Since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, observers have been talking about the “egalitarian” nature of the virus. ‘Covid-19 doesn’t discriminate’ has been a common refrain. But while the virus itself may have common effects across populations, the pandemic and its consequences are far from equally shared. As with many public health challenges, the effects and costs of the pandemic are distributed unequally, with marginalized individuals and groups often asked to do the most while facing a ...
Jun 19, 2020•45 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Around the world, Black Lives Matter and their allies - are demanding justice -- and structural change -- in response to years upon years of racist violence, marginalization, and repression. In many instances, activists are being met with further state violence at the hands of police and resistance from elected representatives and officials.Despite state intransigence, one of the core demands gaining traction right now is the movement to ‘defund the police’. But what does that mean? And, moreove...
Jun 16, 2020•43 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Humankind is facing an extraordinary threat. No, not that threat. The other one. Climate change. And we are running out of time to develop and implement solutions to meet the challenge -- or, at least, to mitigate the worst of what’s coming. Tackling the climate crisis requires radical change, including adaptations to -- or perhaps upheavals of -- the social, political, and economic systems that have delivered us into this mess. Some people, however, argue that there is much we can and should wa...
Jun 02, 2020•44 min•Season 2Ep. 20
As of May 18th, 2020 there are more than 1.52 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States of America. While 280,000 people have recovered from the virus, 90,000 have died -- the most of any country in the world. The American response to the pandemic has been criticized, appropriately, by just about everyone who is paying attention. And life in the time COVID-19 has just begun, which makes the following question even more important: Can the United States of America manage the pandemi...
May 19, 2020•43 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Canadians like to tell themselves stories about the serene, progressive country they call home. In certain imaginations, Canada is immune to the social and political toxicity we find around the world -- especially that which we find to the south of us. And yet, a cursory glance at our past and our present tells another tale. Racial prejudice is embedded in Canadian minds and institutions. We must confront the question: Is Canada racist? On episode 15 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks about ...
May 05, 2020•50 min•Season 2Ep. 18
The coronavirus pandemic continues. So does lockdown. Before the crisis, many of us used the internet for our day-to-day and month-to-month tasks. During the crisis, more of these tasks will be online. No doubt, that will continue in the future -- and change too. But we must be able to trust this digital identity: trust that it is safe and reliable, that it doesn’t lead to a further commodification of ourselves, and that its proceeds returned, at least in part, to the consumer. The question, the...
Apr 21, 2020•34 min•Season 2Ep. 17
As the coronarvius pandemic continues, a mutual aid movement known as ‘caremongering’ has emerged in Canada. The endeavour is encouraging and welcome, but it isn’t new. Mutual aid and solidarity have long been practiced, especially in racialized, disabled, and Indigenous communities. On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with international development scholar Yvonne Su about the history, possibilities, and limits of caremongering.
Apr 07, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 16
The COVID-19 virus has upended life around the world. On this special episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop sits down -- remotely -- with professor, author, parent, and friend Amanda Watson to ask: How do we manage life during COVID-19? We discuss how she and others are managing life during the pandemic and how a lens of compassion and care can help us navigate this difficult time -- and beyond it.
Mar 24, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Masculinity dominates our social, political, cultural, and economic lives. As a way of seeing and being in the world, it is often narrow-minded, aggressive, and oppressive. Toxic conceptions of masculinity are a threat to all of us; but they are also social constructions. As such, they can be deconstructed and reconstructed in the service of a healthier world for everyone. But first, we must understand masculinity. Towards that end, we ask: What does it mean to become a man? On episode 14 of Ope...
Mar 10, 2020•47 min•Season 1Ep. 14
As Canada watches protests, blockades, and other actions from Wet'suwet'en land defenders and their allies, we are reminded that protest and civil disobedience are essential to a free and democratic society. What purpose does direct action serve? For whom? Why not try other means to achieve your ends? In other words: Why protest? On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks about protest, civil disobedience, revolt, and revolution with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, curation editor at Buzzfeed N...
Feb 26, 2020•Season 1Ep. 13
In January, the Broadcasting and Telecommunications Legislative Review Panel released its report ‘Canada’s Communications Future: Time to Act’. The recommendations are sprawling; some are wise and timely, others are invasive and unnecessary, advocating a highly regulated internet and an interventionist communications regulator in service of, among other things, the future of Canadian content and culture on the internet, in the broadcast sphere, and beyond. But what the panel and its defenders ta...
