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Events and Outreach
Outreach is an integral part of the Canadian Studies Center's activities. For more information about the Center's outreach activities, please see our Events Calendar.
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Cross-Border Advice Helps Expats Sleep Better at Night Fall 2009 |
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Ce qu'il faut pour vivre (The Necessities of Life) Spring 2009 |
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Native Voices Alum Presents at Documentary Film Workshop Anne Hilton, Outreach Coordinator Spring 2009 |
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Comparative Health Care Systems in Canada and the US Janice Laakso, Social Work, UW Tacoma Spring 2009 |
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Foot-Stomping Music, Canadian Style Anne Hilton, Outreach Coordinator Winter 2009 |
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Arctic Sovereignty Lecture Series Greg Shelton, Global Trade, Transportation and Logistics Studies Winter 2009 |
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A Spectrum of Disputes: Framing Autism Activism in Canada and the US Winter 2009 |
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Crossing Haro Strait: Scientific Collaboration in the Gulf and San Juan Islands Russel Barsh, Director of Kwiáht Fall 2008 |
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Doing Business in Canada Myles Brenner, Political Science Fall 2008 |
Cross-Border Advice Helps Expats Sleep Better at Night
By Shengjun Huang
Shengjun (Ann) Huang, co-leader of the 2010 Canada Study Tour to Vancouver, is a third year evening MBA candidate focusing on International Business and Marketing at the Foster School of Business. She was recently an attendee of the 2009 Canadian Leadership Orientation Program.
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| From left to right: Paul Bains (Pacifica Partners - Vancouver, BC); Gail Kruk (Larson Gross PLLC - Blaine, WA), Charles Rendina (Boughton Law – Vancouver, BC), Ann Huang, Gary Tober (Lane Powell PC – Seattle, WA) |
Are you considering a move from America to Canada? Or perhaps a move from Canada to America? Before you act, take heed of many financial and legal issues that drastically change your situation when you decide to cross the border!
On September 17, a four-person panel of financial and legal professionals from Vancouver, Blaine, and Seattle convened to hold a case-based discussion of the intricacies of cross-border transactions called "Sleep Better at Night." The audience had the opportunity to work through three posed scenarios and ask questions about how to deal with their own situations. From investment questions dealing with Canada’s Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) to the tax status of children attending school in America to cross-border consulting businesses, the panel addressed the differences in US and Canadian tax laws with regards to a variety of potential issues.
With the economic turmoil of the past year, the “Sleep Better at Night” panel made clear that it is well worth the time to investigate how changing residency may affect you financially. Despite the ease of crossing the border, residency can affect everything from the tax on gifts that you give your children to the liabilities associated with starting your own company. The “Sleep Better at Night” discussion was held at the downtown Seattle office of Lane Powell and presented by the Canadian Studies Center, the Canada-America Society of Washington, Lane Powell PC, Boughton Law Corporation, Larson Gross PLLC, and Pacifica Partners Capital Management.
This project was supported, in part, by funding from the Center’s Program Enhancement Grant, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.
Ce qu'il faut pour vivre (The Necessities of Life)
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| Natar Ungalaaq plays Tivi in a retelling of the history of the tuberculosis outbreak in Arctic Canada. Thanks to a long-term relationship between the Center and the Seattle International Film Festival, hundreds of Seattle residents are introduced to vital Canadian histories annually. |
The Center has worked closely with the Seattle International Film Festival for the last decade supporting the Festival’s stellar lineup of Canadian and Québécois films. This year over 300 films and shorts were screened over 25 days at the largest film festival in the US. Over 20 of the films were made in Canada, including The Necessities of Life, sponsored by the Center.
Benoît Pilon, director of Necessities, was runner-up at this year’s Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film. The film tells the story of a critical period in Canadian history – the tuberculosis epidemic in the 1950s and 60s in the Arctic and its impact on the Inuit and their communities. During this time thousands of Canadians were isolated from their families in sanatoriums, sometimes for years. The Inuit suffered additional losses after being taken thousands of miles from their homes and oftentimes not returning. The lead actor is Natar Ungalaaq who is well-known for his role in Atanarquat (The Fast Runner).
The Seattle International Film Festival promotes films that foster cross-cultural communication and international understanding. Certainly, Seattle residents have benefited from hundreds of Canadian films over the years that have highlighted important cultural and historic distinctions.
