Staff

Alexandra Ages on Big Tech’s Growing Power and the Urgent Need for Digital Rights and Worker Protections | Perspectives Journal

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 19:02:32 +0000

February 26th, 2025 | MPP ’21 Alexandra Ages examines the growing concentration of power held by big tech companies like Meta, Amazon, and Google, highlighting their expanding influence not only in politics and geopolitics but also in everyday life through data commodification, surveillance, and labor exploitation. She underscores the urgent need for stronger regulations to protect personal privacy, ensure workers’ rights, and prevent the erosion of democratic accountability in the face of a digital oligarchy that increasingly shapes society and governance.

Alexandra Ages on the Urgent Need for a National Gender-Based Violence Commissioner in Canada | Policy Options

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 18:56:31 +0000

February 18th, 2025 | MPP '21 Alexandra Ages writes how the alarming rise in intimate-partner violence and femicide across Canada, emphasizing that urgent action and accountability are needed to address this crisis. She argues that appointing a national gender-based violence commissioner would provide crucial oversight and help ensure effective implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

Aengus Bridgman on Canada’s Online News Ban and the Rise of Partisan Disinformation | The New York Times

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 18:49:08 +0000

April 21, 2025 | In an interview with The New York Times, Aengus Bridgman warns that Meta’s 2023 news ban on Facebook and Instagram in Canada has left the country’s online media environment vulnerable to disinformation and polarization ahead of the federal election. With mainstream news blocked, hyperpartisan pages like Canada Proud have surged in popularity, spreading misleading content and amplifying political division.

Taylor Owen on Canada’s Fragile Online Media and the Threat of Manipulation | Get Fact

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 18:38:54 +0000

April 13th, 2025 | In a recent interview, Taylor Owen warned that Canada’s online media environment is more fragile and susceptible to manipulation than ever before. As trust in journalism declines, he explained that political support for far-right parties abroad often backfires, making Canadian politicians cautious. He highlighted the challenges of detecting foreign interference on platforms like Twitter, especially without strong transparency laws such as the failed Online Harms Act.

Taylor Owen on Canadians’ Vulnerability to Election Disinformation | TVO Today

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 18:30:42 +0000

April 23rd, 2025 | Taylor Owen, principal investigator for the Media Ecosystem Observatory, highlights the growing challenge of disinformation in Canada’s high-stakes federal election. In an interview with Steve Paikin on TVO Today, Owen explains how the rapid spread of false and misleading information online is making it increasingly difficult for voters to distinguish fact from fiction.

Taylor Owen Interviews Jim Balsillie on How to Build a More Sovereign Canada | The Globe and Mail

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 18:17:27 +0000

April 24th, 2025 | With less than a week before the federal election, Taylor Owen sat down with Jim Balsillie—former co-CEO of Research in Motion and one of Canada’s most prominent business leaders—to discuss why Canada’s economy is falling behind and what must change. As Donald Trump escalates attacks on the Canadian economy and hints at turning Canada into the “51st state,” Balsillie argues the real threat to Canadian sovereignty isn’t Trump—it’s decades of political complacency and corporate capture.

Taylor Owen on Canada’s Fragile Media Ecosystem and the Mainstreaming of Disinformation | CBC

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:38:41 +0000

March 24th, 2025 | In a recent interview with CBC, Taylor Owen, Director of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, warned that Canada’s online media environment is more fragile and susceptible to manipulation than ever before. As trust in journalism declines, Owen explains, disinformation that once existed on the fringes is now entering the mainstream—largely through social media platforms.

Taylor Owen on Combating Election Interference and Reimagining Canada’s Digital Policy | The Paul Wells Show

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:31:47 +0000

April 16th, 2025 | In an interview on The Paul Wells Show, Taylor Owen, founding director of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at 91��, raised urgent concerns about online election interference in Canada. Drawing from his work with the Media Ecosystem Observatory, Owen explains how foreign and domestic actors attempt to sway public opinion through misinformation and platform manipulation. He emphasizes that while online interference is not always overt, its cumulative effect undermines democratic processes.

