Too many political and economic elites reap short-term benefits from this divide, but the long term consequences for democracy – and society – are devastating. So, where does toxic political polarization come from and what can we do about it?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Kurt Gray, University of North Carolina psychologist and neuroscientist and author of Outrage: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground.

This is the final episode of Open to Debate. We’re winding down after five years and 112 conversations. We’ve run our course. And we’ve run it well. Thanks so much for listening.

With the arrival of the Professional Women’s Hockey League, however, the game has entered a new era, and is set to be bigger than ever before. So, how did women’s hockey become so popular?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks once more again with Ian Kennedy, women’s hockey writer for the Hockey News and author of Ice in Their Veins: Women’s Relentless Pursuit of the Puck.

This episode was recorded before the U.S election. Now, in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory and return to the White House, the themes we discuss are, alas, even more relevant – and reason for grim concern.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks once more again with Amanda Watson, feminist theorist, Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University and author of The Juggling Mother: Coming Undone in the Age of Anxiety.

This conversation took place on September 21, 2024, at the 2024 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

This conversation took place on September 21, 2024, at the 2024 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

This conversation took place on September 21, 2024, at the 2024 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance, and Chair of Canada 2020 Advisory Board) and Frances Colón (Senior Fellow International Climate, CAP Action) on our changing economic landscape and turning several enormous global transformations into generational opportunities for progress.

This conversation took place on September 21, 2024, at the 2024 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

This conversation took place on September 21, 2024, at the 2024 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

This conversation took place on September 21, 2024, at the 2024 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

In this featured session of the 2024 Global Progress Action Summit, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with Patrick Gaspard, CEO of the Centre for American Progress Action Fund about shaping a just future and what it will take.

This conversation took place on September 21, 2024, at the 2024 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

But what if things didn’t have to be this way? What if there were some hope that we could do better? What if there were a better way to do democracy? Well, is there?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Diana Smith, an author with a career that has included community organizing, journalism, consulting and more. Her latest book is Remaking the Space Between Us: How Citizens Can Work Together To Build A Better Future For All. 

Non-profits operate in many spaces, but are essential parts of the healthcare, housing, and education systems. Non-profits exist to serve communities and fill essential functions not covered, or only partially covered, by the state or private market; they’re also sometimes in competition with other sectors, or at least in tension with them, and with one another.

It’s complicated stuff. And when you add changing technologies, trends, economic conditions, and domestic and geopolitical considerations, making a non-profit work is even trickier. So how do non-profit organizations work – or not? 

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Brooke Struck, strategy facilitator and the founder and CEO of the firm Converge.

You’ve heard it before, the old joke that Canada is three telecom companies in a trench coat. Or airlines. Or grocery stores. You’ve probably heard it here before. That’s because Canada has a monopoly and oligopoly problem – and it has for a long time.

The United States has long faced its own challenges with market concentration — and for or once, Canada might not be too far behind.

To understand the state and future of competition in this country, we ask: Is Canada ready to get serious about tackling monopolies and oligopolies?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Denise Hearn, writer, applied researcher, and c0-author of the upcoming book The Big Fix, which is out this October.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity ahead of publication.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity ahead of publication.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity ahead of publication.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity ahead of publication.

To understand the government’s thinking on the law and the broader context in which it passed, we talk to the man in charge of the legislation and ask: What does an anti-scab worker bill tell us about the state of labour in Canada?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Labour and Seniors.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity ahead of publication.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity ahead of publication.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity ahead of publication.

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity ahead of publication.

If there was ever any doubt about the need for post secondary institutions to up their tech game, the pandemic swept it away. So, are universities ready to modernize? 

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Scott Murray, senior manager, transformation architecture, at EY. 

The good news? We are making progress in the fight against climate change and we still have time to address the worst of what’s coming – to mitigate, adapt, and secure a better future for billions upon billions of people. 

But first, we need to understand the full scope and depth of the primary and secondary effects of climate change. To that end, this week we ask: What are the hidden costs of climate change?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with R. Jisung Park, an environmental and labor economist at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Slow Burn: The Hidden Costs of a Warming World.

This is especially true when conversations about it, even among experts, may be premised on misunderstandings – or multiple understandings – of the thing itself.

And yet, AI, broadly understood, is already shaping how we do business, how and whether we employ people, how we communicate, and plenty more. In short, it’s kind of a big deal and we need to sort out how we want it to fit into our society and our lives.

So, what is AI and is Canada ready for it?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Murad Hemmadi, a journalist with the Logic and the co-author of Superintelligence: Is Canada Ready for AI? 

This conversation took place on April 8, 2024 in Ottawa. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

You may have forgotten Jason Kenney. After his dismal leadership review, the Harper-era Cabinet minister resigned as premier of Alberta and left politics. But Kenney’s legacy continues to shape the country. A new book assesses his career, its effects, and the state of the right in Canada. 

So, what is Kenneyism and why should we care?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Jeremy Appel, an Alberta-based journalist and author of Kenneyism: Jason Kenney’s Pursuit of Power.

It’s described as the slow and steady worsening of each and every bit of our daily existence, and as Cory Doctorow has argued, particularly as it pertains to the work of technology companies that have captured our attention, our dollars, or both.

But some people have it worse than others. For instance, the incarcerated, on whom – as this week’s guest explores in his new novel – companies test and roll out strategies and technologies and a surveillance apparatus that is later used to exploit populations at large.

So, just how is life becoming “enshitified?” and how can we make things better?

On this 100th(!) episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Cory Doctorow, best-selling science fiction author, activist, and journalist. His latest book, The Bezzle, is out now.

Let’s meet the candidates and get a sense of what they’re about as we ask: Who wants to lead the Alberta NDP?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Tiffany Balducci, a union organizer, negotiator, and job evaluation specialist with the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Alberta.

No election will have its impacts echo more widely than that of the United States of America. Its effects will be palpable worldwide, and felt especially strongly here in Canada — with Donald Trump in the running for the third straight U.S. presidential election cycle. Hear from Sarada Peri (former Special Assistant to the President, Senior Speechwriter for President Barack Obama, and Senior Fellow with the Dais at TMU) on the state of the Biden presidential campaign, the health of global democracy, the challenges of the new media ecosystem, and the future of our shared economic and security partnerships.

This conversation took place on March 7, 2024 at the Canada 2020 Studio, and was hosted in partnership with The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

This conversation took place on February 28, 2024 at the Canada 2020 Studio, and was hosted in partnership with Interac. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

The struggle for trans rights intersects with similar movements to establish, expand, or preserve social, cultural, economic, and political equality. But trans folks are up against powerful, well-funded opponents and constrained by limited resources, leaving us to ask: What is the future of trans rights?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Fae Johnstone, Executive Director of Queer Momentum.

Broadbent’s legacy is the product of decades of tireless work as an elected representative and as an ambassador for the left at home and abroad. His commitment to justice and equality is paralleled by few in Canada, and this episode is dedicated to understanding and celebrating his service to this country and to left movements worldwide.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Luke Savage, columnist, co-host of the podcast Michael and Us, and co-author, with Ed Broadbent and others, of Seeking Social Democracy: Seven Decades in the Fight for Equality. 

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks once more with Amanda Watson, feminist theorist, senior lecturer at Simon Fraser University and author of The Juggling Mother: Coming Undone in the Age of Anxiety. She joins the show this week from the south of France.

