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Uncommons
We need serious and experienced leadership to defend Canada against US threats, and to deliver a strong economic plan to supercharge home construction, develop clean energy, unlock internal trade, and more.
We need to protect our progress. And to build on it.
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Nate’s earned a reputation as a principled voice in the House of Commons, with a track record of voting more independently, and working across party lines to get things done.
He focuses on substantive debate, goes beyond talking points, welcomes experts and different perspectives to his Uncommons podcast, where he provides long-form explanations of his voting and parliamentary work.
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Nate worked to drive down the costs of home building, advocated for doubling community and non-market housing, and supported efforts to address homelessness and help the most vulnerable.
In a short time as Minister, he secured many long-term deals to strengthen and expand public transit and to get both housing and enabling infrastructure built.
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Nate led efforts to enhance the Canada Workers Benefit. As a former co-chair of the all-party anti-poverty caucus, he also worked across party lines to help realize the Canada Disability Benefit.
When big grocer CEOs all cancelled ‘hero pay’ bonuses at the same time in the pandemic, Nate held them accountable and worked to make wage-fixing illegal. He’s also been vocal about the need to address wealth inequality.
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Nate’s legislation to treat substance use as a health issue was adopted by the government and passed by Parliament. He also worked to secure federal funding for evidence-based addiction treatment.
He worked closely with a local childhood cancer survivor to deliver $30 million in federal support for pediatric cancer research and treatment. And he’s been part of successful efforts to advance sensible gun control.
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Nate introduced net zero legislation and played an active role in efforts to improve the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act.
He has consistently used his position to support stronger and more ambitious climate action and nature protection, and to defend the idea that polluters should pay.
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Nate’s been a leading advocate for consumer protections online through stronger privacy laws, especially for our kids. He introduced privacy legislation and led Canadian and international efforts to hold social media platforms accountable.
He worked at the industry committee to advocate for more competition, taking telecom companies to task in particular. And he led efforts at the privacy committee to hold Pornhub accountable for failing to protect young women on its platform.
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Nate’s represented Canada on the world stage and defended human rights at the UN. He’s called for action to protect Rohingya refugees, support Palestinian human rights, hold China accountable for its treatment of the Uyghurs, and address forced labour in supply chains.
He also supported death with dignity laws, defended LGBTQ+ rights, supported refugee resettlement, worked to fix over-reaching anti-terror legislation, shut down hate speech, and criticized Quebec’s Bill 21.
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Nate worked to reform Indigenous child welfare, supported government efforts to end long-term boil water advisories, and helped to build a partnership between the Liberal 416 caucus and TASSC, a coalition of Toronto’s Indigenous service organizations.
As a result of his advocacy, the government delivered $2 million to provide TASSC a permanent home.
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Nate’s been at the forefront of improving animal protections in Canada. His advocacy led to government action to ban the shark fin trade, address animal fighting and abuse, and phase out toxicity testing on animals.
He also helped found the Liberal Animal Welfare caucus, seconded legislation to ban the captivity of whales and dolphins, and was the House sponsor for the Jane Goodall Act.
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Nate has delivered for our city and community. He finalized a deal to help the TTC acquire new subway cars, delivered federal support to unlock Toronto’s waterfront, and worked with the Mayor’s office to create Toronto Builds, federal low-cost financing of $2.55 billion to get new rentals and affordable housing built.
He’s always been there for constituents. Nate stood with our community in the wake of the Danforth shooting, he and his team helped local vaccine clinics succeed in the pandemic, and he has advocated for countless constituents on specific case files or by raising their voice and concerns in Parliament.
Nate Erskine-Smith
Irwin Cotler is a giant in the field of human rights, most recently as founder and chair of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. He’s also a former McGill professor, parliamentarian, Minister of Justice, and he has dedicated a great deal of his life to defending political prisoners, including as Canadian counsel for Nelson…
Parents and educators are rightly concerned about a safe September in our schools and for our kids. More, a failure to open schools safely has the potential to increase community transmission and affect us all. On this episode, Nate is joined by expert epidemiologists and professors Ashleigh Tuite and Amy Greer to discuss provincial plans,…
In July, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police published a report calling on governments to treat drug use as a health issue, including action to decriminalize all drugs and create options for a safer drug supply. In this episode, Waterloo Police Chief Bryan Larkin joins Nate to talk about why police in Canada want…
Senator Murray Sinclair has accomplished much in his career, including as a judge in Manitoba and as the Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Nate is joined by Senator Sinclair to discuss the government’s reconciliation efforts to date, the slow pace of change, and how we can improve efforts going forward.
China has arbitrarily detained Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, weaponized tariffs and trade, violated international law and human rights in Hong Kong, and continues to commit mass atrocities against the Uyghurs. In this episode, Nate is joined by national security expert and professor Stephanie Carvin to discuss Canada’s relationship with China. Professor Carvin is…
In 2019, Jaime Battiste was elected as the MP for Sydney—Victoria, and he’s the first Mi’kmaw MP in Canada. He’s been a professor at Cape Breton University, a senior advisor to Eskasoni Band Council, a citizenship coordinator for KMKNO and Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief. In addition to his MP role, Jaime is also…
While we’ve recognized the criminal law’s failure in our approach to assisted dying and cannabis, we continue to undermine the human rights of sex workers and people who use drugs. Seven years ago in Bedford, the Supreme Court struck down criminal laws against prostitution because they prevented sex workers from taking measures to increase their…
Jenica Atwin is the MP for Fredericton and the first Green MP in New Brunswick. In this episode, Nate is joined by Jenica to talk about life as a first-time MP in these difficult times. They discuss making mental health a priority, the importance of measuring well-being, why she’s definitely not running for leader, independence…
Despite public statements in support of a strong minimum wage, CEOs of our national grocers communicated directly with each other about the prospect of ending pandemic pay for essential workers. On this episode, Nate is joined by Unifor president Jerry Dias to discuss the Industry committee hearings, the growth of precarious work in our country,…
The Prime Minister kneeled at an anti-racism protest, and then declared in the House of Commons that “we will do everything we can to eradicate” racism. The Parliamentary Black Caucus has published a roadmap to that goal, signed by 160 parliamentarians, including many cabinet ministers. Nate speaks about the letter and its calls to action…