The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and the Université du Québec en Outaouais are thrilled to present the fourth installment of the RSC Dialogues @ UQO series on Poverty and Inequality.
Poverty and Inequality
Despite campaigns and promises to end poverty, many Canadians continue to struggle to make ends meet. Incomes among the wealthiest have soared as the number of people sheltering on city streets and encampments have increased. Many families are forced to choose between rent and food, while others are one missed paycheque away from hardship or eviction.
There is nothing inevitable about the high rates of poverty and inequality in Canada. The causes include a changing economy and other trends, but also result from public policy choices and attempts to human rights. For example, the lack of government investment to protect tenants from eviction and build affordable housing over several decades has contributed to increasing homelessness.
Poverty and inequality create high costs to society that go beyond injustice both in the short and long term. These include poorer health and mental health, lost human potential, and weaker economic growth. In the absence of a strong safety net, we see the criminalization of poverty and homelessness, and high costs of policing and incarceration.
The Poverty and Inequality Dialogue will be led by Marie-Eve Sylvestre and Daniyal Zuberi and will explore the root causes and consequences of poverty, inequality and homelessness. They will also ask also ask how we should craft social and housing policies that take into consideration marginalized people’s rights and realities.
Following the presentation we will complete the cinq-à-sept with an invitation to meet the speakers and enjoy light snacks.
Event is free! Join us in person or online.
Moderator
Pierre Pariseau-Legault is Dean and Full Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa. Her research focuses on policing and judicial practices that have a discriminatory impact on marginalized populations. Her book Red Zones (CUP, 2020), co-authored with Nicholas Blomley and Céline Bellot, was awarded the 2021 W. Wesley Pue Prize by the Canadian Law and Society Association. Dean Sylvestre is a member of the College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada and a Board member of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Speakers
Marie-Eve Sylvestre (RSC College) is Dean and Full Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ottawa. Her research focuses on policing and judicial practices that have a discriminatory impact on marginalized populations. Her book Red Zones (CUP, 2020), co-authored with Nicholas Blomley and Céline Bellot, was awarded the 2021 W. Wesley Pue Prize by the Canadian Law and Society Association. Dean Sylvestre is a member of the College of New Scholars, Artists, and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada and a Board member of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
Daniyal Zuberi (RSC College) is Professor of Social Policy at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work and the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. He is the founding director of the Social Policy Lab at the Munk School, where he served as Director of the Master of Public Policy (MPP) Program from 2020 to 2022. His research focuses on urban poverty, inequality, healthcare, education, labour and social welfare policies.