This conversation took place on September 16, 2023, at the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

This conversation took place on September 16, 2023, at the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Governments at every level have been slow to respond to the crisis and their actions have been insufficient to curb the problem. These governments often try to have it both ways, cheaper housing without costs to existing homeowners who wish to preserve their equity. At the same time, while many experts preach supply, which is essential in lowering prices, that may not be enough. Is there another way out of the housing conundrum? What if we change how we taxed property? Could a land value tax help solve the housing crisis?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Floyd Marinescu, an activist, entrepreneur, angel investor, and the head of Commonwealth Canada and UBI Works.

This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

This conversation has been lightly edited for clarity.

This conversation has been lightly edited for audio clarity.

While we might imagine ways AI could shape better democratic processes, right now experts are worried about how such technologies can be used to manipulate, divide, suppress, and disinform people. With these concerns in mind, we ask: Is AI a threat to democracy?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Sam Jeffers, executive director of Who Targets Me, and Karim Bardeesy, executive director of The Dais at Toronto Metropolitan University.

This conversation took place on September 16, 2023, at the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

This conversation took place on September 16, 2023, at the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

This conversation took place on September 16, 2023, at the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

While Canada cannot be fully independent in a globalized world, particularly as we share a border with the United States, we must consider ways of preserving, indeed expanding, our democracy. But that might be difficult if our largest trading and security partner falls apart. With that concern in mind, we ask: Can Canada protect itself from American democratic decline?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Rob Goodman, assistant professor of politics and public administration at Toronto Metropolitan University and author of the new book Not Here: Why American Democracy is Eroding and How Canada Can Protect Itself.  

This conversation took place on September 16, 2023, at the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

This conversation took place on September 16, 2023, at the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

These remarks took place on September 16, 2023, at the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

These remarks took place on September 16, 2023, at the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

Unmoored, unmade, underspecified, underfunded. There’s lots of ways to describe this country’s approach to managing relations with the rest of the world. In this episode, we drill down even deeper to ask a discouraging, yet essential, question: Does Canada have a foreign policy?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Graeme Thompson, Senior Analyst, Global Macro‑Geopolitics, Eurasia Group.

This conversation took place on September 16, 2023, at the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit in Montréal hosted by Canada 2020 and CAP Action. It has been lightly edited for clarity.

Chow’s performance may be evaluated on its own merits or demerits and against her predecessor’s; but her time as mayor will also stand as a test of left-wing governance. Fairly or unfairly, her mayoralty is a part that will be taken by some as typifying the whole. 

Can Olivia Chow remake Toronto?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Saman Tabasinejad, Acting Executive Director at Progress Toronto.

Tackling this problem is going to take a multitude of policy efforts across orders of government – efforts that may benefit some people at the expense of others. And yet, what choice do we have? We must ensure everyone has a safe, affordable place to live. So, how do we solve the housing crisis?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Carolyn Whitzman, housing policy expert, adjunct professor at the University of Ottawa, and author of Clara at the Door with a Revolver.

The 2023 wildfire season, driven by what’s known as “fire weather,” may be a window into our future. As climate change runs amok and hotter, drier temperatures make wildfires more common and harder to control, we risk having to endure a brutal, deadly, and ecologically destructive new normal. So, what does fire weather mean for our future?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with John Vaillant, journalist and author of Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity ahead of publication.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity ahead of publication.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity ahead of publication.

A new book traces the history of cable television and the changing political and cultural landscape in the United States. In the background of the book looms an absolute bruiser of a question: Did cable television break America?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Kathryn Cramer Brownell, an assistant professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University and the author of  24/7 Politics: Cable Television and the Fragmenting of America from Watergate to Fox News.

Where does the pathologizing of fat bodies come from? Who benefits from it and at whose expense? And how can we do better? We explore those questions and others as we ask: How should we think about fat bodies?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with May Friedman, professor in the School of Social Work at Toronto Metropolitan University and the author of several books, among them the recently released co-edited volume, Fat Studies in Canada: (Re)Mapping the Field.

But what if our cities themselves were to fall to privatization? Imagine a city run, for instance, by a big tech company. Proprietary roads and sewers and sidewalks; data collection and surveillance here, there, and everywhere. The notion isn’t so far-fetched. A recent struggle in Toronto over Google’s attempt to pilot a “smart city” is a reminder that we can’t take anything for granted. So, who owns the future of public spaces?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Josh O’Kane, an award-winning reporter with the Globe and Mail and author of Sideways: The City Google Couldn’t Buy.

This conversation was part of Canada 2020’s summit on economic reconciliation, The Indigenous-led Economy, hosted on May 16 in Ottawa, and is part two of three conversations we are sharing on the 2020 Network.

If you’re wondering how Smith managed to perform as well as she did after comparing those who received a Covid vaccine to followers of Hitler, and what she’ll do next as she takes aim at the federal government and climate policy, you have come to the right place as we ask: What just happened in Alberta–and what comes next?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Alberta politics writer Dave Cournoyer.

Now, nature is the ultimate public space. There is something fundamental about it. Something essential. Nature pre-existed the built world and in one form or another it will outlast it, too. But not everyone has equal access to nature, and some communities and groups are less likely to have that access. In that way, it’s very much like other spaces, the ones we have created.

There are a number of reasons people ought to have both a right and an ability to access public spaces in nature. Among them are physical health, mental health, education, and pure, simple joy. One organization is fighting to secure that access, especially for youth from low-income households and BIPOC communities. To understand their work, and the battle for green public spaces, we ask: Who gets to spend time in nature?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Andrew Young, the executive director of Outward Bound Canada.

To understand the state of rural development, where things are headed, and how we might do better, we ask the fundamental question: Who should care about rural development?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Jeff Wheeldon, a municipal councillor in Brighton, Ontario, a real estate agent, and a housing advocate.

Democratized workplaces produce better results for employees, and everyone down the line, too. Recent gains in Canada and the United States might point to a new dawn for unions as people struggle with the cost of living crisis and unfavourable working conditions. But the future, as it tends to be, is uncertain. We can, however, follow the clues and ask: What does a campus labour struggle tell us about unions in Canada?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Noreen Cauley-Le Fevre, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) local 4600 and a PhD Candidate in Geography at Carleton University; and Graham Cox, a research representative at CUPE.

Digital space presents several significant challenges to the public good. Dis- and misinformation, domestic and foreign. Toxicity by way of name-calling, hate speech, and bullying. Economic exploitation, asymmetrical access, class divides. Doxxing and hacking. Even the threat of physical violence. It’s pretty grim stuff. In light of these challenges, how can we build a healthier digital public sphere?

On this episode of Open to Debate, host David Moscrop talks with Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications, the founding director of The Center for Media, Technology and Democracy, and an Associate Professor in the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University.

In a conversation featuring Mark Carney (former Governor of the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance, and Canada 2020 Advisory Board Chair), Ken Sim (Mayor of Vancouver), Christine Bergeron (President and CEO of Vancity), and Anna Gainey, (Executive Chair of Canada 2020), we explore what our cities, governments, and economic leaders can do to build a stronger economy and more prosperous future for us all.

Saving healthcare in Ontario, and Canada, requires structural changes to preserve and extend the public and not-for-profit elements of the system. And don’t let anyone tell you it can’t be done. It can. There are best practices. We just need to adopt them at scale. So, how do we fix Canadian healthcare? 

