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Public invited to Professor Kean Birch鈥檚 Science, Technology & Society talk on Keele Campus this Tuesday

TORONTO, Mar. 24, 2024 鈥�  Amazon, Apple, Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, and newer additions like Nvidia, Tesla 鈥� these make up the 鈥渕agnificent seven鈥� 鈥� tech companies who control more than 35 per cent of the S&P 500 on the U.S. stock market and therefore a large chunk of the global economy, says Faculty of Science Professor, also director of 91亚色鈥檚. Add control of cloud computing, data collection and subsequent investments in generative AI, and, he says, the power these U.S.-based companies wield cannot be underestimated. 

鈥淎s an extension of their economic power, is the flexing of their political power,鈥� says Birch, who will be giving a talk on the Rise of the Tech Oligarchs at 91亚色鈥檚 Keele campus this Tuesday. 鈥淛urisdictions and countries around the world are enacting policies and regulations to try and limit big tech鈥檚 power, so you can see the rise of the tech oligarchy as a response to this increasing regulatory threat they face.鈥�

Birch says the most obvious current manifestation of this phenomenon is Elon Musk鈥檚 key role in the Trump administration.  

鈥淚nstalling someone into a para-government position where they have a role that is incredibly ambiguous and at the same time, seemingly incredibly powerful with no accountability, it鈥檚 certainly worrying.鈥�

Birch is available to give media comment on:

• The symbiotic relationships between oligarchs and government and what makes the new tech oligarchs different from the old ones
• Why big tech has lined up behind the Trump administration and how American national interest, tech-sector interest and political interests are being rolled into one.聽
• Potential impact of Trump and big tech on Canada going into the federal election and beyond
• Attempts by Canada, the European Union and other government bodies to reign in the power of big tech聽
• What resistance could look like and tools to curb the power of big tech聽

Media and the public are invited to join the Rise of the Tech Oligarchs on Tuesday March 25, 3 to 4:30 p.m., at 91亚色 Keele Campus, Osgoode Hall IKB 1006 as part of the inaugural Richard A. Jarrell Fund Science, Technology & Society talk. To attend,. 

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About 91亚色:

91亚色 is a modern, multi-campus, urban university located in Toronto, Ontario. Backed by a diverse group of students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners, we bring a uniquely global perspective to help solve societal challenges, drive positive change, and prepare our students for success. 91亚色's fully bilingual Glendon Campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education. 91亚色鈥檚 campuses in Costa Rica and India offer students exceptional transnational learning opportunities and innovative programs. Together, we can make things right for our communities, our planet, and our future.

Media Contact: Emina Gamulin, 91亚色 Media Relations, 437-217-6362, egamulin@yorku.ca

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Insights into the impact on labour and supply chains, corporate governance, and more

91亚色 experts on tariffs and free trade are available to speak on all aspects of the trade war, including the history of trade negotiations, the evolution of global supply chains, the threat of recession, the effects of tariffs on consumer behaviour and more.

Canada-U.S. free trade negotiations

, associate professor of economics, was indirectly involved in the original Canada-U.S. free trade negotiations. An expert on international trade agreements, Lazar wrote a book on the Tokyo Round of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (the GATT), , in the early 1980s.

Lazar can provide historical context for why Canada originally pursued a free trade deal with the U.S., the negotiation strategies involved in brokering it, as well as the U.S. Constitution, which makes domestic legislation supreme to any international agreements where there might be a conflict, as is the case today. He is available to speak on tariffs, the economic impact the trade war could have on Canada鈥檚 economy, and the threat of recession.

Corporate governance, ethics and government aid packages

, professor in the School of Administrative Studies, is an expert in corporate governance and ethics. An award-winning educator, lawyer, consultant and author, he has guided leaders of organizations through his teaching, writing and direct consultation. Leblanc鈥檚 commentary is grounded in his extensive research and work with boards of directors and the training and development of leaders and managers.

Leblanc is available to comment on:

• Ontario Premier Doug Ford鈥檚 toolbox of potential targeted reciprocal tariffs against U.S. industries and businesses
• the possibility of aid packages by the Government of Ontario to businesses and workers, and conditions those packages should contain
• certainty of planning by Ontario businesses
• considerations for boards of directors of Ontario-based companies when responding to imposed U.S. tariffs

History of Canada-U.S. trade relations

is the Avie Bennett Historica Chair in Canadian History and a member of the history department at 91亚色. He is a specialist in Canadian political history (20th to 21st centuries). He has published numerous articles and book chapters on public policy, moral and social regulation, the wine industry in Ontario and language rights.

Martel is available to speak on tariffs and free trade, including their history, the 1879 National Policy and Canada-U.S. relations.

