The 2020 Network

In 2024, Canada finds itself at a crossroads of several immense transformations sweeping the world, whether through the rewiring of the global economy and geopolitics, of our energy systems, or with rapid advances in A.I., even of intelligence itself.  In this time of great transitions, Canadians are facing new worries together about their homes, their wages, their kids, and our shared future. How...

A few weeks back, we spoke with Tiffany Balducci about the Alberta NDP leadership race. This week, we’re keeping on theme, but instead of looking ahead, we’re looking back.  You may have forgotten Jason Kenney. After his dismal leadership review, the Harper-era Cabinet minister resigned as premier of Alberta and left politics. But Kenney’s legacy continues to shape the country. A new book assesses...

There’s no sharper way to assess the state of life in the early 21st century than through a lens of “enshitification,” a term this week's guest coined.  It’s described as the slow and steady worsening of each and every bit of our daily existence, and as Cory Doctorow has argued, particularly as it pertains to the work of technology companies that have captured our attention, our dollars, or both....

The Alberta New Democratic Party leadership race is underway. In June, the party membership will select a new leader to replace Rachel Notley and square off against United Conservative Party premier Danielle Smith.  Let’s meet the candidates and get a sense of what they’re about as we ask: Who wants to lead the Alberta NDP? On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Tiffany Balduc...

Nearly half the people on earth live in countries that will hold national elections in 2024. It's the world's biggest election year ever, with approximately 2 billion people heading to the polls. No election will have its impacts echo more widely than that of the United States of America. Its effects will be palpable worldwide, and felt especially strongly here in Canada — with Donald Trump in the...

Canada’s small businesses employ a staggering 11 million people from coast-to-coast-to-coast, and represent an incredible 98% of Canadian-owned enterprises. Moving to a digital-first economy presents unprecedented opportunities for small businesses across Canada to innovate, expand, and spur new job creation and prosperity. Hear from the Honourable Rechie Valdez (Canada’s Minister of Small Busines...

Trans rights are under attack throughout Canada. Policy changes in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have already constrained rights and other provinces, most notably Ontario, may be set to follow. At the same time, the Conservative Party is set to go all-in on the culture war ahead of the next federal election, and to throw trans people under the bus in the process. The struggle for trans...

In January, former New Democratic Party leader Ed Broadbent died at the age of 87. Outpourings of grief, respect, and gratitude followed throughout the country, culminating in a state funeral in Ottawa.  Broadbent’s legacy is the product of decades of tireless work as an elected representative and as an ambassador for the left at home and abroad. His commitment to justice and equality is parallele...

Everybody loves a quadrilogy. In March of 2020, host David Moscrop and guest Amanda Watson discussed how we were managing our lives during the early days of the pandemic. Twice more the two discussed the pandemic, anxiety, and managing life during what felt like the end times. Now, Watson is back for a fourth time, at the dawn of 2024, to ask “What does 2024 have in store for us?”  [this was origi...

2024 will be a stress test for democracy, with the election in the United States among the most dangerous potential breaking points. More often than not, awareness and the public debate will be shaped by and in the digital sphere. In the next of our series of highlight sessions from the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit, Roberta Braga (Director, Counter Disinformation Strategies at Equis, Supriya...

AI presents both enormous risk and as yet unimaginable opportunity. In the next of our series of highlight sessions from the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit, we hear from Dr. Alondra Nelson (Distinguished Senior Fellow at CAP Action, Former Head of the White House Office of Science and Technology), Andy Harrison (CEO of Section 32), and Benedict Macon-Cooney, (Chief Policy Strategist at Tony Bl...

Canada’s housing crisis continues with no end in sight. Shelter – a fundamental human need – is unaffordable for millions, and the surge in property value has created two classes, homeowners and non-homeowners. These two classes are often at odds, with competing interests. Those who wish to enter the market often prefer lower housing prices, while those who own stand to benefit from higher prices....

