Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

When the Liberal Party won the 1968 Canadian election, Pierre Elliot Trudeau rode a popular personal wave called “Trudeaumania” to victory. At the recent October 19 Federal Election, his son Justin Trudeau, appears to have used some of the same “magic”, enabling the Liberals to win a majority and reducing the governing Conservative Party to opposition status along with the NDP, Bloc and Greens. No doubt however that other factors played a role in the conservatives defeat. For example, were many Canadians looking for a change in the political landscape, what happened to the NDP fortunes and had the Harper Government reached its “best before date”? The speaker will unpack the election results and articulate which promises the Liberal Government may prioritize. He will also speculate on whether collaboration with provinces and other parties may improve. Speaker: Dr. Harold Jansen Harold Jansen a political scientist at the University of Lethbridge interested in the ways in which Canadians and Albertans interact with their governments through political parties and new technology. He completed his B.A. at the University of Alberta and earned his M.A. at Carleton University in Ottawa before returning to the University of Alberta and finishing his Ph.D. in Political Science in 1998. Jansen came to the University of Lethbridge shortly after receiving his Ph.D. and has been here ever since. His research has focused on Alberta politics, electoral systems and electoral reform, Canadian political party finance, and the impact of the Internet on political communication and democratic citizenship. Passionate about teaching, Jansen appreciates the opportunities which smaller universities offer for mentoring undergraduate students. From July 2013 to June 2015, he served as one of the university's two Board of Governors Teaching Chairs and on July 1, 2015, Jansen became Chair of the Political Science department at U of L. Moderator: Christina Cuthbertson Date: Thursday, October 29, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

The Alberta Provincial government under Rachael Notley is committed to tackling several issues related to energy. Corporate taxes have already been raised. A royalty review is taking place and several proposed initiatives related to the environment may also affect the petroleum industry. The Wildrose party has raised several concerns about the direction of these measures and Leela Sharon Aheer, the Wildrose energy critic, will explore these questions from an opposition perspective. What do Albertans need to know and be vigilant about, as the NDP government proceeds? Speaker: Leela Sharon Aheer, MLA Leela Sharon Aheer is a native Albertan who has spent most of her life in Chestermere and was elected MLA for Chestermere-Rockyview, in May, 2015. She has studied political science at the University of Calgary and earned a degree in music at the University of Manitoba. Along with her husband Malkeet, she has successfully operated a number of small businesses, each employing several people, including the Aheer Studio of Performance and Chestermere's WestCreek Auto Wash. Mrs. Aheer has an award winning music studio teaching voice and is a member of Minerva, a nationally released vocal trio. Committed to locally accessible health care, she helped to build the Chestermere Health Center, bringing lab and mental health services to Chestermere. She was awarded Chestermere’s “2013 Volunteer of the Year” and serves in the Wildrose official opposition shadow cabinet and as a member of the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship. Moderator: Terry Shillington Date: Thursday, October 22, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

The Alberta Provincial government under Rachael Notley is committed to tackling several issues related to energy. Corporate taxes have already been raised. A royalty review is taking place and several proposed initiatives related to the environment may also affect the petroleum industry. The Wildrose party has raised several concerns about the direction of these measures and Leela Sharon Aheer, the Wildrose energy critic, will explore these questions from an opposition perspective. What do Albertans need to know and be vigilant about, as the NDP government proceeds? Speaker: Leela Sharon Aheer, MLA Leela Sharon Aheer is a native Albertan who has spent most of her life in Chestermere and was elected MLA for Chestermere-Rockyview, in May, 2015. She has studied political science at the University of Calgary and earned a degree in music at the University of Manitoba. Along with her husband Malkeet, she has successfully operated a number of small businesses, each employing several people, including the Aheer Studio of Performance and Chestermere's WestCreek Auto Wash. Mrs. Aheer has an award winning music studio teaching voice and is a member of Minerva, a nationally released vocal trio. Committed to locally accessible health care, she helped to build the Chestermere Health Center, bringing lab and mental health services to Chestermere. She was awarded Chestermere’s “2013 Volunteer of the Year” and serves in the Wildrose official opposition shadow cabinet and as a member of the Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship. Moderator: Terry Shillington Date: Thursday, October 22, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

