Families, and Social Development, as well as the Deputy Critic for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship. Leah has been a champion in the fight for a permanent guaranteed livable basic income in Canada and earlier this year was named to Maclean’s 2021 Power List. She was a prominent Winnipeg lead during Idle No More and co-founded the #WeCare campaign aimed at building public will to end violence against Indigenous women and girls. Leah is a member of Wood Mountain Lakota Nation, located in Saskatchewan, Treaty 4 territory.
Chuka Ejeckam is a writer and policy researcher, and works in the labour movement in British Columbia. The son of Igbo immigrants to Canada, Chuka grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His work focuses on inequity and inequality, drug policy, structural racism, and labour. He is on Twitter @ChukaEjeckam.
Karl Nerenberg is an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and filmmaker, working in both English and French languages. He joined rabble as parliamentary correspondent in 2011.
Robin Browne is Off the Hill’s co-host. Robin is a communications professional and the co-lead of the 613-819 Black Hub, living in Ottawa. His blog is The “True” North.
Libby Davies is Off the Hill’s co-host. Libby is author of Outside In: a Political Memoir. She served as the MP for Vancouver East from 1997-2015, and is former NDP deputy leader and House leader, and is recipient of the Order of Canada.
In case you missed it, check out last month’s Off the Hill panel: Crunch time in Ottawa.
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