Party in the U.S.A: The fight for voting rights

03/08/21 • 31 min

South of the border, there’s a battle brewing for the most basic expression of democracy — voting. And there’s never been more at stake. Former President Donald Trump has repeated false allegations that the 2020 election results are fraudulent due to massive, widespread voter tampering. This has inspired a wave of voter restriction measures at the state level — 43 states in all — and if passed, could represent some of the most restrictive voting laws since the Jim Crow era. At the same time, the U.S. Senate is about to debate one of the most important civil rights bill in a generation, one that could bring substantial protections to voters and help stop the barrage of restrictions. But passing it will be extremely difficult. Elamin is joined by Michael Mark Cohen, a professor in American Studies at the University of California Berkeley, and Michael Barajas, a reporter for the Texas Observer.

Previous Episode

What will it take to solve the military’s sexual misconduct problem?

Two of this country’s former top military leaders are facing accusations of sexual misconduct. Last week, recently appointed chief of defence staff Admiral Art McDonald stepped aside after it was discovered he was under investigation by the military's National Investigation Service; his predecessor, Gen. Jonathan Vance is also under investigation for inappropriate behaviour. All of this has had many people wondering: what did Canada’s minister of defence know, and when did he know it? Opposition parties hoped to find answers this week as former military ombudsman Gary Walbourne testified before a House of Commons committee — and that testimony did not look good for Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan. Rosie and Elamin break down what came out of the committee, what it says about the state of Canada’s military and what kind of change might be necessary after years of efforts to root out sexual misconduct among their ranks. The two also check in on the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, as the feds expect about 945,000 doses to arrive this week alone. As more jurisdictions are able to start vaccinating more people, are governments prioritizing those who need it most?

Next Episode

Meghan, Harry and the racism in our institutions

There’s still plenty to unpack following Sunday’s bombshell Oprah interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, which shed light on their departure from the same royal family that is intrinsically tied to Canada’s system of government. Even Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about the revelations of racism this week, and how they square with his own desire to address systemic racism and the legacy of colonialism in this country. Elamin and Rosie examine whether it’s enough to spur change in the monarchy, and other institutions grappling with systemic discrimination. The two also take a deep breath and remember where they were a year ago, when COVID-19 was officially declared a global pandemic. Things changed in a matter of news-packed days, but as Rosie and Elamin point out, even more has changed over the course of the last 12 months. Tell us what changes or experiences you’ll remember most from the past year by tweeting @RosieBarton and @elamin88 using the hashtag #PartyLines — they’ll share some of your reflections on next week’s episode.