International business, supply chains and the auto industry

is a professor emeritus of economics and international business at the Schulich School of Business. He is engaged in research dealing with the rapid changes in manufacturing, especially in the motor vehicle industry. His areas of expertise include globalization, international business, and strategic alliances.

Wolf is available to speak on:

• trade agreements and tariffs
• international investment and business
• economic and financial crises
• evolution of global supply chains
• U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 reversal of Biden鈥檚 electric vehicle (EV) mandate
• Transport Canada pausing the federal EV incentive program

Consumer behaviour and marketing

, professor of marketing at Schulich, researches how markets dynamically shape human behaviour, often in the context of new technologies. He is the area editor of the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, member of the editorial review boards for Consumption, Markets and Culture; Journal of Consumer Psychology; and Marketing Letters. Previously, he was editor of the Journal of Consumer Research, and an associate editor for the Journal of Marketing.

Giesler is available to comment on what consumers can do in light of the new tariffs, the buy Canadian movements, efforts to support local and domestic businesses, and why it is not equally possible for all consumers.

Impact on workers and union response

, associate professor of geography, is an expert in the geography of work, workers, workplaces and organized labour. His current research studies the use of strategic research as part of labour union renewal, the role of unions in urban economic development,  labour market adjustment in tourism related sectors in response to crises and climate change, and the impact of growing populism on organized labour. His research aims to better understand how workers through collective action can shape economic landscapes in ways that are more socially just and environmentally sustainable.

Tufts can comment on:聽

• the impact of tariffs on work and workers
• responses by unions to the tariffs

Globalization and the effects of populism

Daniel Drache, professor emeritus and senior scholar in the department of politics at 91亚色 and research fellow at the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, focuses on understanding the changing character of the globalization narrative in its economic, social and cultural dimensions. His areas of research include North American integration and the evolving role of borders as policy levers post-NAFTA, tariffs, the WTO and more. He wrote the book , explaining how and why global populism has taken root, along with co-author Mar Froese. They鈥檝e also written numerous pieces in , mapping and tracking populism in different contexts and national settings.

Drache is available to speak on:

• the international political economy and its institutions, including the WTO
• global inequality and development
• counter-publics
• NAFTA, free trade and tariffs
• economic integration and social movements

The role of the European Union

, professor of public policy and sustainability at Schulich and director of the BBA/iBBA programs, is an expert on public policy, business-government relations, and corporate social responsibility. His research examines how transnational governance arrangements address cross-border policy challenges, particularly the setting of social and environmental standards for production in global value chains. He鈥檚 investigated how national governments and businesses in Argentina, Brazil and Canada engaged with global voluntary sustainability standards in the soybean and mining sectors. His interest lies in whether novel types of transnational governance involving cross-sector collaboration can improve business conduct and how comparative public policy seeks to explain why jurisdictions differ in their policy responses when faced with similar problems or crises. His work primarily addresses the energy and environment sectors with a focus on Canada and the European Union.

Eberlein is available to comment on the role of the EU in the trade war, Canada鈥檚 potential for diversification into Europe and forging a stronger alliance with Europe in general.

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Canada鈥檚 trade and economic policies have been thrown into a state of chaos in the weeks following United States President-elect Donald Trump鈥檚 on Canadian and Mexican exports to the U.S.

The federal government is now suffering an internal crisis with of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. Canada鈥檚 provincial premiers, led by Ontario鈥檚 Doug Ford, have responded by emerging from a recent meeting asserting their in terms of trade and foreign policy.

Unfortunately, the provinces are too fragmented and divided among themselves to provide effective and co-ordinated responses to Trump without federal leadership.

This point was highlighted by Ford鈥檚 efforts to present a united front on behalf of his fellow provincial leaders. He found himself promptly when he threatened to cut off energy exports to the U.S. if the Trump administration followed through on its tariff threats.

Improvised and contradictory responses will do nothing but encourage Trump to continue to engage in these sorts of threats and behaviours. That point has been by members of Trump鈥檚 previous administration.

Canada now needs to use its substantial negotiating assets against Trump given his threat represents a of the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade deal and previous trade agreements between the U.S. and Canada.

These accords were designed, from Canada鈥檚 perspective, to prevent the U.S. from engaging in precisely the sort of unilateral trade action that Trump is now threatening.

Canada鈥檚 energy advantage

Central to that understanding had been the concept that Canada would guarantee the U.S. access to its energy resources. In exchange, the Americans consented to a formal and binding dispute resolution mechanism when trade disputes arise, and agreed not to engage in unilateral trade actions.

