Canada's Young Leaders

That’s a wrap folks - “Canada’s Young Leaders” has come to an end. To close out the show, we wanted to sit down and reflect a little on the climate season, and on CYL as a whole. My dad and I started this podcast a little over two years ago, and it’s been such a pleasure hosting with him and chatting with such incredible young people all over the country. I’ve learned a ton, and hope you have too! It’s up to us now, to our generation, to confront the challenges of the day, climate change being first and foremost amongst them. Let’s do it together. We're proud to be part of the Upford Network, you can find out about all the great stuff on our network at www.upfordnetwork.com

We wanted to end The Climate Season by talking about hope. We’re constantly bombarded by the media with dire projections and horrifying numbers, but rarely hear about all the incredible initiatives and trends that are happening RIGHT NOW. That’s why we asked Eddy Perez, international climate diplomacy manager at Climate Action Network Canada, to be the final guest on our show. Eddy is someone who deeply believes that we as a global community can overcome the challenge of climate change, and gave us six reasons why we should have hope for the future of our planet. We're proud to be part of the Upford Network, you can find out about all the great stuff on our network at www.upfordnetwork.com

So far on the show, we’ve talked a lot about the role of governments in the fight against climate change. But what about the private sector? This week we spoke to two social entrepreneurs about wielding the power of the market to reduce carbon emissions and transform our economies. Cedric Provost of Entosystem uses insects to transform food waste into environmentally-friendly proteins, while Chrissy Durcak of Dispatch Coffee is working to reduce the carbon footprint of one of our planet’s heaviest polluters: the coffee industry. We're proud to be part of the Upford Network, you can find out about all the great stuff on our network at www.upfordnetwork.com

Since the beginning of human history, the Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island have understood the importance of living in balance with the natural world. That balance has been upset largely by a Western ideology that views nature as an exploitable resource. Mihskakwan James Harper, a young leader in both the Indigenous and climate spaces, argues that the key to saving our planet is to empower this land’s historical stewards to lead us forward, by honouring treaties and fighting for reconciliation. We're proud to be part of the Upford Network, you can find out about all the great stuff on our network at www.upfordnetwork.com

Net-zero emission by 2050 - that is the internationally accepted goal. 30 years. So what do those years have to look like? And are we as a country on track to reach that target? Ericka Wicks, managing director at QUEST, joins us to outline the different steps that Canada must take to transition to a green economy and become a nation of Smart Energy Communities. We're proud to be part of the Upford Network, you can find out about all the great stuff on our network at www.upfordnetwork.com

COVID-19 has thrown everything up into the air - including the fight against climate change. Ashley Torres, student leader and organizer for CEVES, joins us to discuss how the pandemic has affected the climate movement, the parallels between these two global crises, and what lessons we can take from COVID-19 and apply to the more discreet and dangerous threat of climate change. We're proud to be part of the Upford Network, you can find out about all the great stuff on our network at www.upfordnetwork.com

The fight against climate change takes place on many different battlegrounds; today, that battleground is the American election. Joshua Matthewman’s work as a senior consultant with Temple Scott Associates requires him to keep a close eye on the environmental policies of our American neighbours, and he joins us on the show to discuss Trump’s failure on climate, Biden’s plans for a green economy and whether he can restore America’s place as a global leader in the fight against climate change. www.upfordnetwork.com

“We didn’t get out of the Stone Age because we ran out of stones.” Caroline Brouillette, climate policy expert for Équiterre, applies this notion to our current era of fossil fuels, arguing that we must leave oil in the ground and make the transition to a clean energy economy. But how? Caroline outlines the three major policy keys that will unlock this transition, and set Canada on the path to becoming a true global climate leader. We're proud to be part of the Upford Network, you can find out about all the great stuff on our network at www.upfordnetwork.com

People are causing climate change. People, for the most part, live in cities. The question, therefore, is very simple: how do we reduce the carbon footprint of our urban spaces? And is it possible to create cities that actually absorb as much carbon as they emit? This is the notion of the net-zero city, and Christian Arsenault, city councillor for Projet Montréal, joins us to paint a picture of what that might look like! We're proud to be part of the Upford Network, you can find out about all the great stuff on our network at www.upfordnetwork.com

