Wonk

Canada is presented with a smorgasbord of solutions to reduce, reuse, or better use the carbon that's heating up the Earth. Policy Speaking is joined by Bruce Lourie , President of the Ivey Foundation and Janet Annesley , Senior Director, Energy and ESG at Invest Alberta Corporation for a wide ranging discussion on what Canada's provincial and federal governments can focus on – in terms of policy...

Canadians have seen the inadequacies of Canada's senior home system in this pandemic. What's less clear – how do we solve these? Policy Speaking is joined by Deloitte Canada's Georgina Black to talk about what good senior support looks like around the world, and where Canada can start to innovate. Should we be looking for better housing solutions, for new social care solutions, or is there a need...

The pandemic presents an opportunity to breathe new life into the story of rail in Canada. Former Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and Yves Desjardins Siciliano, CEO at Siemens Mobility Canada and former VIA Rail CEO join Policy Speaking to talk the ghost of divestment past, Canada's present inter-city train network, why Quebec's system seems different, and how the current commuter crisis resulting f...

Vaccines are rolling out and many Canadians are hoping for an economic upswing in the summer and fall. Is that what we should expect? David Dodge , former Governor of the Bank of Canada, joins us to talk about the economic factors he's following and the impact of the economic stimulus so far in Canada versus the U.S. and Europe. He also puts on his healthcare hat, as a former deputy health ministe...

Canada has four COVID-19 vaccines ready for distribution in half (if not 1/3) the time many predicted. Yet none are homegrown. Dr. Alan Bernstein, CEO of the global research organization CIFAR, and Dr. Vivek Goel, soon-to-be President of the University of Waterloo and a public health physician on the federal government’s COVID-19 Immunity Task Force, join Policy Speaking to talk about the logistic...

When the pandemic ends, do we return to the office of 2019? Over half of surveyed workers would like to continue working from home, even just a bit. Managers, employees, commuters, and families have lived new options and Tania Saba, professor and expert on workforce and digital transformation, explores how back-to-office may – or may not – play out. Regardless, says Murtaza Haider, Research Direct...

Women are the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic. From nurses to doctors, school teachers to orderlies, women represent 50% (or much more) of many front-line professions. Yet employment outcomes for women, particularly young women and racialized women, are the most troubling. Lynn Barr-Telford , Assistant Chief Statistician at Statistics Canada, joins Policy Speaking to share these numbers and Anjum...

Nadine Spencer , President of the Black Business and Professional Association, and Mohamed Elmi , Director of Research at the Diversity Institute discuss walking the talk when it comes to addressing systemic racism. Nadine and Mohamed share the challenges black business people have long faced, and society has only recently begun to acknowledge. From financing in the COVID-19 pandemic, to the fact...

U.S. President Joe Biden’s recent inauguration speech spoke of the “uncivil war” that polarizes American society across different fault lines including the urban-rural divide. But Canadians shouldn’t assume that these are merely American problems. PPF's Prime Ministers of Canada Fellow Sean Speer and Peter Loewen share their recent research, and sketch a blueprint for how we can go about building...

From clean energy, to digital tech Canada is a world leader in entrepreneurship. Yet as Monique Leroux , Chair of the Industry Strategy Council of Canada, and Karimah Es Sabar and Karen Hamberg , members of the Council point out – many of those companies start out but find no home here. Joining host Edward Greenspon , these industry leaders share what they've heard from business leaders across Can...

Billions of dollars will flow into Indigenous nations to make major impacts on Canadian infrastructure and industry, but will those impacts benefit those Indigenous communities? Globally, 40 trillion investor dollars go through an environment, social and governance (ESG) risk assessment process. Yet Mark Podlasly, economic director at The First Nation's Major Project Coalition says no part of ESG...

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...

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...

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...

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 dis...

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...

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...

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 possib...

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...

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 fir...

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 pandem...

Perhaps a middle ground can open up between unrestrained spending and unreasonable restrain for Canada's COVID-19 recovery, says Frances Donald , Global Chief Economist & Head of Macroeconomic Strategy at Manulife. She and host Edward Greenspon bring nuance to the popular discourse in economics around how a recovery could & should look for your favourite local businesses, in Canada's industries an...

New 5G technology is rolling out in some Canadian communities, promising improvements to life-saving technologies as much as to your fun weekend activities. At the same time, there's a huge digital divide between city folk and rural & Northern communities, leaving roughly 15 percent of Canadians with poor Internet or no Internet. Joe Natale, CEO at Rogers Communications, joins Policy Speaking to s...

Hydrogen promises a green bearing to Canada's energy economy, yet consumer applications are still out of reach. Grant Strem, CEO of hydrogen-tech company Proton Technologies, and Marty Reed, Vancouver venture capital investor, join Policy Speaking for a conversation about hydrogen energy in Canada and its potential as a catalyst for innovation - to give Canada a strategic competitive edge in the g...

New digital frontiers have renewed old problems: conspiracy theories, hate speech and disinformation. This conversation with Peter MacLeod, founder of public engagement firm MASS LBP, and Amira Elghawaby, journalist and human rights advocate, gives us insights on the health of our democracy and explores innovative approaches to civil dialogue in a social media age – including a Citizens' Assembly...