Because to the U.S., this provides an obvious leverage point.

Canada鈥檚 position in this regard has actually been reinforced by the previous Trump administration鈥檚 actions. The original 1988 and the 1994 (NAFTA) contained provisions guaranteeing American access to Canadian energy on an equal basis with Canadian consumers.

Trump agreed to remove these provisions from the USMCA. This has handed Canada an important energy bargaining chip in dealing with a second Trump presidency.

Where Ford was right 鈥� and wrong

Ford may have had the right idea in on Canadian energy exports to the U.S. in retaliation for Trump鈥檚 tariffs. But he was too direct in his approach, and his suggestion of outright export bans was by his fellow premiers.

Ford鈥檚 idea was even impractical for his own province. Ontario鈥檚 electricity exports to the U.S. are relatively modest and essentially transactional. Trade with neighbouring states and provinces is necessary for the management of Ontario鈥檚 own electricity grid.

Specifically, there are times when Ontario electricity, sometimes at 鈥渘egative鈥� prices, meaning the province has to pay its neighbours to take electricity off its hands. This has been the case especially when the output from Ontario鈥檚 inflexible nuclear power plants exceeds the province鈥檚 grid demand and needs somewhere to go.

That said, because Trump鈥檚 threats violate the foundations that have defined the Canada-U.S. trade over the past four decades, a response in the area of energy would be justified and strategic.

But rather than imposing direct export restrictions on Canada energy exports, a smarter approach could involve the threat of on Canadian exports of energy and other resources to the U.S. Such charges would significantly increase energy and other costs for Americans.

An export charge could be applied directly by the federal government. That would bypass the objections of provincial premiers and impose some unity on Canada鈥檚 approach.

Engaging American states

Canada鈥檚 premiers would be smarter to focus on engaging with their sub-national counterparts in neighbouring states rather than conducting their own freelance diplomacy.

In particular, they should encourage the governors of Great Lakes states to emphasize to the incoming administration and congressional representatives the extent to which Trump鈥檚 proposed tariffs would do as much harm to their economies as they would to Canada鈥檚.

Ford is particularly well-positioned to engage in this sort of province-to-state diplomacy. The level of integration between Ontario鈥檚 vehicle manufacturing sector and the manufacturing economies of the now states around the Great Lakes mean that Trump鈥檚 tariffs would be enormously disruptive to their economies as well.

At the national level, Canada needs to recognize that the assumptions that have underpinned the Canada-U.S. trade relationship for the past 40 years are in the .

If Canada is to avoid simply offering itself up as a fragmented and compliant American resource colony, it needs to formulate a strategy that leverages its assets, particularly energy.

Canada also needs to strengthen . Whether Canada鈥檚 federal and provincial leaders are up to these tasks remains an open question.

Mark Winfield is a professor in the Faculty of Environmental and Urban Change, 91亚色

This article is republished from . 

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As聽Peel Regional Police warn of ongoing scams targeting concertgoers in the GTA, Professor Evan Light talks to Toronto Star about online security for fans trying to protect their Ticketmaster accounts, especially as Swift's six concerts in Toronto began. Light says the first way to protect yourself is to use complex and unique passwords on all your accounts. "," says Light.

Professor Jack L. Rozdilsky offers public safety tips for Taylor Swift鈥檚 Eras Tour to InsideHalton.com. "At the end of the day, no matter what the province of Ontario or City of Toronto or Rogers Centre does for safety, ," he says. "Being safe at a concert means tempering one's excitement with a dose of caution."

In an op-ed for The Conversation, Professor Emeritus Daniel Drache and a co-author write about what President Donald Trump's comeback means for his unique brand of nationalist authoritarianism. "Trump's victory shows just how weak and lacklustre the centre has become in comparison to surging extremism," writes the co-authors. "The Republican machine has grasped an essential truth: parties must redefine their centre of gravity with the shifting of the Overton window of political acceptability, which holds that ."

With polls showing that Americans are concerned about the lack of civility in politics following聽the 2024 election,聽Professor Raymond Mar speaks to Deseret News about how to demonstrate empathy, kindness and understanding with someone who votes differently. " to other peoples鈥� experiences and to believe they're valid," says Mar. "You don't have to deny your own experience to accept someone else's."

Professor Ann Marie Murnaghan speaks to My Bulkley Lakes Now about her research on the K鈥櫭玤it totem pole, and the Wet'suwet'en delegation that traveled from B.C. to Paris over 85 years after it was removed from their community and shipped to France.

