Brief Remarks

Today on the show, Canada 2020 Executive Director Alex Paterson is joined by Kim Rudd, former Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources, and Michel Trepanier, President of the Quebec Building Trades Council, to talk about their new report Real Jobs, Real Recovery and how we navigate a natural resource sector at a crucial crossroads for recovery.

It is often the people who care the most about an institution who also dare to raise the problems within it. On this episode of @Risk, Jodi Butts speaks candidly with Jeff Jarvis, an American journalist, professor and media pundit’s pundit, and Nana aba Duncan, an award-winning broadcaster, William Southam Journalism Fellow and founder of Media Girlfriends, about some of the overlooked internal threats to journalism and how they can be overcome. To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-the-calls-coming-from-inside-journalism/

On this episode of Crisis to Resilience, Canada 2020's Alex Paterson sits down with Robert Asselin, currently the Senior Vice President at the Business Council of Canada, and former Director of Policy to the Hon. Bill Morneau. The Business Council's new report - Powering a Strong Recovery - lays out a recovery plan for our economy. But, as Alex and Robert discuss, even though times are unprecedented, many of Canada’s challenges (and opportunities) brought on by COVID aren’t exactly new.

Around the world, the race is on to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. So far, nearly 200 candidates are in the works, including dozens at the human-trial stage. The optimistic experts tell us that a vaccine could be ready this year or early next, and set for distribution by mid-to-late 2021. The pessimists suggest it could take longer. But few doubt that we will be able to produce a vaccine. 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.

In the United States, the votes have been cast. In some jurisdictions, they are still being counted despite the best efforts of President Trump to stop it. But counted they will be. 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.

Crisis to Resilience is a new Canada 2020 virtual series exploring how we can build a more resilient future for all Canadians. In this episode, Canada 2020's Alex Paterson speaks with the Hon. Mona Fortier,  Canadian Minister for Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance, about the immediate action taken by the Canadian government to support the most vulnerable Canadians impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, and why it is crucial to consider the social impacts of  emergency fiscal policies.

It's election day in America and to mark the occasion, Jodi Butts speaks with internationally acclaimed American painter and sculptor, Eric Fischl, the artist behind the controversial sculpture, Tumbling Woman, inspired by the events of 9/11. Art has forever been a risky endeavour. The artist can never control how any person reacts to their creation. That reaction though -- whether positive or negative -- can reveal the soul of the beholder and a nation. To read the full transcript of this episode visit: https://canada2020.ca/risk-risk-for-arts-and-americas-sake/

Crisis to Resilience is a new Canada 2020 virtual series exploring how we can build a more resilient future for all Canadians. Listen to our first episode featuring the Hon. Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier of Ontario and Ontario Minister of Health, speaking with Canada 2020's Alex Paterson, about Ontario’s response to the pandemic, what we've learnt, and what the future might look like.

When America votes for its President, Canada tends to catch election fever but, with all that’s at stake this time around, it feels like a matter of duty to pay attention. 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/

On Tuesday, November 3rd, Americans will head to the polls in the country’s 59th election. After four years in power, Donald Trump’s presidency is on the ballot and on the ropes—things are not looking good for the incumbent. 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.

To read the full transcript of this episode, click here.

Over 500,000 people die around the world each year from drug use, and  the vast majority of those deaths are related to opioids. Thousands of the lives lost are Canadian lives. The old ways of thinking about, legislating around, and policing drug use have failed. New ways of thinking about drug policy, including an emphasis on safe supply, destigmatization, and treatment are ascendent. But more must be done. 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.

Risk is all of our business but some decisions really bring it home. On this episode of @Risk, Jodi Butts speaks with four parents about their decision to return their children to in-person learning in public schools. 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.

On the premiere episode of @Risk, host Jodi Butts speaks with Col. Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station, New York Times bestselling author and YouTube sensation. Mr. Hadfield has spent his entire life being careful with risk, visualizing defeat and then figuring out how to prevent it. 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.

In Canada, the opioid crisis has killed thousands of people and continues to claim more lives each and every day. In August, British Columbia marked its third straight month with over 170 deaths by overdose - and its fifth-straight month with over 100 lives lost. In Canada’s westernmost province, the crisis has been, by far, deadlier than covid-19. While there is no panacea for the crisis, there are policies that can reduce harm and save lives. Those policies require political will and cooperation across federal, provincial, and municipal jurisdictions. To date, these political efforts have been slow and insufficient. More must be done, and done quickly. To better understand what that “more” is we must ask: How can we solve the opioid crisis? On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Travis Lupick, a Vancouver-based, award-winning journalist and author of Fighting for Space: How a Group of Drug Users Transformed One City’s Struggle with Addiction (2018).

Democracy is in decline in the United States of America. While President Trump is hastening that decline, he is neither the initial nor the sole cause of it. Indeed, prior to Trump’s election, the Economist, in its Democracy Index, downgraded the USA from “Full Democracy” to “Flawed Democracy,” citing the concerns that would help give rise to the 45th president. 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.

For over a year, Open to Debate has brought you smart, witty and thoughtful political conversations on current affairs, to help make sense of today's politics and policy, in Canada and around the world. At its core, Open to Debate is a space for agreeable disagreement, driven by the belief that honest, meaningful and vigorous discussion are essential to democracy. Open to Debate returns this fall. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Social media has opened up opportunities for sharing, networking, self-expression, and collaboration that were previously difficult, if not impossible for many. In plenty of ways, it has pluralized and democratized communication. 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 year 2020 will be, for many, the most difficult year of their life. And yet, there will still be difficult years ahead. We are living through a pandemic. We are facing structural shifts in the global order. We are witnessing the decline of democracy, or at least its stagnation. We are grappling with climate change. 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 the United States, the United Kingdom, and around the world, protestors are defacing and toppling statues of figures whose legacy of deeds include oppression, violence, and death. While these monuments purport to celebrate these individuals for other reasons, the mere presence of such tributes speaks to a particular construction and understanding of history. 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.