Dr. Kate Bezanson

Dr. Kate Bezanson is a senior policy scholar, academic, and advisor with expertise in political economy, public and constitutional law, gender, rights, federalism, and social and economic policy.  She holds a BA Honours (Trent), MA and PhD (York), and LLM (Osgoode Hall Law School), and is a former senior advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada.

Dr. Kate Bezanson is a senior policy scholar, academic, and advisor. She holds an Honours BA (Trent University), MA and PhD (York University) and LLM (Osgoode Hall Law School).

She recently served as a senior advisor to the Prime Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, with a primary focus on political economy, federalism, public and constitutional law, social, family, economic and labour market policy, and gender and rights.

She is a full Professor (Sociology and Criminology, Brock University), Faculty Research Fellow at the Institute for Gender and the Economy (Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto), faculty affiliate with the graduate programmes in Critical Sociology and Social Justice and Equity Studies (Brock University), and a founding member of the Feminist Policy Lab (Concordia University). Prior to this, she served as Associate Dean (Faculty of Social Sciences, Brock University), Chair (Sociology), University Senator, Chair of the Senate Student Appeals Board, and served on the editorial boards of the Canadian Review of Sociology and the Canadian Review of Social Policy. Dr. Bezanson also served on the federal Judicial Advisory Committee. She is co-investigator (with Dr. Andrea Doucet) on a 7-year partnership Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded grant on the best policy mix for diverse Canadian families.

Her policy research has focussed on gender, social reproduction/care, federalism, budgets and budget processes, social policy architecture, taxation, leaves to care, childcare and gender-based violence. Her legal research has centred on public/constitutional law, particularly in relation to policy, federalism and Charter equality issues.

Dr. Bezanson also has training in dispute resolution and is past president of both a not for profit childcare centre and a second stage women’s and children housing centre.

She strives to bridge academic research with practicable policy approaches, and to translate this work for general audiences. Her analysis and commentary have appeared in Canadian and international print, radio and television media such as CBC, Globe and Mail, New York Times, National Post, and CTV.

RECENT

POLICY REPORTS/BRIEFS

OPEDS

MEDIA

PRINT

PODCAST INTERVIEWS

RADIO

TELEVISION

INVITED PRESENTATIONS

JOURNAL ARTICLES/BOOK CHAPTERS

ARTICLES

  • Powell, A., Langford, R., Albanese, P., Prentice, S., & Bezanson, K. (2020). “Who cares for carers? How discursive constructions of care work marginalized early childhood educators in Ontario’s 2018 provincial election.”  Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 21(2), 153–164. https://doi.org/10.1177/1463949120928433
  • Bezanson,K. and A. Braley-Rattai (guest editors) (2020), “Introduction: Symbolic Politics, Constitutional Consequences.” The Campus Speech Issue.  Constitutional Forum, vol. 29, (2). https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/2020/04/volume-29-2-2020-constitutional-forum-constitutionnel/
  • Braley-Rattai, A. and K. Bezanson (2020) “Un-Chartered Waters: Ontario’s Campus Speech Directive and the Intersections of Academic Freedom, Expressive Freedom, and Institutional Autonomy.” The Campus Speech Issue, edited by K. Bezanson and A. Braley-Rattai.  Constitutional Forum, vol. 29, (2). https://www.constitutionalstudies.ca/2020/04/volume-29-2-2020-constitutional-forum-constitutionnel/
  • Bezanson, K. (2019) Constitutional or Political Crisis?  Prosecutorial Independence, the Public Interest, and Gender in the SNC-Lavalin Affair.  University of British Columbia Law Review 52:3 (September 2019). 36 pp.*  http://ubclawreview.ca/issues/vol-52-no-3-october-2019/kate-bezanson-constitutional-or-political-crisis-prosecutorial-independence-the-public-interest-and-gender-in-the-snc-lavalin-affair/
  • Langford, R., K. Bezanson, and Alana Powell (2019) Imagining a caring early childhood education and care system in Canada: A thought experiment.  Debates and Issues in special issue by S. Bourgeault and F. Robinson ‘Care ethics thinks the political’ International Journal of Care and Caring. 3:4. 8pp* https://doi.org/10.1332/239788219X15682724987840.
  • Bezanson, K. (2018) Feminism, Federalism and Families:  Canada’s Mixed Social Policy Architecture.  Journal of Law and Equality, Vol 14, No.1. pp. 169-197.* https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/utjle/issue/view/2109
  • Bezanson, K. (2018) Neoliberalism, Social Reproduction and Indigenous Child Welfare. Journal of Law and Social Policy, Vol. 28. pp. 152-174.* https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/jlsp/vol28/iss1/
  • Albanese, P., K. Bezanson, R. Langford, S. Prentice, B. Richardson and J. White (2017) Caring About Care: Repositioning Care As Integral To The Politics And Policies Of Early Childhood Education And Care In Canada, Special issue: Exploring the Care in Early Childhood Education and Care. Global Studies of Childhood, vol. 8. Pp. 311-322.* https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2043610617747978

CHAPTERS

  • Bezanson, Kate (2017) The Outcome of Incomes: Family Insecurity or Security in Insecure Times in A. Gazso and Karen M. Kobayashi (Eds) Continuity and Innovation: Canadian Families in the New Millennium. Toronto: Nelson.
  • Bezanson, Kate (2017) “Mad Men” Social Policy: Families, Social Reproduction and Childcare in a Conservative Canada in S. Prentice, P. Albanese and R. Langford (eds) Caring for Children:  Social Policy and Social Movements. Vancouver: UBC Press.
  • Bezanson, Kate (2015) Return of the Nightwatchman State?  Federalism, Social Reproduction and Social Policy in a Conservative Canada in Katie Meehan and Kendra Strauss (eds) Precarious Worlds:  Contested Geographies of Social Reproduction. Atlanta: University of Georgia Press.
  • Bezanson, Kate (2014) Putting Together a Life: Families, Coping, and Economic Change, 1997-2008 in Bonnie Fox (ed.) Family Patterns, Gender Relations. Toronto: Oxford University Press.

BOOKS

  • Bezanson, K. (2006). Gender, the State, and Social Reproduction: Household Insecurity in Neo-Liberal Times. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
  • Neysmith, S., Bezanson, K., & O’Connell, A. (2005). Telling Tales: Living the Effects of Public Policy. Halifax: Fernwood.
  • Webber, Michelle and Kate Bezanson (Eds) (2016) Rethinking Society: Critical Issues in Sociology for the 21st Century. 4th Edition. Toronto: Canadian Scholars’ Press.   (and editions 1-3 beginning in 2004).
  • Bezanson, Kate and Meg Luxton (Eds.) (2006) Social Reproduction: Feminist Political Economy Challenges Neo- Liberalism. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Disclosure

Kate Bezanson has provided policy advice to governments/individual elected members/candidates representing all major political parties (Liberal, Conservative, NDP and Green) at municipal, provincial and federal levels.

Dr. Bezanson has been a member of the Liberal Party of Canada since 2022.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC92ZAs4P5g

https://www.tvo.org/video/is-child-care-key-to-canadas-economic-recovery