The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says the International Criminal Court should investigate the disappearance of Indigenous children from Canadian residential schools. Speaking to CBC, Professor Heidi Matthews says the case could face admissibility hurdles as the ICC is meant to be a court of last resort, to be used when domestic jurisdictions are unwilling or unable to genuinely carry out their own investigations or prosecutions. , and there hasn't been an effort to shield any individuals from criminal responsibility, says Matthews.

Professor Elizabeth Clare speaks to Science News about Environmental DNA or eDNA. All living beings constantly shed bits of DNA, left behind from skin, scales, hair, urine, feces, pollen, and more. Clare says eDNA has 鈥渃hanged everything鈥� about how scientists study biodiversity and conservation. "It widens your time window of detection," says Clare. ", and footprints last longer than the animal or the plant."

The carbon footprint of hydrogen gas is not as small as proponents argue.聽Speaking to Hakai Magazine, Professor Mark Winfield weighs in on聽hydrogen gas becoming a fuel of choice. According to new research, hydrogen's climate friendliness depends on many factors, including where and how the hydrogen is produced. Winfield聽says the study reinforces the warning already being sounded by many scientists and environmentalists about green hydrogen. " and only bother with hydrogen if there is a good use case that makes sense," says Winfield.

Research out of 91亚色 has found that late natural menopause may be a risk factor for asthma, potentially due to prolonged estrogen exposure.聽", especially those with later onset of menopause," doctoral student Durmalouk Kesibi tells Healio.

Do you have a new research study or an academic achievement to share? Contact media@yorku.ca with details. For daily 91亚色 in the News highlights, follow on X.

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Presidential debates in the United States are often little more than a platform for candidates to trade insults and repeat claims, true and false, about various political issues.  was no exception.

During the debate, Trump repeated multiple debunked claims about migrant crime. Namely, that criminality in the U.S. was 鈥渢hrough the roof鈥� because of 鈥渕igrant crime.鈥� In fact, the opposite is true: .

At one point, Trump repeated false claims circulating online that immigrants are . Debate moderator David Muir fact-checked Trump, pointing out that Springfield鈥檚 city manager said there were .

Trump鈥檚 argument that immigration increases crime goes against the reality that numerous studies have found: .

The logic is quite simple: asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants can be deported for committing a crime. So, why would they risk being sent back home after the significant effort they made to reach their destination?

Despite these realities, in recent years, both the  and  have seen a sharp rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric, emanating from both conservative and liberal politicians.

This rhetoric, while politically expedient, carries dangerous consequences: it legitimizes discrimination, dehumanizes immigrants 鈥� especially racialized people 鈥� and often turns them into scapegoats for broader societal problems and collective anger.

As the narrative spreads across the political spectrum and across borders, it is essential to unpack how it is being used, what real-life harm it causes and how it diverts attention from systematic inequalities.

Bipartisan anti-immigrant rhetoric

Conservative talking points have long framed migration as a threat to national identity, homeland security and economic stability. Politicians, from far-right populists to centrist liberals, use anti-immigrant narratives to deflect attention from deeper systematic issues such as affordable housing shortages, economic inequalities and failing public services. These narratives not only dehumanize immigrants but also create an environment of fear and hostility for everyone.

Even Harris鈥檚 immigration policies reflect this shift in rhetoric. Her focus on border enforcement and deterrence over more comprehensive immigration reform echoes Trump鈥檚 approach to securitize the border. Her controversial comments during a 2021 trip to Guatemala, where she told migrants, 鈥�,鈥� reinforced narratives that criminalize migration rather than address its root causes.

Harris鈥檚 campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, has said if elected, she would . Harris has also promised to revive a border security deal that collapsed in Congress earlier this year after Trump told Republicans to reject it. If passed, the legislation would have implemented .

In Canada, Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre has said the , claiming that increased immigration exacerbates housing shortages and strains public services. Poilievre has .

In 2022, the federal government announced plans to welcome around . More recently, however, Justin Trudeau鈥檚 Liberal government has blamed  and temporary foreign workers for Canada鈥檚 .

In March, the government  to reduce the number of temporary residents and set a cap on the number allowed to come to Canada. While serving as a convenient way to seem tough on immigration, this does little more than mask long-standing under investment in education, housing and health care.

Dehumanizing language

Politicians frequently refer to immigrants using inundation metaphors that describe them as 鈥渨aves鈥� or 鈥渇loods鈥� and even 鈥�.鈥� This dehumanizing language paints them as .

Talking about migrants as an impending deluge strips them of their individuality, dignity and humanity. Asylum seekers, refugees and migrants are no longer seen as people seeking a better life, fleeing persecution or escaping poverty and political unrest. They are turned into a nameless mass threatening social and economic stability.

