Past Big Thinking seasons

Past Big Thinking lectures

2013-2014 Season

From trolley cars to rapid transit: The future of urban transportation
Jeff Casello, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Planning, University of Waterloo
Zachary Patterson, Professor, Canada Research Chair in Transportation and Land Use Linkages for Regional Sustainability, Concordia University
John Geddes, Ottawa Bureau Chief, Maclean's
May 1, 2021
This event was hosted with The Partnership Group for Science and Engineering.

The secret to our success: Immigration policy in Canada
Irene Bloemraad, Barnes Chair of Canadian Studies and CIFAR Senior Fellow, University of California, Berkeley
April 3, 2021
This event was organized in partnership with CIFAR, the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.

Why do some Canadians become terrorists?
Lorne Dawson, Professor and Department Chair, Departement of Sociology and Legal Studies, University of Waterloo
March 4, 2021

Reason versus passion in politics
Joseph Heath, Director of the Centre for Ethics at the University of Toronto and Professor in the School of Public Policy and Governance and the Department of Philosophy
February 11, 2021
This event was organized in partnership with the Trudeau Foundation.

Cohabitation: an alternative or substitute for marriage?
Céline Le Bourdais, professor at McGill University, Canada Research Chair in Social Statistics and Family Change and academic director of the McGill QICSS Branch
December 10, 2020
This event was organized in partnership with the Canadian Research Data Centre Network.

After Snowden: What now for an open and free Internet?
Ron Deibert, Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs' Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto
November 21, 2020
This event was sponsored by Google Canada.

Whither innovation? Moving beyond the buzzword
Richard Hawkins, Professor at the University of Calgary and Fellow of the Institute for Science Society and Policy at the University of Ottawa
October 3, 2020
This event was organized in partnership with the Institute for Science Society and Policy (ISSP) at the University of Ottawa.

 

2012-2013 Season

Jobs first: Rethinking development around the globe
Gordon Betcherman from the University of Ottawa
April 25, 2021

When psychotherapy meets virtual reality
Stephane Bouchard, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Canada Research Chair in clinical cyberpsychology
March 21, 2021

Searching for answers: Addressing bullying and children's health
Wendy Craig, Professor of Psychology at Queen’s University and Scientific Co-Director at PREVNet (Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network)
February 14, 2021

Behavioural economics and its implications for financial literacy and public policy
Dilip Soman, Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
November 29, 2020
This event was organized in collaboration with Credit Union Central of Canada and the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, and sponsored by TD Bank Group.

Stem cells and medical tourism: The challenge for health and science policy
Timothy Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy
October 23, 2020
This event was organized in partnership with the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Inclusive Innovation: what is the role of rural and remote regions in the knowledge economy?
Ken Coates, Canada Research Chair in Regional Innovation
September 18, 2020
This event was organized in partnership with the Canada Foundation for Innovation.

2011-2012 Season

Who cares? Aging boomers and caregiving policy in Canada

Janice Keefe, Mount Saint Vincent University
April 26, 2021

Big Thinking Apr 26 2012: Who cares? Aging boomers and caregiving policy in Canada from Fedcan on Vimeo.

 

"Who's driving the story? Question period, social media, and changing political communications"

Alexandre Sévigny, McMaster University
March 8, 2021

"Innovation? What innovation? Re-thinking progress and how we measure it"

Jeremy de Beer, University of Ottawa
January 31, 2021

"Building resilient communities: The economic impact of Credit Unions and Caisses Populaires in Canada"

Lou Hammond Ketilson
December 8, 2020

"The World Economic Outlook: Implications for Canadian fiscal policy"

Jack Mintz
November 17, 2020

"Generation Next: Social mobility of the children of immigrants"

Philip Kelly
October 20, 2020

"Food for thought: Addressing the global food crisis"

Evan Fraser
September 28, 2020

 

2010-2011 Season

"On What Terms Can We Speak? Aboriginal-Canadian relations as an educational priority"
Dwayne Donald [10/03/11]

"Helping the most vulnerable? Exploring gender, poverty and social policy in Canada"
Lori Curtis [09/02/11]

"Between Militarization and Litigiousness: Canada's policy choices in the fight against cybecrime"
Benoit Dupont [9/12/10]

"The Greying of Canada's Population - two policy challenges for the next generation"
Christopher Ragan [3/11/10]

"From Canada 2.0 to a Digital Nation"
Catherine Middleton [7/10/10]

 

2009-2010 Season

"Pension Reform: How Canada can lead?"
Keith Ambachtsheer [12/05/10]

"Achieving a Low-carbon, High-octane Economy: How federal fiscal and policy reform can lead the way"
Stewart Elgie [01/04/10]

"Contested Sovereignty: Who Owns the Arctic"
Michael Byers [03/12/09]

"Afghanistan: Canada's Vietnam?"
Reeta Tremblay [05/11/09]

