I am so frustrated by this. Our audience desperately wants debates on Canadas most pressing issues. Yet, I can’t get participants. I’ve tried to organize good faith, Nuanced Debates on: - Housing - The Economy - MAID - Taxes Yet again and again, I hear from professors, experts, and commentators that their side is right - and the other side is evil, bad intentioned and not worthy of debate. I thought once we did the first, people would see that we’re not looking for a food fight we’re looking for honest disagreements. I just want to recognize @MarkJaccard and @ExnerPirot for coming on and having the conversation. It takes courage to have your ideas challenged - and I wish more would follow in their footsteps.

We are living through a strange moment in Canada. As an Indigenous person and a First Nations Chief, I can say things that many Canadians feel they are no longer allowed to say. That should concern all of us. People should not fear losing their careers, reputations, or relationships simply for expressing what they sincerely believe to be true. I do not believe land acknowledgements are always productive. I do not believe reconciliation is moving in the right direction. I believe reconciliation needs a destination, not an endless process with no measure of success. I say these things because I believe them. I also say them to create room for others to speak honestly. @karenrestoule and I share that willingness. We challenge ideas that are treated as untouchable, including within our own communities. We do not do it for attention. We do it because silence does not create progress. We are criticized by Indigenous people and by Canadians more broadly. That comes with the territory. But public leadership is not about saying what is safest. It is about saying what you believe is true—clearly, respectfully, and without fear. Watch our full conversation here: youtu.be/Vw3LSCtbYYQ