Video: MEXICO, CANADA, THE UNITED STATES AND COVID-19

The Challenges for North America's Federalist Democracies
Thursday, June 11, 2020

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Date: June 11, 2020

Abstract: Mexico, Canada and United States are federal democracies in which governmental responses to the rapidly evolving challenges of COVID-19 must incorporate participation by the national government and the regional governments of states or provinces. Not only may the health and economic impacts of COVID-19 differ from state to state or province to province, but political parties in power and ideological bases for confronting the pandemic can also differ. Currently all three countries have similar challenges in navigating their federalist democracies through COVID-19, and are also tightly bound to each other geographically, socially and economically. Here we bring together a distinguished panel to provide the most up to date information on the challenges and strategies to combat the pandemic in Mexico, Canada and the United States and discuss the lessons that can be shared amongst these closely interrelated neighbors.

Embajadora Marcela Celorio, Cónsul General de México en Los Angeles

Embajadora Marcela Celorio was born in Mexico City. She is an Attorney from the Escuela Libre de Derecho, with a Master’s Degree on Diplomatic Studies from the Matias Romero Institute (IMR, by its Spanish acronym) and a Master's Degree on Security and Defense from the National Defense College, of the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA, by its Spanish acronym). She pursued her academic studies at the Mexico-United States Center of Studies from the University of California in San Diego (UCSD) and was the first Diplomat in Residence from the Mexican Foreign Service at the American University (AU) in Washington, DC. She has served as Director of Nationality and Naturalization at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position from which she helped to craft the constitutional reform of 1997 which made legal dual or multiple nationalities for Mexicans. In 1999, she joined the Mexican Foreign Service as a Diplomatic Attaché and followed rigorously the ladder of ranks to become Ambassador. Subsequently, she was appointed Director of Protection Policies, a position in which she facilitated the implementation of the border liaison and consultation mechanism between Mexico and the United States. In 2000, she was designated Director for the United States of America at the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Between 2000 and 2001, she taught International Public Law at the Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA by its Spanish acronym). She has done research and written about issues related to dual nationality and citizenship, and national security and integration of North America. On June 24th, she took office as the Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles, California, after presidential nomination and Senate ratification.

Zaib Shaikh, Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles

Zaib Shaikh began his mandate as Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles in December 2018. He is the Government of Canada’s senior representative in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada. He comes to the posting after an extensive career in the media and entertainment industries having worked as an actor and producer in theatre, film and television. His work includes acting roles in Deepa Mehta’s film Midnight’s Children, as well as starring in the CBC comedy series Little Mosque on the Prairie, which has been seen in more than 80 countries. Mr. Shaikh co‐produced the special Long Story Short: CBC Turns 75 and co‐wrote, directed and co‐produced the film Othello: The Tragedy of the Moor. He also co-founded and served as an artistic producer of the Whistler Theatre Project in British Columbia. From 2014 until his appointment in 2018, Mr. Shaikh was the Film Commissioner and Director of Entertainment Industries for the City of Toronto. In that role, he oversaw and grew the city’s screen, music, live festival, sporting event and tourism sectors, helping to double the value of film production in Canada’s largest city which surpassed $2 billion in 2016. Mr. Shaikh has served as a board member for the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, and most recently, on the board of AFC (formerly the Actors Fund of Canada). He has served on juries and committees for the Gemini Awards, ACTRA Awards, Ontario Arts Council, and Theatre Ontario Youth Program as well as an ambassador for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and for Amnesty International Canada.

Jack Needleman, Fred W. and Pamela K. Wasserman Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

Jack Needleman is the Fred W. and Pamela K. Wasserman Professor and Chair of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management. He received his Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University. Dr. Needleman is a health economist, political scientist, and organizational management scholar with expertise in health policy, modeling and measuring organizational variation in in quality, safety, and cost, and analysis of payment and market structure. His research examines the costs of health care, the determinants of quality in health care organizations, role of ownership and payment on the behavior of health care providers, and impact of payment and health reform on access and costs of health care. He has served as a consultant to many US Federal agencies and state governments. He is an elected member of the US National Academy of Medicine and honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.

Sponsors: LAI, Center for Mexican Studies, Canadian Studies Program, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, The Consulate of Mexico Los Angeles, The Consulate of Canada Los Angeles

 Download Podcast

Duration: 1:04:35