The Festival was founded in 1976 by Canadian Darryl MacDonald and Dan Ireland. Since that time it has grown into one of the leading independent film institutions in the world. Today, Nancy Kennedy, also a Canadian, serves as the director, which no doubt explains the strong presence of Canadian films and directors at the Festival.
This project was supported, in part, by funding from the Center’s Title VI grant, US Department of Education, Office of International Education and Graduate Program Services.
Native Voices Alum Presents at Documentary Film Workshop
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| Rosemary Gibbons, a Mimbres Apache / Chicana, is a co-founder of the Boarding School Healing Project and an active member of Incite Women of Color against Violence. Her film, A Century of Genocide in the Americas, captured the best documentary short award at the 2003 San Francisco American Indian Film Festival. |
The Canadian Studies Center recently partnered with the Native Voices program and the other Jackson School Outreach Centers to bring the first Native Voices alum, Rosemary Gibbons, back to Seattle to discuss her award-winning documentary film, A Century of Genocide in the Americas: The Residential School Experience, at the Ninth Annual Documentary Film Workshop: Coming of Age in a Changing World.
The workshop brought together 45 K-16 educators from throughout the Pacific Northwest to analyze and discuss the uses of international documentary film in K-16 curriculum, and featured the films Persepolis, Young and Restless in China, and A Century of Genocide in the Americas. The keynote speaker of the event, Diana Hess, opened the day by framing documentary film as “perspective-laden narratives." The workshop was facilitated by Daniel Mirsky from the College of Education.
A Century of Genocide in the Americas is a poignant and painful look at the attempts to assimilate First Nations children at the turn of the twentieth century, resulting in families being split up, children losing their language and heritage, and widespread sexual abuse. After discussing this painful past, the film looks forward and focuses on healing practices now being utilized in Canadian communities, ending on a positive note. The film was well-received by the educators and they expressed a keen interest in being able to hear firsthand what Rosemary experienced in creating the film, and in using the film (of which every educator received a copy) in their classroom.
Rosemary Gibbon’s presentation and the Ninth Annual Documentary Film Workshop were made possible, in part, from the Center’s Title VI grant, US Department of Education, Office of International Education and Graduate Program Services and by the Native Voices Program.
Comparative Health Care Systems in Canada and the US
By Janice Laakso
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| Mary Ellen Purkis, University of Victoria (left), provided a lecture on health care in Canada to faculty and students at UW Tacoma. Purkis was invited to present by Janice Laakso, Associate Professor, Social Work program, UW Tacoma. |
Janice Laakso is an Associate Professor in the Social Work program, UW Tacoma, and an affiliated faculty member in Canadian Studies.
UW Tacoma campus was pleased to bring Mary Ellen Purkis, Dean of Human and Social Development at the University of Victoria to our campus on May 11. Dr. Purkis gave a lecture entitled “The Good and Bad of a Universal Health Care System: What America Can Learn from Canada.” This was a very timely topic as the US grapples with ideas on reforming our health care system.
Dr. Purkis described the history of Canada’s health system, the five principles on which it was founded, and both the positive and negative attributes. Those who were present learned that no system is perfect but that some common myths about health care in Canada are untrue. Some of the lessons learned in Canada, according to Dr. Purkis, are that major social change requires leadership with strong vision, major social change can be expected to produce strong resistance from interest groups, and proposed revisions in a health care system must be met with effective responses. All of these lessons are applicable to the current political climate in the US as President Obama and Congress begin to tackle this complicated situation. The rewards of universality and portability of health care, the advantages of a single-payer system, and the lower costs to citizens were likely the most important messages received by the audience.
In addition to lecturing, Dr. Purkis met with members of the nursing and social policy faculties, who forged connections that will continue beyond her one-day visit. These connections illustrate the value of social and academic exchanges.
This project was supported, in part, by funding from the Center’s Program Enhancement Grant, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.
Foot-Stomping Music, Canadian Style
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| De Temps Antan, made up of Québec’s best musicians, gave a rousing performance at the University of Washington. From left, Éric Beaudry, André Brunet, and Pierre-Luc Dupuis. |
For lovers of Canadian music, the first weekend in March brought two opportunities to celebrate the melodies of neo-traditional and Celtic Canadian music, with a lecture by De Temps Antan member, Éric Beaudry, followed by a performance by De Temps Antan on Friday, March 6, and with a workshop session about Celtic music in Canada by Ethnomusicology graduate student Erin Maloney on Saturday, March 7.
