Best Canadian Sovereignty Podcasts (2026)

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The biggest tech questions of 2026 1:07:05

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18h ago1:07:05

1:07:05

"Maybe we will see the robots that we want in our lives in 2026. But be prepared: they will definitely be controlled by people in India with Xbox controllers." Robots, and IPOs, and AI, Oh My! Managing editor Sarah Rieger joins to ask the biggest tech questions of 2026, after evaluating which 2025 tech questions were definitively answered. Solve fo…

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Alberta’s Next Energy Mix 24:12

7d ago24:12

24:12

With industrial power demand rising, can small modular reactors help anchor a cleaner, always‑on system that will support the incoming AI Data Centre boom? In this bonus episode of Disruptors, recorded live in Edmonton, host John Stackhouse speaks with Premier Danielle Smith about a practical path: SMRs alongside abated natural gas, hydro, and stro…

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The biggest tech stories of 2025 1:07:57

8d ago1:07:57

1:07:57

"2025 is the year that we committed to the bit, and all pretences went away." Special guest star Rob Kenedi (Decelerator) joins for The BetaKit Podcast's annual tradition: stuffing your holiday stocking with the biggest tech stories of 2025. Have a different take on tech this year? Let us know: [email protected]. Solve for X is back! The latest s…

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What's Coming in 2026 and Looking Back at 2025: A Sierra Club Canada Carol 1:03:14

14d ago1:03:14

1:03:14

We're already planning to approach 2026 with a cutting edge, solutions-oriented, strategy and we look back on accomplishments in 2025 in this podcast as well. Sierra Club Canada's President (Owen Leggatt Stewart, based in British Columbia) and Executive Director (Gretchen Fitzgerald, originally from NL) share thoughts, and words of encouragement fo…

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Canada's job market sucks for Gen Z 53:36

15d ago53:36

53:36

"Can you imagine a quarter—25 percent—of Canada isn't sure if they'll be employed next year? That is a wild statistic." Kevin Kliman, president of Canadian business at Employment Hero, joins to explain why Canada's workforce is underemployed and anxious about 2026. He also shares data indicating things are particularly bad for Gen Z, before offerin…

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Episode 254: Looking Back at the Year in Canadian Digital Law and Policy 26:30

15d ago26:30

26:30

Canadian digital law and policy in 2025 was marked by the unpredictable with changes in leadership in Canada and the U.S. driving a shift in policy approach. Over the past year, that included a reversal on the digital services tax, the re-introduction of lawful access legislation, and the end of several government digital policy bills including onl…

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2025 Year in Review: Is Canada Prepared for the Threats & Challenges Ahead? 54:14

18d ago54:14

54:14

From the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump to the Defence Investment Strategy, Budget 2025, the CPSP downselection, Canada’s integration into ReArm Europe, and this summer’s NATO Summit announcement that Canada would meet the 2% GDP target for defence spending, General Tom Lawson, Wendy Gilmour, and Dr. Rob Huebert joined the season finale…

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Building Flooding and Shoreline Resilience Together: Staying Safe in a Changing Climate 29:20

21d ago29:20

29:20

Yumeng speaks with Dr. Anabela Bonada from the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation about Canada’s rising shoreline risks, and flooding in general, and the practical, low-cost steps residents can take to stay safer. Together, they explore the new Managing Rising Risks: Climate-Resilient Shorelines for Canada report, why shorelines matter for communi…

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Building Canada: A new generation takes charge 28:51

21d ago28:51

28:51

Canada’s future won’t be decided in PDF strategies — it will be decided by what we actually build: trade corridors, clean power, AI datacentres, agtech and northern connectivity that can stand up in a more volatile world. In this episode of Disruptors: The Canada Project, John Stackhouse speaks with Daniel Debow, Chair of the Board at Build Canada,…

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When student data is hacked & stolen: Regulators’ lessons from the #PowerSchool data breach 16:03

