The Honourable Marilou McPhedran, C.M. is a human rights lawyer, professor and activist, appointed as an independent senator in the Parliament of Canada by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in November 2016. Marilou was one of the most influential leaders of the 1981 Ad Hoc Committee of Canadian Women on the Constitution conference- the grass roots social movement of women across Canada resulting in stronger equality rights in the constitution. 

Donald Trump’s repeated calls to “build a wall” and his threat to cut off development assistance to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador overlook the complex causes of Central American migration to the United States and the ways in which the U.S. is implicated in migrants’ decision to leave their homes. In this talk, Laura Macdonald examines the causes of migration and the recent caravans, and the role of the Mexican government. She calls for a regional response, including from Canada, to the overlapping environmental, economic, and security crises faced by the region.

Western countries have been prone to populist rhetoric that is leading to more and more stringent and security-focused policies. If Western media highlighted the Rohingya refugee crisis for a few months, most crises remain underreported and as a result, the gap between humanitarian funding requirements to save lives and donations – from governments in particular – is increasing. Solutions exist though – including in Canada through resettlement of the most vulnerable – although the gap between the needs and the spaces offered is similarly increasing. What is the role of Canada in addressing these challenges and seizing opportunities to do better?