On October 31, 2023, Canada 2020 brought together a group of government and business leaders, technology experts, policymakers, and innovators from across the country at our Fall Net-Zero Leadership Summit: A Pre-COP28 Stocktake for Canada. In this featured session of the summit, Catherine McKenna (former Minister of Environment and Climate Change for Canada; Chair of the UN Secretary-General’s Hi...

On October 31, 2023, Canada 2020 brought together a group of government and business leaders, technology experts, policymakers, and innovators from across the country at our Fall Net-Zero Leadership Summit: A Pre-COP28 Stocktake for Canada. In this featured session of the summit, Jonathan Wilkinson (Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources) delivers a keynote, followed by a conversation w...

On October 31, 2023, Canada 2020 brought together a group of government and business leaders, technology experts, policymakers, and innovators from across the country at our Fall Net-Zero Leadership Summit: A Pre-COP28 Stocktake for Canada. In this featured session of the summit, Seamus O’Regan (Canada’s Minister of Labour and Minister of Seniors) joins Anne McLellan (former Deputy Prime Minister...

On October 31, 2023, Canada 2020 brought together a pre-eminent group of government and business leaders, technology experts, policymakers, and innovators from across the country at our Fall Net-Zero Leadership Summit: A Pre-COP28 Stocktake for Canada. In this featured session of the summit, Mark Carney (UN Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance; Former Governor of the Bank of Canada and the...

On October 31, 2023, Canada 2020 brought together a group of government and business leaders, technology experts, policymakers, and innovators from across the country at our Fall Net-Zero Leadership Summit: A Pre-COP28 Stocktake for Canada. In this featured session of the summit, we join a special conversation about making our politics a positive force for climate progress rather than an obstacle,...

Artificial intelligence is already shaping the way we work, consume, and communicate with one another. It’s also shaping the way we govern ourselves – or, perhaps more accurately, the way we are governed. While we might imagine ways AI could shape better democratic processes, right now experts are worried about how such technologies can be used to manipulate, divide, suppress, and disinform people...

“Democracy is something that we have to win every day. Every week. Every month. Every human. Every new generation. All the time,” says Magdalena Andersson (Former Prime Minister of Sweden, Member of Parliament and Leader of Swedish Social Democrats). In the next of our series of highlight sessions from the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit, Patrick Gaspard (President and CEO at CAP Action) hosts...

How can democracies deliver security and economic growth for people in an uncertain world? In the next of our series of highlight sessions from the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre of Norway and UK Labour Party Leader Keir Starmer talk about decreasing inequity and increasing the democracy dividend with political columnist Josie Pagani. This conversation took pla...

“We need a new pact: people and planet.” As we got through the most complex and comprehensive transformation in the economy that we've seen since the Industrial Revolution, how do we build economies with both of those in mind? In the next of our series of highlight sessions from the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit, Frances Colón (Senior Director of International Climate Policy - CAP Action) spe...

Around the world, democracies are on the back foot. For years, experts, commentators, politicians, and other practitioners and observers have discussed a global democratic recession. Several countries are of interest as case studies in decline, but the United States stands out. As an established democracy and global hegemon, the retreat of American democracy – always flawed, but increasingly so of...

Europe is at war. Global competition with China for economic and political influence is stronger than ever. In too many places, we are facing mass democratic backsliding. We have no choice but to face these challenges head on. In the next of our series of highlight sessions from the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit, Magdalena Andersson (Former Prime Minister of Sweden, Leader of Swedish Social D...

In the next of our series of highlight sessions from the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit, Tony Blair (Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change) shares the stage with Anna Gainey ( Member of Parliament, Canada) to talk about embracing innovation as a touchstone of new progressive politics, the challenge of confronting populi...

In the next of our series of highlight sessions from the 2023 Global Progress Action Summit, Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland delivers a thoughtful keynote on how Canada’s government sees the most pressing economic challenges facing Canadians, their plan to meet that challenge, and how we can renew the promise of the middle class. These remarks took place on...