Call the Question

After a long delay (thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic), Lesli and Maria finally welcome Adrienne Smith, Vancouver-based transgender human rights activist and social justice lawyer, to the podcast. Adrienne challenges both the hosts and our pod's listeners to think about inclusion, allyship and social justice goals in a new frame, and from a distinctly intersectional feminist perspective. We talk about defunding the police, women-only spaces, transgender rights education, and more. They also share their general discomfort with being called a 'lawyer,' and how they trained as a lawyer mainly to "smuggle a legal education over to our side of the barricade". In What the Fuck!, Maria and Adrienne take on the recent disturbing pandemic trend of normalizing poor bashing and anti-homelessness sentiment in Yaletown, the Downtown Eastside and elsewhere in our city. You can learn more about Adrienne Smith and contact them at adriennesmithlaw.com

Call the Question is back! Maria and Lesli are back at the mics (well, sort of), recording the pod remotely after a COVID-19 pandemic-driven hiatus. We talk about why we pressed "pause" on CTQ, what we've up to for the past five months, and take a look ahead to what's next (including some incredible new guests). In this first episode of the new season, we get caught up on what's been happening in Canadian and BC politics during the pandemic: the WE contract controversy, the federal Conservative leadership contest, elections (in the pandemic) in the air, and more.To our loyal listeners and Patreon supporters: thanks for sticking with us as we figured out how to get this podcast back off the ground in the pandemic, with new technology solutions...and a new producer, Emma Renaerts! Your continuing support means the world to us, and look forward to delivering great new content to you in the months to come.https://www.patreon.com/CalltheQuestion

Our fabulous guest is the Oscar-winning #HairLove story artist - Vancouver-based illustrator and animator Pearl Low. We talk with Pearl about storytelling, representation, diversity in film and animation, and…of course, hair. We'll also talk with her about her own graphic novel, Tension, on her own struggle with her own! We also talk with Lesli's dad, Cliff, about the word "settler," and the legacies of colonialism in Canada in a new edition of Cliff Notes. Watch the Oscar-winning short animated film, "Hair Love," on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNw8V_Fkw28You can order a copy of Pearl Low's book, Tension, here: https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/671692113/tension

Call the Question welcomes our first-ever male guest, Jagmeet Singh, to the pod. We talk with Canada's NDP leader about the intersections between race- and gender-based discrimination in politics, being judged based on how one looks, and his case for the need for truly universal, head-to-toe health care in Canada. Lesli and Maria also discuss the harrowing story of former university elite athlete Megan Brown, and how some universities and sport organizations appear to ignore sexual misconduct in amateur sport in the drive to win...at any cost.You can follow Jagmeet Singh on Twitter @theJagmeetSingh.Read Michael Doyle's expose on the University of Guelph and Megan Brown's story in the Globe and Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-athlete-breaks-silence-about-sexual-misconduct-of-university-of-guelph/

Vancouver writer Manjot Bains was a senior advisor for the Government of Canada on anti-racism initiatives - that is, until she and her father made brief comments on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's brownface/blackface-wearing past in an interview. Manjot shares her incredible story with Call the Question. We also talk about Arielle Kayabaga, a city councillor in London, Ontario who dared to speak against the elimination of funding for a WiFi Hotspot lending program at the London Public Library. We'll tell you what happened at City Council in response to her comments.We mentioned on the pod an upcoming summit on February 23, Women Shaping Surrey: Towards a Women-Friendly City. The summit will provide an opportunity for participants to share their views, experiences and perspectives and explore how to amplify the diverse voices of women and girls, and to ensure that a gendered perspective is applied to all city policies, programs, and activities. You can get tickets on Eventbrite:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wo

Call the Question launches our third series with extraordinary Vancouver-Granville MP and former Attorney General and Justice Minister of Canada, Jody Wilson-Raybould. We talk with Jody about everything from Indigenous rights and UNDRIP, to SNC-Lavalin (and the "joys" of being gaslighted), her strength under pressure, and her priorities today as an independent MP. We also discuss one of the biggest #vanpoli stories of 2020: the Indigenous grandfather and granddaughter who tried to open a bank account at a Bank of Montreal branch in December 2019, but instead, were suspected of fraud and detained and handcuffed by Vancouver police officers.

