Unpublished Cafe

PUBLISHED: 05/03/2021 The tug of war over language is again pulling in two different directions in Canada. Who will win?   The Prime Minister has said he is concerned about the decline in the use of French in Quebec. While it may appear there are fewer French speaking people in Quebec, the same holds true for English. Anytime language becomes an issue in this country, the rhetoric ramps up. At iss...

Artificial intelligence. The emergence of the technology which allows machines to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence. What could go wrong? GUESTS: Emma Briant Jesse Hirsh  

PUBLISHED: 26/02/2021 Is there anything else that fires up Canadians more than gun legislation? There is no middle ground. Both sides of the debate are entrenched in their views. Almost two years ago, one of the worst shooting attacks on Canadian soil saw 22 people killed in Nova Scotia over a 16 hour period. The guns in question were illegal in this country originating in the USA. In response to...

With less than a year before the 2022 Beijing Olympics, there is a growing chorus of voices calling for a boycott of the next Winter Games. Will it happen? Boycotts aren’t new when it comes to the Olympiad. Western nation’s boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games. The ’76 Games in Montreal were also boycotted. The collateral damage in a boycott are the athletes who have spent the last four years training...

PUBLISHED: 19/02/2021 Artificial intelligence. The emergence of the technology which allows machines to perform tasks that usually require human intelligence. What could go wrong? Many of us were twigged to the notion of artificial intelligence with the investigation into Cambridge Analytica and it’s impact on the election. While artificial intelligence will soon give us self driving vehicles, the...

The first variant case to arrive in Canada was on Boxing Day. They had not travelled but came in contact with people from the UK. So much for staying in your bubble. Last week we asked viewers if they sympathized for Canadian travelers facing these new airline restrictions. Their response: 65.1% -  Said Yes 33.4% -  Said No 1.5% -  are Unsure

PUBLISHED: 12/02/2021  With less than a year before the 2022 Beijing Olympics, there is a growing chorus of voices calling for a boycott of the next Winter Games. Will it happen?  Canada has two citizens in Chinese custody on trumped up charges. They have been in custody for over two years. Many raised eyes have been looking at China over its human rights abuses, in particular of the Igyhur Muslim...

Transparency. As we have seen since the beginning of the pandemic, the truth gets hidden behind public image.  When COVID-19 made it’s way to North America, the truth seemed to be opaque. Initially, Canada's Public Health Agency it didn’t want the public to start hoarding masks and making it more difficult to protect those on the front line - so it told the public that masks were not necessary. Wo...

PUBLISHED: 22/01/2021 The first variant case to arrive in Canada was on Boxing Day. They had not travelled but came in contact with people from the UK. So much for staying in your bubble. There will be very little friendliness in Canadian skies as the Federal Government has brought in new air travel restrictions to the Caribbean and Mexico. For those who are returning from an international destina...

Canada-US Relations over the last four years have been unpredictable at best. Now, there is a new leader in the White House with a very full plate of issues to deal with.  Our economies are tightly linked; we share many of the same interests and issues. With Joe Biden now in the White House, there appears more room for collaboration on key files. 

  PUBLISHED: 29/01/2021  Front line health workers face fear of Covid infection everyday. Almost 1-in-5 account for infections. Yet, added to that fear and anxiety is the ongoing threat of intimidation and muzzling by health care administrators.  We heard about this disconcerting issue back at the beginning of the pandemic. Physicians and nurses being told not to speak to the media or face the wra...

10 months into the Covid 19 pandemic, and cases continue to rise across the country. A vaccine was supposed to bring this to an end, but the rollout has been hampered and political leaders are pointing the finger of blame at each other. According to the Federal Government, Canada has secured 80 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines , enough to vaccinate the whole country twice as two do...

PUBLISHED: 22/01/2021 With the inauguration of America’s 46th President, Joe Biden has the opportunity to bring fresh air to the Canada-USA relationship. What exactly will that relationship look like? ———————————— GUESTS: Maryscott “Scotty” Greenwood - CEO at Canadian American Business Council - https://cabc.co/contact/ Dr. Bill Anderson - Director at Cross-Border Institute University of Windsor -...