Through a little luck and a lot of hard work and coordination by UW and Canadian Studies Center alumnus Devon Léger, De Temps Antan was able to visit the University of Washington for a few hours as they traveled from Port Townsend, Washinton to Vancouver, British Columbia on Friday. The group founded in 2003, travels internationally to perform traditional tunes from Québec.
Éric Beaudry, who plays the guitar, mandolin, and bouzouki for De Temps Antan, as well as with the esteemed La Bottine Souriante, has conducted extensive research into the musical past of his native region of Lanaudière. He spoke about his research, much of which involves the musical history of his own family, in a lecture, entitled, “Larecherche de la musique traditionelle dans la région de la Lanaudière.” (While Éric had originally planned to present français, he ended up speaking mostly in English for certain members of the audience, like myself, whose French is nonexistent.) Lanaudière is a rural area of Québec and is the heartland of traditional songs and dances. Éric’s research has uncovered many beautiful songs and tunes and has taken him throughout the province of Québec.
Following Éric’s lecture, De Temps Antan members André Brunet and Pierre-Luc Dupuis joined him at the front of the Burke Room in the Burke Museum. They gave, in the words of Devon L´ger, one of their “best performances” ever, and the museum staff outside the room were entreated by visitors and employees alike to throw open the doors so that all could hear.
André Brunet, recently voted the best fiddler in Canada at the Canadian Grandmasters Fiddling Association 2008 Championship and the first Québécois to ever receive this honor, played the fiddle while using a “stomp board,” at times simultaneously playing the fiddle, performing percussion with his feet, and singing. Pierre-Luc Dupuis, who plays the accordion and harmonica for De Temps Antan and who was also a member of La Bottine Souriante until last year, never had time to catch his breath while performing, as he switched between accordion and harmonica frequently during the performance, singing in between.
The trio were encored at the end of their performance, and one woman requested that they play the “Toothfairy Song” for her granddaughter. The tune named as such after André’s son came into a De Temps Antan practice session holding a tooth that had just fallen out, was a sweet melody that was a fitting end to the lively performance that De Temps Antan gave.
The next morning, on March 7, the annual all-day workshop for educators, K-8 Arts Mosaic: Movement and Music Across the Curriculum, was held, introducing methods for bringing music and dance into the classroom. The Canadian session of the workshop, entitled, “Celtic Music in the New World,” and conducted by graduate student Erin Maloney, joined other sessions on such varied topics as Latin Caribbean rhythms and dance, Bosnian fold dance, Japanese Taiko drumming, and Indonesian masks and dance.
During her session, Erin explored the background and evolution of Celtic music as it traveled from Europe to North America, incorporating elements of jazz and traditional Québécois music with French roots. Erin also looked at the phenomenon of Celtic music in the “New Age” genre, with examples such as Irish musician Enya and Canadian musician Loreena McKennitt, which demonstrated how Celtic music has evolved differently on each side of the Atlantic.
Erin further expanded on the progression of Celtic music in North America by demonstrating how Celtic music has developed unique, regional differences in Québec, Prince Edward’s Island, Cape Breton, and Western Canada with sound clips from La Bottine Souriante, Natalie MacMaster, and others. Educators attending Erin’s session requested a copy of her powerpoint presentation, which will be posted on the Canadian Studies Center website in the near future.
These projects were supported, in part, by funding from a Canadian Studies Center Program Enhancement Grant, Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada and by the Canadian Studies Center Title VI Grant, International Education Programs Service, Us Department of Education
Arctic Sovereignty Lecture Series
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| Mikhail Alexseev, Political Science, San Diego State University, points out that within the next few years the Northern Sea Route that follows the Russian coastline (see background map), could be open for shipping. This would significantly reduce transportation costs and is one reason for the enhanced interest in the Arctic. |
This Winter Quarter several programs teamed up to offer a lecture series that addressed Arctic sovereignty from the perspective of science, politics, history and international foreign policy serving approximately 250 faculty, staff and community members. Greg Shelton, Global Trade, Transportation and Logistics Studies, wrote the project grant for the series.
