DEMOCRACY DIALOGUES
Season 5: Emerging Challenges & Community Responses
We're thrilled to bring our network Democracy Dialogues, a free virtual series that will answer some of the biggest questions and concerns we have about what it takes to build a vibrant and inclusive democracy now and in the future.
Each session is designed for learning and building community during this challenging time.
UPCOMING EPISODES
In this moment when many Canadians are despairing of democracy's ability to address our most pressing challenges, join us for a hopeful conversation to honour the life, legacy, and work of the late Ed Broadbent and his recent book “Seeking Social Democracy.” We will welcome two of his co-authors Jon Sas and Luke Savage in a conversation that can have particular resonance for young people who may take hope from Broadbent’s struggle for social democracy.
This memoir delves into the life and thoughts of one of Canada’s prominent political thinkers, guiding readers through Broadbent’s decades-long pursuit of building a society where all Canadians could live a life of dignity.
Combining elements of memoir, history, and political manifesto, "Seeking Social Democracy" provides a comprehensive look at Ed Broadbent’s ideas and his remarkable seven-decade commitment to public life. In dialogue with collaborators from different generations, the book covers the formation of Broadbent’s social democratic ideals, his international engagements, and his relationships with historical figures like Pierre Trudeau, Fidel Castro, Tommy Douglas, René Lévesque, and Willy Brandt.
Led by Democracy Dialogues host Victoria Kuketz, the conversation with the co-authors will explore Broadbent’s notable success and significant challenges and the lessons for everyone committed to addressing issues of inequality and social justice. They will share insights from the book, and offer lessons for a new generation, emphasizing how principles can guide action and social democracy can evolve beyond neoliberalism.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Jonathan Sas has worked in senior policy and political roles in government, the nonprofit sector and the labour movement. His writing has appeared in The Toronto Star, Policy Options, The Tyee, and Maissoneuve Magazine.
Luke Savage is a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, The Guardian, Jacobin, the New Statesman, the Washington Post, Smithsonian Magazine, and the Literary Review of Canada. His first book, The Dead Center, was published in 2022.
PREVIOUS EPISODES
Loneliness is a serious epidemic with troubling implications for the health of our democracy. Join Toronto Foundation president and CEO, Sharon Avery and Head of Cultural Programming at Vancouver Public Library and Founder of #bemyamigo initiative, Jorge Amigo for a discussion about the causes of the epidemic, the impact on our democracy and potential solutions.
In this session, we will explore what happens when our loose networks of neighbours, associates, and colleagues shrink and even the number of close friends people report having declines. While this is not a new phenomenon, social media and the COVID 19 pandemic appear to have accelerated existing trends. While this phenomenon is not limited to one group or demographic, young people are reporting some of the highest levels of loneliness.
Whatever happens over the course of the next year during the US presidential election, core principles of American democracy are being tested and there is no guarantee that it will pass the test.
How do we understand this fundamental challenge to democracy in the US and what are the implications for Canada and our democracy? What are the lessons to be learned? What steps can we take now to ensure Canadian democracy remains vibrant and inclusive?
Can we harness AI to promote an inclusive and vibrant democracy or will AI, when fully unleashed, undermine the very foundations of our democracy?
As UNESCO’s Gabriela Ramos states, “Tech such as #AI can help us advance our goals, but we need an ethical compass to root out the inequalities it reproduces.”
We will explore how AI impacts existing challenges like the digital divide and disinformation campaigns. Will AI further concentrate political power in the hands of well resourced corporations, governments and individuals? Will it be used to mass produce ever more sophisticated disinformation campaigns?
We will also explore the potential of AI to strengthen democracy by scaling and enhancing innovations that enhance citizen participation in policy making.
This first episode is offered in partnership with our friends from Public Policy Forum (PPF), YMCA Canada, and Elections Canada and will include both youth voices on the panel and in the audience.
The PPF has released an important report called Far and Widening: The Rise of Polarization in Canada. It is a dynamic and comprehensive study involving more than 1,600 young adults (18-35), ten researchers and writers, six community organizations, two think tanks and one investigative journalist, all studying, documenting, and reporting on the issue of Canadian polarization. The report makes a critical contribution to understanding forces driving polarization and the response of Canadians and young people in particular. It may not be what you expect and it certainly does not reflect the experience of polarization in the United States.
In this session, we will share project learnings about forces like a changing media landscape, the pandemic and party politics that are driving polarization. We will also look at what the data and deep conversations with young people tell us about how we are responding to these forces. The challenges are real but there are also real opportunities to prevent the kind of affective polarization that is threatening core democratic principles in the US.