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.
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.
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“It’s a little bit like a fiscal plan that says we’re going to change these programs but we don’t know how much money it’s going to save. It raises questions about just how much serious policy work has gone into this.”
Host Sarah Turnbull is joined by /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean’s and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The trio discuss: Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s plan for the environment, the Liberal motion to declare a climate emergency and the subsequent approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s visit to Washington.
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“If women don’t have their hands on political power, all their other rights are under threat. And if you don’t believe that, just look at what’s happening around the world with regard to women’s reproductive rights.”
The 2019 Women Deliver conference was held in Vancouver, B.C. and hosted thousands of attendees from across the globe. It is the largest gathering on gender equality with a focus on the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women. The 2020 Network team was on the ground to speak with activists, politicians, and community groups about the benefits of investing in women, how to advocate on behalf of all women, and what it will take to build a more gender-balanced world.
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“Should any private company be forced to regulate speech that politicians don’t like, on behalf of lots of other people, when it’s legal and politicians won’t pass a law?”
Host Sarah Turnbull is back in Ottawa with /Thread panelists Shannon Proudfoot of Maclean’s, and David Reevely of The Canadian Press. The trio discuss takeaways from the International Grand Committee on Big Data, Privacy, and Democracy, former Liberal cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott’s decision to go Independent, and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s immigration plan.
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