22d ago16:03

16:03

A close look at the #PowerSchool #cybersecurity incident, perhaps the largest education-sector data breaches ever investigated in Canada, and the findings issued by the Information and Privacy Commissioners of Ontario and Alberta. PowerSchool is widely used by Canadian school boards to manage student information, including enrollment, grades, conta…

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Rogers v. Rogers is Canada's real-life Succession story 59:15

24d ago59:15

59:15

"It seems irrational, and irrational behaviour is where drama lives, it's where comedy lives. It's where all the fun is." A communications tycoon built an empire turning airwaves into cash. Now, his son, long dismissed by his father, is fighting for control of the family business. Meanwhile, one shrewd public servant is determined to derail the com…

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What Trump's National Security Strategy Means for Canada 50:00

24d ago50:00

50:00

The 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy arrives, in the words of today’s panel, as a strikingly coherent and assertive statement of American strategic intent—a document whose internal consistency carries deeply worrying implications for Canada, Europe, and global stability. It portrays a United States increasingly oriented toward a hemispheric, me…

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Montreal Climate Security Summit Series, Pt. 1: Civil-Military Cooperation 27:32

26d ago27:32

27:32

The CDA Institute’s Climate Security Programme has launched a limited set of episodes of the Expert Series podcast highlighting key insights from the 4th Montreal Climate Security Summit (MCSS), co-hosted with NATO CCASCOE. In our first episode, Director of the Climate Security Programme Pauline Baudu is joined by Eva Cohen, Founder & President of …

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Anti-gaz de schiste du N.-B. avec Denise Melanson 41:28

28d ago41:28

41:28

Anti-gaz de schiste du N.-B. : représentant les Néo-Brunswickois(es) préoccupés par notre avenir. Envoyez-nous vos questions pour le podcast à [email protected] Et n'oubliez pas de passer à l'action ! Veuillez noter : Les opinions exprimées dans ce podcast ne reflètent pas nécessairement celles de la Fondation Sierra Club Canada ou de nos sections…

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Power to Compute: How Alberta Is Powering the AI Age 26:51

28d ago26:51

26:51

Energy planners used to talk about a “trilemma”: reliability, affordability and sustainability. As AI reshapes the global economy and data centres demand thousands of megawatts of new load, Alberta is adding a fourth leg to the stool — velocity — turning it into an energy quadlema. At the edge of Wabamun Lake west of Edmonton, the Keephills and Sun…

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Episode 253: Guy Rub on the Unconvincing Case for a New Canadian Artists' Resale Right 35:59

29d ago35:59

35:59

The creation of an Artists' Resale Right has been adopted in many countries to at best mixed reviews. They’re unsurprisingly widely supported by potential beneficiaries, but the data on who actually benefits raises real questions about the wisdom of the policy. Canada may be headed in the same policy direction as the government recently announced i…

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'If We don't Enhance Our Defence and Security, We Give up Our Sovereignty' 46:00

1M ago46:00

46:00

On today's Expert Series, Paul Taillon and Howard Coombs joined us to discuss Canada's plan to expand its reserve forces, with goals to increase the primary reserve to 100,000 and the supplementary reserve to 300,000. They discussed the key challenges, including inefficient recruiting systems, limited training capacity, and the need for better inte…

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Canada's AI ambitions with Minister Evan Solomon 43:12

1M ago43:12

43:12

"It used to be that Silicon Valley was the kind of Mecca of the entrepreneur. What's happening is everyone has got the tools that used to be crowded in there. Now what we need to do is get the capital." Minister Evan Solomon sits down with C100 Executive Director Michael Buhr to discuss the country's future in AI and the feds' commitments to innova…

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What digital sovereignty? How a Canadian Court is forcing a French company to break French law 22:29

1M ago22:29

22:29

A Canadian court has ordered French cloud provider OVH to hand over user data stored in France, the UK, and Australia—despite a French law that forbids it. The French government is objecting, but the Canadian government doesn't seem to care. What does this mean for digital sovereignty, cross-border investigations, and the limits of Canadian court j…

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The Work That Goes into Fundraising: Giving Tuesday, Behind the Scenes, with Taylor Farrugia 43:15

