Open to Debate with David Moscrop Canada 2020

This week, we have good news and bad news. The bad news, you know already. Climate change is catching up to us. We’re feeling its effects and they stand to get worse. We’re not doing enough, and what we are doing, we’re not doing as quickly as we ought to. Moreover, the hidden costs of climate change are also adding up.The good news? We are making progress in the fight against climate change and we still have time to address the worst of what’s coming – to mitigate, adapt, and secure a better future for billions upon billions of people. But first, we need to understand the full scope and depth of the primary and secondary effects of climate change. To that end, this week we ask: What are the hidden costs of climate change?On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with R. Jisung Park, an environmental and labor economist at the University of Pennsylvania and the author of Slow Burn: The Hidden Costs of a Warming World.

Artificial intelligence means different things to different people. As an amorphous set of technologies deployed in countless applications, AI is tricky to understand, regulate, and integrate into our social and economic lives. This is especially true when conversations about it, even among experts, may be premised on misunderstandings – or multiple understandings – of the thing itself.And yet, AI, broadly understood, is already shaping how we do business, how and whether we employ people, how we communicate, and plenty more. In short, it’s kind of a big deal and we need to sort out how we want it to fit into our society and our lives.So, what is AI and is Canada ready for it?On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Murad Hemmadi, a journalist with the Logic and the co-author of Superintelligence: Is Canada Ready for AI? 

A few weeks back, we spoke with Tiffany Balducci about the Alberta NDP leadership race. This week, we’re keeping on theme, but instead of looking ahead, we’re looking back. You may have forgotten Jason Kenney. After his dismal leadership review, the Harper-era Cabinet minister resigned as premier of Alberta and left politics. But Kenney’s legacy continues to shape the country. A new book assesses his career, its effects, and the state of the right in Canada. So, what is Kenneyism and why should we care?On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Jeremy Appel, an Alberta-based journalist and author of Kenneyism: Jason Kenney’s Pursuit of Power.

There’s no sharper way to assess the state of life in the early 21st century than through a lens of “enshitification,” a term this week's guest coined. It’s described as the slow and steady worsening of each and every bit of our daily existence, and as Cory Doctorow has argued, particularly as it pertains to the work of technology companies that have captured our attention, our dollars, or both.But some people have it worse than others. For instance, the incarcerated, on whom – as this week’s guest explores in his new novel – companies test and roll out strategies and technologies and a surveillance apparatus that is later used to exploit populations at large.So, just how is life becoming “enshitified?” and how can we make things better?On this 100th(!) episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Cory Doctorow, best-selling science fiction author, activist, and journalist. His latest book, The Bezzle, is out now.

The Alberta New Democratic Party leadership race is underway. In June, the party membership will select a new leader to replace Rachel Notley and square off against United Conservative Party premier Danielle Smith. Let’s meet the candidates and get a sense of what they’re about as we ask: Who wants to lead the Alberta NDP?On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Tiffany Balducci, a union organizer, negotiator, and job evaluation specialist with the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Alberta.

Trans rights are under attack throughout Canada. Policy changes in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have already constrained rights and other provinces, most notably Ontario, may be set to follow. At the same time, the Conservative Party is set to go all-in on the culture war ahead of the next federal election, and to throw trans people under the bus in the process.The struggle for trans rights intersects with similar movements to establish, expand, or preserve social, cultural, economic, and political equality. But trans folks are up against powerful, well-funded opponents and constrained by limited resources, leaving us to ask: What is the future of trans rights?On this episode of Open to Debate, David Moscrop talks with Fae Johnstone, Executive Director of Queer Momentum.