Canadian Studies Announcements

In this issue:

It’s Election Day! Here’s What We’re Following

Today, Canadians head to the polls to exercise their right to vote in an early election called by Prime Minister Trudeau. The elections are seen as a referendum on Mr. Trudeau, who hoped to transform his government’s success in handling the pandemic into a Liberal majority but is now facing stiff competition. Polls show a tight race, with the Liberal and Conservative parties running neck-and-neck in the popular vote at around 31% each.

While we won’t be holding a watch party this year, we’ll certainly be following the results closely. Poll analysis website 538 provides an overview of the current polling situation, the role of minor parties in the next government, and the likelihood of Trudeau remaining prime minister. Here’s what to watch as the results roll in over the next few hours. And for live post-election analysis, check out the panels in our External Events!

IN THE NEWS

Affiliate Brian Barsky Interviewed in New Airplane Disaster Documentary, Airing Tonight

Canadian Studies faculty affiliate Brian Barsky will be appearing in a new episode of the documentary series Ten Steps to Disaster, premiering tonight. Produced by Channel 5 (Britain) and the Smithsonian, the series explores lessons from the worst aviation disasters in recent history. Tonight’s episode explores the history of the Boeing 373 Max, which was grounded in 2019 after two major crashes killed 361 people within five months.

Professor Barsky, who is a professor of computer science with a specialty in computer-aided design and modeling, appears on the show as an expert witness to discuss the troubled development of the airplane and the flaws in its automated stabilization software that were responsible for the crash. Professor Barsky penned a Globe and Mail opinion last year, arguing against the decision of Canadian authorities to allow the 737 Max to resume flights without significant modifications. Investigations revealed that Boeing knew about and covered up these defects, leading to a $2.5 billion settlement against the company; American federal prosecutors yesterday announced criminal charges against the plane’s chief technical pilot for misleading the FAA.

The episode premieres tonight on the Smithsonian Channel at 6 pm PT, with a repeat at 10 pm.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Save the Date: 4th Annual Canadian Thanksgiving

October 9 | 4:30 pm | Alumni House, UC Berkeley

Canadian Studies is pleased to announce that our annual Canadian Family Thanksgiving will be happening as scheduled this October! Join us and our partners at the Digital Moose Lounge for a special meal celebrating the Bay Area’s Canadian community as we meet together for the first time since the pandemic. Mingle with your fellow SF Bay Canadians while enjoying entertainment and a delicious boxed turkey dinner. The dinner will take place outdoors and will observe all relevant public health measures.

Tickets will be required to attend the event: purchasing information to come soon.

Book Talk: Making Middle-Class Multiculturalism: Immigration Bureaucrats and Policymaking in Postwar Canada

October 12 | 12:30 pm PT | Online | RSVP here

In the 1950s and 1960s, immigration bureaucrats played an important yet unacknowledged role in transforming Canada’s immigration policy. Their perceptions and judgements about the admissibility of individuals influenced the creation of formal admissions criteria for skilled workers and family immigrants that continue to shape immigration to Canada. Bureaucrats emphasized not just economic utility, but also middle-class traits and values such as wealth accumulation, educational attainment, entrepreneurial spirit, resourcefulness and a strong work ethic. By making “middle-class multiculturalism” a basis of nation-building in Canada, they created a much-admired approach to managing racial diversity that has nevertheless generated significant social inequalities. Migration expert Jennifer Elrick will discuss insights from her forthcoming book examining the topic.

Jennifer Elrick is an assistant professor of sociology at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. Her research interests lie in the area of state classifications (in censuses and immigration policy) and their relationship to social stratification along the lines of race, gender, and social class. Her work is multi-national in scope, focusing on Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

This event is cosponsored by the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative, the Center for Race and Gender, and the Institute of International Studies.

EXTERNAL EVENTS

What Happened in Canada’s 44th General Election

September 22 | 12:00 pm PT | Online | RSVP here

The Canadian federal election on September 20 followed a 36-day campaign marred by heckling, protestors, and attack ads. Six political parties competed for 338 seats in the House of Commons after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the snap election. The Wilson Center’s Canada Institute gathers political experts from coast to coast to assess the outcome and outlook for the new government, trends revealed during the campaign, and implications for Canada’s relations with the United States and the world.

Institute director and Canadian Studies board member Chris Sands will moderate a panel featuring Frédérick Gagnon, a professor of political science at the Université du Québec à Montréal and a past Fulbright Chair and Sproul Fellow in the Canadian Studies Program, alongside other distinguished academics and politicians.

Canada Votes 2021: Discussing the Canadian Election

September 23 | 1:00 pm PT | Online | RSVP here

The Yale MacMillan Center-Committee on Canadian Studies invites you to virtually attend their expert panel and roundtable. Voters across Canada will head to the polls to participate in the 44th Canadian Federal Election. From pandemic mitigation strategies and climate change policies to the rights of marginalized Canadians and the structure of Canadian federalism, the topics of debate have grown numerous. The dimensions of electoral competition have similarly proliferated. Six political parties (none of which are currently polling above one-third of overall electorate) now fiercely compete to elect MPs. A minority Parliament – in which the left-wing NDP and/or the nationalist Bloc Québécois will hold the balance of power between the Liberals and Conservatives – remains the most likely (though far from certain) outcome.

This panel will unpack the election results, contextualize their place in Canadian political history, analyze key issues arising during the election, and discuss the possible ramifications of the election in Canada and beyond its borders. We hope you will join us, ask questions, and discuss this fascinating and fast-moving election!

The panel will feature former Canadian Studies Hildebrand Fellow Dr. Brendan Shanahan (Yale University) alongside other commentators from Yale and the University of Alberta.

Canadian Studies Program

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