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Dr. Melanie Bechard, a pediatric emergency doctor and Chair of Canadian Doctors for Medicare.

There may be some hope for change, however, as the country undertakes a review of its competition policy and the Competition Bureau pushes back a bit more than usual against monopoly and oligopoly. So, will the Canadian marketplace ever be competitive?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Vass Bednar, executive director of McMaster University’s Master of Public Policy Program in Digital Society, senior fellow with The Centre for International Governance Innovation, and the writer of the popular newsletter “regs to riches.”

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released 94 calls to action. In call to action #42, the TRC called upon “the federal, provincial, and territorial governments to commit to the recognition and implementation of Aboriginal justice systems in a manner consistent with the Treaty and Aboriginal rights of Aboriginal peoples, the Constitution Act, 1982, and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples endorsed by Canada in November 2012.” 

To understand what meaningful reform could look like, we ask: How should Canada engage with Indigenous legal traditions?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Dr. Val Napoleon, dean, professor, and Law Foundation Chair of Indigenous Justice and Governance at the University of Victoria, and Dr. Hadley Friedland, associate professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Alberta.

We talk about cities all the time. Not that they get the critical, detailed coverage and attention they deserve; but talk about cities and life within them is common. Mostly complaining. But not always. 

But how do cities work? That is, how do they actually work? And how will they work now that Toronto and Ottawa mayors have access to the “strong mayor” powers afforded to them by the provincial government? 

To the outsider, the process of municipal governance might seem arcane. Probably because for most people, the process is arcane. Luckily, our guest knows the ins and outs of city governance and he's here to share his secrets.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Shawn Menard, City of Ottawa councillor for Capital Ward.

This special edition podcast is from the launch of this report, “A post-pandemic policy agenda for rural and smaller Canadian communities”, featuring a conversation with Canada’s Minister of Rural Economic Development the Hon. Gudie Hutchings, Shorefast CEO Zita Cobb, Mississaugas of the Scugog Island First Nation Chief Kelly LaRocca , Smart Prosperity Senior Director Mike Moffatt, and Bradford West Gwillimbury Councillor Jonathan Scott, led by Canada 2020 Senior Fellow and author of the report Matthew Mendelsohn. 

Alongside the growth in urbanization is growth in the number of problems cities and their residents face. The list is long and getting longer. Housing. Transit. Policing. Parks. Infrastructure. The drug poisoning crisis. Safe streets for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. And more.  

Tackling numerous and overlapping urban challenges requires political courage and a commitment to doing things differently. To understand just what that entails, we ask: What can be done about the biggest issues facing our cities?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Gil Penalosa, founder of 8 80 Cities and former mayoral candidate in the City of Toronto.

The growth of cities in Canada has been painful. Today, they face significant challenges including housing policy, policing, and public transit. And yet, they get far less attention than other orders of government and exist under the thumb of provinces. To try to understand what this means for residents, we ask: What is the state of cities in Canada?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Andrea Reimer, Principal at Tawaw Strategies, adjunct Professor of Practice at the University of British Columbia’s School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, and former three-term Vancouver city councillor.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Wynne Nowland, chief executive officer of Bradley & Parker and trans advocate.

On October 18, 2022, Canada 2020 hosted a conversation with Haugen and Supriya Dwivedi, Director of Policy and Engagement at the Centre for Media, Technology & Democracy, on how we can strengthen the information environment for a healthier democracy, and build social media that brings out the best in humanity. 

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Jon Melrod, activist, human rights lawyer, and author of Fighting Times: Organizing on the Front Lines of the Class War.

Beyond advocating for the interests of industry in public policy, businesses may also engage in political activity in public, shaping perceptions, setting the agenda, and taking sides in controversies in good faith and in bad. A new book looks to make sense of how businesses engage in political spaces, when and how they should, and when they shouldn’t – and with it we ask: What is the new political capitalism?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Joe Zammit-Lucia, founder of Radix, a public policy think tank, and author of The New Political Capitalism: How Businesses and Societies Can Thrive in a Deeply Politicized World.

This special edition podcast is a featured conversation from that summit, with insights from Mark Podlasly, Director of Economic Policy at the First Nations Major Projects Coalition; Cherie Brant, Partner and National Leader, Indigenous Law at BLG; and the Hon. Marc Miller, Minister of Crown Indigenous Relations.

Protecting journalists and uprooting hate requires an immediate, coordinated, and sustained counter-movement. The effort must also be adequate to the task. Those who choose violence cannot be met with tolerance, since infinite tolerance undermines the foundations of inclusion. But to understand what is to be done, we must start by understanding the nature and extent of the problem. So, we ask: What does the targeted harassment of journalists mean for journalism and democracy?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Erica Ifill, race and equity expert, co-host of the Bad and Bitchy podcast, and founder of Not In My Colour – an anti-racism and equity consultancy.

Understanding the future of healthcare in Canada requires us to understand the challenges the system faces and the battle between those who wish to renew the public system and those who wish to undo it. Those are the questions we’ll dig into as we ask: What is the future of public healthcare in Canada?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Vivian Stamatopoulos, associate teaching professor at Ontario Tech University and LTC advocate.

Shaping AI to serve human needs and the public good requires that the community take part in determining the boundaries and ethics of the technology. Determining those uses and limits starts with understanding its applications. So, in this episode we ask: What can artificial intelligence do?

My guest on this episode of Open to Debate, is Yves Jacquier, Executive Director of Ubisoft La Forge.

While it’s easy to say “Eat less beef,” there’s more to it than that. To sort out just what that entails, we ask “What do cattle have to do with climate change?”

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Dr. Tim McAllister, a research scientist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and host of the podcast Cows on the Planet.

Last time, we asked “How are you doing?” It would be lazy to ask the same question, so this time we ask: How are you doing-er? 

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Brittlestar— Stewart Reynolds—comedian, video-maker extraordinaire, and, according to his website, The Internet’s Favourite Dad* (*still unproven).

For our final episode of @Risk, we’re looking back on conversations with risk experts on the role risk plays in our bigger picture. Join Jodi for our final look back on the series with evolutionary biologist and professor Carl Bergstrom; journalist and advocate Nana aba Duncan; author and expert on psychology and decision making Dan Gardener; journalist Jeff Jarvis; retired four-star US army general Stanley McChrystal; best-selling author, journalist, and educator Andrew Potter; and writer, legal scholar, and member of the second Obama administration Cass Sunstein.

In this episode of @Risk, we’re looking at risk in the world of art. Join Jodi for a look back at conversations with the brains behind all sorts of creative work: journalist and fashion entrepreneur Jeanne Beker; painter, sculptor, and educator, Eric Fischl; poet and author (and lawyer!) Michelle Good; self-styled “dirty nature writer” David Huebert; novelist Emily St. John Mandel; and one of Canada’s favourite comedians, Mark Critch.

Rebuilding or remaking our institutions requires us to think critically about what has worked in the past, for whom, and what might work better in the future. It requires us to ask a basic question and to be willing to follow where it leads us. It requires us to imagine something different. So, we ask: How should we put ourselves back together post-pandemic?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks once more–for a record-setting fourth time–with Amanda Watson, feminist theorist, lecturer at Simon Fraser University and author of The Juggling Mother: Coming Undone in the Age of Anxiety.

