WONK

In the season three opener, Policy Speaking sits down with two Commissioners from the Canadian Commission on Democratic Expression Amira Elghawaby & The Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin. Public opinion and these experts agree: the time to regulate social media has arrived. They discuss findings of a new report "Harms Reduction: A Six-Step Program to Protect Democratic Expression Online", released by the Commission in parallel with findings from the Citizens’ Assembly on Democratic Expression. They tackle harmful behaviour and online hate speech, and what we can do to address these on online platforms while still defending Canadian's rights to free speech.

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If there's a silver lining to COVID, it may be the acceleration of the availability of virtual mental health services. Provinces and institutions had moved very quickly to digitize services, speeding up a transition that needed to happen anyway. Two-thirds of Canadians are reporting their mental health is good, and are feeling confident in their ability to cope with COVID. Research is showing that employers – in particular – can play a big part in buoying the mental health of workers. But for some, things have gotten much worse. Policy Speaking is joined by Paula Allen, VP at Morneau Shepell and co-chair of the Civic Action's Champions Council on workplace mental health and Ed Mantler, VP at the Mental Health Commission of Canada for an analysis of Canadians' mental health status, where things have gone right, wrong, and what to expect for the holidays.

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Music: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen under a creative commons license

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Carbon capture is a promising new technology, and there's big projects in Canada, the U.S. and Europe showing that it could be an economical way to remove fuel from the fire of the Earth's climate crisis. Host Edward Greenspon is joined by Ilana Hosios at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG)'s Centre for Canada's Future, and Alex Dewar, Senior Director at BCG's Center for Energy Impact in Washington for an exploration of the industrial and policy implications of this emerging technology, and its potential for supporting Canada's industries and fostering R&D.

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Music: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen under a creative commons license

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With a Canadian workforce of 50,000, Bell Canada is a major player in Canada's telecom industry and the cornerstone of so many of our work-from-home setups during the pandemic. President & CEO Mirko Bibic is at the helm of this historic company, and he joins Policy Speaking to discuss what's on the horizon with key milestones for 5G coming up in the next year. He and host Edward Greenspon also discuss Internet access for all, digital skills in small and medium-sized businesses, Canada's telecom competitiveness and more.

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Music: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen under a creative commons license

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Trust in the government response to COVID-19 started high and, overall, has dwindled in Canada. While Canadians accepted the need for big travel restrictions at the start, mobile apps for contact tracing and other targeted responses have not been universally met with open arms. As Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy professor Peter Loewen explains, this lack of trust could impact the way a vaccine is rolled out in Canada. With the pandemic growing, will Canadians have faith government can respond to the full complexity of issues ahead?

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Music: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen under a creative commons license

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Nixon conceded to John F. Kennedy. Al Gore conceded to George W. Bush. Will Trump concede to Biden? Anxieties are increasing as a transition becomes increasingly contentious and politicized. Host Edward Greenspon is joined by Maryscott “Scotty” Greenwood and PPF Fellow Sean Speer to discuss how the Democrats and Republicans did, the polarization of this U.S. election and what that means for Canada. Could a Biden presidency be a return to "normal" or is Trump a herald that there's no going back?

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Music: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen under a creative commons license

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With final results potentially still days away, the U.S. election has turned out to be a cliffhanger and not a landslide. Frank McKenna is a former Ambassador to the U.S. and 27th Premier of New Brunswick, and he joins Policy Speaking to share his initial reactions as Trump's results in key states have blown polling out of the water. McKenna shares his insights on where polls went wrong and possible court challenges ahead. Whatever the result, the U.S. will find itself a divided country and McKenna explores what this polarization means for government gridlock, what a Biden or Trump presidency means for Canada's relationship with the U.S., and how Canada can navigate the uncertainty of this moment.

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Billion dollar infrastructure investments are on hold and airport passenger volumes are down 90% at two of Canada's biggest airports. The CEOs of Toronto and Vancouver airports – Deborah Flint and Tamara Vrooman respectively – join Policy Speaking to talk about the tensions airports face in the pandemic. Facing stiff competition from airports in the US and no clear runway for recovery, our guests explore how their industry can pivot to get cleaner, greener, leaner and keener about innovation – in this special Rebuild Canada Growth Summit episode of the podcast.

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Senator Murray Sinclair shares wisdom on the Nova Scotia lobster fishing dispute and how current events fit into the trending societal discussion about racism and systemic racism. Sen. Sinclair demonstrates why he's an honouree of this year's Testimonial Awards as we trace his history from a young man of the Peguis First Nation (north of Winnipeg) who would go on to become a lawyer, Manitoba's first Aboriginal judge, Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee, Indigenous leader, and Senator. Plus what are the impacts of COVID-19 on Indigenous communities and where does mistrust of the medical profession come from?

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An effective and truly national vaccine roll out plan is what Dr. David Naylor, Co-chair of Canada's COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, hopes for. He joins host Edward Greenspon to chat about what it takes to break a surge of the virus – right as a second wave begins to form. From testing, to international cooperation, to reinfection, this wide-reaching conversation puts Canada's response to the pandemic in perspective with other responses around the world.

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Music: Raro Bueno by Chuzausen under a creative commons license

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.