It's Call the Question's wrap up podcast for 2019! Maria and Lesli riff on what's hot in Vancouver and BC politics issues at the end of the year (and offer a few predictions for 2020, too). We begin by nerding out on #vanpoli, with a look at the city-wide planning process, rental housing proposals, and a proposed hefty 8.2% property tax hike. Next up is #bcpoli: recent UNDRIP legislation, unanimously passed in the BC Legislature; the recently averted transit strike; the ongoing handwringing around ride hailing (Uber, Lyft) in BC; and, our predictions on what's next for BC politics (including the prospect of an early provincial election) and BC party leaders in 2020.We want to hear from you, too! How did we do with these first few months of our podcast adventure? What would you like to hear from us on Call the Question in 2020? Drop us a line with your ideas and suggestions at hello@boldtcommunications.com, or @ us on social media @CalltheQPodcast on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook! See you in 2020!

Money money mo-ney! We welcome Vancity's chief member experine officer, Christine Bergeron, to talk about $$$: women in finance, and *women and finance*. Christine talks about her own experience in the financial sector as a hedge fund manager, and how gender dynamics and the sector's intense focus on maximizing profit may prevent more women from working the field. She also tells us how an increasing industry wide focus on CSR and sustainability is helping to change industry culture. We also dig into the complex relationships many women (and men) have with money and our own personal finances, and that we may know more about money than we think we do.Then, Maria and Lesli take a look at the growing number of local BC bylaws - including the recent bylaw passed in Maple Ridge - to punish people with *no money* with fines for being poor and homeless. WTF?

Elizabeth Cull joins us to share some fascinating stories of her time in government in the 1990s as Minister of Health, Minister of Finance and as Deputy Premier. Elizabeth talks about the steps she took to legalize midwifery in BC, offer Hepatitis B vaccinations to every BC kid through our public schools, and a little Order-in-Council she passed to protect women's access to safe, legal abortions in BC. She also talks about how she learned to play the boys' political game better than they could, and how important activists and community organizations continue to be in making meaningful change (the "inside-outside game," as Maria calls it). Lesli and Maria wrap the episode with our analysis of the 2019 Federal Election results. Catch Elizabeth Cull each week on the political panel on CBC Victoria's On the Island morning show with Gregor Craigie.

Dr. Jen Gunter, author of The Vagina Bible and host of the new CBC Gem streaming series, Jensplaining, joins us to talk about her bestselling book, and share her "radical feminist vagenda". Dr. Jen takes on the persistent myths around vaginal health (no, ladies, you don't have to steam, douche or wear white cotton underwear to be "clean" down there), the role the patriarchy plays in perpetuating lies about women's bodies, and the importance of electing women to push back against the "weaponization" of women's reproductive systems to make laws to control and oppress women.You can find Jen's book, The Vagina Bible, at bookstores and libraries everywhere. Find Jen's streaming series, Jensplaining, on CBC Gem: https://cbcgem.app/jensplaining

For our Federal Election 2019 episode, we welcome the University of Victoria's Grace Lore to provide razor-sharp analysis and insight into #Elxn43 to date - from a feminist perspective. Grace walks us through some of the data and critical issues that women (and persons who identify as female) care about the most in the election, and also tackles the extent to which gender is - or isn't - being talked about in this campaign. And in WTF, Maria calls bullshit on the one of the biggest issues of this campaign - one that keeps rearing its very ugly head, as much as some people wish we could just "move on" - and that's systemic racism and white supremacy in Canada. What. The. Fuck.

BC Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Selina Robinson - who is also responsible for TransLink, Metro Vancouver's transit authority - shares her story of how she got into politics, that squeaker of a first BC election she ran in (where she actually *lost* on election night), and why it's so important for women to be at the decision-making table in government. Of course, we also dig into the housing crisis (and some of the solutions), and where things are at with transit investments in the Metro Vancouver region. Then, Lesli and Maria talk about that controversial, anti-immigrant op-ed that ran in the Vancouver Sun, and how it raised serious questions (including from the Sun's own journalists) about how op-eds are solicited and selected by editors.