The Arctic Sovereignty lecture series provided new thinking on the circumpolar region from the perspective of science, politics, history and international foreign policy. It brought together a wide-range of audience interests and spurred much thinking on this fast emerging global issue.
The University’s own Christine Ingebritsen of Scandinavian Studies kicked off the series with her presentation entitled, “Arctic Sovereignty and Climate Change: A Nordic Perspective” that provided a special focus on Greenland and the November 2008 referendum on independence.
The following week, Barry Zellen, author, researcher, and lecturer from the Center for Contemporary Conflict, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, discussed the issues, challenges and opportunities associated with the modernizing Arctic. Zellen’s lecture entitled, “Toward a Post-Arctic World,” looked at the evolution of Inuit self-governance across Alaska, Canada and Greenland and the increased mobilization of indigenous peoples.
In late February, UW alumnus Mikhail Alexseev, Political Science, San Diego State University presented, “Russia’s Northward Perspective: The Arctic Promise vs. the Siberian Curse” that provided an innovative perspective on Russia’s long-standing interests in the Arctic. There was much discussion of the 2007 planting of the Russian flag at the sea bottom of the North Pole and how this was perceived internationally.
The final lecture, “Globalization and Climate Change: Challenges in the New Maritime Arctic,” by Lawson Brigham, US Arctic Research Commission, Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment dealt with the need for international collaboration on the “race” for Arctic resources.
The interdisciplinary nature of this series was noteworthy. Global Trade, Transportation and Logistics Studies and the Canadian Studies Center hope to foster such collaborative relationships in the future as we continue to recognize and celebrate the interconnectedness of a variety of academic areas. We were particularly pleased to broaden our network by working for the first time with the Polar Science Center and the Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean.
The series was sponsored by the Canadian Studies Center (with support funding from a Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, Program Enhancement Grant), Center for West European Studies, Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, Global Studies Center in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies; Global Trade, Transportation and Logistics Studies; Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory; and the Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean.
A Spectrum of Disputes: Framing Autism Activism in Canada and the US - Winter 2009
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| Michael Orsini is the Center’s 2008-09 Canada-US Fulbright Visiting Chair from the School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa. His research on autism activism in Canada and the US was the focus of the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies annual lecture series, Hot Spots in Our World held at the UW on 4 March 2009. The following is a summary of Michael’s current research and lecture. |
Using the case study of autism activism in Canada and the US, Michael Orsini’s presentation
at Kane Hall sketched the contours of the contested terrain of autism/autistic activism, asking questions about how to conceptualize autism activism in the field of “health social movements” more generally, and about whether these forms of activism represent a form of continuity or rupture with other social movements organized around combating injustice.
In particular, he examined three branches of the autism/autistic movement. The first is parent-led advocacy efforts centered primarily on “curing” or “treating” autistic people, mainly but not exclusively focused on children. Many of these organizations cling to the notion of an “autism epidemic.” A second branch is often associated with the notion of neurodiversity, and advances a disability rights-based model of autistic self-advocacy and opposes those who want to “cure” autistic people or locate genetic explanations for autism. A third branch, while only loosely associated with autism, is interested in getting the word out about the harm associated with vaccines. Groups such as Generation Rescue and Moms Against Mercury have been influential in the US, where there has been a wave of litigation related to the harms associated with vaccines. Hollywood celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy, the author of best-selling books Mother Warriors and Louder than Words, are in the forefront of attempts to “green” vaccines. McCarthy has also claimed she was able to ‘heal” her son, Evan, by introducing restricted diets.
While activists and advocates are clearly divided on a number of issues, Michael concluded that there might be some common ground worth exploring. One area concerns the interest expressed by many parents in providing care for their children as they transition into adulthood. Indeed, advocates worry that there has been little interest in and support and services for autistic adults. Since autistic children often grow into autistic adults, it is important to imagine and advocate for care and support across the life span. A model focused on the child can obscure the importance of seeing the larger picture.
This lecture was supported, in part, by the Canadian Studies Center Title VI Grant, International Education Programs Service, US Department of Education.
