Canada’s democracy is under threat, and the stakes are high. But when we focus on how we are connected, we find the power to act - to strengthen what’s working and fix what’s not.

This is what is behind the Samara Centre for Democracy’s latest podcast, hosted by Sabreena Delhon. It’s called Group Chat and is where we bring people together to make sense of what’s happening in our democracy.

Group Chat is funded by the Rideau Hall Foundation and the Flanagan Foundation.

If you like this podcast, help us keep it going. Your donation supports the show along with the Samara Centre for Democracy’s mission to realize a vibrant culture of civic engagement across Canada. Learn more at samaracentre.ca.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former Green Party leader, Annamie Paul, lets us in on the covert, cross-partisan group chat that helped her survive politics. It just showed up on her phone, becoming a pillar throughout her rocky tenure - and it inspired this new podcast.

Group Chat is funded by the Rideau Hall Foundation and the Flanagan Foundation.

If you like this podcast, help us keep it going. Your donation supports the show along with the Samara Centre for Democracy’s mission to realize a vibrant culture of civic engagement across Canada. Learn more at samaracentre.ca. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We often hear that democracy is in decline—but there are also spaces of innovation. In this episode, recorded live in Montreal at the Institute for Research on Public Policy, we explore practices like citizens’ assemblies that go beyond voting, with Malorie Flon (L'Institut du Nouveau Monde), Bianca Wylie (Digital Public), and Sarah Yaffe (MASS LBP).

Group Chat is funded by the Rideau Hall Foundation and the Flanagan Foundation.

If you like this podcast, help us keep it going. Your donation supports the show along with the Samara Centre for Democracy’s mission to realize a vibrant culture of civic engagement across Canada. Learn more at samaracentre.ca.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does the notwithstanding clause safeguard our rights or override them? We dive into one of the most controversial parts of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to figure out whether it’s a hero like Wolverine or a wildcard like The Joker. Lawyers Warda Shazadi Meighen, Karin Galldin and Peter Biro weigh in.

Group Chat is funded by the Rideau Hall Foundation and the Flanagan Foundation.

If you like this podcast, help us keep it going. Your donation supports the show along with the Samara Centre for Democracy’s mission to realize a vibrant culture of civic engagement across Canada. Learn more at samaracentre.ca.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taiwan’s former Digital Minister Audrey Tang and economist Glen Weyl share an infectious techno optimism. In a surprisingly spiritual conversation, they tell us why they want to invite more, not less, technology into the democratic process. We also talk to Bianca Wylie from Digital Public about the limitations of tech as a tool of salvation.

Group Chat is funded by the Rideau Hall Foundation and the Flanagan Foundation.

If you like this podcast, help us keep it going. Your donation supports the show along with the Samara Centre for Democracy’s mission to realize a vibrant culture of civic engagement across Canada. Learn more at samaracentre.ca.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With technology bridging communities across borders, global and local politics are connected more than ever. We explore how diasporic politics shape local democracy, the threat of foreign interference, and the power of belonging in civic life with Anita Li, The Green Line, and Jaskaran Sandhu, Baaz News.

Group Chat is funded by the Rideau Hall Foundation and the Flanagan Foundation.

If you like this podcast, help us keep it going. Your donation supports the show along with the Samara Centre for Democracy’s mission to realize a vibrant culture of civic engagement across Canada. Learn more at samaracentre.ca.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Go behind the scenes of the Group Chat podcast with a BONUS episode featuring host Sabreena Delhon in conversation with Executive Producer Debbie Pacheco. This episode launches our Group Chat Listening Party guide - think book club but a podcast.

Special thanks to the McConnell Foundation.

Host a Group Chat Listening Party 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this period of global democratic backsliding we’re seeing political pressures in the United States reverberate in Canada. Top American scholars are moving here while Canadian researchers are facing growing scrutiny over what they study. What does this all mean for the health of our democracy?

In this episode we partnered with the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences on Re-imagining Academic Freedom and Advocacy, to explore these issues in depth with Debra Thompson (McGill University), Eve Haque (York University), and our own Beatrice Wayne (Samara Centre for Democracy).

Group Chat is produced by the Samara Centre for Democracy, Canada’s leading non-partisan charity dedicated to strengthening and protecting our democracy. Visit samaracentre.ca to explore more of our shows and support this work with a donation. Special thanks to the Flanagan Foundation and the Rideau Hall Foundation for their support. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.