August 29, 2022, 13:30-15:00 PST
Location: UVIC, David Turpin Building, B215 (in-person only)
Increasing numbers of people are being forcibly displaced around the world, both within and between nations. By the end of 2021, those displaced by war, violence, persecution, and human rights abuses – and inter-connecting combinations of conflict, climate change, and land-grabs for extractive industries or agricultural intensification – stood at close to 90 million, double what it was ten years ago. This roundtable will consider what it will take for nations to address this form of social divide through a commitment to a truly global human rights regime that decouples ‘the right to have rights’ (Arendt) from national citizenship status. It will also identify radical implications for government actions and civil society networks needed to achieve this.
Sharmarke Dubow is the first Black City Councilor in Victoria in more than 150 years and a United Nations Human Rights Fellow. Sharmarke strongly believes that City leaders ought to focus not only on service delivery, but on efforts that create a sense of participation and belonging, to the benefit of all community members. Sharmarke sits on various regional service and civic committees. Outside of his city duties, he is a board member of Broadbent Institute, Climate Caucus and the Vancouver Island Human Rights.
He is a long time former board member of the Canadian Council for Refugees and has previously worked at both the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria and the Victoria Immigrant Refugee Services Centre.
Sharmarke is an organizer, connector, and an award-winning community leader such as 2020 Top Canadian Immigrant Award, Victoria Community Leadership Award 2017 and this year 2022, he was named ‘noteworthy historical figure’ by Canadian Heritage as part of the federal department’s celebration of Black History Month.
Dubow immigrated to Canada in 2012 and settled in Victoria. Before this, he worked in Egypt with AMERA International, formerly AMERA UK, or Africa and Middle East Refugee Assistance and the Psycho-Social Services and Training Institute in Cairo, including the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS) at the American University in Cairo (AUC). For 20+ years, Sharmarke was a refugee himself living with great uncertainty and he brings this perspective to all of his work with the city and the wider community.
Skw’akw’as (Sunshine) Dunstan-Moore (She/Her) is a Nlakapamux and Yakima youth from Lytton, BC, Canada. Sunshine is a Community Climate Justice Coordinator for TLKemchEEn (Lytton, BC) along with VIDEA Sunshine is also a member of the Youth Advisory Group with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO and a Generation Power Intern with Indigenous Clean Energy. Sunshine is a member of the Stockholm+50 Youth Task Force where she has co-created and collaborated on the S+50 Global Youth Policy Paper. She assisted in designing the S+50 Handbook. Sunshine also gave the opening statement on behalf of the Children & Youth Major Group in the Opening Plenary of UNEA 5.2. Sunshine is passionate about Indigenous and Human Rights, amplifying silenced voices, and spreading awareness on the climate crisis. Some of Sunshine’s interests are photography, filmmaking, painting, and hiking.
I joined the Department of Geography in 2021, and currently serve as an Assistant Professor of Geography. I am Black/Ojibwe/settler, and am a citizen of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. I am a geographer whose research interests are multifaceted, including Indigenous geographies/epistemologies, human-environmental interaction, political ecology, and tribal cultural resource preservation/protection. I currently serve as the Chair of the Indigenous Peoples Specialty Group of the American Association of Geographers (AAG); I am also a member of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association (NAISA), and the Canadian Association of Geographers. (CAG). I also serve as a member of the editorial board of the journal Native American and Indigenous Studies.
Peter Taylor is Director of Research at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS). Previously he was Director, Strategic Development, at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada where he was responsible for leading IDRC’s strategic planning processes.
During his ten years with IDRC, he also served as Acting Director of IDRC’s Inclusive Economies Program Area, and as Associate Director for the Think Tank Initiative, a ten-year, multi-partner programme that supports strengthening of policy research organizations in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. Peter has more than 30 years of experience in international development. He also worked at IDS as a Research Fellow, Head of Graduate Studies, and Leader of the Participation, Power and Social Change Team; as Education Technical Advisor with the Swiss NGO Helvetas in Vietnam; as Lecturer in Agricultural Education at the Agricultural Extension and Rural Development Department at the University of Reading, UK; and as Head of the agriculture department in a rural secondary school in northern Botswana.
Peter holds a PhD and MSc in agricultural education, and a BSc degree in animal sciences. He has research, teaching and writing interests in the theory and practice of organizational development and capacity strengthening, evaluation and learning, and facilitation of participatory and social change processes in a diverse range of international contexts.