Democratic institutions in America have been questioned and attacked since the Trump Administration took office. In his final weeks of Presidency, a full-blown riot stormed through the doors of Capitol Hill on January 6th, incited by the President himeself. Despite being impeached for a second time for causing an insurrection and being banned from most social media platforms, President Donald Trum...

PUBLISHED: 15/01/2021 10 months into the Covid 19 pandemic, and cases continue to rise across the country. A vaccine was supposed to bring this to an end, but the rollout has been hampered and political leaders are pointing the finger of blame at each other. As we are in Ontario’s second lockdown, we are coming to you from a remote location and practicing physical distancing to enhance safety. Acc...

Canadians got a snapshot of the country’s finances in the Fall Economic Update, and it comes splashed in red ink. How rough will the financial waters be for Canada as we head into winter in the second wave of the pandemic? The COVID pandemic and its effects are the target in Minister Freeland’s update. Government revenues are down as the feds get set for another round of spending to navigate throu...

Join Ed Hand and a panel of experts as look into Ontario's AG critical report on Premier Ford's environmental track record. Ian Arthur MPP Kingston and the Islands NDP Dianne Saxe. Deputy leader Green Party of Ontario Blair Feltmate Blair Head Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation, University of Waterloo

PUBLISHED: 05/12/2020 Canadians got a snapshot of the country’s finances in the Fall Economic Update, and it comes splashed in red ink. The COVID pandemic and its effects are the focus in Minister Freeland’s update. Government revenues are down as the feds get set for another round of spending to navigate through the second wave, piling Canada’s deficit to almost 400 billion dollars. ————————————...

Youth is the hope of our future according to Jose Rizal. How are they enduring this pandemic? We’ve been locked down or under restrictions since March, and while youth are dealing with the stresses that come with the pandemic, it seems to have opened their eyes to other issues facing society. Mental health concerns, financial worries and the recovery are all on their minds. While the study shows t...

PUBLISHED: 28/11/2020 The report card is in from Ontario’s Auditor General on the province’s environment policies. The marks are low for Doug Ford’s Ontario. Late last week, Bonnie Lysick released several reports painting a picture that lacked transparency from the government. The AG’s mandate is to review financial issues and public transparency for the public. It appears the Ministry of the Envi...

Tonight's Panel: Ian Culbert, Executive Director Canadian Public Health Agency Elise Legault, Policy and Advocacy Manager ONE Dr. Jason Nickerson, Humanitarian Affairs Advisor Doctors Without Borders The world has watched and waited for a COVID-19 vaccine. Could it be here by the end of the year? Three vaccines are now showing potential - and Canada pre-ordered 20 million of Pfizers. This vaccine...

PUBLISHED: 21/11/2020 Youth is the hope of our future according to Jose Rizal. How are they enduring this pandemic? We’ve been locked down or under restrictions since March, and while youth are dealing with the stresses that come with the pandemic, it seems to have opened their eyes to other issues facing society. Mental health concerns, financial worries and the recovery are all on their minds. W...

Emma Briant Visiting Research Associate in Human Rights at Bard College @EmmaLBriant David J Bercuson Professor of Military and Diplomatic History at University of Calgary @UCalgary Marcus Kolga - Senior Fellow at MacDonald Laurier Institute and Founder of Disinfowatch @kolga @MLInstitute @DisinfoW Dave Scanlon - Retired Navy Captain and Former Senior Public Affairs Officer @scanlonjd

PUBLISHED: 11/13/2020 The world has watched and waited for a COVID-19 vaccine. Could it be here by the end of the year? This week, Pfizer announced some promising if not spectacular results from their testing of a vaccine - one that Canada has pre-ordered 20 million of. This vaccine requires two shots. so that 20 million only covers 10 million people. Earlier this year on the Unpublished Cafe, we...

Guests: Warren Kinsella Political Commentator Scotty Greenwood CEO Canadian American Business Council Elliot Tepper Prof. Norman Paterson School of International Affairs Richard Jenkins Director Public Sector Research Abacus Data