Brief Remarks

Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean's, and David Reevely of the Canadian Press. The three discuss: the ongoing canola crisis in Canada and trade tensions with China, spring flooding relief and municipal infrastructure dilemmas, and the Caster Semenya court ruling and the implications for female athletics.

Kelsey Johnson, agriculture reporter at iPolitics joins Sarah Turnbull to talk about the significance of canola production in Canada and why the industry is facing major uncertainties due to a "scientific-based disagreement" with China.

Host Alex Paterson sits down with Shawn McCarthy, national business correspondent for The Globe and Mail and president of the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom. Ahead of World Press Freedom Day on Friday May 3rd, the two talk about the state of Canadian journalism, what challenges journalists are facing, and what it means to achieve a free press.

Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean's, and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The three discuss the outcome of the P.E.I. election and what it means for the upcoming federal election, why Canada was paying close attention to the Ukrainian election, and the outcome of a report released by Canada's privacy commissioner scrutinizing Facebook's lack of privacy guidelines.

Stephanie MacLellan, senior research associate at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, joins Sarah Turnbull to unpack cyber security. The two discuss how cyber threats have changed over the years, who monitors suspicious behaviour online in Canada, how regulations are enforced, and why we should be prepared for interference in the upcoming federal election.

Host Alex Paterson sits down with David Moscrop, political theorist and author of Too Dumb For Democracy: Why we make bad political decisions and how we can make better ones. The two chat about David's new book, how the brain works in partisan environments, and social media's impact on democracy.

Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean's and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The trio discuss: the outcome of the Alberta election and what it means for the feds, why the Ontario government is fighting back against Ottawa's carbon tax plan, and reflecting on the devastating fire that engulfed the historic Notre-Dame Cathedral this week.

Last month the federal government unveiled their final budget before the fall election, and just last week Ontario's PC government unveiled their first budget since taking office. With all this talk about government budgets, we thought we would revisit Aaron Reynolds' conversation with Helaina Gaspard, director of governance and institutions at the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa. She explains debts, deficits, and how government spending actually works.

Senator Yuen Pau Woo, facilitator of the Independent Senators group (ISG), joins host Alex Paterson in the Canada 2020 event space to talk about what the ISG means for our parliamentary democracy, and how the chamber of sober second thought is working to rebuild trust with Canadians. Recorded live on March 6th, 2019.

Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean's and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The trio discuss: the reasons behind Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's lawsuit threat against Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer, how the Alberta election is shaping up and the wedge issues at play, and Facebook's decision to ban a handful of Canadian white nationalists.

The Alberta election is heating up, which means we're hearing a lot about pipelines. So, today we're revisiting Aaron Reynolds' conversation with Canadian and environmental history professor at York University Sean Kheraj about their history, purpose and why they're so controversial.  

Host Alex Paterson speaks with one of Canada's visionary dance educators, Mavis Staines, another recipient of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. The two chat about the beginning of her career as a travelling ballet soloist, the importance of accessible arts programming, and what's in store for Canada's National Ballet School.

Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean's and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The trio discuss: the latest in the SNC-Lavalin affair, including the ousting of Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal caucus; reaction to Quebec Premier François Legault's proposed secularization bill; and saying goodbye to the Canadian Women's Hockey League.

Today we're recirculating host Aaron Reynolds' timely conversation with Mark Cameron, executive director of Canadians for Clean Prosperity, to unpack carbon pricing. The two chat about the origins of the concept, how CO2 emissions are measured, how tax mechanisms are enforced, and where the money ends up.

Host Alex Paterson chats with one of Canada's top stage and screen actors, Colm Feore, another recipient of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards. The two chat about Feore's American roots, his upbringing in Southwestern Ontario, his extensive career in theatre, TV, and film, and contributing to a larger artistic vision.

Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean's and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The trio discuss: updates to the SNC-Lavalin controversy including, Liberal MPs pushing back against Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott, committee investigations, and the company's backtracking of their CEO's comments about job losses; Andrew Scheer's mass-text to throw shade on the Liberal's carbon tax plan; fallout from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report; and Apple's Monday announcement unveiling new subscription services.

Anne Connelly, member of the blockchain faculty at Singularity University in Silicon Valley, explains to Aaron Reynolds what blockchain is, how it came about, and its real-world applications.  

Host Alex Paterson kicks off a series of interviews with the 2019 recipients of the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards with a conversation with one of Canada's most treasured political and social commentators, Rick Mercer. Rick will receive the Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award on April 27. The two talk about his celebrated career as a broadcaster, his current endeavours, and the state of Canadian comedy.