Prof. Max Cameron discusses Canadian electoral reform
Motion 86 failed in the House of Commons despite Prime Minister Trudeau’s 2015 promise for electoral reform. Professor Max Cameron discusses the current First Past-the-Post system and explains how Proportional Representation and Ranked Ballot Voting systems would work.
Prof. Gerald Baier comments on MLA Selina Robinson’s removal as B.C.’s Minister of Advanced Education
Premier Eby removed MLA Selina Robinson as Minister of Education because of her inaccurate Palestine comments. Professor Gerald Baier suggests Eby’s hesitancy to remove Robinson was due to party loyalty and a desire for perceived cabinet stability.
UBC Students contribute to recent SAR Student Advocacy Report
Scholars at Risk publish an annual Student Advocacy Report featuring student research on human rights. This year features POLI 334 student advocacy, including an Instragram post and book display in Koerner Library educating UBC students about imprisoned scholars and the university’s student advocacy program.
Prof. Barbara Arneil discusses her “strive to create organic political theory”
Professor Barbara Arneil discusses her passion for teaching and political theory with student led newspaper, The Ubyssey. Arneil explains her career journey from undergraduate to her recent Order of Canada appointment and shares her plans to create “organic political theory” in an upcoming book.
Prof. Kathryn Harrison says calls to pause Canadian LNG exports are an “uphill battle.”
President Biden’s recent decision to pause U.S. LNG exports has prompted calls for B.C. to follow suit. Professor Kathryn Harrison explains that this is an “uphill battle” given B.C.’s three biggest parties support LNG development.
Prof. Antje Ellermann discusses the “arduous” Canadian visa requirements facing Palestinian citizens
Professor Antje Ellerman explains that the “arduous requirements” for Palestinians applying for Canadian visas are deemed necessary by the government. Ellerman discusses how the perception of Canada’s refugee treatment changes with each conflict.
Prof. Stewart Prest on the Canadian implications of another Donald Trump presidency
Trump won the New Hampshire primary, putting him one step closer to winning the Republican presidential nomination. Professor Stewart Prest discusses Trump’s path to the nomination and the Canadian implications if he wins the Presidency.
Prof. Stewart Prest explains how housing reforms are “reorganising” the playing field
Professor Stewart Prest explains that increased federal and provincial involvement in housing is a way to “short circuit…tools of infinite delay” and emphasizes that the cost of housing in British Columbia is “an issue with national implications.”
Prof. Max Cameron explains the “dramatic shift” in Ecuador’s drug policies
President Daniel Noboa’s recent military crackdown on drug gangs is “one of the most dramatic shifts in South American politics in recent years,” according to Professor Max Cameron. Gang-related violence has been rising in Prisons since 2022 but recently reached new heights.
UBC Alumna Grace Lore is B.C.’s new Minister of Children and Family Development
MLA for Victoria-Beacon Hill and UBC Alumna Grace Lore was promoted to B.C.’s Minister of Children and Family Development in a January 2024 cabinet shuffle. Lore is an alumnus of our Undergraduate and PhD programs.