Think Globally Act Locally, is a common term, but what does it really mean when discussing food security? Canada and particularly Southern Alberta produce an abundance of quality foods, yet, cost competitive imported foods are consumed year-round even when local products are seasonable available. Emphasis on buying local food is on the rise, but the sustainability of small family farms are at risk from large food producers and retailers offering cheap prices. October 16 is World Food Day and sadly, millions of people in other parts of the world are still starving to death every year and most of them are children. Here in Canada, thousands of people, mostly children, are inadequately nourished for a variety of reasons. The speakers will discuss issues at play regarding local food production, availability, marketing and distribution. They will also address how local food policies can help improve food security in a global context. Speaker: Rev'd Canon Erin Phillips and Kaitlyn Kenney Erin Phillips is the chaplain for Ecumenical Campus Ministry at the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College and the incumbent priest at the Anglican Church of the Ascension in the Coaldale Chaplain for eighteen years, Erin has also taught courses in Religious Studies, History and Sociology at the university since 1992. Kaitlyn Kenney has lived in Lethbridge all her life and is an undergraduate studying Urban and Regional Design at the University of Lethbridge. Her studies focus on understanding urban community and how to achieve social justice, with a sub-focus on food related issues. Moderator:  Jennifer Tarnowsky Date: Thursday, October 15, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

Think Globally Act Locally, is a common term, but what does it really mean when discussing food security? Canada and particularly Southern Alberta produce an abundance of quality foods, yet, cost competitive imported foods are consumed year-round even when local products are seasonable available. Emphasis on buying local food is on the rise, but the sustainability of small family farms are at risk from large food producers and retailers offering cheap prices. October 16 is World Food Day and sadly, millions of people in other parts of the world are still starving to death every year and most of them are children. Here in Canada, thousands of people, mostly children, are inadequately nourished for a variety of reasons. The speakers will discuss issues at play regarding local food production, availability, marketing and distribution. They will also address how local food policies can help improve food security in a global context. Speaker: Rev'd Canon Erin Phillips and Kaitlyn Kenney Erin Phillips is the chaplain for Ecumenical Campus Ministry at the University of Lethbridge and Lethbridge College and the incumbent priest at the Anglican Church of the Ascension in the Coaldale Chaplain for eighteen years, Erin has also taught courses in Religious Studies, History and Sociology at the university since 1992. Kaitlyn Kenney has lived in Lethbridge all her life and is an undergraduate studying Urban and Regional Design at the University of Lethbridge. Her studies focus on understanding urban community and how to achieve social justice, with a sub-focus on food related issues. Moderator:  Jennifer Tarnowsky Date: Thursday, October 15, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

In Early September, the Syrian refugee crisis came home to the world with the vivid picture of three year old Alan Kurdi lying face down on a beach at the Greek Island of Kos. However, several months earlier an ad hoc ‘coalition’ of Mennonite and United Church congregations had begun to plan and fundraise for the adoption of a Syrian refugee family. That family (of nine) is now close to clearing the hurdles that will enable them to come to Lethbridge. Ryan Dueck, the media spokesperson for that committee, will take us inside the whole adoption process. He will share the steps along the way of refugee adoption and explain the lengthy delays, and the role of the Federal government. He will comment on the frustrations, the bureaucracy, and the various hurdles which are part of Canada’s system. He can advise about the ‘do’s and don’ts’ and explain the role of the Mennonite Central Committee. He will share insights about how Canada’s system could be stream-lined and made more generous, as well as, open a window to the whole process of refugee adoption as it functions in Canada. Speaker: Pastor Ryan Dueck Ryan is the pastor at Lethbridge Mennonite Church. Previously, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (philosophy) from the University of Lethbridge and a Master of Arts (theology) from Regent College, Vancouver, B.C. He is married to Naomi and has fourteen year old twins. (Claire & Nicholas) Moderator: Mary Shillington Date: Thursday, October 8, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

In Early September, the Syrian refugee crisis came home to the world with the vivid picture of three year old Alan Kurdi lying face down on a beach at the Greek Island of Kos. However, several months earlier an ad hoc ‘coalition’ of Mennonite and United Church congregations had begun to plan and fundraise for the adoption of a Syrian refugee family. That family (of nine) is now close to clearing the hurdles that will enable them to come to Lethbridge. Ryan Dueck, the media spokesperson for that committee, will take us inside the whole adoption process. He will share the steps along the way of refugee adoption and explain the lengthy delays, and the role of the Federal government. He will comment on the frustrations, the bureaucracy, and the various hurdles which are part of Canada’s system. He can advise about the ‘do’s and don’ts’ and explain the role of the Mennonite Central Committee. He will share insights about how Canada’s system could be stream-lined and made more generous, as well as, open a window to the whole process of refugee adoption as it functions in Canada. Speaker: Pastor Ryan Dueck Ryan is the pastor at Lethbridge Mennonite Church. Previously, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (philosophy) from the University of Lethbridge and a Master of Arts (theology) from Regent College, Vancouver, B.C. He is married to Naomi and has fourteen year old twins. (Claire & Nicholas) Moderator: Mary Shillington Date: Thursday, October 8, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost: $11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