In this episode of @Risk, we reflect on something we’re all extremely familiar with: our health at risk. Jodi looks back on conversations with health reporter and columnist for the Globe and Mail, André Picard; CEO of SE Health, Shirlee Sharkey; founder and CEO of Children First Canada, Sara Austin; Science magazine correspondent, Kai Kupferschmidt; and global health reporter, Helen Branswell.

Rooting out hate in Canada requires that we face it head on: going to its source and dealing with both the individuals and the structures that produce violence. So, on this episode we ask: Where do hate crimes come from and what is to be done?  

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Mohammed Hashim, executive director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

In this episode of @Risk, we revisit conversations with cybersecurity expert Shuman Ghosemajumder, Olympic athlete and doctor Hayley Wickenheiser, our 18th prime minister, the Right Honorable Brian Mulroney, NASA systems engineer Dr. Farah Alibay, and the First Canadian Commander of the International Space Station Colonel Chris Hadfield to reflect on what it means when you’re in the business of risk.

As news of the U.S. leak circulated, many in Canada took notice and raised questions about the right to choose in this country, wondering whether it was secure and for how long. As is often the case, a chorus of “It can’t happen here,” emerged. But this country has its own issues when it comes to abortion rights and access. To find out what those are, we ask: What is the state of abortion rights and access in Canada?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Frédérique Chabot, director of health promotion with Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights.

This week on No Second Chances, host Kate Graham lands back in Canada for the last episode of the season. She talks with Dr. Susan Franceschet, a professor of political science at the University of Calgary, and the incredible Marci Ien, Canada’s Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, to take an honest look at what it’s going to take for us to build a fairer, and more equitable Canada. Here’s a hint: each of us has more power than we think we do.

Understanding, interrogating, and mobilizing new technologies requires care, diligence, and diversity. When it comes to equitable, accessible healthcare, we require heaps and heaps of such considerations. So, in this episode we ask: What does artificial intelligence mean for the future of equitable, accessible healthcare? 

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Dr. Rim Khazal, an expert on AI policy who holds a PhD in Neuroscience from Carleton University.

In this week’s episode, host Kate Graham talks to Dr. Rosie Campbell, Dr. Sarah Liu, and Dr. Jennifer Piscopo about political culture, systemic bias, and what else lies at the core of women in leadership getting no second chances.

The war in Ukraine has produced millions of additional refugees. Many are being welcomed around the world, as they should be. But as news media and states treat the Ukrainian crisis differently than others, a question lingers: Who gets to be a migrant – and where? 

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary-General of Amnesty International Canada.

Join host Kate Graham as she talks to the University of Namibia’s Paulus Mwetulundila, as well as the incredible Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhilaa on Namibia’s fight for independence, a 32-year-old constitution, and what zebras have to do with gender equity.

This week on No Second Chances, host Kate Graham talks civic culture, gender parity, and female leadership styles with Dr. Jennifer Piscopo, expert in gender and politics in Latin America, and the one and only Laura Chinchilla, former President of Costa Rica.

This week on No Second Chances, host Kate Graham talks civic culture, gender parity, and female leadership styles with Dr. Jennifer Piscopo, expert in gender and politics in Latin America, and the one and only Laura Chinchilla, former President of Costa Rica.

The case for reparations in the Caribbean and beyond is bound up with the past and present of racial capitalism – a form of racialized economic, social, and political extraction, exploitation, and domination. To understand how this system works, how it might be undone, and what is owed from centuries of its existence, we ask: What is racial capitalism and the case for reparations?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Erica Ifill, race and equity expert, co-host of the Bad and Bitchy podcast, and founder of Not In My Colour – an anti-racism and equity consultancy.

This week on No Second Chances, host Kate Graham explores the challenges - and global effects - of politics and gender in the United States with three brilliant academics: Dr. Kelly Dittmar, political scientist and Director of Research at the Center of American Women and Politics; Dr. Nadia Brown, a professor of government and Chair of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Georgetown University; and Dr. Malliga Och, a political scientist and gender and politics expert from Idaho State University.

It’s cheap and easy to try to apply a one-size-fits-all analysis to all who push back against the state. That impulse should be resisted. We ought to distinguish between forms of protests and between morally just and unjust causes. That work starts by understanding how different movements are treated differently in the current climate, including by asking: Who gets to protest? 

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Mskwaasin Agnew, an Indigenous activist and knowledge keeper.

On this episode of Everyday Reconciliation, host Elin Miller speaks with Chief Leanne Joe, Transformative Storyteller for Economic Reconciliation with Simon Fraser University and one of sixteen hereditary chiefs of the Squamish First Nation about why economic reconciliation is hard to define, and why every Canadian should care about it.

On this episode of Everyday Reconciliation, host Elin Miller speaks with Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Mary May Simon about her path to Rideau Hall, her plans as governor general, and her lifelong goal of building better understanding between Indigenous people and other Canadians.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Manuel Hinds, former minister of finance in El Salvador, former division chief at the World Bank, and author of In Defense of Liberal Democracy: What We Need To Do To Heal A Divided America.

On this episode of Everyday Reconciliation, host Elin Miller speaks with Deborah Chatsis, former Ambassador to Vietnam and Guatemala, about life in the Canadian foreign service, representing Canada as an Indigenous person, and how we can - and should - approach nation-to-nation relationships within Canada with the same as we do around the globe.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Chris Keefer, ER doctor, founder and director of Doctors for Nuclear Energy, and host of the podcast Decouple.

On this episode of No Second Chances, host Kate Graham talks to Jacqueline O’Neill, Anjum Sultana, and Melanee Thomas to take stock of the past two years in Canadian politics, and how we can - and must - do better.

On this episode of Everyday Reconciliation, host Elin Miller speaks with Inuit activist Siila Watt-Cloutier on life in the North, her decades-long work tying human rights to climate activism, and using lessons from a traditional upbringing to turn the Arctic into a model of sustainability for the globe.

On this episode of Everyday Reconciliation, host Elin Miller speaks with Val Napoleon, an activist, educator, and the interim Dean of Law at University of Victoria, about Indigenous legal frameworks, and how essential they are to self-governance, Indigenous knowledge and culture, and reconciliation.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks once more with Amanda Watson, feminist theorist, lecturer at Simon Fraser University and author of The Juggling Mother: Coming Undone in the Age of Anxiety. 

After this episode, the show is on break until January 18, 2022. We’ll return in the new year to tackle a handful of pressing issues including nuclear energy, disability rights, big data and the state, and more.  

On this episode of Everyday Reconciliation, host Elin Miller speaks with Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, Arlen Dumas, about his experience growing up on-reserve, understanding what it means for communities to be in “co-management”, and his optimism for the future of Indigenous sovereignty.

Everyday Reconciliation is presented by Rio Tinto.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Balarama Holness, Quebec politician, recent Montreal mayoral candidate, and former CFL safety. 

On this episode of Everyday Reconciliation, host Elin Miller speaks to Sergeant (Sgt) (Ret'd) Derek Montour about what it means to serve your country and protect your community, and the difficulty of those two things being at odds with one another.

Everyday Reconciliation is presented by Rio Tinto.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Steven Koonin, University Professor at New York University and Director of the Center for Urban Science and Progress, former Undersecretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy under President Obama, and author of Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters.

On this episode of @ Risk, Jodi Butts is joined by Stanley McChrystal, four star U.S. Army General (retired), lecturer at Yale University and corporate board director, to discuss his new book, Risk: A User’s Guide, and why we are our greatest risk. 