What is the role of the individual in the fight against climate change? We spoke with Louis Ramirez, founder of the Quebec chapter of Extinction Rebellion, about nonviolent civil disobedience and the power of individuals to challenge a broken system. The most important thing people can do, Louis argues, is to organize; whether it’s marching, protesting or even getting arrested, we MUST stand in solidarity and demand a better future if we hope to save this planet. We're proud to be part of the Upford Network, you can find out about all the great stuff on our network at www.upfordnetwork.com

Green Party MP Jenica Atwin was elected to represent the riding of Fredericton, New Brunswick in the 2019 federal election. Jenica deeply believes in the power of politics as our greatest weapon in the fight against climate change, and is focused on building coalitions in the House of Commons with the ultimate objective of transitioning Canada away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy systems. With everything that’s going on right now, Jenica’s optimism about the future is a breath of fresh air! We're proud to be part of the Upford Network, you can find out about all the great stuff on our network at www.upfordnetwork.com

Welcome to the climate season! Our final set of episodes will focus specifically on the issue of climate change - how we as a global community reached this point, the different measures we MUST take to avoid the worst effects of climate change, and what YOU as an individual can do to fight this good fight. In this intro episode, Nick & James discuss the path to net zero emissions by 2050, the role of Canada in this global movement, and the young leaders we’ll be speaking with throughout the season. Glad to have you back! We're proud to be part of the Upford Network, you can find out about all the great stuff on our network at www.upfordnetwork.com

That’s a wrap folks! The election is over, and so is this second season of Canada’s Young Leaders. The Liberals have been given a renewed mandate, but questions still remain: how will Trudeau heal the rift that has opened with Alberta and Saskatechewan? Will Scheer or Singh stay on as their party’s leaders? And how long can we expect this minority government to last? These are questions I (Nick, that is - I’m flying solo on this one) explored with Amanda Kline, a CTV journalist who was kind enough to join us once again. On behalf of both myself and my father, thank you everyone for tuning in. It has been our sincere pleasure. www.upfordnetwork.com

On the day this episode comes out, Canadians will go to the polls and vote. But will they be casting their ballot for the ideas and ambitions of their chosen party, or simply for the personality of that party’s leader? Or perhaps, those two things are inextricably intertwined. As this election campaign draws to a close, my dad and I sit down and talk about what we’ve seen in the last five weeks, what those things says about the state of our democracy, and moving forward what we can do to improve our elections and ensure the issues that affect Canadians don’t take a backseat to the personalities of the leaders. This is it folks - let’s vote. www.upfordnetwork.com

“Nick and Jim, is it just a coincidence that you left the biggest and juiciest episode of the season for last?” Excellent question. The answer, dear listener, is no. It absolutely is not a coincidence. At 32 years old, Karina Gould is not only the Liberal member for the riding of Burlington, Ontario, but is also the cabinet minister - that’s right, the MINISTER for democratic institutions!! In our interview, Karina defends the Liberal record on everything from their purchasing of the Trans Mountain pipeline to their failure to implement proportional representation in our elections, and talks to us about Team Trudeau’s plans to protect the environment, make living more affordable, and adapt to an increasingly hostile international community. Karina argues that we need to be realistic about how to achieve the goals we’ve set for ourselves, and says the platforms the NDP and Greens have laid out just won’t work, while the Conservatives will do nothing to address the real issues facing our country today. It was our sincere pleasure to speak with Karina, and hope this interview gives listeners a better sense of where the Liberals would go if given another mandate. www.upfordnetwork.com

More than anything else, a successful democracy depends on an informed and engaged population: if people don’t know what’s going on, or they’re not showing up to vote, things spiral into chaos. Kendall Anderson, managing director at the Samara Centre for Democracy, joins us for a bonus episode to talk about the condition of Canada’s democracy, what measures we can take to ensure young people are informed and engaged, and whether we’re seeing any symptoms of the kind of populism that led to Trump in the United States or Brexit in the United Kingdom (ironically, neither are particularly united at the moment). With election day drawing ever closer, we thought it was important to discuss the state of our union, and what we need to do to keep our democracy healthy and sustainable. https://www.samaracanada.com/ www.upfordnetwork.com

We keep hearing about how young people need to get more involved in Canada’s democracy, but how are they supposed to do that, exactly? For Pierre-Luc Dusseault, that meant running for federal office at the age of only 19! Inspired by Jack Layton’s vision for our country’s future, Pierre-Luc decided to run for the NDP in 2011, and has now sat in the House of Commons as the member for Sherbrooke for the past eight years. Pierre-Luc spoke to us about an invigorated and determined NDP in 2019, one that promises real action on climate change and to aggressively tax Canada’s super-wealthy. Pierre-Luc’s message is one of hope: he truly believes we can overcome this climate crisis, and bring prosperity to the Canadians who are struggling with the rising costs of living. www.upfordnetwork.com

