The Conversation Piece

Learning requires exploration of one's identity, and according to our next speaker, this is a First People’s principle of learning that applies to all of us. So on this international day of translation, and at this time when we can’t greet each other in person and with physical contact, this is an opportunity to communicate better with each other. To identify each other and ourselves with clarity...

We’ve all had to change and adapt in different ways during the coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Deena Hinshaw is the Chief Medical Officer of Health for the Province of Alberta and has been the trusted voice for Albertans during the pandemic, calmly delivering daily briefings on the virus. And telling Albertans what measures they should take to prevent the spread of COVID-19. One of the biggest less...

Sports is a universal language in the world. From Halifax to Hydrabad, Nunavut to Nairobi. And what also seems weirdly universal is the support of men’s teams over women’s. Instead of wallowing in this vast discrepancy, Brenda Andress wants us to see it as a place to grow from. A rallying cry to mobilize in support of women in sports. This is Brenda Andress - former commissioner of the Canadian Wo...

As many kids head off to school - in whatever form that takes for them in the midst of a pandemic - it’s easy to pass off the issue of education to the actual humans involved - the parents, the kids and the teachers. But according to Annie Kidder, we all need to be thinking about educating the next generation of Canadians. Annie Kidder is the Executive Director of People for Education and she...

Writing is a responsibility in many ways, perhaps none more so than when we think about the cultural expectations inherent in writing as a minority - of any kind. As a woman, as LGBTQ, as a person of colour, as a person with a disability. As writers, what is our responsibility to the rest of our culture? And why does it seem so much heavier than that of CIS-male writers? Noor Naga is a writer...

Natural talent is overrated - at least according to singer-songwriter Corb Lund. He works hard to create it and believes that work - that constant challenge to focus and refine - is what separates the artists from the rest. And that art itself needs to be accessible to everyone, even the people that don't see country music as art. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're all creative creatures, but what can we do when our creativity feels stalled? Join us in this hilarious pillow talk with the muses as Emma Donoghue shares the playful, demanding, sexy, unexpected sides of creativity and the ways we can strengthen our connection to making the things we love. This is Emma Donoghue from The Walrus Talks Creativity in London, Ontario. Hosted on Acast. See acast....

Lauren Voisin was a scientist, innovator, entrepreneur, and all before she graduated high school. When she was only 8 years old, Lauren founded her own robotics company. By age 13, Lauren was a U.N. speaker. She was a champion of inexpensive access to technology and stable internet for Canadian youth. She believed in introducing kids to subjects like robotics and coding early on. She passed in Apr...

It’s hard, as we go into the triple digits of days that some of us have been at home, isolating from friends and society, to maintain hope. When Olympian Waneek Horn-Miller talks about the health issues endured by the Indigenous people of Canada, she emphasises that hope is what gets her through. Her mother taught her that. She was a Hope-maker. Here’s Waneek Horn-Miller speaking at The Walrus Tal...

Anger is one of those emotions that transcends age, race, and political affiliation. Everyone is angry. Feeling trapped in a global pandemic will do that to you. But we can get so caught up in expressing our anger. To balance that, maybe our optimism has to be outrageous. Almost unreasonable… because the bad things in our lives are more reasonable than we know, teaching us lessons we may not...

The barriers to building inclusion can feel insurmountable. Especially when people are trying to be politically correct by ignoring differences. According to inclusion professional Ritu Bhasin, we need to notice the differences between us and learn about them, rather than deny that they exist. Ritu Bhasin is a speaker, author, and a leadership and inclusion specialist and she spoke at The Walrus T...

Maybe it was easier to avoid heated debates before we were all living under pandemic rules. Or maybe this is just the result of our small bubbles of safety, but when we have different opinions.. getting caught up in Twitter arguments or disagreeing with family members, it’s easy to forget about what the other person is going through. In this talk, Mustafa Ahmed reminds us that human rights begin w...