Crossing Haro Strait: Scientific Collaboration in the Gulf and San Juan Islands - Fall 2008
by Russel Barsh
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| Russel Barsh, the founding director of Kwiáht and an independent researcher at UW’s Friday Harbor Laboratories, taught at the UW (1974-1984) and University of Lethbridge (1993-1999), and worked with the United Nations and three Canadian Royal Commissions on indigenous peoples and the environment before returning to the Salish Sea in 2002 to pursue research on changing cultures and their impacts on San Juan-Gulf Islands ecosystems. |
A small nucleus of scientists and land managers working in the Gulf and San Juan Islands met for the first time this past September at rustic Camp Moran, Washington (an environmental learning center) to begin building collaborative bridges in the study of biodiversity, island biogeography, and human impacts on the archipelago that crosses the US-Canada border at Haro Strait. The initiative for the gathering came from Kwiáht, a Lopez Island-based nonprofit conservation biology laboratory that I head.
Participants included representatives of Kwiáht, the San Juan Nature Institute, the US Bureau of Land Management, and Washington State Parks. The participants heard presentations by a number of local scientists. I provided background on recent efforts to inventory the terrestrial animal and plant diversity of the archipelago and to explain differences in individual island’s ecosystems. Trevor Jones, Geography, University of British Columbia, also presented on innovative uses of remote sensing by Gulf Islands National Park to inventory plant communities and monitor tree canopy species at multiple scales using Light Detection and Ranging (a remote sensing instrument that can be flown at a relatively low altitude to scan the surface of the earth and prepare precise topographic maps) and hyperspectral imaging data.
A discussion followed, focusing on possible ways of gleaning additional insights from hyperspectral data, and expanding the Gulf Islands study to include the San Juan Islands. Nick Teague, the San Juan Islands land steward for Bureau of Land Management, pledged to work with Jones on this initiative. There was also an extended discussion of the role of outdoor science education as a means of developing a shared trans-boundary stewardship ethic and sense of the unique ecological significance of the boundary region, both marine and terrestrial.
Following these discussions, Kwiáht botanist Madrona Murphy took participants to a sundew bog and a manzanita grove on Mount Constitution, two of the extraordinarily rare habitats found in the islands.
Kwiáht and the Canadian Studies Center plan to make Crossing Haro Strait an annual event in the San Juan and Gulf islands.
Doing Business in Canada - Fall 2008
By Myles Brenner
Myles Brenner is a senior majoring in Political Science (Political Economy) and International Studies (Europe). Following his undergraduate degree, Myles plans to attend law school. In coordination with the Canadian Studies Center, Myles served as an intern at the Consulate General of Canada Seattle in the fall of 2007. Myles was a Center Representative for the Doing Business in Canada Seminar.
In early October, an all-day seminar was held at the Westin Hotel in Seattle, entitled, “Doing Business in Canada.” The event brought together approximately thirty business owners and leaders from the Northwest who have begun or are considering doing business in Canada. The objective was to discuss the complex relationship between US businesses and Canadian customers. The presentations outlined the obstacles and opportunities often experienced in conducting business at an international level.
Five speakers took the podium and discussed a range of issues. These included business practice in Canada; how to file Canadian taxes, including the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and the Provincial Sales Tax (PST); how to determine if a company is subject to Canadian taxation; customs, collections, and credit insurance; and the Personal Property and Security Act. Attendees received personal attention and had the ability to ask questions regarding their individual business issues.
The speakers included certified general accountant Gail Kruk, Larson Gross, PLLC, with the Canada-America Society Seattle, and Canadian Consulate General Seattle Senior Trade Commissioner Robert Fosco. Fosco joined the Consulate this fall and has been working closely with the Canada-America Society and the Center to promote an enhanced understanding of the Canada-US business relationship.
Charles Rendina with Boughton Law Corporation in British Columbia spoke about the cross-border practice he leads and how it can assist Washington State businesses. He also offered attendees a solid overview of Canada-US border security issues that was of great interest to the many participants from North American Credit Managers. Rendina was joined by Richard Weiland with Clark Wilson LLP, a British Columbia’s business law firm.
Canada and the US share a unique economic partnership – they enjoy the world’s largest trading relationship that supports millions of jobs in both countries. The seminar promoted the continuation of a healthy relationship between Canadian consumers and American businesses. The event was sponsored by the Canada-America Society in conjunction with a number of local organizations.
| Canadian Studies Center | |
| University of Washington | |
| Box 353650 | |
| Thomson Hall, Room 503 | |
| Seattle, Washington 98195-3650 | |
| Tel: (206) 221-6374 | |
| Fax: (206) 685-0668 | |
| ► | canada@u.washington.edu |