Canada’s Access to Information Act’s protection for cabinet secrecy is among the broadest in the world. Has that protection gone too far — denying public access to documents that Canadians should have a right to see? Join Yan Campagnolo, Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa, and Vincent Kazmierski, Associate Professor in the Department of Law and Legal Studies at Carleton University, in a discussion with eminent Canadian journalist Dean Beeby about their paper, which suggests Canada’s law may be unconstitutional.

As surveillance technologies expand, the fundamental right to privacy is under unprecedented threat. In this episode, Canadian scholars Alana Saulnier and Evan Light examine the growing footprint of police surveillance across the country. Focusing on automated license plate readers, artificial intelligence, and biometric tools, they explore how mass data collection and AI-enhanced monitoring impact civil liberties, discriminatory law enforcement, and Canadian democracy.

Almost everyone sought for extradition from Canada is extradited. Is this a sign of efficiency or of injustice? Join a panel of leading experts on Canadian extradition law and practices who discuss what actually happens when a person in Canada is sought by another country.

Panelists: Donald Bayne (Distinguished criminal defence lawyer and counsel for Hassan Diab), Julianna Greenspan (Senior partner at Greenspan Partners with extensive experience in extradition matters), Joanna Harrington (Eldon Foote Chair in International Business and Law, and Vice Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Alberta)

Moderator: Robert Currie (Viscount Bennett Professor of Law, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University)

Popular trust in the media has been declining fairly consistently over the past decade. In her new book, The Trust Spiral: Why the Media Needs Objectivity, Canadian journalist and podcaster, Tara Henley, explains why. Join her in a conversation with veteran Canadian Press journalist Jim Bronskill about this vital issue for our democracy.

In 'Visitor: My Life in Canada,' Anthony Stewart explores the lack of a recognizable Black anti-racist discourse in Canada and why Canada's lack of expression and commitment to Black anti-racism led him to give up his full professorship at Dalhousie University to move to a small college in the USA.

Join Anthony in conversation with Vershawn Young, Professor of Communication Arts and English, University of Waterloo, and author of 'Your Average Nigga: Performing Race, Literacy, and Masculinity.' Anthony unpacks the differences in the discourses of anti-racism in Canada and USA and the differential effects of those discourses both on himself, as a Black man, and on Black peoples in both countries.

This conversation occurred on Oct 5, 2021 and was co-sponsored by Edmonton Public Library, Milton Public Library, Thunder Bay Public Library, Toronto Public Library, and Vancouver Public Library.

Whistleblower protection is an essential tool for stopping fraud and wrongdoing in the private sector, as well as the public. While Canadian corporations in some sectors have admirable policies and practices, there is much we can learn from law, policies, and practices elsewhere.

Join a panel of global private sector whistleblowing experts who will examine best international law and practices that could serve as models for Canada.

Panelists: • Elizabeth Gardiner, Joint CEO of Protect – the UK’s leading organization whistleblower protection and advocacy organization. • Christian Hauser, Professor at FHGR University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland who has conducted significant research into private sector WB issues over many years • Anna Myers, Executive Director, Whistleblowing International Network composed of whistleblower protection organizations from around the world.

Moderator: • Sandy Boucher, leads investigations and cybersecurity practices for Doane Grant Thornton LLP and is a Senior Fellow, Centre for Free Expression

Wrongdoing in medicine is all too common, with punishment typically reserved for those who speak up about it, writes leading American bioethicist, Carl Elliott, in his new book, The Occasional Human Sacrifice: Medical Experimentation and the Price of Saying No. Join Carl in conversation with Nancy Olivieri, eminent Canadian physician, medical researcher, and whistleblower as they describe the troubling reluctance in medicine to act in the interests of their patients and the public and explore what can be done about it. This conversation occurred on May 15, 2024 and was co-sponsored by Edmonton Public Library, Toronto Public Library, and Vancouver Public Library.

In his new book, On Book Banning, Ira Wells begins with his astonishment when the principal in his children’s school wanted to get rid of “all the old books” as being too Eurocentric, too male, too heteronormative. While understanding these concerns, he felt the solution was wrong. In his engaging exploration of censorship and the common goals of censors of all persuasions, Wells looks at the consequences for human development, for art, and for democracy. Join Ira in conversation with Centre for Free Expression Director James L. Turk, at this time when censorship is becoming popular and pervasive.

This conversation occurred on Feb. 26, 2025 and was co-sponsored by Edmonton Public Library, PEN Canada, Toronto Public Library, and Vancouver Public Library.