This is the first episode in our three-piece series on the past, present, and future of public spaces in Canada. In these episodes we’ll cover nature, cities, and big national undertakings – things we do, have done, or might do together in spaces meant for all of us. We’ll also discuss threats to public spaces, of which there are many, and what is being done to address them. 

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.

We spend an awful lot of time talking about housing and development—and we should. But often lost in the conversation is how we manage rural land and housing. The vast majority of Canada is urbanized, but in case you were thinking what happens “out there” has nothing to do with you, think again. Rural areas are home to plenty of houses and residential developments of their own, but they are also the site of the country’s farmland. In the face of geopolitical shifts, climate change, and the ever present concern of food security, rural development is an important issue. The bad news? Things are…not going well, particularly in Canada’s most populous province, Ontario.

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.

At Carleton University, a union local is fighting for a fair deal for its workers–and getting ready for a strike. Across Ontario and Canada, unionized workplaces are fighting similar battles, even while the balance of power continues to favour employers by default.

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.

Like it or not, we are stuck online. Digital life is a reflection and extension of life offline–if we can even talk about life offline anymore. It’s not like the old days of logging on and logging off. We are constantly connected. Our social, political, and economic lives are bound up with the digital world. So is our public sphere. And much of that world is controlled by a handful of very wealthy, very powerful tech giants.

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 Ontario, Premier Doug Ford is trying to address the province’s healthcare crisis. With over 200,000 people waiting for surgeries, long emergency room wait times, too few family physicians, and nurses burning out and leaving the profession, something must be done. But Ford’s plan is to introduce more for-profit care into the system. He calls it “innovation.” It’s been done in other provinces. It won’t solve the crisis, but it might introduce new problems.

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.

Canadians can be forgiven for making a national pastime out of expressing anger at the state of competition in the country. Telecom, grocery, transportation, entertainment, and several other industries are an utter, anti-consumer disaster. As I like to put it, Canada is made up of three telecom companies in a trenchcoat. 

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.”

Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples in Canada requires structural transformation. One essential site of institutional reform is the country’s legal systems. 

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.

This is the third and final episode in a three-part series on cities in Canada. So far, we’ve tackled how cities fit within the constitution and explored progressive visions for city life in the 21st century.  

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.

Around the world, more than 4 billion people live in cities. That’s just over 50 percent of the global population. The United Nations projects that by 2050, it will be 68 percent. In Canada, 82 percent of people live in urban areas and that number is on the rise, too. 

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.

This is the first in a three-episode series on cities in Canada. In 1911, 45 percent of people lived in cities in this country. By 2021, that number had risen to 82 percent–and growing.

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.

Anti-trans hate and violence is on the rise in Canada and the United States. Indeed, 2021 was the most violent year for trans people on record worldwide. Online and offline, trans people face growing threats driven in large part by right wing extremists and their enablers in the media and politics, as well as those who remain silent. Tackling this hate and violence requires a combination of community and government work across borders. Towards that end we ask: How should we fight anti-trans hate? 

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

The labour movement is having a moment. Both in the United States and in Canada, unions have won breakthroughs at workplaces including Amazon, Starbucks, Medieval Times, and Blizzard alongside union drives at Staples, Indigo, and WestJet. While union rates in both countries are low, particularly in the private sector, recent momentum offers an opportunity for a resurgence. And while management and owners are pushing back against workers, the terrain on which they do battle is changing. And so on this episode we ask: What is the future of the labour movement?

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.

In a pluralist society, individuals and groups each have their own preferences, interests, and goals. Together they compete, cooperate, intersect, and diverge in public and private spaces, shaping the world and how we live together. Like it or not, industry plays a central role in that process – and can’t help but be drawn into the politics of the day in public and not-so-public ways.

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.

Threats and harassment directed at journalists in Canada are on the rise. A vicious coordinated campaign of hate targeted at a handful of women, especially racialized women, in recent weeks stands out as particularly troubling. As the far-right continues to organize and grow in the country, and as cynical politicians and media elites fan the flames, the implications of these campaigns press beyond the borders of news media and into the territory of our democracy. 

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.