 

1996 to 2009

"...and the truth shall set you free", Jane Dickson-Gilmore [14/05/09]

"Does Leadership Matter?", Mark Kingwell [23/04/09]

"Political Minefields: Religion in post-secular society", Paul Bramadat [12/03/09]

"Response to the recession: Rescue the economy. Protect the people. Plan for the future", Marjorie Griffin Cohen [10/02/09]

"The Forgotten Promise: French in Alberta", Edmund A. Aunger [04/12/08] (presented in french)

"Oh, the Humanities", Smaro Kamboureli [01/05/08]

"Eliminating poverty: what governments can do", Alain Noël [17/04/08] (presented in French)

"MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL: Are any elected bodies representative at all?", Caroline Andrew [28/02/08]

"The Politics of Canada's Floating Exchange Rate", Eric Helleiner [11/12/07]

"Camels in the Arctic?", Franklyn Griffiths [22/11/07]

"Shacked Up ", Zheng Wu [23/10/07]

"Whose dignity is it anyway?", William Sweet [10/5/07]

"Immigration in Canada’s regions: is political will enough?", Michèle Vatz Laaroussi [27/03/07]

"2010: Governance for Sustainable Development… As if it Mattered", Ann Dale [8/02/07]

"Fitting in: A place for immigrant teens in Canadian society", John W. Berry [23/11/06]

"Afghanistan: Have we reached our national tipping point?", Michael Byers [05/10/06]

"D.I.Y. Society: Community support beyond government support", Ian MacPherson, Rupert Downing and Jean-Marc Fontan [21/09/06]

"Policing the "Usual Suspects": Evidence, Consequences and Policy Implications of Racial Profile in Canada", Scot Wortley [08/06/06]

"Naming, Blaming and Shaming: Improving government accountability in light of Gomery", Peter Aucoin, [11/05/06]

"Uncovering the Coverage: Gender Biases in Canadian Political Reporting", Joanna Everitt [17/11/05]

"What happens when law protects the technologies that protect copyright? Bill C-60, Copyright Reform & the Public Interest" , Ian Kerr [24/10/05]

"The Foreigner and the Right to Justice in the Aftermath of September 11th", François Crépeau [12/05/05]

"The Place of Churches in the Same-Sex Marriage Debate: A few things you might not have heard", Pamela Dickey Young [21/04/05]

"Cluster development: Location, location, location?", David A. Wolfe [17/02/05]

"Canada and Ballistic Missile Defence: What we know, don't know and can't know", James Fergusson [04/11/04]

"Three Myths about Aboriginals in Cities", Evelyn Peters [25/03/04]

"Sustaining Canada's Multicultural Cities - Learning from the Local", Leonie Sandercock [24/02/04]

"Who Makes the Laws? The Struggle for Legislative Supremacy in Canada", James B. Kelly [02/10/03]

"How are Women Faring in the Entrepreneurial Economy?", Karen D. Hughes [01/05/03]

"Disarmament versus "Managed Proliferation"", Jennifer Allen Simons [20/02/03]

"Is public health care politically sustainable?", Antonia Maioni [5/12/02]

"A Professional Ethics for Politicians?", Daniel Weinstock [31/10/02]

"The Role (or Non-Role) of Women in Religion", Morny Joy [25/04/02]

"Healthcare in Canada: Understanding the Numbers", Robert G. Evans [21/02/02]

"Islam in History, the Modern Context", Farhang Rajaee [6/12/01]

"Pluripotent Stem Cell Research: The Ethical Issues", Françoise Baylis [18/10/01]

"Women, Taxes and Social Programs", Lisa Philipps [26/04/01]

"New Realities in the Middle East", Janice Stein [29/03/01]

"The Contribution of Religious Studies to Ethics and Public Policy", Harold Coward [03/01/01]:

"Taxation and Citizenship", Neil Brooks [5/10/00]

"Information, the Internet and International Politics", Michael Dartnell [4/4/00]

"Preventing long-term social problems and costs through early support and intervention programs for young children, their mothers and their neighbourhoods: The role of social science research", Ray DeV. Peters, Ph.D. [9/12/99]

"The WTO, NAFTA and the Future of the Auto Pact", Maureen Molot [28/10/99]

"Will the Social Union Divide Canadians?", A. Noël [18/03/99]

"The Impact of Health Care Reform on Women: A Cautionary Tale", Pat Armstrong [11/02/99]

"The Theory and Practice of Canadian Multiculturalism", Will Kymlicka [23/11/98]

"Sustainability of Communities of Fish and Fishers in Canada", Rosemary E. Ommer [26/03/98]

"Workplace Literacy Issues in Canada", Harvey Krahn [12/02/98]

"Why Invest in Early Child Development", Richard Tremblay [4/12/97]

"Perspectives on Canadian Cultural Policies", Rosemary Sullivan [20/03/97]