The book by Yves Engler, Canada in Africa — 300 Years of Aid and Exploitation describing Canadian foreign policy in Africa will be analyzed in this presentation as well as the Canadian involvement in the transatlantic slave trade, “scramble for Africa”, missionary movement and European colonialism. The book also reveals Ottawa’s opposition to anticolonial struggles, support for apartheid South Africa, Idi Amin’s coup in Uganda and this country’s role in ousting independence leaders Patrice Lumumba of Congo and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana. Based on an exhaustive look at the public record as well as on-the-ground research, Canada in Africa shows how the federal government pressed African countries to follow neoliberal economic prescriptions, which have benefited numerous Canadian corporations, including mining companies that have bought up much of the continent’s mineral resources, but are often bitterly resisted by local communities. The book also sheds light on Canada’s role in the violence that has engulfed Somalia, Rwanda and the Congo and Canada’s creeping military footprint on the continent. Finally, it points out that this country’s near total indifference to the impact of global warming is tantamount to a death sentence for ever-growing numbers of Africans. Speaker: Yves Engler Former Vice President of the Concordia Student Union, Yves Engler is a Montréal-based activist and author. He has published eight books: Canada in Africa: 300 Years of Aid and Exploitation, The Ugly Canadian: Stephen Harper’s Foreign Policy, Lester Pearson’s Peacekeeping: The Truth May Hurt, Stop Signs: Cars and Capitalism on the Road to Economic, Social and Ecological Decay (with Bianca Mugyenyi), The Black Book of Canadian Foreign Policy (Shortlisted for the Mavis Gallant Prize for Non Fiction in the Quebec Writers’ Federation Literary Awards), Playing Left Wing: From Rink Rat to Student Radical and Canada in Haiti: Waging War on The Poor Majority (with Anthony Fenton) and Canada and Israel: Building Apartheid. Yves was born in Vancouver, where he grew up playing hockey. He was a peewee teammate of NHL star Mike Ribeiro at Huron Hochelaga in Montréal before playing in the B.C. Junior League. After being suspended from Concordia University, he turned to research and writing, but he’s still a fan of the great Canadian sport. Moderator: TBA Date: Saturday, October 3, 2015 Time: 5:00 – 6:30 pm Location: Room PE264, 1st Choice Saving Centre, University of Lethbridge Free event - free parking - everyone welcome

Over the past decade, Canadians have witnessed an erosion of our national capacity for evidence-based decision-making. Apparent in communications restrictions on government scientists, funding cuts focused on public interest research, and a diminished role for evidence in policy decisions, this erosion threatens both our well-being as citizens and the health of our democracy. Evidence for Democracy, a national non-partisan, non-profit organization, has emerged as part of efforts to make the case for evidence-based decision-making. This presentation will lay out what’s happened in Canada and explain why we should be concerned. It will explain how Evidence for Democracy is responding and suggest ways we can all work to restore evidence-based decision-making in Canada. Speaker: Dr. Shannon Stunden Bower Shannon Stunden Bower is an assistant professor in the Department of History and Classics at the University of Alberta. She is a board member with Evidence for Democracy, a national non-partisan, non-profit organization promoting public-interest science and evidence-based decision-making in Canada. From 2012 to 2014, Studen Bower was the research director at the Parkland Institute, a public policy research institute affiliated with the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta. Stunden Bower has published numerous public policy research reports and academic articles, as well as a scholarly monograph. Her primary research interests lie in the environmental history of the prairie west. Moderator: Susan Giffen Date: Thursday, October 1, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost:$11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)

Over the past decade, Canadians have witnessed an erosion of our national capacity for evidence-based decision-making. Apparent in communications restrictions on government scientists, funding cuts focused on public interest research, and a diminished role for evidence in policy decisions, this erosion threatens both our well-being as citizens and the health of our democracy. Evidence for Democracy, a national non-partisan, non-profit organization, has emerged as part of efforts to make the case for evidence-based decision-making. This presentation will lay out what’s happened in Canada and explain why we should be concerned. It will explain how Evidence for Democracy is responding and suggest ways we can all work to restore evidence-based decision-making in Canada. Speaker: Dr. Shannon Stunden Bower Shannon Stunden Bower is an assistant professor in the Department of History and Classics at the University of Alberta. She is a board member with Evidence for Democracy, a national non-partisan, non-profit organization promoting public-interest science and evidence-based decision-making in Canada. From 2012 to 2014, Studen Bower was the research director at the Parkland Institute, a public policy research institute affiliated with the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta. Stunden Bower has published numerous public policy research reports and academic articles, as well as a scholarly monograph. Her primary research interests lie in the environmental history of the prairie west. Moderator: Susan Giffen Date: Thursday, October 1, 2015 Time: Noon - 1:30 PM (30 minutes each for presentation, lunch and Q & A) Location: Country Kitchen Catering (lower level of the Keg) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S Cost:$11.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea at the presentation)