On this episode of Everyday Reconciliation, host Elin Miller speaks to The Honourable Michael McLeod, the MP for the Northwest Territories about his life in politics, Indigenous representation in Canadian government, and what it takes to get a seat at the table.

Note for listeners: this conversation was recorded before the results of the most recent Canadian federal election were finalised. The conversation indicates that there are 10 sitting Indigenous MPs, where as in actuality there are now 12.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Joanna Chiu, senior reporter with the Toronto Star and author of China Unbound: A New World Disorder. 

On this episode of Everyday Reconciliation, host Elin Miller speaks to them about their project: the 150 Acts of Reconciliation.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with David Fisman, professor of epidemiology at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public Health. 

On this episode of @Risk, Jodi Butts is joined by Sara Rotenberg, who self-identifies as a disabled advocate and is a DPhil student in the Nuffield Department of Primacy Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, where she studies as a Rhodes Scholar, to discuss her research, insights and lived experience.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-no-substitute-for-lived-experience/

In this first episode of Everyday Reconciliation, host Elin Miller speaks to TRC commissioner Marie Wilson and former Premier of the Northwest Territories Stephen Kakfwi about what individual Canadians can do to help implement the Calls. Content warning: This conversation mentions sexual abuse and may be upsetting for some listeners.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Vass Bednar, Executive Director of the Master of Public Policy Program at McMaster University, Public Policy Forum Fellow, and the writer of Regs to Riches.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with candidates from three of the country’s major political parties: Angella MacEwen of the New Democratic Party, Annamie Paul, leader of the Green Party, and Nathaniel Erskine-Smith of the Liberal Party. The Conservative Party was invited to participate but declined.

The interviews for this episode were recorded at different times and on different dates, beginning with the NDP, followed by the Green Party, and, finally, the Liberal Party. Changes during the writ period after recording will not be reflected in the interviews.

For our season opener of the @Risk podcast, host Jodi Butts speaks with Sara Austin, world class champion for children and the Founder and CEO of Children First Canada, about why Canada is year over year a worse place for kids to grow up and what we can do to change that.

For this milestone moment, we are excited to welcome a special guest to help us navigate the question: What is the state of Canada’s courts? Plus, as a bonus, we get into the topic of...thriller novels and the virtues of Stephen King.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, jurist, former and longest-serving Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, and author of three books, including the upcoming thriller Denial.

On the final episode of Season 1 of @ Risk, host Jodi Butts speaks with Dan Gardner to discuss whether preparing for the full array of low-probability high-consequence events is as important as preparing for another pandemic?

It doesn’t have to be this way. There are alternative economic systems to capitalism; there are also alternative market arrangements within capitalism--or something like it. One such model sees workers as the owners and beneficiaries of enterprise. So, we ask: What’s the case for employee-owned businesses?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Jon Shell, managing director and partner of Social Capital Partners.

The fact is that the role of an MP often depends on the member, the party, and context of the day. But as elusive as a simple rundown of the gig may be, it’s still worth asking: Can members of Parliament break the mold?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, member of Parliament for Beaches-East York and member of the Liberal Party of Canada.

The story of same-sex marriage in the United States is long and complicated. But one author has distilled this history into an accessible and engrossing tale of policy, legal, and personal battles. Yet while the book ends in a ruling for justice and equality, the story of 2SLGBTQ+ rights in the United States continues. And so do the battles. So, we ask: What is the future of same-sex marriage in the United States?

On this live episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Sasha Issenberg, American journalist and author of four books, including his latest, The Engagement: America’s Quarter-Century Struggle Over Same-Sex Marriage.

Even as we celebrate Pride, the Canadian government is fighting to uphold a discriminatory policy that requires men who have recently had sex with men to wait three months before they can donate blood. The state’s intransigence reminds us that political sloganeering is one thing, but true and complete equality in practice is another. So, we must ask: What is the state of 2SLGTBQ+ rights in Canada?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Chris Karas, a human rights advocate who is challenging the blood donation deferral policy that applies to men who have sex with men, and Gregory Ko, a human rights lawyer at Kastner Lam LLP who represents Karas.

Jodi Butts is joined by The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney to gain his wise counsel on how to build a reputation that can withstand and outlast the fray.

Indeed, the foundation itself is fundamentally flawed. One could—and should—point out the country’s inequities and inequalities, embedded colonialism, vestigial electoral system, and so forth. But on this episode, our focus is on a sort of immanent critique of Canada’s Westminster system itself, on its own terms. And so we ask: What’s wrong with Canada’s democracy?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Emmett Macfarlane, associate professor of political science at the University of Waterloo and author of Constitutional Pariah: Reference re Senate Reform and the Future of Parliament.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-the-mother-of-all-risks-with-brian-gallant/

Just over a year later, as the end of the pandemic begins, the two revisit that conversation. This time the focus is on processing...all of this, with special attention given to the question: How are we managing late-pandemic anxiety and what will a return to “normal” look like?

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-pressing-forward-with-hayley-wickenheiser/

As more of us get the jab, states, including Canada, are considering vaccine certification programs for domestic use, foreign travel, or both. But concerned individuals, including health, privacy, and social science experts, are raising a number of concerns with the idea. While a vaccine “passport” might intuitively seem like a good idea, it’s fraught with risks and trade-offs, leaving us to ask: Should we adopt vaccine certification programs?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Françoise Baylis, University Research Professor, bioethicist, and author of Altered Inheritance: CRISPR and the Ethics of Human Genome Editing.

On this episode of @ Risk, Jodi is joined by Tareq Hadhad, the Canadian entrepreneur behind Peace by Chocolate and former refugee who fled war-torn Syria with his family. Jodi is also joined by Marcello Di Cintio, an award-winning travel author who in his latest non-fiction book, Driven, beautifully tells the stories of the men and women behind the wheels of Canada’s taxis. Buckle your seat belts! You’re in for a risky ride!

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-crossing-borders-with-tareq-hadhad-and-marcello-di-cintio/

Listen to a conversation between Minister Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Canadian Heritage, in conversation with Anja Karadeglija, Parliamentary Reporter at the National Post, exploring Canada’s approach to reducing the harms of digital technology on democracy and public life, as well as a follow up panel with Laura Tribe, Executive Director of Open Media, Will Perrin, Trustee at Carnegie Trust UK, and Vivek Krishnamurthy, the Samuelson-Glushko Professor of Law and Director of Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic.

Understanding wireless and broadband policy requires us to dig into the state of the industry, competition or a lack thereof, the question of nationalization, the role of the Competition Bureau and the CRTC, and more. Eventually, we get to answer the big question: Why are our wireless and broadband bills so high?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Michael Geist, Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa and Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-from-apathy-to-climate-action-with-andri-snaer-magnaso%e2%80%aan%e2%80%ac/

Answering these questions requires us to start by understanding what it even means to be “left-wing.” It requires us to trace the history of Canada’s left, to look around the world, and to embrace the tensions, even contradictions, of contemporary left politics. It also requires us to ask: What is the future of Canada’s left?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Christo Aivalis, historian, writer, left YouTuber, host of the podcast Left Turn, Canada, and author of The Constant Liberal: Pierre Trudeau, Organized Labour, and the Canadian Social Democratic Left.