Dr. Crystal Tremblay is a faculty member in the Department of Geography and Director of CIFAL Victoria at the University of Victoria. CIFAL Victoria is one of several centres around the world and an initiative of the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) building capacity and leadership to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). She is a social geographer and community-based scholar specializing in participatory community-based research and arts-based methods working across sectors with a focus on social justice and eco-cultural land and water stewardship. She is the academic lead for the Salish Sea Hub, an initiative of the Knowledge for Change Global Consortium founded by the UNESCO Chair in Community-based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education.
Location: UVIC, David Strong Building, C122 (in-person only)
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has called the climate crisis a “code red for humanity” and warns that we are “sleepwalking to a climate catastrophe.” The Paris Agreement and the Glasgow Climate Pact have called on countries to significantly reduce their emissions to limit the rise of average global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celcius above pre-industrial levels. While many countries have committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, what is imperative is follow-through. Yet despite various countries, and sectors, ramping up their commitments to addressing our climate crisis we are still not moving quickly enough to avert a climate catastrophe. In this roundtable, panelists will discuss solutions for accelerating action on climate change.
Jonathan leads Vancity’s External Relations and Impact Strategy division. In this capacity, Jonathan oversees Vancity’s response to the climate emergency, Vancity’s work to address other systemic challenges such as inequality and housing affordability, and other values-based work in areas such as Reconciliation and social and financial inclusion. To achieve these goals, Jonathan aligns and heads Vancity’s areas of community investment, government relations, strategic communications, marketing, climate strategy and performance, and stakeholder relations.
Under Jonathan’s leadership, Vancity has committed to bring its loans and mortgages portfolio to net zero by 2040, a decade earlier than most other financial institutions. As part of delivering on this commitment, Vancity joined the global Net Zero Banking Alliance, and deepened its emissions accounting and disclosure through the Partnership for Climate Accounting Financials (PCAF). During this time, Vancity has also renewed its Indigenous banking strategy, and developed innovative programs to support, among others, emissions-reducing retrofits in affordable housing units. Prior to joining Vancity, Jonathan was a reporter at The Globe and Mail and The Vancouver Sun, where he covered multiple assignments such as the war in Afghanistan and the Tour de France, and served six years as legislative bureau chief in Victoria. He also worked as a communications and public affairs consultant, advising some of B.C.’s top organizations. Jonathan has degrees in Film Studies and Journalism and is an alumnus of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values Leadership Academy. He has been a Board member with the Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation and is currently a member of the board of Vancity’s Community Foundation.
Nathan Gillett holds a PhD in atmospheric physics from the University of Oxford. After his doctorate, Nathan worked as a post-doc at the University of Victoria in Canada on the detection and attribution of climate change, before being appointed as a lecturer then reader at the Climatic Research Unit of the University of East Anglia. In 2008, Nathan returned to Canada to work as a research scientist at the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis (CCCma). He was appointed manager of CCCma this year, where he oversees the development and application of Canada’s earth system model.
His primary research interests are in detection and attribution of climate change, and the influence of stratospheric ozone depletion on climate. He served as a lead author of the IPCC Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports and of the 2014 WMO/UNEP Ozone Assessment.
Brad Liski is the CEO and co-founder of Tru Earth®, an award-winning eco-friendly household product company, based in Port Moody, B.C. which began operation in April of 2019. Brad believes that the best thing we can do to save the planet is to educate young people. He lives out this passion as a mentor at E@UBC focusing on climate solutions. Brad was recently named a Sustainability Leader by Canada’s Clean50 for 2022. As the leader in the Retail Product category, he has been recognized for making the most significant impact in helping Canada reach our climate targets. Other awards include B.C.’s Top Exporter of the Year, B.C.’s CEO of the year, and Best Eco-Friendly Household Product Company 2022.
Brad is a Director of the Board of the Salish Sea Research & Education Society. Brad is passionate about the environment and causing disruption for the betterment of the planet. He has also built a strong partnership with the global conservation organization, Ocean Wise. Together they have founded the Ocean Wise Shoreline Cleanup USA to encourage others to get involved in the fight to save the oceans and the planet. Brad is a leader in positioning companies & brands for dynamic growth & profitable expansion with a long and verifiable record of success leading start-up, high growth, acquisition, merger & receivership operations.