1M ago43:15

43:15

We answer your questions about Sierra Club Canada and take a look behind the scenes of the work that goes into fundraising with Development Manager Taylor Farrugia for Giving Tuesday - as well as share advice for young people interested in getting into the fields of fundraising or communications. Don't forget to spread the word to others! Learn mor…

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The Trust Advantage: How OpenText is Securing Canada’s Information Layer 36:07

1M ago36:07

36:07

The world is investing billions in data centres and compute. Canada’s edge isn’t bigger boxes—it’s Trust: rules enforced at home, private information secured under Canadian jurisdiction, and a clear path for enterprise data handling in the age of AI. That’s how “Canadian trust” becomes a competitive advantage. This week on Disruptors: The Canada Pr…

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Episode 252: Len St-Aubin on the CRTC’s Plan To Modernize Canadian Content Rules 41:20

1M ago41:20

41:20

The CRTC recently released its much anticipated decision on Canadian content rules, the first of two decisions that could reshape broadcasting and film/TV production in Canada. The Commission promoted its Cancon approach as offering new flexibility into the system but the fine print matters as some changes may be more restrictive than they appear a…

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Control, Don’t Appease, the Middle Ground AND Avoid Internal Fights - Plus a Pipeline MOU Response 37:37

1M ago37:37

37:37

We respond to the Pipeline MOU between the Federal Government and Alberta Government - which scrapped the emissions cap in a betrayal of Canadian climate survivors so that U.S. shareholders could profit. Then we chat about advice on controlling - not appeasing - the centre of a debate without sacrificing radical action or succumbing to scapegoating…

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How OpenText went all-in on AI 38:43

1M ago38:43

38:43

"The technology is there, and everyone loves cool technology, but it doesn't need to be a party trick. It needs to be something that's driving a meaningful business outcome, so pick your challenging problems." OpenText's Shannon Bell (EVP, Chief Digital Officer & Chief Information Officer) explains how she rolled out AI systematically at one of Can…

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Is it Time to Update Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy? 32:56

1M ago32:56

32:56

In 2022, Canada unveiled its Indo-Pacific Strategy, committing $2.3 billion to boost its role in a region increasingly seen as the geopolitical and economic center of gravity. Has Canada actually become a relevant player in the Indo-Pacific, or are we still on the outside looking in? And given how quickly things are shifting, is it time to revisit …

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Kebaowek First Nation Rallies Against Nuclear Waste Megadump 20:14

1M ago20:14

20:14

Conor talks with Ole Hendrickson, the Chair of Sierra Club Canada’s Conservation Committee and a columnist among many other roles, about the ongoing fight to to defend the Kichi Sibi / Ottawa River and our watershed from a nuclear waste megadump. The Concerned Citizens of Renfrew County and Area, Kebaowek First Nation, Sierra Club Canada and the Ca…

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Beyond the Battery: Inside Quebec’s Mine-to-Refine Transformation 29:19

1M ago29:19

29:19

As the world electrifies—from cars and buses to datacentres and defence—demand for battery materials is exploding. Today, China refines more than 90% of the world’s graphite into the material used in virtually all EV battery anodes—that level of concentration is a strategic vulnerability Canada, and its allies, can’t ignore. But Canada is starting …

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It's 'Valley or Bust' for Canada's young entrepreneurs 46:26

1M ago46:26

46:26

"In the beginning, we were like, 'this must be a scam' because with the way things move in Waterloo and Toronto, it seemed way too fast." A chance pitch competition connection took Colare co-founder Nain Abdi from Waterloo to Silicon Valley. He explains what pulled his company south, why his peers are eager to make a similar leap, and what (if anyt…

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Episode 251: Jennifer Pybus on the Debate Over Canadian Digital Sovereignty 37:58

1M ago37:58

37:58

Digital sovereignty is hot the digital policy phrase of the moment driving discussion on Canadian digital policy involving AI, digital infrastructure, privacy, and cultural policy among others. Yet despite its widespread use, its meaning remains opaque as it often used to frame – or reframe – longstanding policy positions. The government has begun …