The incredible Stephanie Allen, Associate Vice President of Strategic Business Operations and Performance for BC Housing, joins us this week to talk about race and urban planning, Vancouver's Black community (past and present), housing affordability, Hogan's Alley and so much more. And, we're introducing an occasional new segment on Call the Question called Cliff Notes, featuring Lesli's dad, where Cliff will give us his reviews of our recent episodes, along with his takes on current political issues and (what else) the patriarchy.Learn more about Hogan's Alley Society and Vancouver's Black community, visit http://www.hogansalleysociety.org. And, you can find out more about the Federation of Black Canadians at http://fbcfcn.ca.

We kick off Series 2 of Call the Question with Joanna Chiu, bureau chief of the Star Vancouver newsroom of the Toronto Star. We've been fans of Star Vancouver's sassy newsroom personality from the get-go, from the reporters' hilarious tweets, to the massive scoops, to the smart analysis on major issues, like Tessa Vikander's LGBTQ2+ and trans rights reporting, Melanie Green's reporting on Islamophobia, and much more (listen to the pod for more newsroom star name-dropping). We talk with Joanna about diversity in newsrooms, how her team hustles for the story, and the intentional approach they all take to doing things differently. We also talk about one the hottest stories of the year (still going): the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, where Joanna reported from earlier this summer. In WTF, Maria drops the hammer on the recent surge in Downtown Eastside trash talking and poverty shaming, and slams the resurgence of the discredited "broken windows theory" of how to "clean up" a neighbourhood.

Lesli and Maria reflect on the eighth and final pod of our first series, with a look back at our kickass guests in Series 1, and what's next for us in Series 2. We also have a look at some of the hot topics in politics in BC so far this year, including: JWR and SNC Lavalin, the ongoing BC housing crisis, gong shows in municipal politics, spending scandals at the BC Legislature (aka "WoodsplitterGate") and, our growing collective anxiety of the climate emergency. Thanks to all the listeners who've joined us on this journey so far. We're back with all-new episodes in September. Enjoy your summer!

We speak with New Westminster City Councillor Nadine Nakawaga about being one of the first two racialized people (along with Chinu Das) ever elected to New West Council, the importance of staying engaged in the community after one is elected, and how local government can be an integral part of reconciliation with Indigenous people. And in WTF, Maria talks about the "truth" in "truth and reconciliation," as she reviews the findings of the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) and the disturbing reaction of the Canadian media and political establishment.For those of you who want to learn more about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Report and supplementary reports, you can find them here: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca #MMIWG

In this episode, we learn about medicine, harm reduction and the experience of women in the opioid crisis from two of its leading experts in BC: Dr. Christy Sutherland and Coco Culbertson of PHS Community Services Society. We talk about decriminalization of opioids, the science and the sociology around substance use, and how their work is breaking new ground and creating hope for solutions to the opioid overdose crisis in BC and beyond. And WTF, Maria opens a can of whoopass on the complicity and greed that has allowed BC and Canada to become known as a global centre for money laundering.

In this episode, we feature Nicola Spurling, CBC Early Edition political pundit and BC Green Party candidate in the 2017 BC provincial election. Nicola talks about what it takes to run for office, the importance of inclusion and representation in politics, and her take on how the BC NDP's Confidence and Supply Agreement with the BC Greens is doing, two years in. In WTF, Maria takes aim at the renewed attacks on a woman's right to bodily autonomy, both in Canada and south of the border.

In Episode 4, we talk to indominatable Georgia Straight education columnist and former long-time Vancouver School Board Chair Patti Bacchus about her introduction to electoral politics, getting fired (along with the entire school board) for refusing to make deep cuts to Vancouver schools, and that time she got called a bully. And, in this episode's WTF, Maria makes the case for greater public access to menstrual products for those who need them. Period.