Feb 25, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Canada’s national defence regime has long been bound up with the United States and our allies. For years, along with our partner states, we have been under various threats from the Cold War to terrorism and beyond. Most recently, challenges from Russia and China have become particularly significant while questions surround the future of American hegemony and the NATO alliance. That leaves us to ask: Can Canada defend itself against foreign threats? On episode 11 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop ...
Feb 11, 2020•46 min•Season 1Ep. 11
The Royal Family is once again front and centre in the news, this time thanks to two of its most prominent members, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, stepping back from their official duties. Whenever the royals take centre stage, the country is plunged headlong into a familiar debate: Does Canada need the monarchy? On episode 10 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Dale Smith, a freelance journalist in the Parliamentary Press Gallery, author of The Unbroken Machine, and contributor of the ...
Jan 28, 2020•40 min•Season 1Ep. 10
In June of this year, the Conservative Party of Canada will choose a new leader. Its last leadership race, in the spring of 2017, highlighted competing visions of conservatism within the party springing from different values, priorities, and approaches among the country’s conservatives. What is the future of conservatism in Canada? On episode 9 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Kate Harrison, Vice-President at Summa Strategies, about the directions that the Conservative Party, and the ...
Jan 14, 2020•44 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Canada’s 43rd Parliament is in session. The Speech from the Throne has been delivered. Justin Trudeau remains Prime Minister. But the dynamics in the House of Commons are likely to change now that the country has a minority government. What should we expect from Canada’s 43rd Parliament? On episode 8 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Tonda MacCharles, senior reporter with the Toronto Star in Ottawa, about the policies and politics of the months to come.
Dec 10, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 8
The internet was once imagined as a free and open communications utopia. Like all utopias, however, it was not to be. But the spirit of an unbound and accessible internet lives on, as does the question “can we fix the internet?” On episode 7 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Laura Tribe, executive director of Open Media, about digital rights and telecom policy in Canada.
Nov 19, 2019•48 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Meet the new government, same as the old government. Kind of. On election night, Canada returned a hung parliament with Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party set to maintain power--but now in a minority position. The prime minister remains the prime minister, but he will be forced to cooperate with opposition parties to legislate. On episode 6 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Aaron Wudrick, federal director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, about what to expect in the next parliame...
Nov 05, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 6
On this election campaign special, we discuss one of Canada’s closest races ever -and what you should expect in the days, weeks, and months to come. For episode 5 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Shannon Proudfoot, a journalist with Maclean’s, about the performances of each party so far, minority and majority parliaments, voter turnout, and some ridings to watch.
Oct 18, 2019•47 min•Season 1Ep. 5
On October 21st, Canadians will go to the ballot box and return a government in Canada’s forty-third general election. The race is very close--the incumbent Liberals and the Conservatives are within a few points of one another in most polls. In episode 4 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Kevin Milligan, a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, about some of the policy differences between the country’s top four national parties and what they might mean for Canadia...
Oct 15, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 4
For years, researchers, activists, and both current and former prisoners have asked “Do we need prisons?” The state of correctional services in Canada and around the world--and the disparity between the theory of corrections and its practice--make this a timely and important question that reflects concerns about justice, equity, dignity, and decency. In episode 3 of Open to Debate, David Moscrop sits down with Justin Piché, an associate professor in the Department of Criminology at the Universit...
Oct 01, 2019•49 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Climate change is the most significant threat to humankind in recorded history. Despite increasingly alarming warnings that our way of life is unsustainable—and driving us towards potential ruin—we resist the reforms necessary to save ourselves, opting instead for half-measures that seem to be too little, too late. Can we manage the climate crisis?
Sep 17, 2019•40 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Democracy has survived ideological challengers, economic disruption, and even war. But can it survive the internet? In this episode, we discuss digital threats, to democratic health--from at home and abroad.
Sep 03, 2019•47 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Smart, witty, and thoughtful political conversations that break from the limits of the 24-hour news cycle and the 280 character limit. Listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of the history and implications of the issues that shape us and our environment, anchored in discussions about public policy, and supported by research. Open to Debate is a space for agreeable disagreement based on the belief that such exchanges are essential to the health of our democracy.
Jun 10, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1