The crisis in healthcare across the country has opened the door for "reform." In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford is pushing "innovation." In recent days, he’s taken that message to Atlantic Canada, too. But what does "innovation" mean? It could mean further starving the public system of the resources it needs. It could mean privatisation. It could mean introducing a two-track system. Supporters of a strong public system aren’t inclined to give conservative reformers the benefit of the doubt, nor should they be.

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.

Artificial intelligence is embedded in our daily lives whether we notice it or not. It shapes how we live, work, and play. Shopping, gaming, healthcare, cybersecurity, travelling, social media, policing, war and plenty of other facets of contemporary life feature AI technology – and there’s more on the way. And while discussions of AI tend towards questions about sentience – and robot overlords throwing off the yoke of human rule and taking over – the more immediate and pressing concerns of use, abuse, equity, and privacy still need to be answered.

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.

The agriculture sector is a significant global source of greenhouse gas emissions. In 2019, the United Nations suggested eating less meat was a key step in lowering such emissions – especially beef. But while the sector contributes to climate change, it is also an essential component of our food security, biodiversity, and meeting daily nutritional needs. Understanding how beef consumption fits into our fight against climate change requires us to dig into Canada’s cattle industry, how it operates, and how it fits into domestic and global food and ecological systems.

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.

In February, 2021, we took a deep breath and mixed things up by checking in with one of our favourite comedians as we celebrated our 40th episode. At the time, we’d been in the pandemic for a year. Now, we’ve been at it for over two years and we’re approaching 70 episodes. So, what better time to check back in with one of our best-loved guests.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has produced a refugee crisis. Another one, that is. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reports over 80 million people have been displaced globally, including over 26 million who are refugees. According to the U.N. agency, “Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan and Myanmar account for two-thirds of people displaced across borders.”

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.

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.

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.

Globally, democracy is in recession. In the United States, it is in crisis. In Canada, it is, at best, plodding, complacent, and exclusionary. The social, political, and economic order that so many have taken for granted for so long now faces upheaval. Some believe that shift is long overdue, but alternatives driven by authoritarian populism and other toxic varieties of self-government threaten to usher in something far worse. Regardless, the status quo is untenable. Those who wish to preserve liberal democracy face a challenge: they must find a way to adapt the system in the face of growing counter-pressures and changing technologies, attitudes, and priorities. So, what does the future hold for liberal democracy?  

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.

Canada is home to several active nuclear power plants and is the second largest uranium producer in the world. Nuclear energy accounts for roughly 15 percent of the country’s electricity production. In Ontario, it meets approximately 60 percent of the province’s energy needs. While the popular image of nuclear power is conditioned by infamous historical events, some climate activists and industry professionals advocate it becoming a larger part of our plan to address climate change. So, we ask: How important is nuclear energy to a low-carbon future?

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.

Everybody loves a trilogy. In March of 2020, host David Moscrop and guest Amanda Watson dug into how folks were managing their lives during the early days of the pandemic. In the spring of 2021, the two checked back to talk about managing anxiety in what was billed, optimistically, as the “late pandemic.” Now, just under two years into this whole thing, the two connect once more to ask: Are we coming undone during the pandemic? 

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.

Canada is home to structural racism. As much as some might wish to exempt our provinces, cities, political parties, laws, policies, and institutions from systematic exploitation and discrimination, such practices are routine. They are embedded in the fabric of our social, political, and economic lives. To better understand how these systems work, we look to the very processes by which we are governed and ask: How does structural racism shape our politics? 

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

Climate change is real, it is caused by human beings, and it is an existential threat to humankind. Politicians and industry leaders now claim to be taking it seriously. Their performances often fall short of their promises. Theoretical physicist and author Steven Koonin, however, extends climate critique to scientists and the media, arguing that while climate change is real, the consensus conclusions we have reached are overstated, the science is often miscommunicated or misinterpreted, and our policies are headed in the wrong direction. At Open to Debate, we disagree with Dr. Koonin’s thesis, but we ask nonetheless: What is to be done about climate policy?

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.

