2024 has been called the year of democracy. It is estimated that more voters than ever in history will head to the polls this year. Democratic elections are happening in at least 64 countries plus the European Union—representing a combined population of about half of the people in the world. At the time of recording, Canada is not facing a national election, but that may change at any point. Beyond the policies and leaders’ debates, the other thing that goes along with elections i...
In late 2023, a dream team of former elected officials, mayors and chief planners, Indigenous leaders, designers, builders and developers, affordability advocates, and finance and insurance experts came together to create a Task Force for Housing and Climate. This group released their Blueprint for More and Better Housing in March 2024.This episode we welcome Housing and Climate Task Force co-Chair Don Iveson. We discuss why addressing Canada’s housing crisis should also include c...
During Black History Month in Canada, we celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians and their communities. We highlight Black Canadians’ role in making Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate, and prosperous country it is. We also acknowledge the work that remains to be done in addressing anti-Black racism in our society. This episode we welcome Dr. Denise O’Neil Green. For over 30 years, Dr. Green, a published author and award-winning expert has app...
When Joshua Gans and his co-authors released their book Prediction Machines in 2018, they were writing about a topic that seemed quite niche. At this time, machine learning was just starting out. In the last year, the speed at which artificial intelligence has advanced has surprised almost everyone.In this conversation, we hear how the analytical framework that he and his colleagues developed helps to sort through the hype. He argues artificial intelligence is best thought of as a prediction ...
Canada’s labour force isn’t growing fast enough to keep up with the aging population. On one hand we have a labour supply challenge. But, on the other hand the workers we do have don’t always have the skill sets that we need today, but particularly into the future. My guests this episode are both actively working to reshape our skills development and labour market preparedness for students today so that they can fill the labour market demands of tomorrow. We explore how educ...
Today’s generation feels maligned by the press and often ignored by politics. Priced out of home ownership, dealing with the growing impact of climate change, and criticized for not appreciating that life is hard and always has been—life doesn’t seem fair for young people in Canada. But my guest this episode is bringing evidence, passion and a clarity of perspective to reveal the real ways in which life truly is harder for today’s younger generation. How hard work just isn’t paying...
OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other large language model AI have brought the long-standing promises of artificial intelligence to fruition. ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, accumulating millions of users worldwide. However, this tool and others like it are being met with trepidation and fear by many AI pioneers. To help us make sense of these developments and their implications is Valérie Pisano, President and CEO of Mila, the Quebec Institute of Artificial Intelligence.In this episode...
The history of humanity is a history of movement. Today, movements of people from one place to another are subject to severe political and social constraints.Our guest this episode has spent a good portion of his life creating supports for people who are fleeing human rights or environmental disasters. Dr. Lloyd Axworthy joins us to share what he and others at the World Refugee & Migration Council see as the great need for reform in our treatment of refugees in Canada and aroun...
Professor Tracy Bear is a well-known researcher focusing on Indigenous knowledge, resilience and embedding research in true partnerships with communities. In 2021, she was appointed director of the McMaster Indigenous Research Institute.Hundreds of thousands of Canadians got to know Professor Bear through her role as academic lead of “Indigenous Canada”—a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) designed to help Canadians understand the history of Indigenous Peoples. Since its inception in 2016, the...
In May 2020, in the depths of the pandemic, Canadian Nicholas André G. Johnson broke new ground as Princeton’s first Black valedictorian. In over 274 years, no other Black student had been recognized in this way by the institution, making Nicholas a ground breaker and as we’ll hear—a mentor to other Black professionals forging their path through academic and professional settings. Nicholas talks about the experience of being the first Black valedictorian and the intense media attention h...
The war in Ukraine brought the country and its people to the forefront of international attention. Every day more and more people are seeking to help Ukrainians to end the war and to recover from the damage that is being inflicted.Dr. Marnie Howlett has dedicated her life to understanding—and helping others understand—how Ukraine and its people view their country and their unique position as a borderland between Europe and Russia. She joins us this episode to provide a deeper understand...
The ongoing war in Ukraine has shaken the foundation of international relations. In many ways this war feels like déjà vu—a land war in Europe, a larger power attempting to overtake another smaller country for its own gains. But in other ways this war is unprecedented. Professor Jane Boulden joins us this episode to help make sense of the impact of the war in Ukraine on the international order, on the United Nations and on how this war has eroded the rules-based order that w...
The Russian invasion of Ukraine sent shockwaves around the world and Canada is not immune. Join the Conference Board of Canada’s economic forecasting team as they discuss how this conflict will impact Canadian producers, government, and consumers. They will also discuss opportunities for Canada to build on its special relationship with the people of Ukraine to play a bigger role in post-war rebuilding. About our guests: Pedro Antunes is the Chief Economist and primary s...
Decisions about our communities are made based on data. That data comes from many places, but these days, a lot of it comes from what we do and the decisions we make. Over the course of the pandemic, our actions changed dramatically. Having local, current data meant decision-makers were able to target their reactions to the communities that needed them most. But could we have done better? Do our new sources of information play well with our old sources? Rupen Seoni, Chief Revenue Officer...
More than five years after the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued its final report, progress on the 94 calls to action has been slow. But are Canadians starting to finally understand the truth of how Indigenous Peoples have been treated in this country?Reconciliation is a long journey. Knowing the truth is just the first step. The head of that commission, The Honourable Murray Sinclair, joins us this episode to talk about new laws in Canada that recognize Indigenous rights, the n...
What do you do when your technology trips you up more than it helps you out? In 2014, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation found itself with a collection of legacy technologies that were getting in employees’ way and limiting the organization’s impact.Initially, they thought it was just a technology issue. Turns out, they needed more than just a contractor to move them to the cloud—they needed a partner who could help them find a new approach.This episode, Amélie Lecompte, CMHC’s VP an...
“Comply or explain” disclosure requirements were intended to improve women’s representation at the top of Canada’s major organizations. Five years later, the ratio of women on corporate boards has improved, but is it thanks to the disclosure requirements? Dr. Susan Black, CEO of The Conference Board of Canada, and Rob Davis, Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer at KPMG in Canada, talk to us about the pace of change for women’s representation and opportunities to increase diversity in Canad...
Refugees bring very few “things” with them when they arrive in Canada, but they don’t arrive empty-handed. They bring experiences, perspective, passion, and fresh ideas. When Tareq Hadhad left war-torn Syria and settled in Nova Scotia with his family, he brought a delicious path to peace, prosperity, and community. The founder of Peace by Chocolate joins us to talk about Canada’s immigration and refugee system, entrepreneurship, and being a newcomer in a small town.Find Tareq on Twitter ...
Policies need to make sense with how people and businesses already operate. Otherwise, they won’t work. Knowing how people make decisions can help policies make sense to the people they’re supposed to support. A misplaced nudge can sometimes feel like a shove. Policies work better when they line up with how people already make their decisions. Sasha Tregebov, Director of Behavioural Insights Team’s Canada office, joins us to talk about how creating the right policies can help us to recov...
Environmental sustainability is one of the most pressing concerns of our time. And while this is something most of us can agree on, turning that consensus into action is more difficult. If we want to make progress on our climate targets, we need to work smarter. One tool policy-makers and organizations are turning to is psychology. If we know how people come to their decisions, we can design policies that help them make good decisions on their own. Our guest this episode felt compelled t...