Something that gets brought into stark focus at a time like this is the value of things. The value of being able to hug a friend you haven’t seen in a long time. The value of being able to work from home and stay positive. The value of adapting to this new environment. Cobb spoke about the inherent value of things VS what they are financially valued at. Special thanks to the National Gallery of Ca...

Amanda Parris is a playwright and the host of CBC’s, Exhibitionists and Marvin’s Room and she spoke about her fear of being forgotten by a culture that seems to prefer to forget stories like the ones that she tells and amplifies. How does denial affect us in our individual lives, and what can we do to remedy Canada’s Collective Amnesia? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've been talking about Inclusion and Diversity as a society for what feels like forever, with limited success in addressing either. But 2020 is shaping up to be a year of action and as Eva Greyeyes will tell you, it’s time to stop looking to the past, and focus on the future - Resurgence rather than Reconciliation. Eva Greyeyes is Nêhiyaw, from Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, and was a grade 11 student...

As Canadians from Halifax to Vancouver protest against police brutality and racial discrimination, many are asking how do we make the necessary leap from calls for justice to a tangible change in policing that saves lives? In 2019, Brittany Andrew-Amofah spoke about the power of local government that is often overlooked -- and underestimated. If cities involve marginalized communities in their sys...

Across the country, Canadians are taking to the streets, protesting police violence. And while some are calling for reforms, others are questioning the need for police altogether. Journalist, activist and author Desmond Cole recently tweeted that when he gave this talk in 2017, he was scared to propose a cop-free future in a room that included the Governor-General and members of the armed forces,...

It’s impossible to miss the common thread in the images of protest on all our screens these days. People have reached their limit. They are sad. They are angry. And despite a global pandemic, they are gathering in protest. Criticism will always follow protest, and much of the criticism is aimed at the so-called youth. Every generation seems to take issue with the young, forgetting their own journe...

Resilience can be about coming to terms with the obstacles in front of you. As we minimize touching and practice social isolation, it's starting to feel like at least part of this experience will have to become part of our forever experience. Rupi Kaur spoke about the power of resilience in her own life. Special thanks to Indspire, Enbridge and Concordia University for their support for The Walrus...

Artists can’t give you a vaccine or tell leaders how to reopen the economy. But they do give you Netflix to binge-watch, music for your daily walks and books to distract you. Janice Price, president of the Banff Centre, talks about why we turn to the arts in times of crisis.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

These are some of our Walrus Talks that remind us of the powerful role mothers play and how their love can shape our future. Writer Lisa Moore talks about conversations between mothers and daughters, musician Pierre Kwenders reflects on the power of the matriarchs in his life and with her baby in her arms, artist Lido Pimienta describes the future of the arts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

Dr. Kamran Khan is the founder of BlueDot, a tech company that works with doctors, engineers, scientists and AI to predict outbreaks and track the spread of infectious disease.  Khan is a physician at St Mike’s Hospital in Toronto and the founder of BlueDot and he spoke at The Walrus Talks Disruption, presented by Concordia University.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Margaret Atwood’s dystopic worlds begin to appear in our real lives, we know we’re in trouble. Canada’s oracular writer has written some of the scariest scenarios for our future. But she herself has hope. Something that we need when confronted with a worldwide pandemic with no end in sight. We’re not quite in Gilead, but some days, it feels too close for comfort. Hosted on Acast. See acast.co...

Physical distancing has real-world repercussions, and sometimes that comes out in expressions of fear or hate. Concordia University's Vivek Venkatesh lost his cousin in the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985 so he understands why people embrace extremism and hateful rhetoric. He also understands what it takes to become accepting and compassionate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

How well do you know your neighbours? Probably way better than you did a few months ago. According to Concordia's Jennifer Mcgrath, your neighbourhood can have a surprising impact on your health. And she should know. She's an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Director of the Pediatric Public Health Psychology Lab. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.