On this special episode of @ Risk, Jodi Butts is joined by Col. Chris Hadfield and Dr. Farah Alibay to discuss how they engineered their successes in space, and other lessons relatable to our more earthy daily lives.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-rockets-rovers-and-reaching-for-the-stars-with-dr-farah-alibay-and-col-chris-hadfield/

Precarious work, low pay, inadequate staffing, neglect, abuse, unreasonable waitlist times, poor communication, and the urge to put profit before people condition much of the long-term care sector. Because of that, the most vulnerable among us suffer and die. Things could be different. So, how can we solve our long-term care crisis?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Vivian Stamatopoulos, associate teaching professor at Ontario Tech University and LTC advocate.

On this episode of @Risk, host Jodi Butts is joined by Dr. John O’Connor, the winner of the inaugural Peter Bryce Prize honouring individuals whose courage in speaking up about wrongdoing has served the public interest, as well as by David Yazbeck, lawyer and Advisory Board Member to the Centre for Freedom of Expression’s Whistleblower Initiative, to discuss why we need whistleblowers and how the Canadian and provincial governments can better protect them.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-blowing-the-whistle-with-dr-john-oconnor-and-david-yazbeck/

How do we simultaneously celebrate this podcast and process what the last year has meant? Well, mostly we make jokes for about an hour. And talk about trains. How else would we proceed?

So, without further delay: How are you doing?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Brittlestar -- Stewart Reynolds -- comedian, video-maker extraordinaire, and, according to his website, The Internet’s Favourite Dad* (*unproven).

On this episode of @Risk, Jodi Butts is joined by Dr. Samir Sinha, geriatrician and Health Policy Research Director for the National Institute on Ageing, and Vass Bednar, Executive Director of McMaster University’s Master of Public Policy Program, to discuss the policy opportunities for improving the risk profiles of older Canadians and Millennials.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-talkin-bout-generation-risk-profiles/

Listen to a conversation between John Podesta, Founder, Center for American Progress and Former Chief of Staff to the President of the United States, and Gerald Butts, Vice Chairman and Senior Advisor, Eurasia Group and Former Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as they discuss the ways policy makers, business leaders and citizens on both sides of the border can work together to seize this moment.

While approaches to good communication work may vary, there are some strategies and tactics that ought to be more common. For instance, meeting people where they are, rather than expecting them to come to you. That is precisely what this week’s guest does. He answers the question: How should we talk about public health during a pandemic?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Dr. Naheed Dosani, palliative care physician, Lecturer in the Department of Family & Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University and health justice activist.

Listen to a conversation between Dr. Vera Etches, Medical Officer of Health, Ottawa Public Health, Dr. Vivek Goel, Professor, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Dr. Gail Beck, Clinical Director, Youth Psychiatry Program, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre, moderated by Nadine Yousif, Mental Health Reporter, Toronto Star.

On this episode of @Risk, host Jodi Butts is joined by University of Toronto professor and author of On Property, Rinaldo Walcott, to discuss his radically optimistic prescription for a different kind of freedom that goes daringly beyond greater representation of Black and Indigenous people in positions of authority.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-flipping-the-property-risk-script-with-rinaldo-walcott/

The rise of white supremacist and hate organisations poses a threat to Canadaians. These groups and their members must face consequences for their actions. They ought to be resisted and, ultimately, dismantled. But how should that be done? What risks attend to the expansion or further entrenchment of the national security state? Should white supremacist groups be designated as terrorist organizations?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Harsha Walia, director of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association and author of the forthcoming book Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism

On this episode of Crisis to Resilience, you’ll hear from Pamela Fralick, the President of Innovative Medicines Canada about the drug policies and investments that can contribute to a healthier more resilient Canada.

On this episode of @Risk, Jodi Butts speaks with F5 Networks’ Global Head of AI, Stanford lecturer and former Googler, Shuman Ghosemajumder to find out if cyber security can keep pace with the evolving threats.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-risk-networked-with-shuman-ghosemajumder/

This episode is not about names, but about histories, experiences, power, and the question: How does institutionalized racism shape the music industry?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Lady A, a blues, soul, funk, and gospel singer who has released five solo albums, the latest of which is Lady A: Live in New Orleans. We also hear from John Oliver III, Lady A’s Seattle based producer. 

You'll hear from the Hon. Seamus O'Regan, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, and the Hon. Anne McLellan, Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones, and former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada.

On this episode of @Risk, host Jodi Butts speaks with national best-selling writer and professor of philosophy, Mark Kingwell, about his new book, “On Risk or If You Play, You Pay: The Politics of Chance in a Plague Year.” Beyond our daily COVID risk calculations, lies a white space of opportunity for greater fairness and meaning.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/@Risk-09-Mark-Kingwell-3.pdf

But what if deficits and the debt did not induce the constraints we thought? Modern monetary theory invites us to think about money and government spending in a new way, opening up possibilities that were seemingly out of reach before. But is the promise too good to be true? On this episode we take a look and ask: Who’s afraid of modern monetary theory?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Stephanie Kelton, Senior Fellow at the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, Professor of Economics and Public Policy at Stony Brook University, and author of The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People’s Economy.

In part 2 of Indigenous Economic Reconciliation, you'll hear from Chrystal Smith, Chief of the Haisla Nation Council, Dawn Madahbee Leach, General Manager, Waubetek, Clayton Walker, President & CEO, Iron Ore Company of Canada, and more.

In part 1 of Indigenous Economic Reconciliation, you'll hear from the Hon. Marc Miller, Canada's Minister of Indigenous Services, and Tabatha Bull, President & CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business.

Among the many manifestations of Canada’s legacy and present-day colonialism is a healthcare and healing crisis in which Indigenous Peoples are overrepresented among those struggling. The challenge calls for decolonization, including robust, structural changes informed by the answers to the question: How we can re-imagine Indigenous healthcare and healing?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with elder Alma Brooks of the Native Women’s Association of Canada.

On this episode of @Risk, Jodi Butts speaks with Canadian author Emily St. John Mandel, whose two most recent books, The Glass Hotel, and Station Eleven, follow characters impacted by disaster. Emily and Jodi explore the real and fictional risks we choose and the ones that choose us.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-fictional-meltdowns-with-emily-st-john-mandel/

In Keeping Canada Connected: Part 2 of the Crisis to Resilience series, we hear from the Hon. Maryam Monsef, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Woman and Gender Equality, and Sarah Minnes, President of the Canadian Rural Revitalization Fund.

In Keeping Canada Connected: Part 1 of the Crisis to Resilience series, Canada 2020's Alex Paterson speaks with Simon Kennedy from Industry, Science and Economic Development Canada, Michèle Beck from Telesat, Willa Black from CISCO, and Dean Prevost from Rogers.

In Canada, the idea of a universal basic income has been circulating for decades. However, as the discussions and debates around our post-pandemic world pick up, it’s an idea that is enjoying a moment. And so on this episode, we ask: Should Canada adopt a universal basic income?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Armine Yalnizyan, Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Work at the Atkinson Foundation.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-the-calls-coming-from-inside-journalism/

The question of concern, therefore, is not whether we’ll develop a Covid-19 vaccine or whether it will be safe and effective. The question of concern is ‘Who will get the Covid-19 vaccine--and when?’

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Dr. Alan Bernstein, president and CEO of the Canada-based global research organization CIFAR and member of Canada’s Covid-19 vaccine task force.

