The Agenda with Steve Paikin (Audio)

In 2004 Facebook was created. Two years later in 2006 Twitter was founded AND the very first episode of the Agenda aired here on TVO. Fast forward to 2011 and social media was seen as helping sow the seeds of democracy in the Middle East during the Arab Spring. And many were optimistic that these growing connections would help harness the wisdom of the crowd. It would be like "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" when you asked the audience. And the audience was almost always right. So ... what happened? How has social media evolved? How has social media changed us? And has it been a net negative or net positive? Cory Doctorow, Vass Bednar, Jeff Jarvis, and Douglas Rushkoff join to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Preston Manning. Bob Rae. Jean Charest. Paul Martin. Former NDP premier of BC, Michael Harcourt. What do they all have in common? Well, they were all part of the now defunct Ecofiscal Commission, which advocated for a carbon price in Canada. Chris Ragan was the chair of that commission. He is also an associate Professor and the founding director of McGill University's Max Bell School of Public Policy. He joins us from beautiful Gimli, Manitoba to look back on the long and strange journey of carbon pricing in this country and what went wrong. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The TVO series "Crossroads: Beyond Boom and Bust" focuses on Ontario communities that have moved away from their own origin stories. Sturgeon Falls is one such town with a rich French-language heritage. We welcome James Hyslop, executive producer, and Michel Gervais, Sturgeon Falls resident and performer to talk about why it's important to stay focused on bilingual roots and how the community has worked to reinvent its purpose to help keep young people there.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ontario minister of energy and mines Stephen Lecce oversees portfolios the government says will drive economic growth in the province in the years ahead. And he's got some big jobs ahead of him. His office is laying the groundwork to meet what the Independent Electricity System Operator says will be a 75 percent increase in electricity demand by 2050. But the plan is not without controversy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Pride month underway, The Agenda looks back at how conversations around 2SLGBTQIA issues have changed since the show first began in 2006. Has Canada become a more tolerant or more accepting place for Queer communities? Callie Metler, Executive Director of Capital Pride Ottawa; Derrick Biso, Director of Education and Operations at Trans Wellness Ontario; Maurice Tomlinson, activist and consultant with HIV Legal Network; Cheri DiNovo, retired minister at Trinity-St. Paul Centre For Faith, Justice and the Arts and former NDP MPP for Parkdale-High Park joins host Jeyan Jeganathan to discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1957, Richard Nixon ventured to Prince Edward County for a "boys weekend" of fishing and golfing. Steve Paikin catches up with author Thomas Harrison in Picton's Royal Hotel to discuss his book, "Searching for Richard Nixon: Finding Refuge and Making a Home in Prince Edward County ," which documents his movements in the region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

40 years ago, something quite extraordinary happened at Queen's Park. The opposition parties combined forces to defeat the Progressive Conservative government of the day, thus, bringing to an end, 42 straight years of Tory rule. The previous time a government had changed hands on a lost confidence vote? 1871! So this was rare. And even a few months earlier, there was little indication any of that drama would unfold. David Peterson, Ontario's 20th premier; Hershell Ezrin, former chief of staff to the premier; and Helen Burstyn, former deputy secretary of the Premier's Council.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

19 years after The Agenda began, the conversation around climate change has shifted dramatically. What has gone well in terms of Canadian efforts to fight climate change, and what are we struggling with? We discuss with Tim Gray, Executive Director of Environmental Defence; Jessica Green, Professor in the department of political science and the school of the environment at the University of Toronto; Tyler Hamilton, Senior Director for Climate at MaRS Discovery District; Tia Kennedy, a member of the Government of Canada's Environment and Climate Change Youth Council; and Anabela Bonada, Managing Director of Climate Science at the University of Waterloo's Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wildfires are increasing in number and intensity around the world. Why is that? And how can Canadians better prepare for wildfire season? We discuss with Anabela Bonada, Managing Director of Climate Science at the University of Waterloo's Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relations between Canada and Indigenous Peoples have certainly evolved since The Agenda first began covering these issues in 2006. There was Stephen Harper's historic apology to former students of Residential Schools in 2008. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission that followed, led by the late Senator Murray Sinclair. The Idle No More movement of the early 2010s. And much more. As we mark National Indigenous History Month, we thought we'd look back at some of these flashpoints in our history, and find out how much progress has been made. From Kanesatake First Nation, council Chief Serge Simon; Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Chair on Truth and Reconciliation at Lakehead University; Karyn Pugliese, journalist and instructor at Carleton University; and Riley Yesno, PhD candidate in political science and Indigenous studies at the University of Toronto, join Steve Paikin to discuss.Chief Serge Simon; Cynthia Wesley-Esquimaux, Chair on Truth and Reconciliation at Lakehead University; Karyn Pugliese, journalist and instructor at Carleton University; and Riley Yesno, PhD candidate in political science and Indigenous studies at the University of Toronto, join Steve Paikin to discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.