Aengus Bridgman on the Rise of Deepfake Scams and Political Disinformation in Canada’s Election | The Guardian

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 17:25:21 +0000

April 18th, 2025 | In an interview with The Guardian, Media Ecosystem Observatory Executive Director Aengus Bridgman warned of a dramatic surge in fake political content on social media as Canadians prepare to vote in the federal election. Bridgman explains that, despite Meta’s ban on Canadian news sharing, more than half of Canadians still rely on Facebook for political information—now increasingly shaped by fake headlines, fraudulent ads, and deepfake videos.

Pearl Eliadis on Why Quebec Must Invest in Second-Stage Shelters to Break the Cycle of Violence | CQPI

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 18:36:03 +0000

March 2025 | In a 2024 policy brief for the Collectif québécois pour la prévention de l’itinérance (CQPI), Pearl Eliadis, alongside Melissa Shemirani and Angelina Freeman, highlights the urgent need for increased investment in second-stage shelters for women and children fleeing domestic and intimate partner violence. Building on a 2022 recommendation from CQPI’s Gender Research Stream, the team conducted a rapid literature review that found second-stage housing plays a vital role in bridging the gap between emergency shelters and permanent housing.

Pearl Eliadis on Bill 94 and Quebec’s Secularism Strategy | CBC

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 16:42:59 +0000

March 20th, 2025 | In a CBC interview, Pearl Eliadis criticized Quebec’s Bill 94, arguing that the government is fully aware the legislation violates the Canadian Constitution. She pointed to the use of the notwithstanding clause as proof, saying it allows the government to override fundamental rights because it knows the bill wouldn’t hold up in court. Eliadis described the law as a political tactic by the Coalition Avenir Québec to win support by outdoing the Parti Québécois on issues of identity and language.

Husein Pumaya Yakubu on Transparency as a Tool for Long-Term Governance in Ghana | Policy Magazine

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 16:09:14 +0000

April 15th, 2025 | MPP '25 Husein Pumaya Yakubu highlights the limitations of transparency in Ghana’s post-pandemic governance. While former president Nana Akufo-Addo’s transparent communication during COVID-19 initially unified citizens, Yakubu argues it masked deeper issues like economic mismanagement and rising debt. Drawing a parallel with Canada, Yakubu suggests that transparency, while crucial during crises, must be sustained through regular financial updates, stronger oversight, and grassroots participation.

Strengthening the Participation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): Obstacles and Opportunities

victoria.weston@mcgill.ca — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 19:58:44 +0000

Protecting the internally displaced: Sovereignty, agency and the localization of international norms

Aengus Bridgman on Combating Information Manipulation in Social Media During Elections | CBC

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:44:30 +0000

April 9th, 2025 | Aengus Bridgman from the Media Ecosystem Observatory was interviewed by CBC’s Farah Nasser, where he highlighted the dangers of unregulated social media during elections. With a vast, active audience and minimal oversight, social media platforms have become prime spaces for information manipulation. Bridgman discusses how misinformation spreads on these platforms and shares key insights on what to look out for in social media feeds as the election approaches.

Taylor Owen and Helen A. Hayes on Protecting Canada’s Digital Sovereignty Through Unified Regulation | The Globe and Mail

isabela.sullivan@mcgill.ca — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 18:08:51 +0000

April 7th, 2025 | Taylor Owen and Helen A. Hayes wrote an opinion piece arguing that Canada’s failure to regulate its digital space is no longer just a tech policy issue—it’s a national security concern. With rising disinformation and direct interference from the U.S., Canadians now view the United States as a greater foreign threat than China or Russia. Although the Trudeau government introduced several digital policy bills, including those addressing online harms, AI regulation, and cybersecurity, most were abandoned after Parliament was prorogued.