“It’s reasonable to hope and suggest to [former diplomats] that it’s best they don’t undermine what Canada is trying to do. Although if they think what Canada is trying to do is ill-considered, if they think it’s not going to work, if they think the government is screwing up, then they probably also have a higher duty to say that.”
Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean’s and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The trio discuss: the House foreign affairs committee’s decision to squash a proposed investigation into alleged pressure by the Prime Minister’s Office to filter comments by former ambassadors over the Canada-China dispute, how the delay of USMCA ratification impacts Canada, and the probability, or lack thereof, of President Trump’s plan to import cheaper pharmaceuticals from Canada to the U.S.
“One of the operative things about him is that he’s very, very smart. He has this put on ludicrous, clown persona that works for him but I think underneath it is an intense intelligence.”
Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean’s and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The trio discuss: Gerald Butts, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former principal secretary, joins the Liberal campaign team reigniting the SNC-Lavalin controversy, Boris Johnson gets sworn in as the UK’s new leader promising follow-through on Brexit, and former special counsel Robert Mueller testifies before the U.S. judiciary committee about his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.
“It’s quite chilling, even if you strip away the naked racism in it, the notion that if you have anything critical to say about the United States or you think there’s anything you could be doing better, you’re effectively a traitor who should leave. That is a really gross, razor sharp line to draw.”
Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean’s and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The trio discuss: moving ahead with the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement at the EU summit, the reaction to President Trump’s racist tweets targeted at four Democratic congresswomen, and why everyone can’t stop talking about the app that makes users look 30 years older.
“Canadian federal officials have been walking a very tight rhetorical line…and then you have all of these peanut gallery members who keep jawing away and muddying the waters.”
Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean’s and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The trio discuss: China’s ban on Canadian meat imports after customs agents discovered fraudulent veterinarian certificates and traces of restricted feed additive in pork shipments, why Vice-Admirable Mark Norman has announced his retirement from the Canadian military, and the winners and losers from the first of two Democratic primary debates in Miami.
On Wednesday, June 19th 2019, Canada 2020 hosted the largest gathering of female first ministers in Canadian history for an important conversation about the future of women in politics.
We spotlighted the voices of the sole women to have reached Canada’s most senior political roles:
The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada
Rachel Notley, former premier of Alberta
Kathleen Wynne, former premier of Ontario
Alison Redford, former premier of Alberta
Kathy Dunderdale, former premier of Newfoundland & Labrador
“The Raptors are all we got, they’re all the skin we have in the NBA game. This might be one of the only cases where you truly have a national team. So if anyone cares, this is where you locate that caring.”
Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean’s and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The trio discuss: the federal government’s announcement to ban single-use plastics by 2021, the details of the report by the Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare, led by Dr. Eric Hoskins, and the Toronto Raptors’ historic NBA finals win.
We’re pleased to announce that Shopify co-founder and CEO Tobi Lütke will moderate a conversation with President Barack Obama at the Canadian Tire Centre on May 31st.
Tobi Lütke is the founder and CEO of Shopify. In 2004, Tobi began building software to launch an online snowboard store called Snowdevil. It quickly became obvious that the software was more valuable than the snowboards, so Tobi and his founding team launched the Shopify platform in 2006. He has served as CEO since 2008 at the company’s headquarters in Ottawa, Canada.
Tobi is an active advocate for computer literacy and education, and serves as a board member of Canada Learning Code, an organization working to give all Canadians access to digital skills. In 2014, Tobi was named the Globe and Mail’s CEO of the Year. He served as Chair of the Digital Industries Table, an advisory board commissioned by the federal government to provide recommendations on how to turn Canada into a digital leader. The Table’s report was published in September 2018.
Canada 2020 is sponsoring over 1000 Ottawa-area students and young people to attend the event, free of charge. Representatives from the Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa, United Way Centraide Ottawa and the #BeMoreCommUNITY will be in attendance.
From the community:
“I’m very proud that Canada 2020 can make this moment possible for so many Ottawa-area youth, and I’m even more thankful that we found such great partners at the Boys & Girls Club, United Way and the #BeMoreCommUNITY. The energy and excitement that these young people will add to the room will be electric, and a perfect encapsulation of what good can happen when communities work together. Civic action, community building and showing-up as citizens are core to President Obama’s own story, and Canada 2020 is thrilled to help spread that inspirational message to the next generation.”
– Alex Paterson, Executive Director, Canada 2020
“The youth at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Ottawa are so incredibly excited to see Barack Obama in person this month, as they regard him as one of their biggest role models in society today. In fact, many of our clubhouses have a wall of inspiration on which Barack Obama figures prominently.”
– Stephen Beckta, Board Chair of Boys and Girls Clubs of Ottawa
“In Ottawa we are fortunate to have a diverse, vibrant community full of young people with hopes of changing the world. We are so pleased to partner with Canada 2020 to bring these youth to hear from former President Barack Obama – one of the most inspiring leaders of our time. This opportunity will fuel their ability to shape the future of our city – and beyond.”
-Michael Allen, CEO of United Way
“On behalf of the #BeMoreCommUNITY of 3Dreads and a Baldhead, I am excited to be part of the community initiative created to ensure black youth from Ottawa are able to attend President Obama’s speech. “You can be what you see” and this is the generation who can fully claim, they’ve seen it.”
– Adrienne Coddett, Founder and Opportunities Broker of #BeMoreCommUNITY
Media inquiries can be directed to Mira Ahmad at 613.220.9163 or [email protected]
Canada 2020 is Canada’s leading, independent progressive think-tank. Founded in 2006, Canada 2020 has spent over a decade producing original research, hosting events and starting conversations about Canada’s future. Canada 2020’s goal is to build a community of progressive ideas and people that will help shape governments. For more, visit www.canada2020.ca
Canada 2020 will host former U.S. President Barack Obama in Ottawa on May 31st, 2019.
From Tom Pitfield, Chairman of Canada 2020:
“We’re thrilled to welcome President Obama back to Canada 2020’s stage in our nation’s capital.
President Obama is a generation-defining political leader, and an inspiration to millions around the world. Canada 2020 is thrilled to help spread his message of civic engagement, community leadership and tolerance.
Our goal is to deliver a truly memorable live event experience for Ottawans of all backgrounds.”
The event will be hosted at the Canadian Tire Centre, where President Obama will engage in an on-stage Q&A.
Tickets will go on sale on Friday, April 26th, at 12 PM Eastern. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.Ticketmaster.ca, www.canadiantirecentre.com, in person at each of The Sens Store at Carlingwood Mall, Place d’Orléans and in the ByWard Market, and at the Canadian Tire Centre box office.
Applications for press accreditation must be sent to [email protected] by May 3rd, 2019, and will be reviewed and approved in advance of the event. Please note that we will not be granting accreditation to radio or television broadcast applicants.