The presidential election was closer than many expected, despite Joe Biden winning more votes than any contender in U.S. history. We are left with questions about the Biden campaign strategy, polling, and the state and future of American elections and democracy. For now we ask: What just happened, America?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Steven D’Souza, New York correspondent for CBC News.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-risk-for-arts-and-americas-sake/

On this episode of @Risk, Jodi Butts sits down with former U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Bruce Heyman, and former cultural envoy, Vicki Heyman, to discuss the risks on the U.S. presidential ballot, as well as what it all may mean for the Canada - U.S. relationship.

To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risks-on-the-ballot-in-the-us-election-with-bruce-and-vicki-heyman/

But will the US election be free and fair? For years, Trump has been working to undermine the integrity of American electoral institutions. He has refused to say whether he’ll recognize the results of the vote. He has attacked the postal service and postal balloting. He has made unfounded and incorrect claims of voter fraud. When stacked alongside gerrymandering and long waits to vote, there are more than a few reasons for concern.

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Adam Gopnik, staff writer with the New Yorker and author of, among many other books, A Thousand Small Sanities: The Moral Adventure of Liberalism.

Decriminalizing drugs reduces harm and saves lives. That’s what the evidence says. The policy is supported by the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse and Addiction, and many, many others. So, should Canada decriminalize drugs?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Scott Bernstein, Director of Policy with the Canadian Drug Policy Coalition.

Hear how these parents carried out their risk decision-making responsibilities during a September unlike any other. We explore their policy ideas for what could have made the decision easier and better informed, and consider how to move towards a safer, more equitable and better functioning public education system.

Hear why risk is all of our business, why we should always be ready for things to go wrong, and other lessons relatable to our more earthy daily lives.

Stretching back to the 18th century, the United States has routinely faced democratic crises, but this time may be different. The country now faces the confluence and overlapping of several types of threat, leaving us to ask: Can democracy survive in the United States of America?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Dr. Robert C. Lieberman, Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University and co-author, along with Dr. Suzanne Mettler, of Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy.

While social media offers opportunities, it also comes with risks and costs. At times, it becomes an utter wasteland: a haven for harassment  and a steward of violence. One way to manage such behaviour online is by holding people to account for their speech and actions. But how should that be done? And by whom? Or, more to the point: What does accountability look like in the era of social media?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Julie Lalonde. She is an internationally recognized women's rights advocate, public educator, and the author of Resilience is Futile: The Life and Death of Julie Lalonde.

The struggles we face are shaped by factors we control, and factors we cannot control. Managing and solving big problems requires structural changes and action from those in positions of authority. However, we may not be without personal psychological tools to help us manage our lives day-to-day. One such implement is resilience -- a capacity to resist and to recover that can be developed, sharpened, and put to good use. The question is: Can we build resilience in a crisis?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Komal Minhas, interviewer, entrepreneur, and resilience educator. She also hosts a podcast, which you can find on her website at komal.com.

In Canada, John A. Macdonald has been the focus of those who point out that his role in Indigenous genocide renders him unfit for monumental veneration. Those who come to the first prime minister’s defence argue we shouldn’t “erase” history. But whose history would that be? And, moreover, as we ask in this episode: Can history be erased?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Jim Daschuk, historian, assistant professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina, and author of Clearing the Plains: Disease, Politics of Starvation, and the Loss of Aboriginal Life.

In part 2 of this episode, Gerry shares his unique perspective about some of the most significant public policy impacts of this pandemic, and considers Canada’s road to recovery.

In part 1 of this episode, they discuss climate change in the context of a pandemic, what the new economy might look like post-pandemic, and the challenges that lie ahead.

Previously, going back to 1946, Canada had won each of its bids for a UNSC seat. What is it about Canada’s contemporary foreign policy that led to the two losses? And beyond that do we need the United Nations Security Council?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Caroline Dunton, a doctoral student in political studies at the University of Ottawa who studies campaigns for seats on the United Nations Security Council and a researcher with the Centre for International Policy Studies.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Dan Gardner about how we cope with the uncertainty and unpredictability of this pandemic, and what we are all working towards. Dan Gardner is a New York Times best-selling author of books about psychology and decision-making, and a senior fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

As with many public health challenges, the effects and costs of the pandemic are distributed unequally, with marginalized individuals and groups often asked to do the most while facing a higher likelihood of becoming ill.

It may comfort us to say we’re all in this together. But that isn’t quite true, leaving us to ask: Whose pandemic is this?

On this bonus episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Arjumand Siddiqi, Canada Research Chair in Population Health Equity and Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.

On this episode, host Jodi Butts speaks with Jaykumar Menon, international human rights lawyer and founder of the Open Source Pharma Foundation about whether now is the time to experiment with developing a new model for vaccine discovery.

Despite state intransigence, one of the core demands gaining traction right now is the movement to ‘defund the police’. But what does that mean? And, moreover, could it happen? Are we on the brink of lasting, foundational change?

Is this time different?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Fabio Rojas, professor of sociology at Indiana University Bloomington.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Nelson Saddler, second year medical student at the University of Toronto, and member of the Black Medical Students’ Association at UofT, about race in healthcare during a pandemic.

In part 2 of this special 2-part conversation on the future of work post COVID19, host Jodi Butts speaks with Pedro Barata, Executive Director at the Future Skills Centre to discuss the skills that will be needed in a labour market transformed by COVID, automation and other factors.

In part 1 of this special 2-part conversation on the future of work post COVID19, host Jodi Butts speaks with Brittany Forsyth, Chief Talent Officer at Shopify about Shopify’s decision to shift to a digital workplace.

Tackling the climate crisis requires radical change, including adaptations to -- or perhaps upheavals of -- the social, political, and economic systems that have delivered us into this mess. Some people, however, argue that there is much we can and should want to keep of the old ways, not least of which may be the market economy.

That leaves us to ask: Can capitalism solve climate change? On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Tom Rand, venture capitalist and author of The Case of Climate Capitalism: Economic Solutions for a Planet in Crisis.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Ben Rhodes on the state of America in midst of a pandemic. Ben Rhodes is the author of the New York Times bestseller The World As It Is, the co-chair of National Security Action and an advisor to former President Barack Obama. From 2009-2017, Rhodes served as Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Michele McKenzie, principal of McKenzie Strategies about tourism in the time of COVID-19.

The American response to the pandemic has been criticized, appropriately, by just about everyone who is paying attention. And life in the time COVID-19 has just begun, which makes the following question even more important:

Can the United States of America manage the pandemic?

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Katie Simpson, CBC foreign correspondent based in Washington, D.C.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Julie Drury, the Strategic Lead, Patient Partnerships at the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement about why family care providers are 'Not Just a Visitor'. Melissa Jones joins to share her family's experience.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Dr. Sacha Bhatia about the redesign process of the health care system, and what it could look like in the long term in and beyond COVID’s shadow. Dr. Bhatia is a scientist at the Women's College Research Institute, the Chief Medical Innovation Officer and F.M. Hill Chair in Health System Solutions at the Women's College Hospital, a Cardiologist at the Women's College Hospital and University Health Network and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Dr. Alan Drummond about gun regulation as a public health issue. Dr. Drummond is an emergency doctor in Perth, Ontario, a member of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, co-chair of its Public Affairs Committee, which has long advocated for red flag laws to curb firearms suicides.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Dr. Anne Snowdon, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the University of Windsor’s Odette School of Business; Academic Chair of the World Health Innovation Network (WIN); and Scientific Director and CEO of SCAN Health, about how health care supply chains work and how they can be improved.