Rosa Galvez is an environmental engineer, an independent senator at the Senate of Canada since 2016, and the President of the Parliamentary Network on Climate Change of ParlAmericas, a network of parliamentarians from the Americas. She was a professor at Laval University in Québec for over 25 years and she was Chair of the Civil and Water Engineering department from 2011 to 2017. Her expertise is on water and wastewater treatment, watershed management, sustainable development, municipal and hazardous waste, site remediation, impact assessment and climate risk to infrastructure.
At the Senate, she is a member of the Standing Senate Committee on National Finance and the Senate Standing Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources which she chaired during the 42nd Parliament. In 2021, she was the sponsor in the Senate of the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, providing an accountability framework for the federal government to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. She was also recipient of the Clean50 Award 2021 for her parliamentary work on climate and the environment. In March 2022, she published a white paper on Aligning Canadian Finance with Climate Commitments, which led to the introduction in the Senate of Bill S-243, the Climate-Aligned Finance Act, legislation to help guide the financial sector in its transition to a net-zero economy.
Location: UVIC, David Strong Building, C118 (in-person only)
Businesses are facing increasing demands from customers, employees and investors to play a more active role in addressing societal challenges. These groups do not see any conflict between a business’s financial success and having a positive societal impact and are pushing businesses to articulate a more comprehensive sense of purpose than simply maximizing shareholder value. Such a shift requires leaders to think and act differently in their organizations. This session will examine how both businesses and the business schools who are developing the next generation of business leaders are and should be responding to this challenge and how, in turn, they can help to bridge the divides in our societies.
Eric Cornuel is the Director General & CEO of EFMD (European Foundation for Management Development) in Brussels since 2000. He holds a degree of Sciences Po from IEP Paris, an MBA from HEC Graduate School of Management, Paris, and a DEA in strategy and management from Paris Nanterre University, together with a Doctoral Certificate in Strategy from HEC Graduate School of Management Paris and a PhD in management, written on international network organizations, from Paris Dauphine University. Eric started his career as an entrepreneur by setting up an hydroelectric power plant in France when he was still a student.
He served as Dean of the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research, KIMEP, at the time the leading Business and Economics school in Central Asia, from 1997 to 1999. He was awarded a honorary professorship for his achievements there. From 1996 to the present, Eric Cornuel has been affiliate Professor at HEC Graduate School of Management, Paris. He has taught for 15 years at various management schools in Europe and Asia.
Dr Mette Morsing is the Mistra Chair of Sustainable Markets and Scientific Director at Misum. She has been a professor at Copenhagen Business School (CBS) since 2007, where she was Founding Director of the CBS Center for Corporate Social Responsibility for 10 years. She also served as an Academic Director of the CBS Sustainability Platform.
Mette teaches sustainability management and corporate social responsibility in Executive Education at SSE and at PhD level.
Her research work is positioned in research traditions of governance, management scholarship and communication/media studies in the context of CSR and sustainability, drawing from research traditions of sociology, communication studies and management scholarship as well as other areas.
She is a Member of the Board of Directors of the LEGO Foundation; the Claus Meyer Foundation: Melting Pot; Copenhagen Business School; and the International Advisory Board of the Amsterdam School of Communication Research at Amsterdam University.
Her PhD in organization theory at Copenhagen Business School was awarded the Tietgen Gold Medal in 1993.
As TELUS’ Chief Communications Officer with more than 29 years of telecommunications experience and communications expertise, Jill Schnarr leads the corporate citizenship and communications team. Jill brings our social purpose to life to drive social change, leveraging our world-leading technology and compassion to enable remarkable human outcomes, while amplifying internal and external campaigns, bolstering TELUS’ storytelling impact, and fostering strong, positive relationships with customers and all Canadians. Jill is a dynamic, engaging and authentic leader with a natural ability to build integrated, multi-platform strategies that pair bold marketing with creative storytelling to convey our narratives to varying audiences in unique and memorable ways.
At the helm of corporate communications, media relations, government advocacy, social media, community investment, cause marketing, team member giving, volunteerism, humanitarian relief, sponsorships, brand office, brand marketing, TELUS Studios, and corporate events, Jill has significantly influenced, built upon and safeguarded TELUS’ reputation as a global leader, enabling TELUS to be the most trusted telco brand in Canada.