For decades, we’ve heard about the rise of China. A major historical and contemporary power, the country shapes domestic and global politics -- as Canada knows quite well. And yet, coverage of China, its affairs, and its international relations is often hyperbolic, skewed, and incomplete. A new book from a veteran reporter on China-Canada relations adds depth, rigour, and new perspectives to that coverage. So, how should we think about China’s place in the world?

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. 

Managing the pandemic has required a delicate balance of expert guidance and government decision making. While experts provide knowledge essential for deciding what we should do and how we should do it, politicians are ultimately accountable to the public for the policies, laws, and programs they adopt. So, what is the role of experts during a pandemic?

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. 

Surveying the state of market competition in Canada, you might be forgiven for thinking the country is a handful of companies in a trench coat. One of the central critiques of capitalism is that it tends towards monopoly -- or at least oligopoly. Canada is a telling case study that supports the hypothesis. Market monopoly and oligopoly makes for a raw deal for consumers, leading us to ask: What is to be done about Canada’s competition problem?

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.

Canada’s 44th general election is underway. On September 20th, electors will return the members of Parliament who will decide who governs the country. When casting a ballot, however, voters typically think of political parties and their leaders. So, we ask: What are the policy priorities of Canada’s political parties?

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.

Let’s start with a little celebration: This is the 50th episode of Open to Debate! Thanks to each and every one of you for listening. We look forward to many episodes to come.

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.

The free market is notorious for its contradictions and inequities. Competition tends towards monopoly. Owners accrue capital at the top but extract it from labour at the bottom. Large enterprises enter, disrupt, and even decimate communities, often leaving workers holding the bag, worse off than they were before.

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.

Despite a steady stream of news about the politics of the day, each of us might be forgiven for being unsure what a member of Parliament actually does. Even members themselves, from time to time, seem unsure. Are they lawmakers? Government foot soldiers? Opposition sentries? Committee investigators? Community service-persons? Issue advocates? An admixture of each?

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.

In 2015, the Supreme Court of the United States recognized same-sex marriage in the country as a fundamental right protected by the Constitution. The ruling was the culmination of decades of legal battles and advocacy labour by the gay rights community and their allies.

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.

June is Pride Month. For decades, the 2SLGTBQ+ community and their allies have been advocating and organizing for rights recognition. This month is both a celebration of that community and a remembrance of the struggle for justice and equality. A struggle that is ongoing.

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.

There are plenty of criticisms of democracy in Canada. While the country ranks in the upper echelons of mainstream reviewers concerned with global comparisons, there are disconcerting cracks in the foundation of our self-government.

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.

In March of last year, David Moscrop spoke with feminist theorist and friend Amanda Watson about managing life during the pandemic. The conversation included thoughts about compassion, care, inequity, resistance, and, of course, anxiety.

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?

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

In Canada and around the world, anxious, weary populations are looking forward to returning to something that will approximate normal life. That return is predicated on, among other things, mass Covid-19 vaccination efforts that continue along slow and steady.

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.

In Canada, wireless and broadband prices are too damned high. Why? The recent news of a merger attempt by Rogers and Shaw gives us a hint—and a look into the world of telecom strategy and oligopoly. Indeed, observers would be forgiven for thinking the country is a handful of telecom companies in a trenchcoat, perhaps with an airline or two crammed in there. But there’s more to it than that—a bit more, anyway.

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.

Canada’s political left is facing a series of choices. What kind of movement should it pursue in the face of contemporary challenges at home and around the world? How can left-wing parties win at the local, provincial, and federal orders of government? Should communists, socialists, and social democrats work together -- and, if so, when and how? Also, to what extent does the leading social democratic party in Canada, the NDP, serve as a vehicle for successful left politics?

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.

In early March, Ontario surpassed 7,000 Covid deaths, over 3700 of which occurred in the province’s long-term care facilities. Around the country, suffering and death in care homes is part of an emergency that has long been ignored -- an emergency that pre-existed the pandemic.

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.

We have been at...all of this for about a year now. Maybe it feels longer for you. Maybe it feels shorter. Maybe time has lost all meaning. Whatever the case, on this episode of Open to Debate, we are taking a deep breath and mixing things up as we celebrate our 40th episode and process 12 months of pandemic life.