On episode 15 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks about race in Canada with Erica Ifill, economist, writer, entrepreneur, and co-host of the podcast Bad + Bitchy.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Willy Kruh, retired Global Chair, Consumer and Retail at KPMG, and business advisor to leading multinational consumer brands about the ever-changing impact of COVID19 on the retail industry.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Shelly Ambrose, the Executive Director and Publisher of The Walrus, about the impact of COVID19 on the arts and cultural community.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Shuman Ghosemajumder, CTO at Shape Security, about how COVID-19 is influencing our thinking about data privacy, security and our online identities.

Shuman Ghosemajumder is the co-founder of the Privacy Council at Google, the co-author of CGI Programming Unleashed, a contributing author to Crimeware, and a regular guest lecturer at Stanford.

The question, then, is ‘Can we protect our identity online?’

On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Debbie Gamble, Chief Officer, Innovation Labs and New Ventures, Interac, about just that.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Dr. Mario Cappelli, senior clinician-scientist, Ontario centre of excellence for child & youth mental health; clinical investigator CHEO RI, adjunct professor of psychology, psychiatry University of Ottawa- about how we can support our children’s social, emotional and mental health during this pandemic

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Dr. Samir Sinha, Director of Health Policy Research at the National Institute on Ageing at Ryerson University, and Director of geriatrics at Mount Sinai and the University Health Network in Toronto about how to help seniors get through the COVID-19 pandemic.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Dr. Kwame McKenzie, CEO of the Wellesley Institute, professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and Director of Health and Equity at the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health to discuss the social determinants of health and COVID-19.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Vivene Salmon, President of the Canadian Bar Association, about the impacts of COVID-19 on Canada’s legal system.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Dr. David Naylor - Professor of Medicine and President Emeritus at the University of Toronto, about Canada’s approach to COVID-19, and his big-picture forecast for what’s to come.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Alex Usher, President of Higher Education Strategy Associates about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the postsecondary education system.

Jodi also speaks with Gabrielle Menes, a third-year law student at UOttawa about how the pandemic is affecting her life as a student.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Bruce MacDonald, President and CEO of Imagine Canada, about how COVID-19 is impacting charities, nonprofits and social enterprises, and what some are doing to soften the blow.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Brett House, Deputy Chief Economist at Scotiabank about the impacts of COVID-19 on the Canadian economy, and how we can combat the looming economic recession.

On this episode of the 2020 Network, host Jodi Butts speaks with Dr. Keith Dobson, a professor of clinical psychology at the university of Calgary, about how we can look after our mental health during the COVID-19 outbreak, and tips for coping with stress and anxiety.

That’s why our team on the 2020 Network is focused on giving you some balanced perspective on the story as it develops.

For the next few weeks, Jodi Butts will host a special series going deeper into the scientific, policy, public health and economic forces at play with COVID-19.

On this episode, Jodi Butts speaks with Dr. Michael Gardam, Humber River Hospital’s Chief of Staff, and the Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto about how you can stay safe during a pandemic.

Toxic conceptions of masculinity are a threat to all of us; but they are also social constructions. As such, they can be deconstructed and reconstructed in the service of a healthier world for everyone.

But first, we must understand masculinity. Towards that end, we ask: What does it mean to become a man?

On episode 14 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks about masculinity with Rachel Giese, a journalist and the award-winning author of the book Boys: What It Means To Become A Man.

• Bill Charnetski, Executive Vice Presiden, PointClickCare
• Elizabeth Toller, Executive Director, Regulatory Innovation, Health Canada
• David Lee, Chief Regulatory Officer, Health Canada
• Jodi Butts, Independent Board Member, Aphria

Here’s what you can expect from Part 3 of this episode of 2020 live:

• Special Presentation: Global Context, Global RisksDr. James Orbinski, Dahdeleh Centre for Global Health Research, York University
• The 3 P’s of Health Politics in 2020 - Pharmacare, Provinces & PandemicTim Powers, Summa StrategiesAnne McGrath, National Director, NDPPeter Cleary, Santis Health

Here’s what you can expect from Part 2 of this episode of 2020 live:

• Presentation: Stepping into the Future of Treatment & Care in CanadaElizabeth Toller, Executive Director, Regulatory Innovation, Health CanadaDavid Lee, Chief Regulatory Officer, Health Canada
• In ConversationThe Hon. Mary NG, Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade
• In Conversation: Adopting Innovation on the Front LinesAlex Munter, President & CEO, CHEOJodi Butts, Independent Board Member

Here’s what you can expect from ​Part 1 of this episode of 2020 live​:

• Welcoming Presentation Dr. Sandy Buchman, President, Canadian Medical Association
• Presentation: Health Care Costs, Demographic Pressures & Emerging Challenges Mostafa Askari, Chief Economist, IFSD, uOttawa
• Panel Discussion: Growing the Health Innovation Ecosystem Matthew Collingridge, General Manager, Digital, GE Healthcare Janet Daglish, National Director, Bayshore Bill Charnetski, EVP PointClickCare

What purpose does direct action serve? For whom? Why not try other means to achieve your ends? In other words: Why protest?

On episode 14 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks about protest, civil disobedience, revolt, and revolution with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, curation editor at Buzzfeed News and co-host of the CBC podcast Party Lines.

But what the panel and its defenders take for granted cannot simply be asserted. We must ask: Does Canadian content need saving?

On episode 12 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks about the BTLR review, Canadian content and culture, the future of the CBC, and more with Daniel Bernhard, Executive Director of the advocacy organization Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.

Can Canada defend itself against foreign threats?

On episode 11 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks about the present and future of Canadian national defence with Richard Fadden, a retired civil servant who held a number of distinguished positions in the federal government, including Deputy Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Deputy Minister of National Defence, Director of the Canadian Intelligence Security Service, and National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada.

Does Canada need the monarchy?

On episode 10 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Dale Smith, a freelance journalist in the Parliamentary Press Gallery, author of The Unbroken Machine, and contributor of the upcoming book Royal Progress: Canada's Monarchy in an Age of Disruption, about the monarchy and its role in Canada’s past, present, and future.

On episode 8 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Tonda MacCharles, senior reporter with the Toronto Star in Ottawa, about the policies and politics of the months to come.

In this episode of 2020 Live covering the National Forum on Agri-Food, you’ll hear from Jean-Paul Gladu, President, and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, Priya Bapat, Consultant at The Economist Intelligence Unit, Bill DiMento, Vice-President of High Liner Foods, Tanya Woods, Managing Director at the Chamber of Digital Commerce Canada, and Noreen Lanigan, Director at Europe & North America Bord Bia (Ireland).

On episode 7 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Laura Tribe, executive director of Open Media, about digital rights and telecom policy in Canada.

Last month Canada 2020 held a free public event to discuss the challenges facing Canadians in the 2019 federal election. In this episode, you’ll hear a panel discussion from that event covering the issue of foreign interference. Panelists answer questions about what foreign interference looks like, the threat it poses to Canada, and how it's best prevented. Panelists include Richard Fadden, former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, former Deputy Minister of National Defence and former Director of CSIS, and Fen Hampson, Director of Global Security Research at the Centre for International Governance Innovation and Co-Director of the Global Commission on Internet Governance. Emma McIntosh, an investigative reporter with the National Observer, is the moderator.

Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean's, and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The three catch up after a week away to discuss the latest in the Mark Norman affair, how politicians at the federal and provincial level are pitching their climate plans, and the fallout from Alabama's strict abortion ban.