Brief Remarks

The pandemic isn’t over. Someday, it will be. But we aren’t there yet. We are, however, at a critical juncture – a fork in the road at which we can choose another path forward. Today, we ought to be devoting much of our attention to an analysis of how we can rebuild or remake our social, political, and economic institutions in ways that serve us more effectively, sustainably, and equitably. 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.

After two seasons of conversations about our increasingly risky world, @Risk is taking a break. But before that, we want to look back on some of our favourite conversations through this series. 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.

In the first year of the pandemic, police-reported hate crimes rose by 37 percent. That’s from a recent Statistics Canada report that recorded 2,669 incidents in 2020 – the highest number since such data became available in 2009. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. No one who has been paying attention to the rise in hateful rhetoric, threats, and the growing mobilization of white supremacists in Canada will be surprised by this data. But it’s shocking and troubling nonetheless. 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.

After two seasons of conversations about our increasingly risky world, @Risk is taking a break. But before that, we want to look back on some of our favourite conversations through this series. 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.

In the United States, a leaked draft opinion on the constitutional right to abortion has put those who support choice on high-alert. The constitutional protection of that right is at risk, putting the well-being and lives of millions in the path of peril as the country tilts ever further towards Christian theocracy. 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.

On this episode of @ Risk, Jodi Butts is joined by Mark Podlasy (Nlaka’pamux Nation), the Director of Economic Policy and Initiatives at the First Nations Major Projects Coalition, to discuss how the righting of our nation’s greatest shame can help address one of the world’s top catastrophic risks.

There’s nothing like coming home after a long trip. It makes us appreciate wherever home is, but also opens up our eyes to some of the ways it could be, well, better. 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.

Artificial intelligence is shaping healthcare in Canada and around the world. The role of AI in delivering care will evolve and, indeed, grow. As a series of tools, it offers opportunities for patients and practitioners; yet, as with any technology, it comes with risks. As with any tool, AI will only be as good as those who create and operate it. Given who we are – and our track record – that ought to give us pause.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.

On this episode of @Risk, Jodi Butts is joined by the Chair of the largest academic department of family medicine in the world at the University of Toronto, Dr. Danielle Martin, to discuss why it’s so hard to find a family doc and what we can do to fix that.

The No Second Chances world tour has taken us to Denmark, Taiwan, Chile, New Zealand, the US, Costa Rica, and Namibia. But before we land back at Canadian Arrivals, let’s take a step back and see what patterns have emerged. 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.

On this episode of @Risk, Jodi Butts is joined by former Canadian Ambassador to the United States of America, David McNaughton, to discuss the fractured state of that nation and how we might escape a similar fate in Canada.

This week on No Second Chances we’ve landed in Namibia, at last visiting the final continent of our world tour. And - for the first time this season - we’re letting a man join the conversation. 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.

On this episode of @ Risk, Jodi Butts is joined by Ontario Liberal Party candidate for Spadina-Fort York, Chi Nguyen, to discuss the risks on the ballot in the upcoming Ontario provincial election.

White sand beaches, lush rain forests, and… gender quotas in the legislature since 1991? Welcome to 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.

As Prince William and Kate Middleton wrap up their Jubilee tour of the Caribbean, Barbados and Jamaica are moving towards becoming republics, casting doubt on the future of the Commonwealth. Ahead of the royal visit to Jamaica, more than 100 prominent Jamaicans signed an open letter to the prince and duchess, calling for “an apology for British crimes against humanity” alongside reparations.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.

On this episode of @Risk, Jodi Butts is joined by comedian, best-selling author and television star, Mark Critch, to discuss political comedy and comedic politics.

When Canadians talk politics, it’s only a matter of time before the conversation turns to our neighbours to the south. 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.

As Canada and the world watched a convoy roll across the country to Ottawa, occupy the capital, and terrorize the city, those who have long warned about the risks of the far-right and white supremacists reminded us that this has been a long time coming. Canada has long ignored and neglected growing extremist movements while condemning, suppressing, and over policing morally just protest and state resistance. 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 @ Risk, Jodi Butts is joined by Swedish economist, former politician and Executive Director of the Global Risks Foundation, Jens Orback, to discuss the world’s top global catastrophic risks.

This week on No Second Chances, we’re taking a look at a country led by one of the most well-known, and respected, female leaders out there. Welcome to New Zealand. Host Kate Graham explores lush landscapes and progressive politics with American-born New Zealand politician Julie Anne Genter, and High Commissioner to Australia, Dame Annette King, in the hopes of understanding how the country has managed to elect not one, not two, but three female prime ministers.