Intended Consequences

Like the rest of the Canadian economy, the construction industry is badly hit by a decline in labour productivity. Looking at historical data, labour productivity in the construction sector is lower today than it was before the pandemic. This comes at a time when communities are growing and we need to build more houses and infrastructure. Increasing productivity will require a variety of tools and one of them is technology. To discuss the impacts of technology adoption in the construction sector, we are joined by Hamid Alemohammad, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Brickeye.

Artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and blockchain are changing the game for governments, companies, and workers. As these emerging technologies gain traction and get adopted, questions around their impact on people are top of mind. Will they create a digital divide where some individuals get left behind in both their personal and professional lives? Faun Rice from the Information and Communications Technology Council joins the podcast to discuss what the digital divide means for individuals and businesses. She also provides insight into how students and workers can develop the right skills for a rapidly changing digital economy.  

While the war in Ukraine rages on, another fight continues in its neighbour to the north, Belarus.  In 2020, its dictator Alexander Lukashenko faced massive protests in the streets and is widely seen by the international community to have lost the presidential election to an unlikely opponent, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Tsikhanouskaya ran in the place of her husband Siarhei, who was arrested by the authorities in May 2020.  While Siarhei remains in prison in Belarus, Sviatlana, who was exiled almost immediately, leads the opposition from abroad. Her goal is to work with international allies to build the framework for a post-Lukashenko future for Belarus. She was in Canada this week for high-level meetings with the Government of Canada, allied ambassadors and the Belarusian community. She joined StrategyCorp’s Garry Keller for a conversation on the challenges she faces, and what Canadians can do to support freedom and democracy in Belarus.

StrategyCorp hosted a webinar on November 7th to analyze the results of the U.S. election. Three expert panelists joined Garry Keller, Head of the StrategyCorp's Geopolitical and International Business Advisory Practice, to discuss what the return of Donald Trump to the White House could mean for Canada: Louise Blais, Former Canadian Diplomat Richard Madan, CBC Washington DC Correspondent Christopher Sands, Director of the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute