Wednesday, October 5, 2011  |  1:00pm 
Understanding the Outcome
Winnipeg Free Press News Café (237 McDermot)

LIVE @ http://winnipegfreepress.com

Join Dan Lett, Andrea Rounce, Jared Wesley, and others as they discuss the results and implications of the 2011 Manitoba Election. The event will be webcast LIVE at http://winnipegfreepress.com/. Send your comments and questions (before and during the event) to: manitobau2011@gmail.com.  This event is sponsored by the Manitoba Institute for Policy Research (MIPR).


Past events:

Monday, July 25, 2011  |  7:00pm
Understanding Manitoba's New Electoral Map
Minnedosa Community Conference Centre

Manitobans will vote in new constituencies this fall, as the province’s electoral map has been redrawn.  U2011 is pleased to travel to Minnedosa, where Dr. Richard Sigurdson (University of Manitoba, and member of the Manitoba Electoral Divisions Boundaries Commission), Dr. Jared Wesley (University of Manitoba), and Brett Loewen (University of Manitoba) will discuss the re-districting process, and its possible implications.  Sponsored by the Manitoba Institute for Policy Research, this event is free and open to the public.  This session will be broadcast live across southwestern Manitoba, courtesy of the Westman Communications Group (channel 12).  Webcasts will be available soon after, on the U2011 Youtube channel.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011  |  7:00pm
Understanding the Media & Politics in Manitoba
Winnipeg Free Press News Café

What role does the media play in cultivating a healthy democracy in Manitoba?  What role could or should it play in helping to improve our civic culture?  Dr. Shannon Sampert (University of Winnipeg), Paul Samyn (Winnipeg Free Press), and Dr. Linda Trimble (University of Alberta) address these questions and dispel several myths surrounding “media politics” in Manitoba.$0 $0 This event is sponsored by the Manitoba Institute for Policy Research (MIPR) and presented in partnership with the Winnipeg Free Press “Democracy Project”. 

Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Understanding Youth Engagement
Windsor Park Collegiate (Winnipeg)

Conventional wisdom holds that today’s youth are both “turned off” by and “tuned out” of politics.  Dr. Henry Milner, Mary Skanderbeg (Elections Manitoba), and Carly Welham (delegate on the MB4Youth Advisory Council) visit with high school students to shed light on why Generation-Y appears so disengaged from democracy.  The event is open to Windsor Park Collegiate students, and will be webcast at umanitoba.ca/u2011.  $0 $0 This event is sponsored by the Manitoba Institute for Policy Research (MIPR) and presented in partnership with the Winnipeg Free Press “Democracy Project”. 

Sunday, April 3, 2011  |  4:00pm
Understanding Civic Engagement in Manitoba
Kildonan Place Shopping Centre

Are citizens’ expectations of democracy being met by the institutions or actors within the political system?  To better understand the alleged “democratic deficit” in Manitoba, U2011 welcomes three of Canada’s leading political scientists to join in the discussion:  Dr. Loleen Berdahl (University of Saskatchewan), Dr. Elisabeth Gidengil (McGill University), and Dr. Mebs Kanji (Concordia University).  $0 $0 Sponsored by the Manitoba Institute for Policy Research, and presented in partnership with the Duff Roblin Professorship, this event is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011  |  7:00pm
Understanding Women in Manitoba Politics
McNally Robinson, Grant Park (in the Atrium)

In commemoration of International Women’s Day, national and local experts examine some of the myths surrounding women’s involvement in Manitoba elections.  Join Louise Carbert (Associate Professor of Political Science, Dalhousie University), Joan Grace (Associate Professor of Politics, University of Winnipeg), and Mary Agnes Welch (Winnipeg Free Press) to discuss this aspect of Manitoba’s democratic deficit.$0 $0 This event is sponsored by the Manitoba Institute for Policy Research (MIPR) and The Duff Roblin Professorship in Government.  Admission is free, and all are welcome to attend.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011  |  7:00pm
Understanding Manitoba Politics and Elections
McNally Robinson, Grant Park (in the Atrium)

In this inaugural café event, panellists Gerald Friesen (Distinguished Professor of History, University of Manitoba), Jared Wesley (Assistant Professor of Political Studies, University of Manitoba), and Dan Lett (Columnist, Winnipeg Free Press) dispelled some of the common misconceptions surrounding politics and elections in Manitoba.  Is the October 4th event "just another Manitoba election"?  Are the conventional images of New Democrats and Progressive Conservatives really that accurate?  And how politically engaged are Manitobans (and their journalists)?  To find answers to these and other questions, please view the webcasts of the event by visiting our "Archives" or tuning in to our YouTube channel.  This event was sponsored by the Manitoba Institute for Policy Research (MIPR) and The Duff Roblin Professorship in Government. 

Thursday, September 8, 2011  |  12:00pm
Understanding Campaign Strategies
Millennium Library, Winnipeg

How do parties and candidates devise their campaign strategies, and what can we expect from this fall’s provincial contest?  Join us for a special noon-hour café politque, as Dr. Royce Koop (Carleton University), Dan Lett (Winnipeg Free Press), and Rob Ermel (Manitoba Institute for Policy Research) discuss the ins and outs of campaigning. This event is sponsored by the Manitoba Institute for Policy Research (MIPR).

Monday, September 12, 2011 |  7:00pm
Understanding Public Opinion
Vincent Massey High School, Brandon

Public opinion polls and “horserace coverage” dominate modern election campaigns.  Dr. Andrea Rounce (University of Manitoba), Dr. Chris Adams (Probe Research), and Reg Alcock (University of Manitoba) discuss the many myths and misconceptions surrounding the roll of polls in Manitoba democracy, and shed light on how public opinion helps shape election outcomes.  This event is sponsored by the Manitoba Institute for Policy Research (MIPR), and will be broadcast live across the Westman area on Westman Communications Group stations.  Stay tuned to the U2011 website and YouTube channel for webcasts.

Monday, September 19, 2011 | 7:00pm
Understanding Politics in Northern Manitoba
R.D. Parker Collegiate, Thompson

Few understand the inner workings of Northern Prairie politics better than Dr. Peter Kulchyski (University of Manitoba), Dr. Bonita Beatty (University of Saskatchewan), and Dr. Greg Poelzer (University of Saskatchewan).  Join them in Thompson (or online), as they reveal the northern perspective on politics and elections.

Monday, September 26, 2011 | 7:00pm
Understanding Aboriginal Politics in Manitoba
William Norrie Centre - 485 Selkirk, Winnipeg

Historically, Aboriginal Manitobans have been among the least likely residents to cast a ballot in provincial elections.  Join Dr. Fiona Macdonald (University of Manitoba),  Wab Kinew (CBC), and Drea Gallagher (University of Manitoba) as they discuss the sources and consequences of Aboriginal peoples’ disengagement.