Author: Sophia Thomas

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.

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.

To help map out the path ahead, Canada 2020 welcomed back to our studio Senators Raymonde Saint-Germain and Yuen Pau Woo, facilitators of the ISG, to continue the discussion on progress towards Senate independence, what it means for our parliamentary democracy, and how it will function differently with Canada’s new minority government.

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, a 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.