Trump used this kind of language during the presidential debate saying 鈥�.鈥� This also points to the trend of reducing migrants to mere numbers. Trump said there were 21 million migrants entering the U.S. every month, .

Racism and xenophobia

Dehumanizing language is often racialized, with Black, brown and Asian immigrants frequently portrayed as criminals, job thieves or drains on public resources. This racism and xenophobia are deeply ingrained in both the U.S. and Canadian immigration systems, which have historically treated racialized immigrants with more suspicion and hostility than their white counterparts.

Take Canada鈥檚  versus the slow and dehumanizing response to refugees  . Meanwhile,  against  have increased dramatically as they become scapegoats for socioeconomic problems.

With a federal election increasingly likely in Canada, both the Liberals and Conservatives will attempt to sound like the ones who can control immigration, securitize borders and prioritize resources for Canadians. Consequently, xenophobic rhetoric will be inevitable.

How we receive and respond to it is up to us as voters. We can fall for the political distractions or we can resist attempts to blame immigrants for the failures of governments and demand more investment in affordable housing, public infrastructure and health care. Only by tackling these issues head-on can we hope to create a society where immigrants are treated not as scapegoats, but as equals.

By , director of the Centre for Refugee Studies, 91亚色.

This article is republished from . 

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TORONTO, July 17, 2024 鈥� Has the uproar around mail-in voting in the United States trumped how Canadians view the practice here? Researchers at 91亚色 have found former U.S. president Donald Trump鈥檚 negative rhetoric around the practice of mail-in ballots as fraud prone and untrustworthy has had clear effect in this country.

鈥淚t is already a well-established fact that Trump has impacted voters鈥� view and behaviour in the U.S., but what was less known until now was whether that effect crossed the border into Canada,鈥� says Associate Professor , lead author of the paper. 鈥淲e wanted to know if holding populist, right-winged views helped determine the level of trust someone had in mail-in votes and what role political media exposure played.鈥�

The study, , found that those holding populist views across Canada, especially right-wing in nature, were more likely to have been influenced by rhetoric south of the border and to now distrust voting by mail.

Wu, 91亚色 Research Chair in Political Sociology of Health, along with Associate Professor Andrew Dawson, both with the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies at 91亚色, analyzed data from the 2021 Canadian Election Study. It showed that the 鈥淭rump effect鈥� had infiltrated Canadian鈥檚 views of mail-in voting.

The researchers were curious about any potential impact given the last federal election this country in 2021 generated the highest number of mail-in votes of any other election since 1993, when mail-in voting by special ballot was expanded to every Canadian at home or abroad. In the U.S., the practice dates back to the Civil War, a time when soldiers were allowed to vote from the battlefield.

In 2019, Elections Canada received about 55,000 mail-in ballots, but that shot up by more than 10 times that amount in 2021, during the pandemic, to a recording setting around 700,000. In the U.S. during the 2020 presidential election, almost half of voters, some 43 per cent, mailed their ballots. That鈥檚 also the year, Trump and some other republicans began a campaign to discredit mail-in voting saying it could lead to fraud and a 鈥渞igged election鈥�.

鈥淧rior to that, mail-in voting wasn鈥檛 politicized,鈥� says Wu. 鈥淎lthough none of the political parties tried to delegitimize voting by mail in Canada, Canadians likely follow U.S. news more closely than other countries and are more prone to being influenced.鈥�

The study found a significant amplifying effect regardless of where Canadians got their news from, which affected their perceptions of the electoral system in this country and its legitimacy. The higher the level of news consumption, the more Canadians were divided in terms of how they see mail-in voting. Those who held right wing populist views and also followed news closely, show the least trust in voting by mail. The media amplification effect is less significant in French-speaking Quebec, indicating the impact of U.S. media outlets.

This despite the Canadian electoral system being less prone to partisan politics than in the U.S. as federal elections here are run by Elections Canada, a single, non-partisan electoral management body. Even so, suspicion south of the border can still create doubt around elections in this country.

鈥淓ven though there is almost no evidence to suggest mail-in ballots are fraudulent or lead to fraud, the mere suggestion is enough to shake people鈥檚 belief in the practice,鈥� says Wu.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not surprising that it received a lot of media attention worldwide, including in Canada. We found strong evidence of a 鈥楾rump effect鈥� here with a clear negative association between Trump鈥檚 views and a lack of trust in mail-in ballot voting. Perceptions of electoral integrity matter. Sowing the seeds of electoral mistrust through false claims can have real effects.鈥�

The researchers found a distrust in mail-in ballots was more apparent in Alberta than in the rest of Canada.

The research was published today in the peer-reviewed Oxford University Press journal Public Opinion Quarterly.

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