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Is Lawful Access Back? With comments on the govt’s’ disinformation-filled attempt to revive it 10:32

1M ago10:32

10:32

On November 19, government officials surprised many by apparently calling for the revival of #LawfulAccess measures from Bill C-2, the Strong Borders Act. The presser was filled with incorrect and misleading information. Here's my take on it, with some corrections/clarifications of some pretty problematic statements. The government's press conferen…

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West Coast Pipeline? Oil & Gas Corps Want Us Tied to the U.S. When Renewables are What We Really Need for Sovereignty 21:12

1M ago21:12

21:12

Oil & Gas interests want to increase Canada's reliance on the United States - sabotaging Canadian sovereignty. So why is the Alberta Government talking about a west coast oil pipeline MOU with the Federal Government - especially since the economics of such a pipeline are terrible? Because the MOU on an imaginary pipeline is actually cover to weaken…

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Canada Strong? Unpacking the Significance of Budget 2025 27:33

2M ago27:33

27:33

Canada's parliament has narrowly approved Prime Minister Mark Carney's first federal budget, allowing his minority Liberal government to avert an early election. The 2025 federal budget commits an additional $81.8 billion over five years to strengthen Canada’s defence capabilities, with a focus on modernizing military equipment, expanding digital i…

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Turning Despair into Hope with Sierra Youth 17:58

2M ago17:58

17:58

We talk with Danielle Romaine of our Sierra Youth Chapter about some of the amazing projects Sierra Youth is starting, how to get youth into hopeful spaces, food security and sovereignty, and what you can do to help. You can find out more about Sierra Youth on our website here: https://www.sierraclub.ca/chapters/sierra-youth/about-sierra-youth/ And…

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Powering the North: How the Kivalliq Hydro-Fibre Link Will Build A Stronger Canada 21:46

2M ago21:46

21:46

Across Nunavut’s Kivalliq region, communities and mine sites still rely on imported diesel for electricity and satellite links for basic connectivity. It’s expensive, carbon-intensive, and leaves a strategically vital part of Canada dependent on infrastructure we don’t fully control. In this episode of Disruptors: The Canada Project with John Stack…

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Episode 250: Wikimedia’s Jan Gerlach on the Risks and Challenges with Digital Policy Reform 31:25

2M ago31:25

31:25

I’m not quite sure how this happened, but somehow this is the 250th episode of the Law Bytes podcast. To mark this milestone, I’m joined by Jan Gerlach, Wikimedia’s Director of Public Policy, who leads its EU advocacy work, including efforts on UK Online Safety Act. This is particularly relevant in a Canadian context since this work has touched on …

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Online reviews and privacy claims: Lessons from RateMDs v Bluler (BCCA) 11:34

2M ago11:34

11:34

Canadian privacy lawyer David Fraser breaks down the British Columbia Court of Appeal’s recent decision in RateMDs Inc. v. Bleuler (https://canlii.ca/t/kfhmc), a case about whether hosting online profiles, anonymous reviews, and ranking health professionals on RateMDs.com can result in a claim of invasion of privacy. David walks through the backgro…

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How We’ll Win PLUS Sierra Club U.S. Sues Trump Admin for DOGE Records 17:33

2M ago17:33

17:33

We describe why, even though things may seem dire, the climate movement will ultimately win and what you can do to help, PLUS how Trump pressured the IEA into publishing a ridiculous oil demand scenario, AND how our sister organization south of the border, Sierra Club U.S., has filed a new lawsuit against the Trump Administration after its Departme…

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Dominion Dynamics' CEO thinks defence is a "generational opportunity" for Canadian entrepreneurs 30:45

2M ago30:45

30:45

"Too many American subs dominate this market. Eighty percent of what we buy is from American companies. We wanna reverse that. We wanna make 80 percent of what we buy from Canadian companies. So we frankly don't care what we do as long as we are a Canadian defence company." Dominion Dynamics founder and CEO Eliot Pence wants to build Canada's first…