Enabling the hearts, hands and voices of TELUS to strengthen the communities where we live, work and serve, Jill leads our annual TELUS Days of Giving, facilitating over 40,000 volunteers globally in 2019 alone, and our Team TELUS Cares programs, enabling over $736 million in giving and 10 million volunteer hours from TELUS since 2000. She oversaw and continues to evolve and expand our innovative Connecting for Good programs including Health for Good, Internet for Good and Mobility for Good, as well as TELUS Wise, building Canada’s digital economy and connecting Canadians despite social, or geographical divides, while promoting safe and responsible use of technology.
She has also led award-winning marketing campaigns including We Give Where We Live, Go Pink, Rise Above, Share Love, All Connected, Million Hours, Most Giving Company in the World, as well as the launch of the $120 million TELUS Friendly Future Foundation through a forward-thinking creative campaign that set a new standard of corporate giving marketing. Jill is recognized as one of Canada’s Distinctive Women, as one of the Most Influential Women in Vancouver, and as the Most Innovative Leader by the Canadian Women in Communications. Under Jill’s leadership, TELUS was acknowledged as the Most Philanthropic Corporation in the World by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, and #ShareLove, TELUS’ 2017 pride platform won an Experience Design & Technology Award, the world’s largest recognition program celebrating the best live experiences around the globe, for the best integrated digital & live campaign.
Furthering her dedication to giving where she lives, Jill serves on several boards and associations including a founding board member of the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, and previously served as a director on the B.C. Women’s Hospital Foundation for seven years, and as a TELUS Vancouver Community Board member for six years. She was also a Board Director and Chair of the Women’s Leadership Circle on the Vancouver Board of Trade, served on the fundraising cabinet for B.C. Women’s Health Foundation (formerly B.C. Women’s Hospital Foundation) Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and was Co-Chair of Glow, the inaugural B.C. Women’s Hospital Gala.
Jill holds her Masters of Business Administration from the Gustavson School of Business at the University of Victoria, Honours in Business Administration degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business, and a Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation from the University of Waterloo.
Marty Deacon was appointed to the Senate of Canada on February 15, 2018.
Prior to serving in the Senate, Senator Deacon completed a 35-year career in Education. As an Educator with a Masters of Education (Western University) she taught (Physics, Science, Physical & Health Education) in Secondary Schools (Waterloo Region District School Board), at two Universities (University of Toronto, Western University), was a Consultant, and an Administrator at the Elementary and Secondary School level. Deacon finished her career in Education as Superintendent. Following this career, Senator Deacon consulted across sectors with a focus on organizational excellence.
Senator Deacon, while raising two daughters (Kristine and Kailee) with husband Bruce, also volunteered extensively in her community and internationally. She garnered international respect in sport and education. This work began when Deacon served as an Apprentice Coach for the 1994 Commonwealth Games. Over the past 24 years Deacon has coached, led or served at 15 Olympic, Commonwealth and Pan Am Games. Her highest international opportunity was leading Team Canada (Chef de Mission) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India.
Senator Deacon presently serves as Director on the Canadian Olympic Committee, Commonwealth Games Canada, Ontario Excellence Leadership Centre and the Grand River Jazz Society.
Senator Deacon is most passionate about the physical and mental well-being of all Canadians. She is an advocate for the future of women and young girls and children worldwide. She has mentored and supported leaders in developing countries with a belief that sport, the arts and education can build better communities, one community at a time.
Senator Deacon is dedicated to ensuring organizations can thrive and function at optimal levels. She has assisted with developing governance and policy that allows this to happen in a meaningful, purposeful and respectful way. Senator Deacon will use all of her skills and experiences to ensure an inclusive. inviting meaningful connection for all Canadians. All perspectives need to be heard and understood. Senator Deacon understands the importance of taking risks, participating in courageous conversations and learning every day.
Senator Deacon has been recognized through a variety of awards including: The Women of Distinction and Lifetime Achievement Award (YWCA), Waterloo Region, The International Olympic Committee, Education and Youth Award, the Jules Nisse “Playground to Podium” award, the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal, Induction in the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame and the Cambridge Hall of Fame.
Senator Deacon enjoys time with family and friends, exploring the world as a global citizen, hiking, cycling, yoga, quiet reading and music.