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).

Throughout the pandemic, the quality and success of communications from government, public health officials, elected representatives, and others tasked with keeping us in the loop have been, let’s say, inconsistent. There have been highs and there have been lows. Quality has varied across jurisdictions. And it shows.

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.

In late January, the House of Commons unanimously voted on a resolution, proposed by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, to call on the government to “use all available tools to address the proliferation of white supremacists and hate groups.” The motion included a specific focus on designating the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization. .

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

Lady A has been in the music industry for decades. In recent months, she has been in the national spotlight in the United States for reasons other than her music. After the band Lady Antebellum shortened their name to “Lady A” in the wake of the death of George Floyd to dissociate themselves from the “Antebellum South” and the racism bound up with that phrase, the band and Lady A entered into lawsuits over the use of the name. In December, she released the track “My Name is All I got.”

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.

For as long as anyone can remember, talk about deficits and the debt have been central to political life. How much can we spend? On what? What are the trade-offs? What will it cost? I mean, what will it really cost. If politics is about choosing, if it is about, as the classic phrase goes, “Who gets what, when, and how?” then spending constraints are central to what makes it so.

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.

Throughout the country, politicians and policymakers routinely talk about the need to address Canada’s historic and ongoing colonial practices. Talk is plentiful. Action, less so.

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.

Around the world, the calls have begun to “build back better.” The slogan, or some variant of it, is ubiquitous. Even as we continue to manage life during the pandemic, we start to look beyond it, towards something better, we hope.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

In June, Canada lost its bid for a temporary seat on the United Nations Security Council. The loss came after four years of campaigning for the spot and is reminiscent of Stephen Harper’s 2010 failure. Back then, we lost to Germany and Portugal. This time, it was to Ireland and Norway. Each time, we have been left asking: Why?

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.

Since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, observers have been talking about the “egalitarian” nature of the virus. ‘Covid-19 doesn’t discriminate’ has been a common refrain. But while the virus itself may have common effects across populations, the pandemic and its consequences are far from equally shared.

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.

Around the world, Black Lives Matter and their allies - are demanding justice -- and structural change -- in response to years upon years of racist violence, marginalization, and repression. In many instances, activists are being met with further state violence at the hands of police and resistance from elected representatives and officials.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.

Humankind is facing an extraordinary threat. No, not that threat. The other one. Climate change. And we are running out of time to develop and implement solutions to meet the challenge -- or, at least, to mitigate the worst of what’s coming.

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.

As of May 18th, 2020 there are more than 1.52 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States of America. While 280,000 people have recovered from the virus, 90,000 have died -- the most of any country in the world.

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.

Canadians like to tell themselves stories about the serene, progressive country they call home. In certain imaginations, Canada is immune to the social and political toxicity we find around the world -- especially that which we find to the south of us. And yet, a cursory glance at our past and our present tells another tale. Racial prejudice is embedded in Canadian minds and institutions. We must confront the question: Is Canada racist?

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.

The coronavirus pandemic continues. So does lockdown. Before the crisis, many of us used the internet for our day-to-day and month-to-month tasks. During the crisis, more of these tasks will be online. No doubt, that will continue in the future -- and change too. But we must be able to trust this digital identity: trust that it is safe and reliable, that it doesn’t lead to a further commodification of ourselves, and that its proceeds returned, at least in part, to the consumer. 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.

As the coronarvius pandemic continues, a mutual aid movement known as ‘caremongering’ has emerged in Canada. The endeavour is encouraging and welcome, but it isn’t new. Mutual aid and solidarity have long been practiced, especially in racialized, disabled, and Indigenous communities. On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with international development scholar Yvonne Su about the history, possibilities, and limits of caremongering.

The COVID-19 virus has upended life around the world. On this special episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop sits down -- remotely -- with professor, author, parent, and friend Amanda Watson to ask: How do we manage life during COVID-19? We discuss how she and others are managing life during the pandemic and how a lens of compassion and care can help us navigate this difficult time -- and beyond it.