Now that we have reached the halfway point of this election campaign, we wanted an update on what has happened so far, in which direction the different parties are polling, and whether any of the mistakes the leaders have made so far could cost them the election. Amanda Kline is an award-winning journalist who joins us from CTV to discuss the dominating issue of this campaign (spoiler alert: it’s the environment), Trudeau’s brownface photos, Scheer’s ability to connect with voters, and what the smaller parties are trying to achieve if not to form the government. Trust me: this is an episode you don’t want to miss. www.upfordnetwork.com

Only days ago did we in Montreal take part in the biggest climate march of any city in THE WORLD, and now we present to you our interview with Clément Badra, Green Party candidate for the riding of Mont-Royal. Clément’s message is very clear: we are currently in the midst of a climate crisis, and bold action is required from our federal government to challenge this powerful enemy. But how? Do we abandon our fossil fuel industry and leave our workers in Alberta jobless? Do we cease building pipelines and exporting oil to our neighbours and friends? These are tough questions, but Clément speaks to us about the answers his party is proposing to voters, and presents his vision for Canada as a true climate leader on the world stage. www.upfordnetwork.com

Our first young person running for federal office is Michael Forian, Conservative candidate for the Montreal riding of “Ville Marie - Le Sud Ouest - Île des Soeurs.” As you’ll see, Michael is a very interesting guy: at only 25 years old, he has already worked as a journalist and radio producer, as well as a political strategist and adviser to a number of provincial politicians in Quebec. Michael speaks to us about the Conservative Party as an umbrella, covering all kinds of people with vastly different views, but people who are united by their belief in free enterprise, lower taxes and smaller government. We ask Michael about his party’s plans for the environment and reducing poverty, whether they’d pass something like Quebec’s Bill 21 at the federal level, and about how they’ll make life easier for young people. You’ll hear more than a couple of disagreements, but hey - that’s how democracies work! www.upfordnetwork.com

Welcome to Season 2!! We’re so excited to be back and talking about the 2019 federal election - with such an exciting five weeks ahead of us, we just couldn’t sit on the sidelines! Elections are wars fought not with weapons, but with ideas, and it is our democratic responsibility as voters to make an informed decision about who will emerge from this war victorious. With this second season, we hope to shine some light on what ideas each of the four major parties are pushing for, and explore the differing visions they have for the future of this country. In this first episode, my dad and I have what we think of as a dinner table conversation about the election, and try to provide you with some context about what’s going on as we enter this race. Enjoy everyone - we hope you’re as excited as we are (although as you’ll see, that’s highly unlikely)! Follow us on Twitter @CanadaYoung! www.upfordnetwork.com

We have officially wrapped up season 1 of Canada’s Young Leaders! In this concluding episode, we look back on all the amazing young people we had the opportunity to speak with, the ideas they brought to the table, and their visions for a better Canada and a better world. It was our sincere pleasure to host this first season of the podcast, and we thank everyone who tuned in to listen. There are already plans brewing for a second season, so stay tuned! Cheers! - Nick & Jim Hughes. www.upfordnetwork.com

"Small steps will no longer get us where we need to go. So we need to leap.” Maya Menezes is the Senior Manager of Programming and Development at The Leap, a non-profit Canadian organization that exists to inject new urgency and bold ideas into confronting the intersecting crises of our time: climate change, racism and inequality. Maya’s vision for the future of our country is audacious - she proposes massive structural changes to our systems that she says would ultimately lead to 100% clean and renewable energy, thousands of good new jobs, and a more equal and fair society for all. We also talk to Maya about the Green New Deal in the United States, what that might look like here in Canada, and how for any of this change to occur at the speed necessary to save our planet, we need to come together as one people and fight for what is right. https://theleap.org/ https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/change-everything/id1451994174 www.upfordnetwork.com

Connor Bays is the Chief of Staff and Associate at Common Wealth, a business that is reinventing the way Canadian workers save their money and access retirement plans. Connor points out that in this new 21st century economy, young people especially are constantly changing jobs and moving from gig to gig, and talks to us about the way his organization is creating and managing large-scale collective retirement plans that meet the needs of today’s labour force - a labour force made up of people who are rarely tied to a single employer their whole career. Connor encourages young people to plan ahead and save strategically, and shares some of the best ways we can do that. https://www.cwretirement.com/ www.upfordnetwork.com

