Speaking Freely

Speaking Freely
Speaking Freely

Speaking Freely

Speaking Freely examines the past, present and future of Canadian democracy and our multicultural society. Where have we come from, where are we now and where are we going? To address these questions, we interview regular citizens and experts who are willing to speak freely about the issues that matter to Canadians.

Episode 1: Is The Media Becoming the Message?

Has the mainstream media lost its relevance for most Canadians and does the rise of independent journalism point to a brighter future?

Episode 2: Who Stands on Guard for Thee?

In 1961, a young Canadian hero named Frances Oldham Kelsey stopped the approval of Thalidomide in the US saving thousands of lives…in Canada, however,...Read More

Episode 3: Are We Running Roughshod Over Democracy?

How well have Canada’s democratic institutions held up during the past two years? Has the pandemic provided a convenient cover for the weakening of vo...Read More

Episode 4: Never Say Never Again - The History of Internment in Canada

As we witness the awful scenes of war and displacement in the Ukraine, did you know that during WWI Canada interned around 80,000 people, mostly Ukrai...Read More

Episode 5: Inflation Nation - Is Inflation Out of Control in Canada?

Just under a year ago we were being told by government officials that the problem with our economy was the threat of deflation. Now that gas is approa...Read More

Episode 6: Canada’s Covid Exit Strategy - What Can Be Learned from the Past Two Years?

The pandemic began with a simple catch phrase – “two weeks to flatten the curve”. Two years later we ask the question, have we learned anything about ...Read More

Episode 7: What's Canada's Place in the World?

For years - for better or for worse - Canada had a fairly clear vision of its role in both the global economy and in global politics. Today Canada's p...Read More

Episode 8: The Covid Contrarian - How One Medical Officer of Health Publicly Opposed Lockdowns and School Closures...and ultimately was Proven Right.

Currently there is a reckoning occurring around the impacts of measures taken during the past 3 years to stem the spread Sars-cov-2 the virus Covid-19...Read More

Episode 9: Maiday, Maiday! Has Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) Program Spun Out Of Control?

In 2021 Canada enacted a law that made it much easier for Canadians to apply and receive medical assistance to commit suicide. Is this the return of a...Read More

Episode 10: Speaking Freely with Tara Henley: On the Unexpected Rise of Independent Media in Canada

One year on from her very public break-up with the CBC, we ask Tara Henley, what's happening in the world of independent journalism? Can the independe...Read More

Episode 11: The Ukraine Conflict: An Insiders View

So much of what we hear about the Ukraine conflict is either uninformed or purely ideological. But what if we had someone on the "inside" who could di...Read More

Episode 12: Closed Doors: Why Foreign Trained Professionals and Recent Immigrants Are Being Shut Out of Canada's Politics and Labour Markets

Despite the much vaunted turn to inclusivity in Canadian society - a casual perusal around the GTA would find many professions closed off to recent im...Read More

Episode 13: Is Multiculturalism in Need of a Reboot? Why Some Immigrants to Canada Are Having Second Thoughts

What drew many if not most immigrants to Canada was the ability to live a private life free from state coercion and political litmus testing on a dail...Read More

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Dr. Rafael Gomez

Rafael Gomez is a Full Professor of Employment Relations in Human Resources at the University of Toronto. Many of you may know Rafael from his many publications. Others may have seen or heard him in the media as he has been a frequent guest on radio, TV and other media.

Honours & Experience

Prof. Gomez received his Bachelors in Economics and Political Science from Glendon College, a Masters in Economics and a PhD in Industrial Relations from the University of Toronto. He went on to teach at the London School of Economics and has held Visiting appointments internationally at Moscow State University, University of Munich, University of Zurich, the Central Bank of Spain among others. He returned to the University of Toronto as Associate Professor in 2009 and as Full Professor in 2020.

Areas of Expertise & Success

Prof. Gomez’s many research interests include small-scale entrepreneurship, worker preferences for workplace representation and the effect of demographic change on labour markets and economic institutions. He has co-authored and co-edited 4 books and over 70 articles and chapters in prestigious academic publications. In 2013 his book The Little Black Book for Managers was published by Wiley and became a UK business book bestseller. In 2015 his book Small Business and City: The Transformative Potential of Small-Scale Entrepreneurship was published by Rotman-UTP press and in 2019 his book The Everyday Leader was published by Bloomsbury Press.