Masculinity dominates our social, political, cultural, and economic lives. As a way of seeing and being in the world, it is often narrow-minded, aggressive, and oppressive.

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.

As Canada watches protests, blockades, and other actions from Wet'suwet'en land defenders and their allies, we are reminded that protest and civil disobedience are essential to a free and democratic society.

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

On this episode 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.

In January, the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel released its report ‘Canada’s Communications Future: Time to Act’. The recommendations are sprawling; some are wise and timely, others are invasive and unnecessary, advocating a highly regulated internet and an interventionist communications regulator in service of, among other things, the future of Canadian content and culture on the internet, in the broadcast sphere, and beyond.

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.

Canada’s national defence regime has long been bound up with the United States and our allies. For years, along with our partner states, we have been under various threats from the Cold War to terrorism and beyond. Most recently, challenges from Russia and China have become particularly significant while questions surround the future of American hegemony and the NATO alliance. That leaves us to ask:

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.

The Royal Family is once again front and centre in the news, this time thanks to two of its most prominent members, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, stepping back from their official duties. Whenever the royals take centre stage, the country is plunged headlong into a familiar debate:

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.

 

In June of this year, the Conservative Party of Canada will choose a new leader. Its last leadership race, in the spring of 2017, highlighted competing visions of conservatism within the party springing from different values, priorities, and approaches among the country’s conservatives. What is the future of conservatism in Canada? On episode 9 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Kate Harrison, Vice-President at Summa Strategies, about the directions that the Conservative Party, and the conservative movement, might take.

 

Canada’s 43rd Parliament is in session. The Speech from the Throne has been delivered. Justin Trudeau remains Prime Minister. But the dynamics in the House of Commons are likely to change now that the country has a minority government. What should we expect from Canada’s 43rd Parliament?

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.

The internet was once imagined as a free and open communications utopia. Like all utopias, however, it was not to be. But the spirit of an unbound and accessible internet lives on, as does the question “can we fix the internet?”

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.

Meet the new government, same as the old government. Kind of. On election night, Canada returned a hung parliament with Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party set to maintain power--but now in a minority position. The prime minister remains the prime minister, but he will be forced to cooperate with opposition parties to legislate. On episode 6 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Aaron Wudrick, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, about what to expect in the next parliament and whether it will be good for Canadians.

On this election campaign special, we discuss one of Canada’s closest races ever -and what you should expect in the days, weeks, and months to come. For episode 5 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Shannon Proudfoot, a journalist with Maclean’s, about the performances of each party so far, minority and majority parliaments, voter turnout, and some ridings to watch.

On October 21st, Canadians will go to the ballot box and return a government in Canada’s forty-third general election. The race is very close--the incumbent Liberals and the Conservatives are within a few points of one another in most polls. In episode 4 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Kevin Milligan, a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, about some of the policy differences between the country’s top four national parties and what they might mean for Canadians.

 

For years, researchers, activists, and both current and former prisoners have asked “Do we need prisons?” The state of correctional services in Canada and around the world--and the disparity between the theory of corrections and its practice--make this a timely and important question that reflects concerns about justice, equity, dignity, and decency. In episode 3 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop sits down with Justin Piché, an associate professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa, where he is also the Director of the Carceral Studies Research Collective, and Souheil Benslimane, a former prisoner and a member of the Criminalization and Punishment Education Project, the Ottawa Sanctuary City Network, and the Coordinator of the Jail Accountability and Information Line.

Climate change is the most significant threat to humankind in recorded history. Despite increasingly alarming warnings that our way of life is unsustainable—and driving us towards potential ruin—we resist the reforms necessary to save ourselves, opting instead for half-measures that seem to be too little, too late. Can we manage the climate crisis?

Democracy has survived ideological challengers, economic disruption, and even war. But can it survive the internet? In this episode, we discuss digital threats, to democratic health--from at home and abroad.

Smart, witty, and thoughtful political conversations that break from the limits of the 24-hour news cycle and the 280 character limit. Listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of the history and implications of the issues that shape us and our environment, anchored in discussions about public policy, and supported by research. Open to Debate is a space for agreeable disagreement based on the belief that such exchanges are essential to the health of our democracy.