Alice Abracen is a Montreal-based playwright and co-founder of the recently launched Théâtre Ouest End company. She is a graduate of Harvard University & the National Theatre School, and has now written 10 plays solo (the most recent of which, “What Rough Beast,” has just wrapped up as the third play in the Centaur Legacy Series). Alice joins us to share her story and her passion for theatre - she deeply believes in the power of the theatre to shape the very fabric of our Canadian culture, and push us towards a more just and inclusive society. https://www.cjnews.com/culture/entertainment/theatre-ouest-end-points-to-community-inclusion www.upfordnetwork.com

Emmanuella Lambropoulous, Member of Parliament for the electoral district of Saint-Laurent, joins us to discuss her grassroots by-election campaign in 2017, her experiences as the youngest member of the Liberal caucus, as well as big issues like pipelines and the carbon tax, Quebec’s “Bill 21”, and our priorities in the education sector. Emmanuella tells us about the exhausting campaign she ran while still working full time as a teacher, and how she thinks voters chose her because of her genuine willingness to listen. Having been raised in the riding she now represents, Emmanuella speaks about her desire to make positive changes in her community, and to do the hard work of fighting for social, cultural and environmental justice in this country. https://elambropoulos.liberal.ca/en/ www.upfordnetwork.com

Max FineDay, Executive Director of the Canadian Roots Exchange, joins us to discuss some of the amazing progress we’ve made in reconciling the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada, as well as the lengths we have yet to go. Max’s organization works to build and strengthen relationships between communities across Canada, something he argues is absolutely vital if we are to move forward as a country. Max explains how Canadians cannot simply sit back and wait for our federal, provincial and municipal governments to do all the heavy lifting for us - it is everyone’s responsibility to learn, to listen, and to seek to understand our roles in righting the wrongs of the past. http://canadianroots.ca/ www.upfordnetwork.com

Emily Bland, ‘SeedEO’ of SucSeed, joins us to discuss her company’s groundbreaking hydroponics technology that is changing lives, and more generally the ways in which business can be an incredible force for good when profit is not the only incentive. Emily explains how hydroponics (a technology that allows people to grow vegetables without soil or sunlight) is helping northern communities across the country become more independent, reduces the economic and environmental costs of importing produce into these communities, and also helps teachers introduces their students to the infinite possibilities of agriculture. https://sucseed.ca/ www.upfordnetwork.com

Moses Gashirabake, Founder & Co-President of International Rwandan Youth for Development (IRYD), joins us to discuss Canada’s role as a global leader on immigration, and how we as the most multicultural nation on Earth have the power to create more open societies across the globe. Moses shares with us his personal experience fleeing the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, and how he has since become a young leader forging closer ties between African and Western countries. http://www.iryd.ca/ www.upfordnetwork.com

Caro Loutfi, Executive Director of Apathy Is Boring, joins us to talk about connecting, educating and activating young people for Canada’s democracy. She points out that we are the most diverse generation in Canadian history, with the power to change this country for the better. So how do we engage young people to participate in our democratic institutions? The answer: dress down democracy. Take away the suits and bring it back to individuals and our conversations. https://www.apathyisboring.com/ www.upfordnetwork.com

Ethan Cox, co-founder and editor at Ricochet Media, joins us to discuss a world of journalism in crisis. He argues that democracies can only succeed when their electorates are well informed, but that our main sources of information now prioritize profit over product. Ricochet media is responding to this crisis with independent and investigative journalism, seeking to illuminate the cultural and political diversity within Canada. https://ricochet.media/en www.upfordnetwork.com

Catherine Gauthier, Executive Director of Environnement Jeunesse, joins us to talk about her organization’s initiative to sue the federal and provincial governments for inaction on climate change. She argues that this major issue is one that disproportionally affects young people, and that Canada’s targets are not ambitious enough to prevent a generation from suffering the most severe consequences of climate change. It’s time to transition to a “green economy” https://enjeu.qc.ca/justice-eng/ www.upfordnetwork.com

Who are we? Why are we doing this? What are some of Canada's biggest challenges, and how do we take those on together? On Canada's Young Leaders, we (James & Nick Hughes, the father-son duo) talk to young people who are leading our country forward on all the big issues. New episodes every Tuesday! www.upfordnetwork.com